SANTA BARBARA, Calif. — No. 16 UC Santa Barbara lived up to its billing with an 8-1 victory Friday over BYU in the baseball season opener for both teams.

The Gauchos pounced on a 4-0 lead through the first two innings and fended off several Cougar attacks. BYU got its lead-off batter on base every inning except the sixth and seventh frames. Freshman Brian Hsu scored BYU’s only run in the fifth inning when Hayden Nielsen singled to right field.

“I feel really good about our offensive approach today,” BYU coach Mike Littlewood said. “We put up 12 hits against an excellent pitching staff and we hit another half dozen balls hard.  If a couple line drives fall for us early, it's a one-run game. They got a few big two-out hits which is to be expected from a veteran team.”

Five Cougars collected a pair of hits, including lead-off hitter Brennon Lund and shortstop Nielsen who each had three hits. Cleanup batter Dillon Robinson’s lead-off double in the second inning was one of his two pokes and the only BYU extra base hit.

Most things went well when needed for UCSB, while the Cougars were snake-bit on plays like Lund trying to extend a first-inning single when he face-planted midway to second and was thrown out. Freshman Colton Shaver was on second in the fifth and was thrown out attempting to steal third prior to three consecutive singles by Hsu, Lund and Nielsen.

Starting pitcher Kolton Mahoney retired the side in the fourth of his six innings, striking out three Gauchos for the afternoon.

“Kolton (Mahoney) took a couple innings to settle in, but finished his day strong,” Littlewood said. “Overall, I loved our effort and desire as we opened up against a very good team.

“Santa Barbara is relentless offensively – there are no easy outs in its lineup and they put pressure on you every inning.

“We've stressed to our guys the importance of not beating ourselves defensively and not losing runners – we did both of those things which is the most disappointing aspect of today's game.”

The two teams play a doubleheader on Saturday in a four-game series.

No. 16 (Collegiate Baseball) UC Santa Barbara hosts BYU baseball in a four-game series starting Friday ( Feb. 13) for the season opener.

The Gauchos (34-17-1 in 2014), picked to win the Big West Conference, are the first of two ranked teams BYU (22-31 in 2014 ) plays in consecutive order, followed by No. 23 (Perfect Game) Nebraska the following week in Arizona.

“They have great pitching, a number of excellent returning position players and will be a great challenge for us,” BYU coach Mike Littlewood said. “I believe they were the most athletic team we saw last year (UCSB won 9-5).”
 
However, Littlewood says his team will be up to the challenge.
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“We feel very prepared simply because of the good weather allowing us to practice outside all winter, “Littlewood said. “It has been ​nice not seeing four walls and a ceiling all winter. Being outside has enabled us to work on our offensive game and more team defense which we can’t do fully in the IPF (Indoor Practice Facility). Practicing outside also levels the playing field just a bit with teams that are able to be outside year-round."
 
While there are technically only a couple new players in the probable Cougar lineup, BYU fields an experienced, talented squad.
 
“I'm not sure the so-called experts know our personnel and I believe we could sneak up on some people,” Littlewood said, as preseason polls have BYU picked seventh in the West Coast Conference.
 
Freshmen Brian Hsu and Colton Shaver, returned missionaries Tanner Chauncey and Cole Wilstead, juco transfer pitchers Brady Corless and Austin Kamel are the newcomers that are most likely to see playing time in the season-opening series.  
 
Hsu is in a nice battle with senior Parker Starr at third base. Shaver could see playing time at multiple positions, with Wilstead seeing time at DH or first base. Chauncey, who was drafted in the 35th round by the Los Angeles Dodgers last year while he was still serving in Brazil, was BYU’s leading hitter in 2012. Righty Corless is the probable Cougar starter in game four on Monday at 1 p.m.
 
Starting for the Cougars on the mound in Friday’s opener at 2 p.m., will be junior Kolton Mahoney (6-6, 3.97), who was drafted in the 23rd round by the Milwaukee Brewers in 2014. Starting in Saturday’s doubleheader beginning at 11 a.m., will be sophomore lefty Hayden Rogers (2-4, 2.93) and senior Jeff Barker (6-5, 3.80).
 
“I expect this team to pitch it well, play good defense and execute offensively,” Littlewood said. “We are ready to play.”

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