Toros Keep On Climbing in West Region Baseball Rankings, Move Up Two Spots to No. 5
Top-Seeded CSUDH readies for Thursday’s 3:00 p.m. match-up against Chico State at CCAA Tournament
May 8, 2006

Carson, CA - After sweeping their second series in a row against Cal Poly Pomona and winning nine-straight, the No. 23 ranked Cal State Dominguez Hills Baseball team has moved up two spots in the West Region, checking in at No. 5, it was announced this morning by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA).

With the sweep of the Broncos, CSUDH as garnered the No. 1 seed heading into the CCAA Tournament. Their entry into the tournament marks the first time in the Toros have earned a berth in the tournament’s eight-year history, where CSUDH will face the No. 4 seed in Chico State at 3:00 p.m. on Thursday, May 11, with the doulbe-elimination tournament hosted by Cal State L.A.

Jason Klug (Moreno Valley, CA/San Bernardino Valley College) leads the offense, and currently tops the CCAA in batting average, hits, and total bases, while sitting second in RBIs. Earlier this season, Klug established a Toro hit streak record, hitting safely in 23 straight games, and his current .408 average has tied the Toros’ single-season batting average record.

On the mound Chris Borchers (Torrance, CA/LA Harbor College) leads the Toro staff with a 3.75 ERA and an 8-2 overall record. Collectively the Toro hurlers have won three CCAA pitchers of the weeks awards, sit 3rd in strikeouts and 4th in ERA amongst the CCAA’s best.

It has been a long road back to the post season for the Toros as they last made an appearance in 1994, the same season in which CSUDH won its last conference baseball championship.

The West Region is comprised of teams from the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA), Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC), the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC), and Independent leagues. Only the top six teams in the region qualify for the regional tournament, with the regional champion joining winners from the other seven regional tournaments across the nation in Montgomery, Alabama for the Division II College World Series, which runs May 27-June 3, and is hosted by Valdosta State University.

The CCAA has the strongest representation in the top 10 poll, with CSUDH being one of six CCAA schools selected in the top 10. The Toros are joined by No. 4 Cal State L.A., No. 6 UC San Diego, No. 7 Chico State, No. 9 Cal State Stanislaus, and No. 10 Sonoma State.