2010 Cal State L.A. Baseball – Season Summary
Cal State L.A.’s baseball team battled through a challenging season that was filled with an inordinate amount of injuries and late-inning losses.
As a result, the Golden Eagles had their run of winning seasons snapped at four and also missed out on a repeat appearance in the four-team California Collegiate Athletic Association Championship Tournament.
The Golden Eagles were eventually done in by a depleted pitching staff and a lack of the timely hitting that had been a program staple over the past few seasons. Cal State L.A. finished the season with an 18-31 overall record and a 16-24 overall mark in CCAA play.
Despite the disappointment of a losing season, the Golden Eagles continued their recent string of national success. Sam Wiley earned third-team All-America honors, giving Cal State L.A. an All-American for the second straight season and for the third time in the past four years. Wiley also earned first-team All-West Region honors, giving Cal State L.A. a first-team selection for the fourth straight season.
Wiley had a sensational season for the Golden Eagles. He led the team in batting average (.433), home runs (9), runs batted in (60) and slugging percentage (.691). He was second in the CCAA in hitting.
Mario Ramirez also earned All-West Region honors after his second consecutive impressive season for the Golden Eagles. He made the switch from outfield to catcher and performed admirably. He was second on the team in hitting with a .343 average and he led the team with 47 runs scored.
Ramirez also set a new Cal State L.A. record for being hit by a pitch 21 times. That brought his two-year total to 35, which broke the old record of 31 held by Rafael Arroyo.
Ramirez also earned first-team All-CCAA honors and was one of five Cal State L.A. players to earn All-Conference recognition. Wiley earned second-team honors, while junior pitcher Wally Goodline, senior shortstop Jesus Campos and senior outfielder Matt Miraldi earned All-CCAA honorable mention.
Cal State L.A. hit .302 as a team, led by Wiley (.433) and Ramirez (.343). Joe Park, returning after a one-year injury hiatus, finished the season strongly and hit .322. He also made a position change from second base to centerfield, where he played outstanding defense all season.
Freshman Jordan Castro made a good first impression with the program, hitting .319 with five home runs and 28 RBI. Miraldi also hit over .300, finishing the season with a .310 average, one home run, 24 RBI and 37 runs scored.
Junior Chris Matzner had another solid all-around season, hitting .295 with 27 runs scored and 27 RBI despite playing a good part of the season with a broken wrist.
Goodline led the pitching staff with a 4-3 record and a 4.01 earned run average. He also had seven no-decisions in games he left after the fifth inning with a lead. He pitched a staff-high 85 1/3 innings, walked 15 and struck out a team-high 62.
Matt Stropoli also had a strong year for the Golden Eagles, compiling a 6-3 record and posting three saves. Cliff Quick also had a pair of saves for the Golden Eagles.
Cal State L.A. finished the season with a 6.89 earned run average.
Cal State L.A. Baseball
2010 Overall Record: 18-31. CCAA Record: 16-24
Daktronics All-America: Sam Wiley (3rd team)
Daktronics All-West Region: Sam Wiley (1st team)
NCBWA All-West Region: Mario Ramirez (1st team), Sam Wiley (2nd team)
ABCA/Rawlings All-West Region: Sam Wiley (2nd team)
All-CCAA: Mario Ramirez (1st team), Sam Wiley (2nd team), Wally Goodline (honorable mention), Jesus Campos (honorable mention), Matt Miraldi (honorable mention)
2010 Recap: Cal State L.A.’s baseball team battled through a disappointing season and finished 18-31 overall and 16-24 in conference play. The Golden Eagles were hit by a series of injuries that depleted their pitching staff and led to a team earned run average of 6.89. Cal State L.A.’s team batting average dipped a bit from .317 in 2009 to .302 in 2010. The Golden Eagles were led by Sam Wiley, who earned third-team All-America honors. He led the team with a .433 batting average with nine home runs and 60 RBI. He also had a team-best .691 slugging percentage. Mario Ramirez completed his outstanding two-year Cal State L.A. career by earning All-West Regions for a second straight season. He also earned first-team All-CCAA recognition for the second straight season. He set a new single-season program record for being hit by a pitch (21 times) and he set a new program career record in just two years (34 times). He was also second on the team in hitting with a .343 average and he led the Golden Eagles in runs scored with 47. Joe Park (.322), Jordan Castro (.319) and Matt Miraldi (.310) also finished the season hitting above .300. Wally Goodline led the pitchers with a 4-3 record and a 4.01 earned run average. He logged a team-high 85 1/3 innings and also led the team in strikeouts with 62. Matt Stropoli finished with a 6-3 overall record and had a team-high three saves.