Fresh off a four-game sweep of Wagner College this past weekend, UCSB made a jump in four major national polls on Monday morning, headlined by a No. 10 ranking by Collegiate Baseball, the program’s first top-10 ranking since the 1986 season.
The Gauchos jumped five spots in the Collegiate Baseball poll after being placed at the No. 15 spot last week. Similarly, Andrew Checketts’s squad improved their position in the polls for Perfect Game (No. 14, previously 20), Baseball America (No. 15, previously 19), and the USA Today/ESPN Coaches Poll (No. 23, previously receiving votes).
With a 17-3 overall record and an 11-1 mark at home, the Gauchos are off to their best start in both categories since the 1984 season (19-1 and 11-1, respectively).
UCSB is led offensively by senior Joey Epperson, who with a .493 batting average is leading the NCAA in hitting, and junior Tyler Kuresa, who leads the team and ranks among the top-25 nationally with seven home runs this season.
On the mound, Justin Jacome (4-0, 2.08 ERA), Greg Mahle (4-1, 1.35 ERA), and Dillon Tate (five saves, 0.00 ERA) have done a fine job so far, while 2013 ace Austin Pettibone should be a fixture in the rotation from here on out after making his debut this past Saturday.
This week, the Gauchos travel to 15-9 Fresno State for a Tuesday night showdown before hosting Hawai’i for a three-game series to open Big West conference play starting on Friday
