Cal Poly Baseball in review – Bobby Ay and Alec Smith

Ed. note: As a “content experiment”, I’ll be going through each player on the Cal Poly roster from 2017 to recap their season and look forward to 2018.

Bobby Ay

Bobby Ay dives to make a play against CSUN. By Owen Main

Season Synopsis

Right-handed starting pitcher Bobby Ay got opportunities in 2017. Over the season, Ay went from just seven appearances as a freshman to being a mostly regular part of the weekend rotation for Cal Poly early in the season. Through 11 appearances, all starts, Ay went 1-6 with an ERA of 5.40. As the season went along, head coach Larry Lee continued to give Ay opportunities. 

His best game was against Hawai’i, when Ay gave up just one run over 7 1/3 innings in picking up his only win of the season. Ay’s peripherals were spotty — he struck out 25 hitters and walked 22 in just over 46 innings pitched. By the time the season ended, those 46 2/3 innings were the fourth most on the Cal Poly staff. 

Catch him this summer

Ay will continue to hone his craft locally this season in San Luis Obispo, playing for the Blues. He played on the Blues two summers ago as an incoming freshman and will have an opportunity to improve — like most of the players on the Mustangs’ roster. 

Consistency and control will be two big things to watch for as Ay goes after California Collegiate League hitters at Sinsheimer Stadium over the summer. If everything goes well over the summer, Ay will once again compete for a starting spot in 2018. 

Alec Smith 

Season synopsis

A senior infield utility player, Alec Smith saw his Cal Poly career come to an end in 2017. Like Brett Binning, Smith’s time decreased in 2017 with the arrival of some slugging freshman infielders. Over his career, I believe Smith saw time at all four infield positions. Known more for his glove than his bat, Smith got most of his 22 appearances as a late-game replacement this past season. 

Sure glove

As a senior, Smith made just one error all year on a team that really struggled with fielding — especially in non-conference play. He finished his career at Cal Poly with 27 hits.