For a while, this one looked like the November 2012 Cal Poly upset at UCLA.

The play-by-play guy was calling a Cal Poly player by the wrong name. Two of them actually. Jaylen SHEED and Luke McLee were important in Cal Poly’s runs. (Remember Kyle OE-dister) The Mustangs were shooting the lights out. Arizona State seemed a little stunned at the end of the first half of an early-season game.

Early in the second half, Cal Poly built a five-point lead. Then it all fell apart. A few turnovers. A few missed shots. A few easy Arizona State buckets. The lead ballooned to 10.

Cal Poly tried to find a way, but couldn’t get a grip on the game. The lead grew to 15. This time, Cal Poly’s defense wasn’t able to hold enough to allow them to claw back. Not that they could have. Arizona State’s defense clamped down and allowed the Sun Devils to go on a big . The Sun Devils outscored Cal Poly by 53-26 over the final 16:26. So, giving up 53 points in that short span isn’t going to win anybody any games.

Kyle Toth was unconscious on Sunday in Tempe, pouring in 21 points. By Owen Main

There were some good signs early though. For the first 25 minutes, Cal Poly played exactly how they have to in order to have success this season. Jaylen Shead was timely in his penetration, generally making good decisions. Josh Martin crashed the glass. Ridge Shipley made shots. Kyle Toth was freaking unconscious.

There were some things to work on, too. Simple things like passing to the wing sometimes eluded Cal Poly’s guards. Cal Poly’s interior defense allowed Arizona State to shoot 58 percent on 2-point shots and the Sun Devils got to the foul line nearly twice as much as Cal Poly (42-22 attempts). In the end, the Mustangs couldn’t hold-their slim margin and early hot shooting against Bobby Hurley’s Sun Devils.

With the loss, Cal Poly drops to 0-2 on the season after their first weekend. They looked better against Arizona State than they did at Pepperdine, but there is still a lot of work to be done if they want to compete and possibly contend in the Big West.

This week, they’ll get a chance to work on some things. Up next, Joe Callero’s squad will host a pair of non-Division I schools this weekend.

First they’ll play Division II Cal State Dominguez Hills on Thursday at 7:00. On Friday, the Mustangs will host Bethesda (of the National Christian College Athletic Association, or NCCAA) in a 2:00 pm game. The Saturday game will make for an interesting double-header for Cal Poly athletics. The basketball game should be over by 4:00 or so, which should give fans a few hours to eat and get recharged for Cal Poly football’s last gasp at a playoff birth at 6:05.

A senior, Chris Brown has kept big mistakes to a minimum thus far this year. By Owen Main

Tied at 21 in the fourth quarter with the Pac 12’s Sun Devils, Cal Poly gave up two fourth-quarter touchdowns to lose their only matchup with a FBS team this season.

What did you all think of the white uniforms and helmets? I thought they looked pretty freaking sharp. I liked the all-green uniforms last year as well — way better than the black ones they’ve worn.

Cal Poly will face Northern Iowa next Saturday at Spanos. The Panthers are coming off a win against Eastern Washington and should be ranked in the top-ten coming into the game.

View all photos from the game by clicking here

Joe Protheroe led Cal Poly on Saturday night with 130 yards on 28 carries. By Owen Main

On a hot, dry night in Tempe, Cal Poly almost did the unthinkable — beat a Pac 12 school ranked in the top-15 in the FBS just a week ago.

Instead, Arizona State used two fourth quarter touchdowns to distance themselves from the Mustangs and win 35-14.

The real story, though, was Cal Poly’s ability to hang with Arizona State. The Mustangs went down 14-0 in the first half, but found some rhythm with Joe Protheroe and Jared Mohamed up the middle in the second quarter en route to 14 points that got the team back into the game. A 21-14 deficit at the half was erased Cal Poly’s first drive of the second half, as Chris Brown found tight end Reagan Enger near the end zone for a touchdown.

Tu’uta Inoke and Cal Poly’s defense have been a pleasantly productive corps over the first two games. By Owen Main

The following goal-line stand by the Mustangs was the height of their momentum. On the ensuing drive, ASU had the ball inside the one yard line for a first down. Two reviewed plays later, Cal Poly stopped a fourth down play via a Fernando Cabico interception. Cabico was in the game because Chris Fletcher left the game with an ankle injury on the play before.

Cabico’s interception hushed the crowd of 46,500 and brought a buzz on the Cal Poly bench that was palpable. The Mustangs got a first down on the ensuing drive, but couldn’t harness the momentum and ride it to another score.

To have a chance to win, the Mustangs had to have a number of breaks, and they almost got them. Along with two turnovers caused by Cal Poly’s defense, two punts were muffed by Arizona State kick returners. Both times the ball was pounced-on by a Sun Devil before Cal Poly could get to it, but Cal Poly was painfully close to having the ball with great field position in both cases. Punting was something that let the Mustangs down at times in Montana, but Stephen Pyle punted the ball eight times for an average of over 40 yards per and pinned Arizona State inside the 20 yard-line three times. In a near-upset like this, there are always a few “what-ifs.” Special teams turnovers were the what-ifs on Saturday.

A few muffed punts were tantalizingly close to turnovers in Cal Poly’s favor. By Owen Main

Tim Walsh said after the game that there were a number of things Cal Poly still has to improve on. Despite the opening-night win and the solid performance against Arizona State, Cal Poly’s offense has still only averaged just over 20 points per game, which isn’t likely to be enough in the Big Sky.

Chris Brown, Tim Walsh, and Saga Tuitele all have to find a way to have more passing efficiency. Cal Poly fans who clamor for more passing are longing for the days of Cole Stanford at this point. Maybe that’s Cal Poly’s next wrinkle. The way their schedule is laid-out they’ll sure need a few more.

Fans from the city and county of San Luis Obispo made a great showing over the weekend. by Owen Main

If you were there, you know that last weekend’s regional was a special weekend for both Cal Poly and San Luis Obispo baseball fans. Here are a few memorable moments and a some important notes from last weekend.

SLO hosted a regional

The fact that this county hosted a regional is a memorable moment unto itself.

San Luis Obispo hosting an NCAA baseball regional is about as good as it can get for an on-campus sporting event at Cal Poly or anywhere between Santa Barbara and San Jose. Six games in three days were all close. Over 15,000 fans came out to Baggett, making the regional a huge success for Cal Poly Athletics. The teams who were eliminated were all really good. Pepperdine turned out to be a little better than everyone else on this particular weekend.

Larry Lee

If you haven’t read this story from the Tribune on Larry Lee and his coaching legacy in San Luis Obispo, you need to. For him to have been the coach when the Mustangs were first able to host a Regional is pretty important. He clearly has a ton of respect from other coaches — every coach went out of their way to talk about the great job he’s done when describing the Regional. Lee knows what he’s doing and has a pretty clear plan. Seriously — read that story.

Matt Imhof delivers a pitch in his final game at Cal Poly. By Owen Main

Standing ovation for Imhof

On Friday night, Cal Poly ace, Matt Imhof, showed why he is going to be a high draft pick this season. Despite not having his best command, Imhof battled to give Cal Poly the win in their Friday night Regional opener against Sacramento State. Imhof gave up just one earned run in 7 2/3 innings in what will likely be his final game in a Cal poly uniform.

He tipped his cap as fans gave him a standing ovation on his way out of the game. Imhof was expected to be drafted within minutes of this post going live.

Jake Peevyhouse had an all-time meltdown on Friday afternoon in the first game of the Cal Poly regional. By Owen Main

Peevyhouse loses it

Arizona State didn’t have the most memorable of regionals. The Sun Devils lost a one-run game to Pepperdine on Friday afternoon and followed it up with a loss to Sac State on Saturday. The young team from Tempe has good talent, but couldn’t quite put it together over the course of two games in San Luis Obispo.

The whole weekend was frustrating — no moment moreso than a called third strike on Jake Peevyhouse, ASU’s number three hitter. Peevyhouse argued more demonstratively than any college player I’ve ever seen. He would have been tossed by over half the major league umpires out there, but on day one of the NCAA Tournament, the umpire was hesitant to run him.

Sac State avoids” two and queue”

Sacramento State made a good showing in their first NCAA Regional. After losing to Cal Poly on Friday night, Sac State battled against Arizona State to win a Saturday afternoon game before falling to the Mustangs again on Sunday.

This Sac State fan joined a big group cheering for the Hornets. By Owen Main

Sac State head coach, Reggie Christiansen seems to be recruiting the Sacramento area really hard — trying to keep homegrown talent in the state capitol. All I knew about Sac State coming into the weekend was that they had been in a brawl last season with UC Riverside. I came out of the weekend with lots of respect for Christiansen and the Hornets’ program.

Cal Poly makes it to Sunday night

Joe Davidson, who joined my pre-regional podcast last week, asked me a question on Friday — How disappointing would it be if Cal Poly diddn’t win their regional.

It took me a moment to think about. Coming into this season, the Mustangs had never won more than a single game at a regional (last year). They had never been ranked in the top-10 in the country, never been ranked number one, never hosted a regional, and never won a Big West Conference championship.

So, while it was disappointing that the Mustangs didn’t win the four-team regional, it was also a hugely successful season. Walls were broken down throughout the season and, as Lee pointed out after Sunday night’s game, at some point it becomes the norm. Fans in San Luis Obispo had their hearts ripped out by Pepperdine, but the Waves are a deserving team. By making it to Sunday night, Cal Poly showed they belong int his situation. In baseball, anything can happen. If not for two plays in each of Cal Poly’s losses to Pepperdine, the Mustangs might still be playing.

Disappointing? – Yes, but not soul-crushing. I won’t be surprised if attendance continues to go up at Baggett Stadium next year, no matter how good the team is. Cal Poly baseball made itself some new fans to be sure over the weekend. With continued improvement from Cal Poly athletics, San Luis Obispo is the kind of town that will latch onto winning programs.

Brown liner

Aaron Brown’s shoulders make it look as if he were chiseled in ancient Rome. In the championship game, Pepperdine’s cleanup hitter and eventual Regional MVP lined a foul ball down the right field line. The ball hit a Mustang News photographer square on the thigh. I mean square. Dead-on. Brown hit it so hard, the woman barely had anywhere to go as she stood on the warning track down the right field line. It’s a place I stood for many innings during the regional.

To her credit, she didn’t even rub the spot where she got hit. She held onto her camera and finished shooting the game. Mad props.

The weather

I think there were a few high clouds, but the weather was amazing. Hot during the day and cool at night is what SLO is known for. Nobody could have asked for anything better.

Nick Torres’ Sunday night homer was probably his last in Cal Poly green and gold. By Owen Main

Torres and Allen homer in their final game

Junior Nick Torres and senior Jimmy Allen have both also likely taken their last official Baggett Stadium at-bats. Torres will be drafted this year and barring some surprise, won’t be back next season. In the midst of Cal Poly’s five-run comeback on Sunday night, Allen and Torres each homered.

It was a fitting way for both to go out — not in the fact that they lost, but in the fact that they both stepped-up when it mattered most.

The bottom of the eighth

On a night that would end in extreme heartbreak, Cal Poly and its fans had about an inning and a half of pure, exalted jubilation. Between the seventh inning stretch and the end of the eighth inning, Mustang fans found their voice and the Mustangs, finally, found their bats.

First, Nick Torres’ seventh-inning homer, a towering shot into left-center field, brought the Mustangs to within 6-4. After an electric and fast top of the eighth, Cal Poly seemed to clutch hit after clutch hit before the score was tied on a fielders’ choice play that Pepperdine couldn’t turn into a double-play.

Chants of Cal! — Poly! and an atmosphere I’ve only experienced during the Major League Baseball playoffs were stifled in the top of the ninth when Pepperdine grabbed the lead again. For Cal Poly fans though, that inning and a half will leave a lasting memory of the best baseball team Cal Poly has ever fielded.

Congratulations to Pepperdine and good luck at TCU. By Owen Main

Steve Rodriguez and Pepperdine are easy to root for

I don’t know about any other Cal Poly fans, but I’m rooting for Steve Rodriguez and the Waves this week against TCU and the rest of the way. If they face Irvine in the College World Series, I’ll keep my Big West pride and root for the Anteaters, but Rodriguez’ Waves came to this regional ready to play. When teams are closely-matched, execution becomes huge. It seemed as though every Cal Poly miscue led to key runs for the opposition while Pepperdine’s errors didn’t cost them nearly as much. It’s the cruel reality of baseball.

Rodriguez made reference to the fact that the Waves have been on the other end of bad breaks in regionals before. Like Lee, Rodriguez seems to maintain the longview about his team and this tournament. He paid homage to the great season Cal Poly had and came off in press conferences as a coach who is pretty easy to root for.

In an elimination game on Saturday afternoon, Sac State beat Arizona State 5-4. The Hornets led 5-2 going into the 9th inning before a RJ Ybarra pinch-hit home run brought Arizona State within one. Sac State closer Alex Palsha finally closed the door, striking out Trever Allen looking to end the game.

Sacramento State moves on to play the loser of the Saturday night Cal Poly vs. Pepperdine game on Sunday at 1pm.

Photos by Owen Main

[See image gallery at www.fansmanship.com]

Pepperdine’s Austin Davidson is congratulated by teammates after scoring the game’s first run. By Owen Main

Pepperdine snuck past Arizona State 3-2 in sunny San Luis Obispo on Friday afternoon in the first game of the Cal Poly regional.

Arizona State lost starting pitcher Brett Lilek in the first inning as Lilek tried to cover first on a double play. Lilek and the Sun Devils did not get the double play and Pepperdine scored their first run on the play.

Down 3-0, Arizona State got a run back in the bottom of the second inning on a line-drive home run by Trever Allen. Nate Causey also drove in a run for the Sun Devils in the bottom of the fourth, but neither team scored for the final five innings on a warm day at Bagggett Stadium.

Austin Davidson and Hutton Moyer each had two hits for the Waves, who advance to face Cal Poly Saturday at 6 pm.

Photos by Owen Main

[See image gallery at www.fansmanship.com]

Previewing the San Luis Obispo regional, Joe Davidson from the Sacramento Bee and Shotgun Spratling from College Baseball Daily talk about Cal Poly, Sacramento State, Arizona State, and Pepperdine.

For the first time ever, Cal Poly is hosting a baseball regional. On Monday morning on ESPN U, the teams who are coming to SLO were announced.

Pepperdine, Arizona State, and Sacramento State will battle the Mustangs for a chance to go to a super-regional and eventually the College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska.

Cal Poly baseball players sit at Charlie’s Place and await word about who they’ll face in the San Luis Obispo regional. By Owen Main

Familiarity

Two of these schools are familiar foes for fans of Cal Poly athletics. Sacramento State plays baseball in the Western Athletic Conference, but battles Cal Poly in football each year since the Mustangs football team moved into the Big Sky Conference. Sac State is also a member of the Big West in soccer. Between 1950 and 2009, Cal Poly baseball has played Sacramento State 58 times and has dominated the series, going 43-15. The two teams last played in 2009.

Cal Poly faced Pepperdine on back-to-back Tuesdays just a few weeks ago. In Malibu, Pepperdine threw ace Aaron Brown in the mid-week game to take a shot at the highly-ranked Mustangs. It worked, as Pepperdine handed Cal Poly one of its 10 losses with an 11-4 thrashing. One week later, Cal Poly returned the favor in San Luis Obispo, beating Pepperdine 5-1 at Baggett Stadium. With the split against the Waves this season, Cal Poly is 24-32 all-time against them.

Arizona State

The Sun Devils are the wild card. Cal Poly is no stranger to the Pac 12. They’ve played UCLA, USC, and Cal this season and are slated to play a weekend series at Oregon State next year. But for fans on the central coast, Arizona State is a little under the radar this season. Like Cal Poly, Arizona State has won nine of its last ten games and they are poised to flex their BCS-conference muscle.

The only thing you need to know about ASU is that they beat Oregon State in two of three games in a series in Corvallis early in the season. On Monday, Oregon State was awarded the top overall seed in this year’s tournament.

If you’re looking for a Cal Poly connection, Pat Tillman’s brother, Kevin, transferred to Cal Poly from Arizona State and played second base for the Mustangs before enlisting with his brother.

Cal Poly is 1-3 all-time against Arizona State. The last time they played was 2010 and Cal Poly lost to them then at the “Coca Cola Classic” in Surprise, AZ. The Mustangs went 23-32 that season — the worst year Cal Poly has had under head coach, Larry Lee. Since then, Cal Poly has had a winning record each year and has had 36 or more wins in each of the past three years, including their sparkling 45-10 record this season.

Tickets should go fast…

People, if the games aren’t sold-out already, they probably will be sometime soon. Hosting a regional is a historic event not just for Cal Poly, but for San Luis Obispo. Baseball is probably the most mainstream sport that Cal Poly could ever host NCAA Tournament games for. If you’re a baseball fan and you don’t go when this game is in your back yard, then it’s time to question your fansmanship.

[See image gallery at www.fansmanship.com]