35 2012 Big West Conference Composite Schedule Conference Games Only Friday, March 30 UC Riverside at UC Santa Barbara, 3 p.m. Long Beach State at Cal Poly, 6 p.m. Pacific at UC Irvine, 6:30 p.m. Cal State Northridge at Cal State Fullerton, 7 p.m.
Friday, April 20 UC Davis at UC Riverside, 6 p.m. UC Santa Barbara at Pacific, 6 p.m. UC Irvine at Long Beach State, 6:30 p.m. Cal Poly at Cal State Fullerton, 7 p.m.
Friday, May 11 Long Beach State at UC Davis, 2:30 p.m. Cal State Fullerton at UC Santa Barbara, 3 p.m. UC Irvine at Cal State Northridge, 3 p.m. UC Riverside at Pacific, 6 p.m.
Saturday, March 31 Pacific at UC Irvine, 1 p.m. UC Riverside at UC Santa Barbara, 1 p.m. Cal State Northridge at Cal State Fullerton, 6 p.m. Long Beach State at Cal Poly, 6 p.m.
Saturday, April 21 UC Irvine at Long Beach State, 5:30 p.m. Cal Poly at Cal State Fullerton, 6 p.m. UC Davis at UC Riverside, 6 p.m. UC Santa Barbara at Pacific, 6 p.m.
Saturday, May 12 Cal State Fullerton at UC Santa Barbara, 1 p.m. Long Beach State at UC Davis, 1 p.m. UC Irvine at Cal State Northridge, 1 p.m. UC Riverside at Pacific, 6 p.m.
Sunday, April 1 Cal State Northridge at Cal State Fullerton, 1 p.m. Long Beach State at Cal Poly, 1 p.m. Pacific at UC Irvine, 1 p.m. UC Riverside at UC Santa Barbara, 1 p.m.
Sunday, April 22 Cal Poly at Cal State Fullerton, 1 p.m. UC Davis at UC Riverside, 1 p.m. UC Irvine at Long Beach State, 1 p.m. UC Santa Barbara at Pacific, 1 p.m.
Sunday, May 13 Cal State Fullerton at UC Santa Barbara, 1 p.m. Long Beach State at UC Davis, 1 p.m. UC Irvine at Cal State Northridge, 1 p.m. UC Riverside at Pacific, 1 p.m.
Thursday, April 5 Cal State Northridge at UC Santa Barbara, 3 p.m. Long Beach State at UC Riverside, 6 p.m. UC Davis at Cal State Fullerton, 6 p.m. UC Irvine at Cal Poly, 6 p.m.
Friday, April 27 Long Beach State at Cal State Northridge, 3 p.m. UC Davis at UC Santa Barbara, 3 p.m. Pacific at Cal Poly, 6 p.m. UC Riverside at UC Irvine, 6:30 p.m.
Friday, May 18 UC Davis at Cal State Northridge, 3 p.m. UC Santa Barbara at Cal Poly, 6 p.m. Pacific at Long Beach State, 6:30 p.m. UC Riverside at Cal State Fullerton, 7 p.m.
Friday, April 6 Cal State Northridge at UC Santa Barbara, 3 p.m. Long Beach State at UC Riverside, 6 p.m. UC Irvine at Cal Poly, 6 p.m. UC Davis at Cal State Fullerton, 7 p.m.
Saturday, April 28 Long Beach State at Cal State Northridge, 1 p.m. UC Davis at UC Santa Barbara, 1 p.m. UC Riverside at UC Irvine, 1 p.m. Pacific at Cal Poly, 6 p.m.
Saturday, May 19 UC Davis at Cal State Northridge, 1 p.m. UC Santa Barbara at Cal Poly, 1 p.m. Pacific at Long Beach State, 5:30 p.m. UC Riverside at Cal State Fullerton, 6 p.m.
Saturday, April 7 Cal State Northridge at UC Santa Barbara, 1 p.m. Long Beach State at UC Riverside, 1 p.m. UC Davis at Cal State Fullerton, 1 p.m. UC Irvine at Cal Poly, 1 p.m.
Sunday, April 29 Long Beach State at Cal State Northridge, 1 p.m. Pacific at Cal Poly, 1 p.m. UC Davis at UC Santa Barbara, 1 p.m. UC Riverside at UC Irvine, 1 p.m.
Sunday, May 20 Pacific at Long Beach State, 1 p.m. UC Davis at Cal State Northridge, 1 p.m. UC Santa Barbara at Cal Poly, 1 p.m. UC Riverside at Cal State Fullerton, 6 p.m.
Friday, April 13 Pacific at UC Davis, 2:30 p.m. Cal Poly at Cal State Northridge, 3 p.m. Cal State Fullerton at UC Irvine, 6:30 p.m. UC Santa Barbara at Long Beach State, 6:30 p.m.
Friday, May 4 Cal Poly at UC Davis, 2:30 p.m. Cal State Fullerton at Pacific, 6 p.m. Cal State Northridge at UC Riverside, 6 p.m. UC Santa Barbara at UC Irvine, 6:30 p.m.
Friday, May 25 UC Irvine at UC Davis, 2:30 p.m. Cal Poly at UC Riverside, 6 p.m. Cal State Northridge at Pacific, 6 p.m. Cal State Fullerton at Long Beach State, 6:30 p.m.
Saturday, April 14 Cal Poly at Cal State Northridge, 1 p.m. Cal State Fullerton at UC Irvine, 1 p.m. Pacific at UC Davis, 1 p.m. UC Santa Barbara at Long Beach State, 5:30 p.m.
Saturday, May 5 Cal Poly at UC Davis, 1 p.m. UC Santa Barbara at UC Irvine, 1 p.m. Cal State Northridge at UC Riverside, 2 p.m. Cal State Fullerton at Pacific, 6 p.m.
Saturday, May 26 UC Irvine at UC Davis, 1 p.m. Cal State Fullerton at Long Beach State, 5:30 p.m. Cal State Northridge at Pacific, 6 p.m. Cal Poly at UC Riverside, 6 p.m.
Sunday, April 15 Cal Poly at Cal State Northridge, 1 p.m. Cal State Fullerton at UC Irvine, 1 p.m. Pacific at UC Davis, 1 p.m. UC Santa Barbara at Long Beach State, 1 p.m.
Sunday, May 6 Cal State Northridge at UC Riverside, 1 p.m. Cal Poly at UC Davis, 1 p.m. Cal State Fullerton at Pacific, 1 p.m. UC Santa Barbara at UC Irvine, 1 p.m.
Sunday, May 27 Cal Poly at UC Riverside, 1 p.m. UC Irvine at UC Davis, 1 p.m. Cal State Fullerton at Long Beach State, 1 p.m. Cal State Northridge at Pacific, 1 p.m.
Conference Notes Heading to Omaha The Big West has enjoyed a tradition of representation at college baseball’s premier event, the NCAA College World Series, a showcase of the nation’s best teams battling for the national championship in Omaha, Neb. The Big West has featured a contender for the coveted crown on an almost annual basis. In fact, a Big West school has reached Omaha in 16 of the last 24 seasons. Cal State Fullerton brought home the Big West’s first national title in 1995 and duplicated the feat in 2004. Here is a breakdown of Big West participants in the College World Series over the years (baseball was not sponsored in the Big West from 1977-84): 1975 — Cal State Fullerton 1988 — Cal State Fullerton, Fresno State 1989 — Long Beach State 1990 — Cal State Fullerton 1991 — Long Beach State, Fresno State 1992 — Cal State Fullerton 1993 — Long Beach State 1994 — Cal State Fullerton 1995 — Cal State Fullerton (NCAA champion) 1998 — Long Beach State 1999 — Cal State Fullerton 2001 — Cal State Fullerton 2003 — Cal State Fullerton 2004 — Cal State Fullerton (NCAA champion)
2006 — Cal State Fullerton 2007 — Cal State Fullerton, UC Irvine 2009 — Cal State Fullerton Major League Talent The Big West boasts a sizable number of alumni who have moved on to baseball’s highest level and are contributing to the successes of their respective MLB clubs. Some of the Big West’s more prominent alumni wearing major league uniforms include Jason Giambi, the 2000 American League Most Valuable Player; 2001 National League All-Star Phil Nevin and 2004 American League Rookie of the Year Bobby Crosby. Other notable major leaguers who honed their skills in the Big West are Jered Weaver, Mark Kotsay, Brady Anderson, Barry Zito, Evan Longoria and Troy Tulowitzki. The list goes on and on. And the supply does not appear to be in danger of shortage. The Big West produces an annual bumper crop of players in the Major League Baseball amateur draft that ranks the conference among the highest represented in the nation. In the 2005 MLB amateur draft alone, a then-record 44 Big West players were selected, including two first-round selections in Tulowitzki and Cal State Fullerton’s Ricky Romero and two compensatory first-round picks -- Cesar Ramos and Cal Poly’s Garrett Olson. A new record total of 49 Big West players was drafted in 2008, including
eight Cal Poly players. Forty-six more were drafted in 2009, including seven Mustangs. A total of 42 Mustangs have been drafted in the last eight years, including 17 in the first 10 rounds. A pair of Mustangs -- Brent Morel and Logan Schafer -- were third-round selections in 2008. A total of 37 Big West players were drafted in 2011, including fourth-round pick Bobby Crocker by Oakland. Big West Returns to Nine-Team Format Big West baseball, which dropped to eight teams in 2002 following the departure of Sacramento State, returned to a nine-team format in 2008 with the addition of UC Davis. From 1985-91 and 1993-00, the conference played with eight teams, including a two-division format in 1985 and 1997-98. The teams varied from consistent names such as Cal State Fullerton, UC Santa Barbara, Long Beach State and Pacific to Fresno State, UNLV and New Mexico State. Hawai’i joins in 2013 and San Diego State in 2014. Through the years, 20 teams have appeared in the College World Series, including 1995 and 2004 national champion Cal State Fullerton. The Big West has had two representatives in the College World Series three times -1988, 1991 and 2007. The nine teams will face each other for one three-game series for a total of 24 conference games for each team -12 at home and 12 on the road.