INDIANAPOLIS - Two days after winning the 2017 WAC Baseball Tournament, Sacramento State learned where it would be headed to open the NCAA Tournament and the Hornets will stay in California, making the drive to Stanford. Joining Sacramento State and the Cardinal at the Stanford Regional will be Cal State Fullerton and Brigham Young beginning on Thursday.
Sacramento State enters NCAA regionals with a 32-27 record, having earned its trip to the tournament by winning four games in four days at the WAC Tournamnet at Hohokam Stadium in Mesa, Ariz. Ian Dawkins leads the Hornet offense with a .341 average while Kody Reynolds and Vinny Esposito provide the offensive firepower with 11 and 10 home runs respectively.
On the mound, Justin Dillon and Parker Brahms make up a potent one-two. Dillon pitched the first no-hitter in program history in February and earned tournament MVP honors after going 2-0 with a 0.75 ERA. Brahms is 8-3 on the season with a 3.01 ERA and recently earned WAC Freshman of the Year honors.
Stanford (40-14) earned the number eight national seed after placing second in the Pac-12 behind top-ranked Oregon State. The Cardinal are lead at the plate by Matt Winaker, who is hitting .318 with eight home runs and 42 RBIs. On the mound, Stanford is balanced with a 3.44 staff ERA. This tournament marks the final one for legendary head coach Mark Marquess, who will retired following his 41st season that has included 14 College World Series appearances and two national titles.
Cal State Fullerton (34-21) will head to Palo Alto as the number two seed in the four-team regional. The Titans are led at the plate by freshman Sahid Valenzuela, who hit .344 in 183 at-bats during his first year. Scott Hurst leads CSUF with 11 home runs and 37 RBIs. On the hill, Connor Seabold holds a 10-4 record and 2.94 ERA in 110.1 innings pitched.
Brigham Young, the WCC tournament champion, head to Stanford with a 37-19 record. Brock Hale is hitting .399 for the Cougars, who hold a .324 team average. Hayden Rogers is the top pitcher for BYU, going 8-2 with a 3.80 ERA.
Game times have not been set for the regional, which will begin on Thursday. Sacramento State will play Stanford in the first round with Cal State Fullerton and Brigham Young on the other side of the regional bracket. The winner of the regional will face the winner of the Long Beach State regional in a super regional.