The question now is no longer whether Cal Poly can win in its conference. It is whether the Mustangs are beginning to belong on a bigger stage.<\/p>\n
Cal Poly president cheers baseball team’s run, salutes coach<\/p>\n
With a trip to Omaha within reach, Cal Poly baseball has already placed itself in the middle of one of the most significant athletic moments in school history.<\/p>\n
“Cal Poly going to the Super Regionals is one of the most amazing achievements ever for baseball,” Cal Poly President Jeffrey Armstrong told The Tribune. “And it’s one of the top ones for Cal Poly Athletics.”<\/p>\n
Armstrong said the Super Regional run pushes the university’s visibility beyond what an NCAA Regional appearance can provide, and he has already seen the baseball team’s run introduce Cal Poly to people outside of California.<\/p>\n
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Cal Poly baseball players work out ahead of the team\u2019s super regional matchup with West Virginia in Morgantown, on June 4, 2026.<\/p>\n
(Cal Poly)<\/p>\n
“I have some friends and colleagues who are deeply connected to West Virginia,” Armstrong said. “And I can tell you directly, they’re talking more about Cal Poly because of the baseball team.”<\/p>\n
For 24 years, Head Coach Larry Lee has been at the helm of the Cal Poly baseball program. He’s reached the Regionals five times, but until this year, Lee has never made it out of the first round.<\/p>\n
Two and a half decades of building a program, developing players and grinding through the margins of the postseason have now led Lee and the Mustangs to the doorstep of Omaha.<\/p>\n
But before Cal Poly ever reached this stage, Lee had already built the standard that carried the Mustangs here.<\/p>\n
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Head Coach Larry Lee talks with Ryan Tayman at third base during Saturday\u2019s Big West Championship game against UC San Diego. Tayman had two hits in the loss.<\/p>\n
“Larry’s about getting the job done, being the best you can in every moment, every pitch,” Armstrong said. “He is just steady and excellent. We’re blessed to have one of the best baseball coaches in the NCAA.”<\/p>\n
The breakthrough was personal for a roster that understood how long Lee had been chasing this moment.<\/p>\n
“It means a lot,” Gavin Spiridonoff said postgame after winning the Los Angeles Regional. “(Coach Lee) has been here forever, giving everything he has to this program. To get him to a Super Regional for the first time means so much to our team.”<\/p>\n
What’s behind Cal Poly’s athletic success<\/p>\n
Contributing to Cal Poly’s athletic rise over the last decade have been factors like improved facilities, increased donor support and more resources invested into student-athletes.<\/p>\n
In 2020, Cal Poly completed the Dignity Health Baseball Clubhouse, providing the program with a facility that has since become important for recruiting and player development.<\/p>\n
And on Saturday, Cal Poly is set to unveil the John Madden Football Center, bringing a state-of-the-art training facility to that program.<\/p>\n
With more investment in student-athletes, upgrades like those can translate into real competitive results.<\/p>\n
The university has seen just that in its last few years of Big West performance.<\/p>\n
Cal Poly won its second Commissioner’s Cup<\/a> in three seasons this year, which goes to the Big West program with the most combined success across all sports, totaling a record 163.3 points. The Mustangs also claimed 11 Big West championships this academic year alone.<\/p>\n “Our donors, our alumni, members of our local community, have stepped up to support sport after sport,” Armstrong said. “That combination of factors has really been a driver.”<\/p>\n That support extends beyond the local community. As Cal Poly baseball prepares for the biggest series in program history, one of their own came through.<\/p>\n Former Mustang and major league pitcher Bryan Woo donated cleats and shoes to the entire team ahead of their Super Regional matchup in Morgantown, a gesture that shows the program’s reach is growing right along with its success.<\/p>\n How Cal Poly matches up against West Virginia<\/p>\n Cal Poly (39-22) opens the Morgantown Super Regional on Friday at 9 a.m. in a best-of-three series against West Virginia (43-15) at Kendrick Family Ballpark at the Monongalia County Baseball Complex.<\/p>\n The Mountaineers are expected to start Maxx Yehl, one of the top pitchers in the country.<\/p>\n Yehl is coming off a Big 12 Pitcher of the Year award and enters with an 8-2 record, 101 strikeouts and a 2.12 ERA, which ranks seventh nationally.<\/a><\/p>\n But dealing with elite pitching is nothing new for Cal Poly.<\/p>\n The Mustangs have already faced two of the best arms in college baseball this season in UC Santa Barbara’s Jackson Flora and USC’s Mason Edwards, who rank first and second nationally in ERA. Flora leads the country with a 1.06 ERA, while Edwards sits right behind him at 1.85.<\/p>\n For a lineup that has already seen top-end pitching, Yehl presents another challenge, but not an unfamiliar one.<\/p>\n Cal Poly is expected to turn to Griffin Naess on Friday, continuing the role he has held throughout the postseason.<\/p>\n Naess is 8-4 on the season with a 4.0 ERA and 96 strikeouts.<\/p>\n Griffin Naess throws a pitch during his 11-strikeout start against UC San Diego on Thursday, May 21, 2026.<\/p>\n Naess started the opening game of the Big West Championships and the Los Angeles Regional, where he allowed just one earned run against Virginia Tech.<\/p>\n His start in Morgantown would come with the same responsibility he’s held all season: Quiet West Virginia’s lineup long enough for Cal Poly to settle into the moment.<\/p>\n Offensively, the Mountaineers are led by junior catcher Gavin Kelly,<\/a> who’s hitting .381 with 16 home runs and 56 RBIs.<\/p>\n They have four regulars who are hitting above. 300, including speedy utility player Armani Guzman, who’s stolen 36 bases in 39 attempts.<\/p>\n The running game could become a factor, as the Mountaineers also have speed in the outfield with Paul Schoenfeld, who is 23 for 29 in stolen bases.<\/p>\n![\"Griffin](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/aol_san_luis_obispo_tribune_mcclatchy_563\/a85630dfca4b256b392f5162b33a3df.jpeg\"\/)
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