Senior outfielder Luke Yoder (above) went 4-for-6 with four RBIs in the Mustangs 25-8 win against Cal State Bakersfield in Cal Poly’s final game of the regular season. In all, Cal Poly totaled 32 hits — a new Division-I school record. Photo by Ryan Sidarto- Mustang Daily

Senior outfielder Adam Melker stood in center field during the ninth inning of the Mustangs’ season finale against Cal State Bakersfield Sunday afternoon.

Poised to tally a commanding season-ending win, he and the rest of the seniors were pulled from the game. The crowd cheered as one of the most successful recruitment classes in head coach Larry Lee’s tenure made their way off the field.

Junior Jono Grayson was Melker’s replacement. The two met in left center field, both with so much to say.

“(Grayson) just joined the team this year, but I feel like I have known him for 10 years. He is a great kid, and he just told me that he learned a lot from me and he appreciated what I have done for him. I told him the same,” Melker said. “He helped me out too.”

With the help of Melker, Luke Yoder and the rest of the senior class, the Mustangs (23-32) boasted a 25-run, 32-hit offensive outburst to fuel Cal Poly past Cal State Bakersfield (26-30), 25-8, in its final game of the season.

“Jokingly, it’s all the hits and stuff that we didn’t get at the beginning of the season,” Yoder said. “In all honesty, we just knew what we had to do in order to go out there and win a series.”

In the win, the Mustangs set a new school record for hits in a game at the Division-I level, recorded their highest run total in a game since a 28-16 victory over Nevada in 1997, held three players who tallied five hits in game for the first time in school history and set a new record for doubles in a game with nine.

“That definitely says something about us, as a team, and says something about the character of our team,” Yoder said. “(Today) was about playing for respect for ourselves and respect for us as a team.“

The Mustangs end their season as victors of 13 of their last 18 games. Cal Poly also won its fourth series in the last five weeks — the only series the Mustangs won this year — all coming after a 10-27 record to start the season.

“Especially for seniors, we didn’t want to leave on a bad note,” Melker said. “We turned it around a little too late, but we turned it around. We started playing like I knew we could.”

For Melker, Sunday marked the end if his career with the Mustangs. The senior finishes with a .337 batting average on the season — going 2-for-6 in his final game.

“I have been here for four years, I have had ups and downs, but overall I have absolutely loved it. I told Coach Lee it has been the best experience I have had in my entire life and I thanked him for the opportunity he gave me four years ago,” Melker said. “It’s the end of something great.”

The senior highlights one the more impressive recruitment classes Lee has had in years, he said.

“If you (look at) the statical history, they were all big contributors, and that’s a rarity,” Lee said.

The class, along with the rest of the Mustangs, scored in every inning except the third inning — while also scoring multiple runs in every one of those innings except the first. The Mustangs more than doubled Cal State Bakersfield totals in runs and hits. They had every starter in the line-up hit safely multiple times and six players boast multiple RBI games. Third baseman Evan Busby led the team, finishing 5-for-6 with six RBIs. Designated hitter Mitch Haniger also finished 5-for-6 with three RBIs.

But, even with all the broken records, the offensive showcase came at a handicap.

“We had two position players (catcher Ross Brayton and second baseman Matt Jensen) who were on the bench, and we had three relievers who were available today,” Lee said. “When your starter gets four outs, it sucks the life out of you as an offensive and defensive team. Give our offense credit; we were able to rebound from it.”

Eugene Wright started the game pitching just over one inning while allowing four earned runs off six hits. His replacement, senior relief pitcher Mark DeVincenzi pitched just over the next four — his longest stint as a Mustang — matching a career-high six strikeouts while failing to give up an earned run.

“He came in, in a part of the game where we didn’t have a lot of energy, we hadn’t pitched well up to that point and as the innings progressed he got better and better. It was his best outing of the season,” Lee said. “He really allowed us to bridge the gap later in the ballgame.”

With the season ending, the seniors have their careers halted from a final championship push. After going 37-21 a year ago — claiming the first NCAA regional bid in school history — the Mustangs fell short of the high expectations they set last season. But the Mustangs made the most of their late season schedule, giving the seniors a gift in a season that fell short of a championship.

“It’s a good note to go out on,” Yoder said.

The Cal Poly baseball team (22-31) continued their winning ways Friday night at Baggett Stadium with a commanding 12-3 victory over Cal State Bakersfield (25-29). The victory was the third straight for the Mustangs and they have now won five of six games on their end-of-the-year homestand.

The Mustangs greeted the visiting Roadrunners with two runs in the bottom of the first. Senior left fielder Luke Yoder led off the inning with a single to left field on the first pitch he saw. He came home on a slicing double down the left-field line by center fielder Adam Melker. It was the 45th double of Melker’s career and extended his hitting streak to 12 games. After a bunt single by right fielder Bobby Crocker put runners at first and third, first baseman David Van Ostrand hit into a fielder’s choice which drove in the second run of the inning.

Cal Poly continued their offensive attack with two more runs in the bottom of the second inning. The Mustangs began the inning with three straight singles by catcher Jordan Hadlock, shortstop J.J. Thompson and third baseman Evan Busby. Busby’s single drove in Hadlock from third for his 21st RBI on the season. After a sacrifice bunt from second baseman Denver Chavez moved runners to second and third with one out, Yoder hit an RBI groundout to third base which drove in another run and made the score 4-0 after two.

In the third, the Mustangs added one more run on a sacrifice fly by designated hitter Mitch Haniger which scored Bobby Crocker, who doubled to left center to begin the frame. With the sacrifice fly, Haniger drove in his 43rd run of the season which ties him with Crocker for the team lead.

The Mustangs scored three more times in the bottom of the fourth to chase starter Mickey Jannis from the game. Busby led off the inning with a triple to right center and later came home on an RBI groundout to second by Chavez. Then, Yoder singled and stole second base. The next batter was Melker who singled to right to score Yoder. The third run was driven in on the second RBI groundout of the game by Van Ostrand.

Jannis (4-5) finished the game with 3 1/3 innings, allowing eight runs on 11 hits while striking out one. He allowed a Mustang lead-off batter on base in each of the four inning he pitched. Brandon Van Dam came on for Jannis to get the final two outs of the inning.

The Roadrunners were finally able to get on the board against Cal Poly starter Matt Leonard in the fifth inning. Henry hit a sacrifice fly to Crocker to score left fielder Kevin Younger who had singled to begin the inning.

The Mustangs responded with four more runs in the fifth to continue to add on to their lead. With the bases loaded and one out, Yoder doubled down the left-field line, his 50th career double, to extend the lead to 10-1. Melker then singled up the middle scoring two more runs to make the score 12-1 at the end of the fifth inning.

Bakersfield scored two runs in the top of the eighth inning on back to back doubles from third baseman Martin Medina and first baseman Jason Kudlock.

On the mound, Leonard (2-7) won his second straight start. He went eight innings allowing three runs on seven hits while striking out three. Kyle Anderson came on to get the final three outs in the ninth inning to close out the game.

The second game of the three-game series is scheduled at 1 p.m. tomorrow.

Haniger was on ESPN’s High School Players to Watch list and named to the CalHiSports All-State First Team. Photo by Ryan Sidarto- Mustang Daily

Many highly-recruited high school baseball stars face a tough decision upon graduation. Often persuaded by the allure of a professional contract, some talented players opt to forgo a college education for a shot at a paycheck flooded with zeros.

When high school standout Mitch Haniger graduated high school, he was faced with this same debacle. Books or bills?

With the New York Mets in one hand — Cal Poly Mustangs in the other — Haniger chose to stay in school.

“I kind of knew I wanted to go to college,” the Cal Poly freshman right fielder and designated hitter said. “It’s a one-time opportunity. It’s something people talk about the rest of their lives and I didn’t want to regret missing that.”

Yes, he could come back to school, but “it wouldn’t be the same,” he said. The most stressful part of the process was a week before the draft when the Mets pressured Haniger to commit.

“They are pressuring you to tell them how much money you want and how much you will sign for … (scouts) will question you before so you know where you stand before the draft,” he said.

Money, injuries and development were factors that came into play. The Mets drafted Haniger in the third round, which he said made his choice easier. The organization told him they would make him an offer after summer, which Haniger spent playing for the San Luis Obispo Rattlers.

By the end of summer, Haniger wasn’t a priority. The Mets were focused on their top two draft choices they had yet to sign. At that point, Haniger’s decision was a “no-brainer.”

“My parents told me to do what I want,” he said. “They wanted me to go to college, but I think it would’ve been different if I was drafted higher.”

The Archbishop Mitty High School graduate hit .364, knocked in 25 runs and nailed 12 homers. But he didn’t just excel in baseball.

Haniger set a league record with 42 receptions (75 overall for 789 yards and five touchdowns) in possibly the toughest football league in California — the West Catholic Athletic League. Football helped fortify his competitive nature.

“You train 11 months of the year for 12 games, it really makes you love winning or hate losing because you practice five days a week so hard for one game and don’t play again till next week,” Haniger said. “With baseball you play so often, like four games a week, that it’s easy to accept losing, but football taught me to love winning and get after it; I hate to lose.”

Haniger was on ESPN’s High School Players to Watch list and named to the CalHiSports All-State First Team.

Cal Poly sophomore catcher Eliot Stewart grew up with Haniger, who he describes as a “true student of the game.” High school ball, travel ball, eight years of golf — Stewart has “pretty much known (Haniger) forever.”

“He has always carried the offense through every team we’ve been on, through high school and travel ball when we were 13,” Stewart said. “He had high standards for himself and coach Lee and everybody else did for him too. He kind of carries the team as a young guy, which is nice.”

On paper, his stats jumped off the page. In person, he was more impressive.

A 6-foot-2 frame, strong arm, “plus-power potential” at the plate, athleticism — Haniger has the obvious characteristics of a five-tool player. Not to mention he has baseball in his blood. His brother Jason — heralded as one of the nation’s best catchers at Georgia Tech — was drafted by the Pirates two years ago.

But head coach Larry Lee said the intangibles are what distinguish the good ones from the great ones.

“He wants to be the guy: the player that lives for the big opportunity that presents itself in a game,” he said. “(There are) other players that tend to shy away. We found out early that Mitch relishes in that environment.”

Lee referenced Cal Poly’s first conference series against UC Riverside April 2.

Cal Poly was down to its final out, down 2-1 in the top of the ninth. David Van Ostrand forced a walk after a 10-pitch at bat. Jono Grayson pinch ran and stole second to set the stage for the composed freshman.

Each time Haniger steps to the plate he has a routine. He retightens his gloves and holds his helmet as he taps the corner of the plate. His back foot enters the box first as the righty points his front foot up the third-base line. Haniger takes an open stance as he stares to the mound. Three half practice swings later, he takes an even stance and waits as his bat slightly wags up and down just above his shoulder.

Focused and ready, he zoned in.

He looked at two pitches: one ball, one strike. When the third pitch came, he was sitting dead red.

“He threw me a fastball right down the plate and I smashed it over left field,” Haniger said.

Although his two-run blast put the Mustangs up, Riverside scored a run in the bottom half of the inning. Cal Poly won in 10 innings.

Wins have been hard to come by for the Mustangs (20-31, 10-14 Big West). Cal Poly fell victim to injuries that compounded a short pitching staff. It didn’t help when Haniger missed nearly half the season with back spasms.

“He’s very competitive,” Lee said. “He has been playing with a bad back the majority of the season, but he is still holding his own.”

Haniger has definitely held his own, especially when the team needed him. As of late, the Mustangs have caught fire at the plate. His poise has led to a .500 average with the bases loaded, a .317 average overall and six homers. His confidence has earned respect from his teammates.

“He has given our offense a big boost, he has that confidence with him,” senior catcher Ross Brayton said. “We watched him and thought, ‘Yea this kid is going to be good’ … He’s one of our most consistent hitters, always good for two or three hits a game.”

Lee said many players he recruits to Cal Poly need developing, but occasionally he gets the guy he wants or “steals them away from bigger schools.” Haniger is a steal. Lee said he needs to be the player who steps up when the older players graduate this year.

“He will be able to pass every test,” Lee said. “I think he’s going to be a real talented player for us.”

Preparation is the key. Haniger’s work eithic, professionalism and mental stability is uncanny for a freshman, senior outfielder Adam Melker said.

“Age-wise he is a freshman, but mentally there isn’t a gap between him and I,” he said.“It’s a unique case that you really can’t tell he’s young.”

Between at-bats, Haniger hounds teammates in the dugout to get an edge on the opposing pitcher. He tries to stay as relaxed as possible because rigidity doesn’t help in a reactionary game, said Haniger, who takes deep breaths while visualizing his at-bat in the on-deck circle. Being a bit superstitious doesn’t hurt.

“He’s pretty crazy, one of the funniest guys I have ever met,” Spencer said. “He’s pretty superstitious, that’s for sure. He does his own thing; he knows what he is doing. I know he puts his shirts on in a separate order and undresses the same way. (Haniger) cuts his hair every Thursday, before a series. He has pretty much the same schedule every week. He has to have his way.”

With regard to his decision of coming to Cal Poly, Haniger has no regrets.

Although Haniger is a Mustang for now, Melker postulates he won’t be here for four years.

“He’s only going to last in college three years before someone picks him up,” Melker said.

After the Mustangs were barely going to secure 10 wins this season they have turned it around and are aiming for 20 wins. Photo by Ryan Sidarto- Mustang Daily

After posting their 37-21 record a season ago, the Mustangs (18-30, 8-13 Big West) had nothing but high expectations for this campaign.
But the Mustangs struggled out of the gate, dropping four of their first 10 games. After bringing their record to .500 after a sweep of Northern Illinois, the Mustangs plummeted. They lost 21 of their next 25 games, didn’t win their first weekend series until May and have yet to hold a winning record. Runs were hard to score, pitches couldn’t find the strike zone and errors were riddling the Cal Poly defense.
But then things changed. After being swept by Cal State Fullerton, RBIs started lighting up the box scores, the team’s ERA started to drop and the Mustangs found ways to get on base. Now, after firing off eight wins in their last 12 games, the Mustangs can lessen the pain of falling short of the postseason.
“It’s a good feeling,” head coach Larry Lee said. “It’s a good feeling in the dugout, a lot more positive energy. It’s nice to see.”
They just hope they can keep the wheels turning when they square off against Pacific (30-18, 11-7 Big West), a team ranked third in the Big West.
“We’ve played fairly well for the last month,” Lee said. “At given times during each game or each series, we’ve done some things pretty well … Offensively, we’ve really stepped it up to a different level …It’s good experience for a number of players.”
Coming into the weekend, the Tigers dropped a non-conference series at the hands of Cal State Bakersfield. The Mustangs pitching staff will be tested as Pacific brings in the second-best hitting attack in the Big West, with a .329 team batting average. The Mustangs will be looking to control Pacific’s duo of second baseman J.B. Brown, who currently sits third in the Big West with a .401 average, and first baseman Brian Martin, who owns a .382 average on the year. The duo ranks second and third in the Big West in hits as Brown has accumulated 79, while Martin has 78.
The Tigers’ pitching staff sits in the middle of the pack of the conference, sporting a 5.19 team ERA. They are led by junior right-hander Marcus Pointer, senior left-hander David Rowse and junior right-hander Jake Hummel. All three pitchers are tied for a team leading seven wins and senior closer Hunter Carnevale leads the team with a 2.62 ERA and four saves.
The Tigers have won eight of their last 11 games and are looking to catch second-place UC Irvine; they trail by one game.
When the Mustangs looked close to barely scraping out 10 wins, Cal Poly is now on pace to surpass 20. But the success can be viewed as a double-edged sword. Wins or not, Cal Poly has to stay thirsty for more.
Lee has that kind of mindset. The current winning streak has not blinded him to the problems his team is still struggling with.
“I think we are still kind of limited with the options we can go to,” Lee said. “Pitching-wise, we are still not where we need to be. We just don’t have that quality or depth that we really need to make a strong impact in the Big West.”
The Mustangs pitching staff has struggled all season long, as the Mustangs own the worst team ERA in the Big West at 6.81. But they have been winning due to their hitting. Over their past 12 games, the Mustangs have posted 153 hits and a team batting average of .331. For the season, the Mustangs boast a .292 average and are led by freshman Mitch Haniger with a .327 batting average.
Another key contributor has been outfielder Luke Yoder. In his final season playing for the Mustangs, he has hit .324 with 11 home runs and 33 RBIs. But in his four-year stint with Cal Poly, he has added more than just numbers for the Mustangs.
“Luke has been great,” Lee said. “He is very level headed—very much in control. He has had some real good seasons. This is probably his best season; he has put up some good numbers … He has really solidified our lead-off spot. He has added a lot to the program, added class. It’s been great.”
Yoder is currently undergoing the end of his résumé process for the majors. With his senior year nearly finished, the next step in the Yoder baseball saga is the pros. Not many get a chance to play a sport professionally, but Lee sees his starting outfielder as pro-ready.
“Yoder should be,” Lee said. “He and (catcher Ross) Brayton — as seniors — should be drafted. (But,) some of the draft-eligible juniors that we thought would be drafted probably won’t. They just didn’t have that type of a season that they needed to.”
Lee could be hinting at players like juniors J.J. Thomspon and DJ Gentile, who have both seen drops in their statistics from 2009 to 2010. Thompson, who hit .292 a year ago, is hitting.270 this season and Gentile, who hit .304 a year ago, is now hitting .184. Another offseason may be the remedy they need to help them get back to the players they were a year ago — or maybe even better.
“We should have a lot of guys back that we didn’t expect back (for next season),” Lee said. “Hopefully they can take that as some motivation, work hard in the offseason and come back as the player they want to become.”
The books for 2010 still aren’t closed. Thompson, Gentile and the rest of the Mustangs still have chances to improve a season that began with high expectations. But they will have to do so against Pacific this weekend.
First pitch is set for Friday at 6 p.m.

—    Brian De Los Santos and Patrick Leiva contributed to this report.

Catcher Ross Brayton (above) has returned to the playing field after a injury to his knee and quad. He and the rest of his teammates have found their stride at the plate recently, scoring more than seven runs in seven of their last eight games. Photo by Ryan Sidarto- Mustang Daily

Head coach Larry Lee challenged his team after being swept by Cal State Fullerton three weeks ago.

The Mustangs hadn’t seen a weekend series win through nearly three quarters of his team’s schedule, there were no playoffs in sight and they would need a miracle-like run to push their record past .500.

But then Lee stepped in. He challenged his team to win 10 of their remaining 19 games — just enough to put the ball club past the 20-win mark come May.

The task may have been daunting for the (10-26) team at that point, but it didn’t show in its performance on the field. His team responded to the challenge.

Since then, the Mustangs have won five of their last seven ballgames, while scoring seven or more runs in their last eight. Now a goal that would have looked close to impossible in the middle of the year seems a little more within reach. This weekend, the Mustangs (15-29, 6-12 Big West) hope their three-game series against conference rival UC Davis will help them inch closer to that milestone.

“Right now, we’re on track to do it. We’re just trying to work hard and get to that,” catcher Ross Brayton said. “You obviously don’t want to just throw away the season. We are so far in, we still want to get the respect that we had at the beginning (of the season).”

The Mustangs now have the momentum and look to keep it rolling. After keeping every game against UC Irvine close this weekend, Cal Poly grabbed an 18-11 win against Loyola Marymount Tuesday afternoon.

“Now we are finding ways to win, getting those breaks we weren’t getting at the beginning of the year. Just to get to 20 wins, we would prove to ourselves that ‘Hey, we battled through this year. Even though it wasn’t the greatest year, we still reached a goal,’” Brayton said.

The Mustangs can credit their bats for the resurgence. With a team 6.99 ERA, Cal Poly can’t win games with a consistent four-runs-a-game effort. Instead, high run totals are necessary to keep games close. With the return of key contributors like Brayton and designated hitter Mitch Haniger, the Mustangs have been able to achieve such totals.

“That just shows how good we actually are,” Brayton said. “We are starting to play to our capabilities, and we are proving to ourselves we are as good as we thought we were.”

But even with the offense rolling, the Mustangs’ approach may have to change when they head into James M. and Ann Dobbins Baseball Stadium this weekend. Even for hitters like outfielder Luke Yoder, who hit three home runs in his last two games, the 410-foot center field wall may seem a bit farther than usual.

“We’ve got to make sure we really focus on hitting low line drives,” Yoder said. “That field compared to ours is a dead zone. The ball doesn’t fly very well at that field at all … If you hit the ball in the air, it’s almost going to be an out every time.”

UC Davis currently stands at (20-24, 4-11) and responded to being swept by Pacific over the weekend with an 8-5 win against Saint Mary’s Tuesday afternoon. But the win was just a brief moment of celebration in a losing season thus far.

“Lately it has been a little tough; we haven’t done as well as we wanted to,” Aggies catcher Scott Kalush said. “Overall, we have a lot of work to do. We definitely need to keep improving, but we’re taking a few steps in the right direction. ”

The Aggies hope those steps will help them defeat the Mustangs.

“Cal Poly is always a good team, and it’s always been a tough series,” said Kalush, who is hitting .298 with 21 RBIs. “We definitely are going to have to bring our game.”

The Aggies came into the week sitting at the bottom of the Big West. Like Cal Poly, at this point the Aggies don’t have a realistic chance at making a run for the postseason.

“We still feel like we have something to play for,” Kalush said. “Every game we are trying to go out there and win. At the very least, (we want to) send a message for next year to the rest of the conference saying, ‘We’re a team to be reckoned with, and we are not going to be taken lightly.’”

As for Cal Poly, the key to the series is about putting together all the pieces of the puzzle at the right time.

“Anything can happen on any given day,” Yoder said. “It all depends on how your pitchers are doing and how well your position players are hitting. It all comes back to the team facets. If we can put all three facets of the game together, I like our chances a lot.”

First pitch is set for Friday at 2:30 p.m.