Sonoma State University sports update, Jan. 26 to Feb. 2. Baseball starts season 1-2, Men's Basketball spits two, Women's Basketball loses two, and Softball named preseason favorite for CCAA title.
BASEBALL
Sonoma State University senior Ryan O'Malley has been selected as the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Baseball Player of the Week for the week of Jan. 25-31, it was announced by the conference office on Feb. 2. O'Malley finished the weekend 7 for 12 (.583) with three doubles, three home runs, six RBI and six runs scored for a slugging percentage of 1.583.
Before the thrilling conclusion of the season-opening series, the Coyotes and Seawolves began the day Sunday tied at 3-3 after game two of the doubleheader was suspended in the top of the sixth inning due to darkness on Jan. 30. Breaking the tie was Ryan O'Malley in the bottom of the sixth inning with his first of three home runs on the day. However, CSUSB rallied for four unanswered runs in the seventh and eighth innings to secure the 7-4 win on Jan. 31.
O'Malley capped an already incredible weekend with a walk off solo home run in the bottom of the 11th inning to lift the Sonoma State baseball team to its first win of 2016, an 8-7 thriller in the series finale against visiting Cal State San Bernardino on Jan. 31.
Matthew Richards and Daniel Caresio recorded base hits in the 2016 season opener, but the Sonoma State baseball team suffered a 1-0 loss to visiting Cal State San Bernardino on Jan. 30 at Seawolf Diamond.
SOFTBALL
Sonoma State softball was named the preseason favorite to capture the program's first-ever CCAA regular season title in 2016, following a vote of the league's coaches, it was announced on Jan. 28. Reigning CCAA regular season and CCAA tournament champion Cal State Monterey Bay also garnered four first-place votes, but was selected to finish third behind Humboldt State. The Lumberjacks collected 89 points and two first-place votes, while the Otters followed with 86 points.
MEN'S BASKETBALL
Cal State Dominguez Hills drained 20 three-pointers, including nine by Ivan Dooley, to cruise to an 88-65 win on Jan. 30 over Sonoma State at the Torodome in Carson. Michael Avery had 11 points and Luke Cochran ten, but the Seawolves would see their three-game winning streak ended at the hands of the Toros. Now 12-7 overall, the Seawolves are 7-6 in CCAA play, tied for No. 6 and one game behind Humboldt State in the conference standings.
Four of the five Sonoma State men's basketball starters combined for 55 of the team's 61 points, and it would prove to be enough in the 61-52 road victory over Cal State L.A. at the Eagles Nest in Los Angeles on Jan. 29.
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Madison Burroughs and Kylie Kiech each had 16 points as the Sonoma State women's basketball team turned in a spirited performance against Cal State Dominguez Hills on Jan. 30. The Seawolves used an 18-3 run over the final six minutes of the third quarter to take the lead, only to see the Toros pull away in the fourth quarter for a 68-60 victory at the Torodome in Carson. The loss drops the Seawolves to 8-14, 3-10 CCAA on the year. The Toros improve to 15-6 and remain perfect at 13-0 in league play.
Kylie Kiech came off the bench to score a career-high 16 points, but the starters for the Sonoma State women's basketball team managed just four points, accounting for a 63-50 loss to host Cal State L.A. at the Eagles Nest in Los Angeles on Jan. 29.