Since their exhilarating romp in the NCAA’s Big Dance Around the Bases two years ago, the UCSB Gauchos have not been favored by the baseball gods. Injuries to key players, compounded by the breaks of the game, have pushed their winning percentage under .500.
A week before they open their 2018 Big West Conference schedule with a three-game series against Cal State Fullerton (Mar. 29-31), the Gauchos are 6-11-1. Their pitching and defense were superb last Sunday, but in a 2-0 loss to visiting Sacramento State, their bats were silent. Well, not exactly silent, as they hit some loud outs.
“That’s baseball,” said junior Sam Cohen, whose screaming liner in the ninth inning collided with the center fielder’s glove. As a first-year, Cohen launched a walk-off grand slam in the 2016 NCAA Regionals at Louisville. It may not rank with UMBC-beats-Virginia in basketball, but it was extremely high on the shocker scale.