ROHNERT PARK, CALIF. - After going on an improbable run in the final eight games of the regular season, Sonoma State went on the road to take three of four from conference rival Chico State to secure the 6th and final postseason spot in this year's tournament. The Seawolves won 6 of their final 8 games with series victories over San Bernardino and Chico State to jump Cal State Dominguez Hills and Cal State LA for the final playoff spot. 

Like any season of competition, SSU has had its ups and downs but they have shown to improve and keep fighting until the very end. Over the last three seasons, head coach John Goelz and his program have gone an impressive 18-6 in their final eight games of each season and have qualified for the conference tournament in two of those three seasons. 

In the middle portion of the season, the Seawolves stayed alive with four consecutive series splits to remain in the hunt but went on to drop three games to Cal State Dominguez Hills to give them an uphill battle to finish the season. The season seemed dead in the water after the Toros stole the series finale and scored five runs in the bottom half of the 10th to come back down 14-10. Sonoma State returned home and picked their heads up with nothing to lose, only to rattle off six wins and three of them against rival Chico State on the road to extend their season. 

With the series rearranged against the Wildcats due to weather, the final game would be the 7-inning game and set the stage for senior right hander Tanner Fonoti. Fonoti didn't show his best self but kept the Seawolves in the game with four innings of work allowing four runs but got great offensive support with ten runs during his four innings of work. 

Utility player Niko Tejada has seen more appearances on the mound in the final weeks of the season and came in to complete the 5th inning and set the stage for Nik Kamages in the 6th. Tejada has been rather effective on the mound in his last three starts, allowing just three runs and striking out six batters to give flashes of former utility player Josh Medina. Kamages would shut the door with two scoreless innings of work to seal the 10-4 victory and clinch the program's second conference tournament appearance in the last three seasons. 

Sonoma State really broke things open in the third inning after back-to-back home runs from Joey Loveless and Mark Hernandez. Christopher Wright and Loveless helped tack on three more runs in the fourth with RBI singles. Loveless finished with a game high three RBI's and Wright reached base all four at bats, finishing 3-3 from the plate with two RBI's and two runs scored.  

SEASON PERFORMERS

Helping carry Sonoma State throughout the entire season was senior outfielder Kenny Decelle. Decelle has put together a career season slashing his way to a team leading .356 batting average, .546 slugging percentage, 69 hits, 17 doubles and 18 stolen bases. After a relatively slow start to the season, fellow senior Christopher Wright has gotten his bat going and enters the tournament with a 6-game hit streak including four straight multi-hit games. He has also belted a career high 10 home runs this season, bringing his career total to 18.

Infielders Mark Hernandez and Daniel Monti have also streaked their way to .300+ averages down the stretch of the season. Both players have also combined for 14 home runs on the season with some big ones down the stretch, giving Sonoma State a total of 50 on the season for 5th most in the conference. 

On the mound, Sonoma State has fought through several key injuries all season long but have gotten some clutch performances from veteran starters and members of the bullpen. Senior right hander Blake Janowicz recorded career highs in starts and innings pitched and grabbed a pair of wins in his last two starts against San Bernardino and Chico State. 

Tanner Fonoti leads the team with six wins and 51 strikeouts on the season and anchored the 7-inning game for the Seawolves for the second straight season. Senior pitcher Nik Kamages did not get off to the ideal start as he gave up 5+ runs in three of his first four starts. Head coach John Goelz would slide Kamages to the backend of the bullpen and he would thrive the rest of the way to lead the team with six saves and a 3.66 ERA.    

CCAA TOURNAMENT: #6 SSU VS. #3 CPP, MAY 8TH AT 1:00 PM

Sonoma State will compete in their 14th CCAA tournament dating back to their first appearance in 1999. They will have a chance to advance out of the elimination round and win a postseason game for the first time since 2014 when they were crowned tournament champions. 

The Seawolves will kickoff the conference tournament in the first game on Wednesday, May 8th with first pitch slated for 1:00 PM. You can stream the game live on the CCAA Network and tickets can be bought online at sonomaseawolves.com on the team's schedule page. Additional media links for the tournament can be found below:

Tournament Central
Live Stats
Live Stream
Tickets

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