UCSB’s baseball team has four remaining games in its season-opening homestand. The Gauchos will host San Jose State for a three-game weekend series before playing St. Mary’s on Monday.
UCSB, off to a 4-4 start, will then travel to Texas for a three-game series with the Longhorns in Austin.
The Gauchos are in the midst of their longest homestand of the year. Coming off a 12-3 loss to UCLA on Tuesday, they’re off to a 2-3 start in the nine-game stretch.
Friday’s game with San Jose State begins at 2 p.m. Sophomore starting pitcher Austin Pettibone is off to a 2-0 start for the Gauchos and ranks in the Big West’s Top-10 in wins (2nd, 2), ERA (5th, 0.68) and IP (7th, 13.1).
Another sophomore, first baseman Tyler Kuresa, has been hot at the plate for UCSB, going 6-16 (.375) with a double, triple, home run, and stolen base over the weekend series with USF. Kuresa leads the team and ranks 10th in the Big West with a .576 slugging percentage.
The Gauchos will also see if they can continue to excel on the basepaths. Their 14 stolen bases and 17 attempts both lead the conference, while their 82% success rate ranks second. Woody Woodward and Luke Swenson lead the way with three swipes apiece.
