2016 UC Santa Barbara Gauchos baseball team

2016 UC Santa Barbara Gauchos baseball
Louisville Super Regional champions Nashville Regional champions
Conference	Big West Conference
Record	43–20–1 (13–11 Big West)
Head coach	Andrew Checketts (5th season)
Assistant coaches	Neil Walton (4th season) Eddie Cornejo (5th season) Matt Harvey (2nd season)
Home stadium	Caesar Uyesaka Stadium
Seasons ← 2015 2017 →

2016 Big West Conference baseball standings

v t e	Conf.									Overall
Team	W		L		T		PCT			W		L		T		PCT
#28 Cal State Fullerton †y ‍‍‍	17	–	7	–	0		.708			36	–	22	–	0		.621
Long Beach State  ‍‍‍y	15	–	9	–	0		.625			37	–	21	–	0		.638
No. 6 UC Santa Barbara  ‍‍‍y	13	–	11	–	0		.542			38	–	18	–	1		.675
Cal Poly  ‍‍‍	12	–	12	–	0		.500			32	–	25	–	0		.561
Hawaii  ‍‍‍	12	–	12	–	0		.500			23	–	30	–	0		.434
UC Riverside  ‍‍‍	12	–	12	–	0		.500			26	–	29	–	0		.473
UC Irvine  ‍‍‍	11	–	13	–	0		.458			31	–	25	–	0		.554
Cal State Northridge  ‍‍‍	11	–	13	–	0		.458			33	–	22	–	0		.600
UC Davis  ‍‍‍	5	–	19	–	0		.208			17	–	36	–	0		.321
† – Conference champion y – Invited to the NCAA tournament As of June 5, 2016 [1] Rankings from Collegiate Baseball

The 2016 UC Santa Barbara Gauchos baseball team represented the University of California, Santa Barbara in the 2016 NCAA Division I baseball season, the team competed in the Big West Conference and was led by head coach Andrew Checketts, who was in his fifth season with the program. They played their home games at Caesar Uyesaka Stadium.

SeasonHighlights

1. OverallRecord: The Gauchos finished the season with an impressive 43-20-1 overall record.
2. ConferenceRecord: In the Big West Conference, they had a record of 13-11, finishing third in the standings.
3. NCAATournament: The team earned an at-large bid to the 2016 NCAA Tournament.

• They began their postseason journey in the Nashville Regional, hosted by Vanderbilt, and advanced by defeating some tough opponents.
• They went on to win the Louisville Super Regional, stunning the heavily favored Louisville Cardinals in a thrilling series. 4. CollegeWorldSeries (CWS): For the first time in program history, UC Santa Barbara reached the College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska.
• They had a notable upset victory against Miami in the CWS opener.
• Their season ended with losses to eventual champion Coastal Carolina and Arizona.

Notable Players

The 2016 team featured several standout players who played key roles in their success:

• Shane Bieber: A standout pitcher who later went on to become a star in Major League Baseball (MLB) with the Cleveland Guardians.
• Austin Bush: Known for his power hitting and key contributions throughout the season.
• Clay Fisher: A reliable shortstop and leader on the field.

Legacy

The 2016 Gauchos are remembered for their remarkable postseason run and for putting UC Santa Barbara baseball on the national map. Their performance in the College World Series was a defining moment for the program and showcased their resilience and talent against some of the nations best teams.

Rankings

See also: 2016 NCAA Division I baseball rankings

Ranking movements
Legend:██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked

	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	Final
Coaches' [2]	—	—*	—*	—	—	22	19	20	19	14	19	14	18	—	21	23	23*	23*	7
Baseball America [3]	—	—	—	—	—	24	18	12	13	9	17	15	24	—	—	—	—*	—*	9
Collegiate Baseball^ [4]	—	—	19	22	21	17	11	12	13	11	21	13	26	—	—	—	14	8	6
NCBWA† [5]	—	—	—	—	30	26	22	23	20	14	16	13	16	20	19	21	13	13*	7

^ Collegiate Baseball ranked 40 teams in their preseason poll, but only ranked 30 teams weekly during the season.
† NCBWA ranks 35 teams in their preseason poll, but only ranks 30 teams weekly during the season.
* A new poll was not released for this week, so for comparison purposes, the previous week's ranking is inserted in this week's slot.

References

1. "Big West Conference - 2016 Standings". d1Baseball.com. Retrieved June 5, 2016.
2. Baseball Coaches Poll
3. Baseball America College: Top 25
4. NCAA DIV I Baseball Polls-Collegiate Baseball Newspaper
5. NCBWA Division I poll