Cal Poly Baseball is the best in the Big West again!

IRVINE, Calif. (KEYT) - No. 2 seed Cal Poly (36-22) edged out No. 3 seed UC San Diego (27-28) with a 4–3 victory in the title game of the 2026 Big West Baseball Championship, Sunday at Cicerone Field at Anteater Ballpark. The Mustangs won the Big West Championship for the second year in a row, earned the conference’s automatic berth into the NCAA Championship and will enter the national tournament for a fifth time in program history.

Cal Poly secured the win with a decisive three-run fifth inning and overcame a late Triton rally with two runs in the sixth and another in the ninth.

Mustang starter Corden Pettey (4-2) threw five innings of shutout ball. Closer Nick Bonn, who was eventually named Tournament MVP, came in with two outs in the ninth inning and earned a third save in the championship, a program-record 15th on the season. Right fielder Dylan Kordic went 2-for-4 with three RBI and one run. Center fielder Casey Murray Jr. hit 3-for-4 with one RBI.

For UC San Diego, second baseman Thomas Maher went 2-for-3 from the plate with one RBI. Third baseman J.C. Allen and designated hitter Addison Klepsch recorded one RBI apiece.
Cal Poly got the scoring started in the bottom of the second inning. A single from Murray Jr. brought in Cam Hoiland for the first run of the game. A three-run home run by Dylan Kordic in the bottom of the fifth inning gave Cal Poly a 4-0 lead.

The Tritons responded in the next half inning with two runs to cut the deficit to two, 4-2. Allen plated Gabe Camacho on an RBI ground out. With the bases loaded, Maher drew a walk to bring home Trevian Martinez.

UC San Diego attempted to mount a comeback in the top of the ninth inning. With two outs, Bonn, the Cal Poly closer, came into the game and gave up an RBI double to Klepsch to make it a one-run game. The Mustangs chose to intentionally walk Camacho and forced Allen to line out to end the game.

(Article courtesy of Big West)