Fresno State shocked the world last year as the unheralded Bulldogs clawed their way to the College World Series championship.
A year later, Cal Poly is poised to do the same thing.
“I feel like we can go all the way to the World Series,” Cal Poly junior infielder Adam Buschini said. “This team’s got it. We knew coming into the fall. We knew coming into the season, we had (then No. 3) Rice to start the season and we knew we could beat Rice.”
Buschini’s confidence seems well founded as the Mustangs (29-10) prepare to meet Fresno State for the second time this season tonight at 6 p.m. in Baggett Stadium.
The two teams pounded out 24 runs in their first meeting, a 13-11 Cal Poly win on Feb. 24 in Fresno.
Mustangs head coach Larry Lee said that the team doesn’t see much of a resemblance between either team from the game that was played early this year.
“That was early in the season so both teams are different,” Lee said. “Both teams have a number of games under their belt. The thing that (playing them in February) gave us was to see some of their new players.”
The players haven’t translated to the kind of success Fresno State had anticipated. Coming off the national championship, Fresno State (20-22) is a long shot to get an invite to defend its crown.
Lee acknowledged that his team doesn’t look at the Bulldogs as a champion, but more so as just another test to prepare them for a potential postseason berth.
“I don’t think (the Mustangs) care (about Fresno State being national champions),” he said. “Its another opponent and another opportunity to pick up a win.”
The Mustangs sport a number of players who grew up in the Fresno area and Lee said the team would relish the chance to play against former high school teammates and rivals once more.
“We have a lot of players from that valley — from Clovis, Fresno and Bakersfield,” Lee explained. “All the players we have were also recruited by Fresno State.”
Cal Poly has suffered a number of midseason injuries and illnesses to Buschini and junior Wes Dorrell, but Lee said the team is getting healthy at the right time as the Mustangs chase their first postseason berth.
“We went through a stretch of probably about three or four weeks where we were never fully healthy,” Lee said. “We just got back to 100 percent this weekend. As a coach you feel good about that just going into a game fully loaded.”
The Mustangs have four home games this week including a three-game set with San Francisco beginning Friday evening. They have not lost at Baggett Stadium since opening day to Rice — a span of 17 games.
Buschini credited the team’s success at home to a number of variables.
“We just feel more comfortable at home — being here in San Luis Obispo, we’ve got a great fan base,” Buschini said. “We know how to win when we have the last at-bat. We definitely like playing here. It’s a great field and a great stadium.”