OTJEN’S POWER PUSHES PLNU FORWARD
Point Loma Nazarene right fielder Hunter Otjen was called out for batter's interference in his first plate appearance Thursday afternoon against Cal Poly Pomona.
“I fell completely over (the plate) and was in the way of the catcher, so it was completely my fault,” Otjen said.
He did not dwell on the mistake.
Otjen provided a three-run homer in his next at-bat, propelling PLNU to a 7-2 victory in a NCAA Division II Regionals game at Carroll B. Land Stadium.
There's no point lingering on lost opportunities, especially in a season where the Sea Lions have found so many ways to win. PLNU (44-7) has the best record in Division II this season.
“You have to have a shortterm memory in baseball because you can have an opportunity in the very next at-bat,” Otjen said. “I knew right off the bat it was gone. I hit it and just started celebrating with the guys.”
Cal Poly Pomona (35-18), which lost to Northwest Nazarene 10-7 in Thursday's opening game, was eliminated with the second loss.
PLNU and Northwest Nazarene (31-21) meet today for a pair of games, the first at 11 a.m., with a Super Regionals berth at stake. Either team advances with a sweep. If the teams split, then they return to the field Saturday in a winnertake-all finale.
PLNU head coach Justin James expected Otjen to put the adversity behind him when he walked to the plate again in the fourth inning.
“We practice moving on, next pitch, next at-bat, next moment,” James said. “This game can really beat you down if you worry about the past too much.”
With PLNU senior lefthander Baxter Halligan staked to a 4-1 lead in the fourth, the Sea Lions were in command.
Halligan (12-2), the PacWest Pitcher and Player of the Year, allowed six hits and two runs and struck out five with no walks over six innings.
He also had three of the Sea Lions' seven hits, driving in the team's first run with a fourthinning single.
The game was scoreless through three innings, attributed to playoff baseball more than anything.
“I don't think anyone was really nervous,” Halligan said. “Excited is a better word . ... It only takes a couple of pitches for us to get going. We put up four runs in the fourth inning after they put up one. After that, everyone had this newfound confidence.”
Not that Halligan is ever lacking in confidence.
“When you have the best defense in the country (.979 field percentage), you have a lot of confidence on the mound,” Halligan said.
Toreros update
University of San Diego (3116, 16-8 West Coast Conference) hosts Gonzaga (32-14, 18-6) in a showdown for the regular season championship.
The Toreros, who could finish anywhere from first to fourth depending on how the weekend unfolds, need to sweep the three-game series in order to take the title.
USD is assured of participating in next week's six-team WCC Tournament, although finishing either first or second would provide the Toreros with a bye in the first round.
This weekend: Today-Sunday
vs. Gonzaga, 6 p.m./1 p.m./ TBA.
Aztecs update
San Diego State (17-36, 9-18 Mountain West) opened its final series of the season Thursday night at UNLV (34-19, 19-8). The Aztecs were down 11-5 in the eighth inning at press time.
With a win, the Rebels clinch the Mountain West's regular season title and No. 1 seed in next week's Mountain West Tournament at SDSU's Tony Gwynn Stadium.
This weekend: Today-Saturday at UNLV, 6 p.m./Noon.
Tritons update
UC San Diego (23-27, 12-12 Big West) closes out its home schedule against Hawaii (2421, 15-9), which is in third place in the conference in its first season under longtime USD head coach Rich Hill.
The Tritons, who conclude the season next week at Cal State Northridge, need to win four of the last six games to finish above .500 in the Big West for the second straight season.
This weekend: Today-Sunday vs. Hawaii, 6:30 p.m./2 p.m./1 p.m.