The Sonoma Stompers are set to square off with the San Luis Obispo Blues on Tuesday, July 30th in the Wild Card round of the CCL Playoffs. This will be the fifth matchup between the two clubs, the first since June 19th, meaning both teams are quite different since the last time they faced.
The Blues are the hottest team in the CCL as we head into the postseason, boasting a 21-13 and riding a 10 game winning streak which secured them the second spot in the CCL North. The Stompers finished strong in their own right, riding a five game winning streak into postseason play.
Manager Zack Pace said that “the approach is going to be the same we have every day, show up to the ballpark and bring that good energy and effort.” He comments that the Blues are a different team then the one they face in June, so there are not a lot of expectations. Pace made it clear that it comes down to how the Stompers execute what they’ve done all year.
On paper, the two foes are quite similar. The Blues sport a team batting average of .244, higher than the Stompers .228. But, Sonoma’s hitting philosophy of quality at bats and working deep counts has paid dividends, as they have a .366 team on base percentage compared to SLO’s .345.
Ethan Royal leads the charge for the Blues on offense, leading the team in hits with a .324 batting average. Braedon Jefferies sports a .405 average for SLO and has been a consistent force when he’s in the lineup. For the Stomps, Alijah Ramos has moved into the leadoff position and is currently on a 33 game on base streak, sporting a .323 batting average and an elite .434 on base percentage. His partner in the infield, Trent Abel has emerged as another effective hitter, batting .302 and leading the team with 21 RBIs.
On the other side of the ball, the similarities continue. Sonoma has a 4.00 ERA while SLO sports one of 3.98. Teams bat .243 against the Stomps while only hit .239 against the Blues. Both teams are solid on defense, and while the Stompers pitchers are more effective at getting outs via strikeouts, the Blues rely on strong defense to manufacture outs.
Logan Groff and CJ Albright have been strong starters for SLO, leading the team in innings pitched with a 3.15 and 3.26 ERA respectively. Destin Allen-Fox and Jake Tirk have pitched the most for Sonoma, both with ERAs below 4.00. The Stompers bullpen has been their bright spot, led by guys like Dylan Goff with a 1.90 ERA and Brent Mallet with a 1.29 ERA. Zack Pace only uses a couple players as true “starters” filtering bullpen pitchers into starting roles all throughout the season, helping Sonoma get to the position they are now.
These two teams have faced each other four times before, with the Blues commanding a 3-1 record. They played a four game series back in June where the Blues won the first three 8-4, 3-1, and 9-2. Sonoma won the fourth game 5-4. While SLO had the edge back then, the Stompers have a very new look with four newcomers that have been producing well and various players that have made strong improvements in the month of July.
The Stomps now begin their journey down to SLO, looking for a win to continue their pursuit of a CCL Championship. The game will take place in San Luis Obispo at Sinsheimer Park, starting at 6:05 on Tuesday. The games will be radio broadcast live on our Mixlr, so make sure to tune in so you don’t miss the excitement of postseason baseball.