SAN MARCOS, Calif. — Stan State continues CCAA play on the road this weekend with a four-game series at Cal State San Marcos at CSUSM Baseball Field in San Marcos, Calif. The series begins Friday, March 27 at 3:00 p.m., followed by a Saturday doubleheader at 12:00 p.m., and concludes Sunday, March 29 at 11:00 a.m. The Warriors enter the weekend coming off a series win over first-place Cal Poly Pomona, taking three of four games at home.

Weekend Recap
Stan State went 3-1 at home last weekend to take a key CCAA series over first-place Cal Poly Pomona. The Warriors hit .314 as a team with 43 hits and 30 runs scored in the four-game set. Eric Perez led the way, batting .556 with five hits and four RBI, while Zach Lewis added eight hits and Tyler Crudo and Mason Kelley each recorded five hits. Chris Ortiz drove in a team-high eight runs, including a two-run home run in the series finale, and just missed hitting
for the cycle on Sunday by a triple. Lewis also delivered the game-winning moment in game three with a two-out, run-scoring walk-off single that plated Jacob Reyes in a 5-4 victory.

On the mound, Evan Fanconi, AJ Victoravich and Jared Sawyer each recorded wins for the Warriors, while AJ Victoravich also earned a save in the series. Stan State held Pomona to a .281 average and recorded 22 strikeouts over 36 innings.

Stan State won its first series over Cal Poly Pomona since April 21–23, 2023 (in Pomona), and earned its first home series win over the Broncos since Feb. 20–22, 2009.

CCAA Standings
Cal State Monterey Bay leads the CCAA standings with a 6-2 conference record and a 21-5 overall mark, riding an eight-game winning streak. Cal Poly Pomona sits second at 8-4 in conference play and 16-10 overall, followed by Cal State San Bernardino at 7-5 in CCAA action.

Stan State is tied for fourth at 6-6 in conference play with a 15-14 overall record, alongside Cal State San Marcos (4-4, 17-6) and Cal State East Bay (4-4, 13-13). Cal State Los Angeles is 5-7 in conference play, while Chico State and Cal State Dominguez Hills are both 4-8 in CCAA action.

The Warriors have 20 conference games remaining on their schedule, including this weekend at Cal State San Marcos (March 27–29), followed by trips to Cal State San Bernardino (April 10–12) and Cal State Monterey Bay (April 30–May 2), along with home series against Chico State (April 17–19) and Cal State Dominguez Hills (April 24–26). The top five teams will advance to the CCAA Baseball Championship Tournament, scheduled for May 6–9 at Fiscalini Field in San Bernardino.

This Week in the CCAA
Conference play continues across the CCAA this weekend with several key matchups. Stan State travels to San Marcos to face Cal State San Marcos, while Cal State Monterey Bay heads to Hayward to take on Cal State East Bay. Chico State travels to Los Angeles for a series with Cal State Los Angeles, and Cal State Dominguez Hills visits Cal Poly Pomona.
Cal State San Bernardino will step out of conference play with a road matchup at Utah Valley. Most CCAA series begin Friday afternoon and continue with Saturday doubleheaders before concluding Sunday.

Warriors Update
Through 29 games, Stan State is batting .280 as a team with 264 hits, 56 doubles, six triples and 19 home runs while scoring 176 runs. The Warriors carry a .413 slugging percentage and a .361 on-base percentage entering this weekend's CCAA series.

On the mound, Stan State owns a 4.65 team ERA with 178 strikeouts in 242 innings. Opponents are hitting .261 against Warrior pitching, and the defense has compiled a .955 fielding percentage.

Offensive Leaders
Kian Sanchez continues to lead the lineup, batting .452 with 28 hits, five doubles, three home runs and 16 RBI. He also owns a team-best .710 slugging percentage and .541 on-base percentage.  Tyler Crudo is hitting .333 with a team-high 29 hits and 14 RBI, while Zach Lewis is batting .318 with 34 hits and a team-high 10 doubles. Chase Wilson is also hitting .302 with 19 hits and 10 RBI.

AJ Carter is batting .287 with 25 hits, three triples, 21 RBI and a team-high five stolen bases, and Mason Kelley has recorded 29 hits with seven doubles and three home runs while driving in a team-high 22 runs.  Jacob Reyes has added 22 hits and 11 RBI, while Carter's three triples lead the team and Sanchez and Korey Likens each have one to account for the Warriors' six triples this season.

Pitching Leaders
Austin Balentine anchors the rotation with a 5-2 record and a 3.60 ERA over 40 innings while striking out 29. He has also been recognized as a two-time FloCollege/CCAA Baseball Pitcher of the Week and an NCBWA West Region Pitcher of the Week this season. Balentine is tied for sixth in Stan State history with 20 career wins and ranks 10th in program history with 165 strikeouts.

Rocco Gurrola has worked 30.1 innings this season, while Payton Hawkinson has struck out 23 batters in 37.1 innings and earned one save.

Out of the bullpen, Pierce Sailer has recorded three saves with a 3.75 ERA in 24 innings and was also named the FloCollege/CCAA Baseball Pitcher of the Week earlier this season. Eli Blurton has two saves, while AJ Victoravich, Cameron Rosen and Payton Hawkinson each have one save, giving Stan State multiple late-inning options as conference play continues.

CCAA Leaders
Stan State ranks among the CCAA leaders in several categories this season. As a team, the Warriors are first in doubles, shutouts and saves while ranking second in sacrifice hits and triples. Stan State is also fourth in hits, total bases and stolen bases.

Individually, Austin Balentine is tied for second in wins and ranks second in innings pitched while sitting fifth in opponent batting average, eighth in ERA and 10th in strikeouts. AJ Carter is third in triples and ninth in stolen bases, while Korey Likens is tied for second in sacrifice hits and tied for seventh in triples.

Zach Lewis is tied for second in doubles, while Mason Kelley and Chris Ortiz are tied for 10th in doubles. Tyler Crudo is tied for ninth in triples.

On the mound, Payton Hawkinson ranks sixth in innings pitched and ninth in ERA. Pierce Sailer is tied for third in saves, while Eli Blurton is tied for fifth. AJ Victoravich, Cameron Rosen and Payton Hawkinson are each tied for ninth in saves.

NCAA Leaders
Stan State ranks among the NCAA Division II leaders in several categories this season. The Warriors are 10th nationally in shutouts, 17th in sacrifice hits, 19th in walks allowed per nine innings, 28th in WHIP and 35th in ERA. Individually, AJ Carter ranks 20th in the nation in triples, Austin Balentine is tied for 21st in wins, and Pierce Sailer ranks 34th nationally in saves.

Scouting Cal State San Marcos
Cal State San Marcos enters the weekend at 17-6 overall and 4-4 in CCAA play, including a strong 12-3 record at home. The Cougars are hitting .303 as a team with 228 hits, 51 doubles, three triples and 25 home runs while scoring 199 runs. They carry a .479 slugging percentage and a .419 on-base percentage. Cal State San Marcos is coming off a series win at Chico State, taking three of four games on the road.

Stephen Espinoza leads the lineup with a .357 batting average, while Jacob Embleton and Michael Ryan are each hitting .333. Canon King provides power with six home runs and 24 RBI, and Zech Samayoa has added a team-high eight home runs and 25 RBI.

On the mound, Cal State San Marcos owns a 5.21 team ERA with 156 strikeouts in 190 innings. PJ Wendler leads the staff with a 5-0 record and a 2.43 ERA in 37 innings, while Zach Romero and Trevor Morgan have combined for three saves out of the bullpen.
Defensively, the Cougars are fielding .955 as a team and have turned 21 double plays this season.

Series History vs. Cal State San Marcos
Cal State San Marcos holds a narrow 14-13 advantage over Stan State in the all-time series since 2016. The Cougars have won the last four meetings, including a two-game, rain-shortened series sweep on March 16, 2025 in San Marcos.

Stan State is 6-6 at home and 7-8 on the road in the series, while Cal State San Marcos holds a 14-13 edge in CCAA contests. The Cougars have won six of the last 10 meetings dating back to 2022.
In 2024, the two teams split their four-game series in Turlock, with Stan State winning the series opener 8-4 behind a complete-game performance from Austin Balentine, who recorded six strikeouts while allowing seven hits, four runs and one walk. In 2023, Stan State won two of three games in a rain-shortened series in San Marcos.

Stan State's largest margin of victory in the series was an 18-2 win on April 28, 2024, while the smallest margin of victory was a 4-3 decision on April 27, 2024. The two programs have combined for 169 runs in the series, averaging 6.26 runs per game.

FloCollege
All four games of this weekend's series will be streamed live on FloCollege. Live stats will also be available through Stan State Athletics.

Up Next
After a week off, Stan State returns to action on the road at Cal State San Bernardino for a four-game CCAA series beginning Friday, April 10 at 3 p.m. at Fiscalini Field. The series continues with a Saturday doubleheader at 12 p.m. and 3 p.m., and concludes Sunday at 11 a.m.

The Warriors then return home to host Chico State in a four-game series beginning Friday, April 17 at 6 p.m. at Warrior Baseball Field. The series continues with a Saturday doubleheader at 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. and wraps up Sunday at 12 p.m.

Stan State continues its home stand the following weekend, hosting Cal State Dominguez Hills beginning Friday, April 24 at 6 p.m. in Turlock.
All CCAA games will be available on FloCollege with live stats provided. Stan State home games will also be broadcast on Blue Chip Broadcasting with Bryan Nelson on the call.