SEASIDE, Calif. – The top two programs in the region will meet this weekend to determine a spot in the NCAA Division II World Series. The Cal State Monterey Bay baseball team will head to San Diego to face Point Loma in the best-of-three Super Regional round. The series will begin on Friday, May 24, with first pitch slated for Noon at Carroll B. Land Stadium.
 
SERIES HISTORY
Friday will mark the 23^rd meeting between the two programs. The two teams met earlier this season as Point Loma took two-of-three from CSUMB. The Otters did spoil the Sea Lions' season last year in the regional as CSUMB took down PLNU, 11-8. The Otters are 6-0 all time on the road against the Sea Lions.
 
REGIONAL RECAP
The Otters claimed their second straight regional title at Seaside by going 3-1 for the tournament. CSUMB forced the winner-take-all game on Saturday and scored six runs in the final two innings, including five in the ninth to take down San Francisco State. The Otters hit .362 and pitched at a 3.34 clip, outscoring the opposition, 35-16. Jaden Sheppard stayed hot at the plate, hitting .625 (10-for-16) with a home run, two doubles and three RBI. Nico Hartojo continued his timely hitting as he paced the team with eight RBI and batted .313.
 
POSTSEASON NUMBERS
The Otters are 6-2 this postseason, claiming both the CCAA Tournament and Regional titles. CSUMB is hitting .331 and sport a 4.25 team ERA. The Otters have outscored their opponents, 62-39. Jaden Sheppard is batting .500 (16-for-32) with 10 runs, three home runs and eight RBI. Nico Hartojo is batting .433 and sports a team-high 14 RBI. Ryan Io has made the most appearances on the mound for the Otters, showcasing a 3-0 record and a 2.08 ERA. Aidan Lee has made three appearances and boasts a 1.69 ERA.
 
OTTER QUARTET NAMED D2CCA ALL-REGION
The Otters had four more student-athletes recognized as D2CCA All-Region honorees. Jaden Sheppard picked up first-team accolades and KW Quilici, Nico Hartojo and Mitchell Torres garnered second-team honors.
 
FOUR OTTERS EARN NCBWA ALL-REGION HONORS
Cal State Monterey Bay earned four spots on the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association NCAA Division II All-West Region teams, the organization announced Wednesday.
 Jaden Sheppard and KW Quilici earned first team nods, while JJ Engman was named to the second team and Mitchell Torres was honorable mention.
 
CCAA RECOGNIZES EIGHT OTTERS ON ALL-CONFERENCE TEAMS
Otter Baseball was heavily represented on the All-CCAA Award list. In total, eight Otters were honored spread across the first-team, second-team and honorable mention distinctions. Jaden Sheppard, JJ Engman, KW Quilici and Mitchell Torres earned first-team nods. Nico Hartojo garnered second-team honors, while Chase Lindemann, Cole Murchison and Nate Rohlicek garnered honorable mention.
 
THREE-PEAT
The Otters needed a sweep over Cal State East Bay in the final weekend of the regular season to win the conference title outright and that is exactly what they did, shutting out the Pioneers in the final contest to claim the regular season title. The Otters became the first team in the conference to win three straight regular season titles since UC San Diego accomplished the feat from 2009-11. CSUMB also became the first team to win the regular season and tournament titles in two straight years since Chico State (2016-17).