College Baseball:

Chaffey College busted their butts all year for what’s about to happen on Friday.

And that’s hosting a first-round playoff series.

The Panthers (21-3) ran away with the Inland Empire Athletic Conference by five games over second-place Mt. San Jacinto (16-8).

They outscored their opponents, 234-104, in conference games, and since March 3rd, Chaffey is 20-3.

Fullerton (21-19, 9-12) finished sixth in the Orange Empire Conference.

The Hornets pitching staff is anchored by Freddy Castaneda, who is 6-4, with a 3.36 ERA.

Castaneda has issued 18 walks and struck out 40 in 67 innings.

Fullerton has allowed 214 runs, which is just three more than Chaffey.

The Hornets have scored 60 runs less than the Panthers.

Britton Beeson is definitely their stud.

Beeson is batting .331, with 54 hits, 35 runs and 59 RBIs.

Beeson has tallied 16 doubles, one triple & 11 home runs.

The Chaffey speed seems to be one of the biggest differences between the two programs.

Fullerton has stolen 50 bases in 2023, while the Panthers have 138.

The Chaffey pitching staff is led by former Chino Hills star, Braden Hofmeyer.

Hofmeyer, who was just named the IEAC Player of the Year, and he’s 9-1 with a 2.33 ERA.

Hofmeyer has walked 16 batters, while striking out 80 in 85 innings.

The Panthers have a team batting average of .309, as compared to .272 for the Hornets.

Two former Rancho Cucamonga High studs are tearing the cover off the ball.

Michael Woodward (.413, 62 hits, 41 runs, 31 RBIs, 11 doubles, one triple & one HR) and Jacob Billings (.317, 52 hits, 41 runs, 34 RBIs, 10 doubles & 10 home runs) have been outstanding.

But they’re far from the only offensive contributors.

Steven Mara (.328, 45 hits, 29 runs, 23 RBIs, 10 doubles, two triples & three HR’s) and Austin Easter (.321, 26 hits, 30 runs, 15 RBIs, six doubles, three triples & one HR) are part of that Panthers core that hopes to make the Fullerton pitching staff miserable all weekend.

The Chaffey-Fullerton winner advances to face the victor of the ELAC vs top-ranked Palomar series.

At the bottom of this story, you’ll see how the programs match up statistically, as well as individual pitching and hitting stat leaders for both teams.

Lastly, I asked Chaffey coach Andrew Smith the following:

1-How much does playing at home benefit you guys?

2-Based on what you know about Fullerton, what will be key to beating them?

3-What do they do well?

4-I know baseball isn’t as complicated as most think, but what is most key in Chaffey advancing past Fullerton? In other words, what is a key indicator that Chaffey is playing successful baseball?

5-Who could be an x-factor or two for Chaffey? I know the stars names at least statistically, but is there a wild card guy who, if he steps up, really gives you guys a better chance to succeed?

Said Andrew Smith:

1-“We’re excited for the opportunity to host a round of playoff baseball. Chaffey hasn’t done so in a while and this group has really banded together this season to become deserving of that opportunity. After not havng a home field to play on last year, our sophomores especially appreciate playing games at Lowder Field, and our team as a whole loves our yard. It’s far from perfect, but it’s definitely a great atmosphere. We draw a solid crowd and I expect it to be even larger for this weekend!

2-Fullerton is a quality opponent and very well-coached. I think the key to beating them is similar to anyone else: play clean baseball and be opportunistic at the right times. The phrase we’ve been using is “Just Chaffey Baseball”, and that’s what we’re focused on. Playing our style of baseball regardless of opponent.

3-They take care of the baseball very well, have a couple legit catchers with strong arms, and their pitchers throw a ton of strikes. They have a hitter that is among the state leaders in multiple categories that can be a problem, but 1-9 they are going to compete and play the game with high IQ. Baumer does a great job over there.

4-When our pitchers pound the zone and our defense takes care of the baseball, we always have a chance. Coach Moses has done a great job creating a highly competitive pitching staff and they’ve done a great job this year keeping us in games. As an offense we talk about being able to win all different kinds of baseball games: the shootouts, the pitchers’ duals, and everything in between. Our offense can generate runs a variety of ways. I think the focus will be on doing what the game is asking of and trying to execute effectively.

5-What I love about this group is that it doesn’t rely on the talent of 1-2 players. Someone new has stepped up every single week to help us win, which takes pressure off any one individual to feel the responsibility of “carrying” the team. Obviously, Billings and Chavez have game-changing pop that have helped us win a lot of games this year, with Chavy handling a bulk of the catching. But there are several guys in the lineup that can get it done and several guys that maybe don’t play as much that are ready to be inserted and get it done at any time. Same goes for the pitching staff. Very special group where any guy can be the “X-factor” on any given day.”

By the Numbers:
Records: C: (28-12); F (21-19)
Conference Finish: C (IEAC champs); F (sixth in OEC)
Runs Scored: C (332); F (272)
Runs Allowed: C (211): F (214)
Team ERA: C (4.45); F (4.63)
Strikeout-to-Walk Ratio: C (330-154); F (238-124)
Most Wins: C (Braden Hofmeyer, 9); F (Freddy Castaneda, 6)
Most Strikeouts: C (Braden Hofmeyer, 80); F (Freddy Castaneda, 40)
Most Saves: C (Brock Mayer & Nathaniel Garcia, 2); F (Nathan McManus, 3)
Team Batting Average: C (.309); F (.272)
Team Hits: C (428); F (385)
Most Hits: C (Michael Woodward, 62); F (Britton Beeson, 54)
Most RBIs: C (Matthew Chavez, 41); F (Britton Beeson, 59)
Most HR’s: C (Jacob Billings, 10); F (Britton Beeson, 11)
Most Stolen Bases: C (Steven Mara, 27); F (Haku Dudoit, 10)
Team HR’s: C (33); F (19)
Fullerton’s Road Record: 11-10
Chaffey’ Home Record: 13-4
Current Streak: C (won four); F (lost two)

Fullerton Pitching Leaders:
Freddy Castaneda: 6-4, with a 3.36 ERA, 18 walks and 40 strikeouts in 67IP
Matt Romero: 5-3, 3.78 ERA, with 12 walks and 24 strikeouts in 64 1/3 innings
Deven Beasley: 2-3, with a 5.21 ERA, 14 walks and 35 strikeouts in 46 2/3 innings

Fullerton Batting Leaders:
Britton Beeson (.331, 54 hits, 35 runs, 59 RBIs, 16 doubles, one triple & 11 home runs)
Tank Espalin (.305, 46 hits, 41 runs, 26 RBIs, seven doubles & one HR)
Diego Franco (.269, 36 hits, 20 runs, 21 RBIs & six doubles)
Jared Benash (.278, 35 hits, 20 runs, 18 RBIs, & two doubles)
Isaiah Marquez (.254, 39 hits, 30 runs, 29 RBIs, four doubles, three triples & four home runs)

Chaffey Pitching Leaders:
Braden Hofmeyer (9-1, 2.33 ERA, 16 walks & 80 strikeouts in 85 IP
Donovann Jackson (5-2, 3.90 ERA, 19 walks & 40 strikeouts in 57 2/3 innings
James Rivera (6-3, 4.50 ERA, 17 walks & 49 strikeouts in 48 IP)

Chaffey Batting Leaders:
Michael Woodward (.413, 62 hits, 41 runs, 31 RBIs, 11 doubles, one triple & one HR)
Steven Mara (.328, 45 hits, 29 runs, 23 RBIs, 10 doubles, two triples & three HR’s)
Austin Easter (.321, 26 hits, 30 runs, 15 RBIs, six doubles, three triples & one HR)
Jacob Billings (.317, 52 hits, 41 runs, 34 RBIs, 10 doubles & 10 home runs)
Clay Porter (.312, 43 hits, 44 runs, 25 RBIs, 13 doubles & five triples)
Eric Valdivia (.312, 29 hits, 15 runs, 18 RBIs, six doubles & one HR)
Aaron Whobrey (.292, 28 hits, 18 runs, 15 RBIs, two doubles, one triple & one HR)
Matthew Chavez (.264, 38 hits, 32 runs, 41 RBIs, six doubles & eight HR’s)