By Wes McCurtis
2017 Southern California Regional Bracket
The Cypress College baseball team (27-13, 11-10 OEC) is entering the postseason as a No. 11 seed and will travel to take on No. 6 Santa Barbara City College in a best-of-three CCCAA Southern California Regional Series this Friday/Saturday.
The Chargers are no stranger to the postseason, making their 24th appearance in the last 25 seasons. Following last season's CCCAA Final Four run, Cypress finished third in a stacked Orange Empire Conference, which includes 7 postseason participants, under first year head coach Anthony Hutting.
The Chargers are led by OEC Pitcher of the Year Andrew Quezada (8-1), who ranks second in the state with a 1.08 ERA and threw the first complete game no-hitter in Cypress history. Quezada has climbed the career record books, ranking second in career wins with 18 and first in complete games with 8. All-OEC First Team infielders Willie Aguilar and Angel Ortiz have led the Cypress offense and made key defensive plays all season. Aguilar leads the Chargers with 52 hits, 20 walks, and a .333 AVG. Ortiz batted .275 with 11 RBI. All-OEC First team selection Brandon Alamo provided power hitting as the DH all season with a .323 AVG and 22 RBI.
The Vaqueros (23-16, 13-7 WSC) won their fourth WSC North title in 7 years and are 15-3 at home this year. Freshman third baseman John Jensen, along with outfielders Reinhard Lautz and Tyler Rosen lead SBCC. Kyle Wade leads the Vaquero pitching staff with a 6-3 record and a 3.04 ERA.
Cypress has a 1-1 all-time record against Santa Barbara, with the Vaqueros taking the last meeting back in 2011.
Game 1 of the best-of-three series is scheduled for Friday, May 5 at 2:00 p.m. Game 2 will take place on Saturday, May 6 at 11:00 a.m. with game 3 immediately following if necessary. Tickets to the CCCAA postseason event are $12 for general admission and $8 for faculty, staff, students, seniors, and children.
Stay connected with the Chargers through social media. Follow Cypress College Athletics on Twitter @CypressChargers. Check in with the Chargers on Facebook/CypressChargers and on Instagram @CypressChargers.