March 10, 2016

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Young baseball team finds early success Tommy Tran @CPMustangSports

Alex McKenna always knew that he would be playing baseball for Cal Poly, committing to the Mustangs during his junior year of high school.

He knew he wanted a spot on the team so badly that he passed up an offer to play Major League Baseball. Last June, the Minnesota Twins picked McKenna in the 38th round of the draft, but he chose not to sign. Instead, he followed through with his commitment to play baseball at Cal Poly.

“Cal Poly is a great school, a school that I chose to go to because of the great area, the great academics and the great baseball team, obviously,” McKenna said.

What McKenna didn’t know was that he would be starting in center field during his freshman season.

“It was just the kind of thing where I showed up to the field and I was in the lineup,” he said.

“It was a good feeling but you also got to realize that you gotta do everything you can to help the team.”

He started in all four games of the season opening series against Pacific and has continued to start in every game since.

Being in the starting lineup

early in his collegiate career left McKenna with little time to adapt to the ways of college baseball, but he does not see that as an obstacle.

“I didn’t really know how (the Pacific game) was going to be,” McKenna said. “Once we got after it here in the pregame and got acclimated to what it is going to be like for the rest of the year, it was pretty cool. Playing that first game and getting a win for my first collegiate start was pretty special.”

McKenna has been able to provide something special to the game in return.

With 13 games now under his belt, he is hitting .340 and has already hit two home runs and knocked in nine runs. McKenna also sports a .958 percent fielding average.

Dynamics like McKenna’s are not unusual to this year’s team.

Freshmen make up nearly half of the Cal Poly baseball team, a young team that has started a redhot 10-3 this season.

After losing the bulk of last year’s team to the Major League Baseball draft and graduation, 15 freshmen were added to this season’s 34-man roster, which also sports only eight juniors and two seniors.

Continued on page 8

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HANNA CROWLEY | MUSTANG NE WS SWINGING FOR THE FENCES | Sophomore outfielder Josh George takes a big hack in the Cal Poly baseball team’s 6-5 victory over Pepperdine on Tuesday, March 1. The Mustangs are 10-3 so far this season.

Thursday, March 10, 2016

NEWS | 2

Peer counselors offer resources for LGBTQIA+ students “I wanted to live genuinely, as my full and actual self, and I figured that this transition would Stepping onto a new college be an opportune time to start,” campus for the first time can Douglas said. be a terrifying experience.

At the Week of Welcome Stepping onto a college campus (WOW) Club Showcase, Dougwhere the 2014 Campus Climate las found the Pride Center survey revealed that 58 percent booth and began attending its of LGBTQIA+ students “expeevents. His experience of comrienced exclusionary, intimiing out while starting college is dating, offensive and/or hostile one reason he wanted to be a conduct based on their sexual PRISM peer counselor. identity” as an LGBTQIA+ “I wanted to help other kids student is terrifying in a going through transitions like different way.

I did and provide a resource This is where the peer counthat I certainly could have selors at PRISM come in. used my freshman year,” PRISM is a program Douglas said. “And just for Cal Poly students to be a part of welwho identify as coming them into There’s a really perfect intersectionality LGBTQIA+ or are a loving, acceptquestioning, and ing and uplifting with queer issues and family issues, such as Cal Poly students community.” who are friends, PRISM is differcoming out in a family environment ... family or rooment from Counmates of someone seling Ser vices PRISM is giving me some real-world who is LGTBQIA+ because it allows or questioning. for mentoring and experience in this field.”

“It sends a message peer understanding. that we’re here and The peer counseling PATRICK DOUGLAS we’re supporting stumodel is valuable because dents,” Pride Center Coorthe counselors have gone dinator Appy Frykenberg said. through extensive training and Despite the positive outcomes, have real-life experience with PRISM has been underutilized from a Catholic high school, issues students. in recent years. At least 50 per- he had only come out to a “PRISM is an amazing recent of peer counselors are not few close friends. source because we provide

Lexi McCoy Special to Mustang News

getting contacted regularly, Frykenberg said.

To reach more students, PRISM will be offering office hours in Muir Hall on Wednesday and Yosemite Hall on Thursday from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. PRISM peer counselors also hold educational and social events throughout the year.

When PRISM peer counselor and psychology senior Patrick Douglas began his first year at Cal Poly after graduating

FILE PHOTO | MUSTANG NE WS JOB PREPARATION | Many PRISM counselors are training for careers in related fields, such as therapy.

a specific service for people seeking a specific type of help,” Douglas said.

After students are chosen to be peer counselors, they go through an eight-week training program which includes learning about terms, identity development and practice with scenarios, Frykenberg said.

Representatives from Counseling Services and Safer also come to train students.

A unique feature about PRISM is the option for students to choose their own peer counselor. Students can see a counselor’s identity, orientation, hobbies and topics they have experience with on the PRISM website. Students can email a counselor of their choice, and choose to communicate electronically or meet in person.

“We look for people with different experiences on this campus,” Frykenberg said.

“Sometimes folks really want to work with someone who has gone through something similar to them, or identifies in similar ways.”

Psychology junior Jonathan Schaffer became a PRISM peer counselor during his first year.

He said he had been helped significantly by the LGBTQIA+ community at his high school, and wanted to give back to students in need.

Through his experience as a peer counselor, Schaffer, who plans to be a therapist, was able to talk to a parent who was worried about LGBTQIA+ resources at Cal Poly during a campus tour.

“This experience provided me

with a base of skills that I could begin to apply to other counseling work,” Schaffer said.

Douglas plans on a future career as a marriage and family therapist.

“There’s a really perfect intersectionality with queer issues and family issues, such as coming out in a family environment, LGBT relationships and LGBT parents,” Douglas said. “PRISM is giving me some real-world experience in this field.”

Besides real-world experience, peer counselors also develop a further sense of empathy, Frykenberg said.

“Sometimes, what I have heard, is that (peer counselors) see something they went through in a different light, which can expand compassion,” Frykenberg said.

Students take measures against large St. Fratty’s Day event FILE PHOTO | MUSTANG NE WS RAISING THE ROOF

| Due to last year’s roof collapse, which made international news, students had to find an alternative, safer way to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day without taking away all celebratory actions.

Gina Randazzo @Gina_Randazzo1

The Interfraternity Council (IFC) is making a plan to avoid too many people gathering in one location during Cal Poly’s annual St. Patrick’s Day celebration.

Last year, a “St. Fratty’s Day” event left nine injured after a garage roof collapse on Hathway Avenue in the early morning hours on March 7. Approximately 1,000 students attended the event.

This year, IFC is encouraging each fraternity to host its own registered event on Saturday, March 12.

IFC Vice President of Risk Management and mechanical engineering senior Kurt Beske said IFC’s goal for each house is to keep its members safe by encouraging them to attend their

own events where their own risk management policies are in place, rather than going to an uncontrolled party.

“We’re not trying to solve the problem, but if we can keep our members safe, I think we at least have an obligation to do that,” Beske said.

IFC president and mechanical engineering senior Alex Campbell said seven chapters have registered social events for March 12.

According to Campbell, several other chapters are planning brotherhood events and two chapters, Alpha Gamma Rho (AGR) and Zeta Beta Tau (ZBT), are on social probation, preventing them from hosting any social events.

Campbell also said IFC has notified San Luis Obispo Police Department (SLO PD) of the plan to host multiple events.

At Monday’s IFC meeting, several members of the council emphasized that fraternities should try to keep their events small and quiet this weekend, only letting in as many people as they know they can handle.

Members also stressed not allowing partygoers on roofs.

The Hathway Avenue house where the St. Fratty’s Day event was held last year, nicknamed “The Pink House,” is now owned by Lambda Chi Alpha (Lambda) fraternity.

Lambda President and business administration senior Tyler Molnar said there will be no event at “The Pink House” on March 12, and that the fraternity has been working with SLOPD to prevent people from showing up to the house uninvited.

Molnar said there will be “No

Trespassing” signs posted at the house throughout the weekend.

“Whether one person or 100 people show up, the police will be notified,” Molnar said.

“They will be held accountable for trespassing.”

According to Campbell, IFC’s plan to control the yearly event has been in the works since the March 7 incident.

Both Campbell and Beske said they are optimistic about providing safe places for people to celebrate, and reducing the concentration of students in one area. “(IFC) isn’t trying to control the whole student population,” Campbell said. “But we thought it would be best if we reclaim this celebration as something that could be safe and fun. I’m hopeful that it will be a good solution. I don’t want to see anything like last year.”

Thursday, March 10, 2016

NEWS | 3

Attempted sexual assault reported at Delta Chi house Gina Randazzo @Gina_Randazzo1

JASON HUNG | MUSTANG NE WS HEADS UP | Delta Chi found out about the reported attempted assault in a campuswide email, president Steven Pollock said.

A reported sexual assault was attempted at the Delta Chi fraternity house at 1236 Monte Vista Place between midnight and 1 a.m. on Sunday, March 6.

According to a Cal Poly emergency notification that was sent on March 7, the perpetrator held the female survivor down with the intention of assaulting her. The survivor was able to fight off her attacker and get away.

The reported incident occurred during a registered Cal

Poly event.

Delta Chi president and civil engineering senior Steven Pollock said the university had not notified the fraternity about an investigation.

Delta Chi fraternity members only know the information included in the campus-wide emergency notification email — nothing more, Pollock said.

Though the survivor chose not to report the incident to the police, Pollock said Delta Chi will be cooperating with any potential requests from law enforcement.

At Monday night’s Interfrater-

nity Council meeting, Pollock asked other greek life officials to refrain from spreading rumors about the incident.

“I know this looks bad on all of us,” Pollock said in the meeting.

Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students Kathleen McMahon redirected all questions to university spokesperson Matt Lazier, who offered no additional information regarding the investigation.

Coordinator of Fraternity and Sorority Life Kathryn O’Hagan did not respond to a request for comment on Monday.

Thursday, March 10, 2016

ARTS | 4

GABBY PA JO | MUSTANG NE WS HARMONY

| Sunday’s concert showcased the talent of Cal Poly vocal and instrumental student soloists, who were backed by the entire symphony to create the exceptional music enjoyed by the audience.

Cal Poly Symphony orchestrates beautiful Winter Concert with soloists @MadiSalvati

The idea of sitting through a symphony performance may conjure memories of mandatory high school assemblies, when the band or orchestra would play obscure pieces of music that put everyone to sleep. But things are different in college. Unlike high school assemblies, those who are performing are genuinely pas-

sionate about music.

Sunday afternoon, the Cal Poly Symphony hosted its Winter Concert, showcasing three instrumental soloists and two vocalists in classical pieces from composers York Bowen, Carl Maria von Weber and Jean Sibelius. The entire symphony, conducted by David Arrivee, backed the soloists to

Madi Salvati & Sabrina Thompson

create the harmonious music that filled the Christopher Cohan Performing Arts Center (PAC) .

The first soloist, biomedical engineer senior Stephen Jue, played York Bowen’s Viola Concerto in C minor, Op. 25. If an audience member had closed their eyes, the music of the concerto would have conjured up an image of the

@SThomp_Jour

most dramatic, romantic scene freshman Emily Bernstein was Wall has been singing since from a movie with each build of delighted by Banninger’s perfor- middle school, and music has the music. mance, stating it as her favorite always been a big part of his life Jue said he is still getting used of the afternoon. and passions. to soloing.

“I have no musical talent to “I actually got accepted as an “Viola really isn’t a solo in- draw from, so that level is in- aerospace (engineering) major,” strument,” Jue said. “So just credible,” Bernstein said.

Wall said. “And then I decided getting used to projecting more Following the instrumental so- to switch to music because I was has been hard.” loists were two vocalists: music better at it and I enjoyed it more.”

Jue can’t remember a time when juniors Kelly O’Shea and ChrisThe final soloist of the concert he wasn’t playing in some kind topher Wall. O’Shea’s soprano was concertmaster and music seof symphony since he picked up stylings in Menotti’s The Old nior Mario Ojeda. Ojeda played the viola.

Maid and the Thief displayed a Felix Mendelssohn’s Violin Concer“It’s a good creative outlet,” mastery of her voice. O’Shea’s to Op. 64, which was as amazing to Jue said. “Especially with (being watch as it was to hear. With a pink in) engineering.” rose at the top of his violin, Ojeda The rare Viola Concerto was swayed and danced as he played. followed by an even more eluHis fingers flew across the neck sive Bassoon Concerto. Muof his instrument as the music sic junior Emelia Banninger dipped and swelled and as he I’m definitely nervous... walked onstage in a soft played higher notes his feet I’ve never played in front pink gown carrying a large would lift with the music. instrument almost as tall For Ojeda, music has been of an audience as a soloist as she was. The song she a way of life and outlet to before. I kind of just featured in was Carl Maexpress his emotions. ria von Weber’s Bassoon “I consider myself a very took the leap.

Concerto in F major, Op. 75 emotionally mature person,” — a playful piece that featured Ojeda said. “I don’t have a MUSIC JUNIOR EMELIA BANNINGER Banninger’s skill. problem conveying the emotion “I’m definitely nervous,” Banof the music.” ninger said before the show. “I’ve Like Banninger, Ojeda also never played in front of an audi- control and range were seen in likes the idea of getting into ence as a soloist before. I kind of the highest notes she sang, and show business after college and just took the leap.” filled the auditorium without a wants to move to Los Angeles A bassoon is a somewhat uncon- microphone, as is customary in after graduation to become a ventional instrument, which Ban- operatic music. studio musician. ninger said was difficult to play.

Crowd favorite Christopher Wall “Hopefully I will be in the “It’s like playing a tree,” she said. sang what is known as a “song to business once the next Star Wars Banninger said she would love God,” Pieta, Signore. Many in at- movie comes out,” Ojeda said. to get into show business and tendance remarked at how talentOrchestral music is unlike most pursue music after college. ed Wall was in this piece. of the concerts hosted at Cal Poly.

“I hope to make it into the tele“He was well articulated, and The classical music may not be vision or the movie business as a sang in a different language the most popular or well known, performer or arranging things on which made him stand out,” but when an audience member the composition side,” she said. civil engineering junior Andrea sits and listens to it, as conduc“My parents are in show busi- Flores said. tor Arrivee said: “Each member ness and I just grew up around “You can expect volume,” Wall of the audience likely felt a stothe stage.” said prior to his performance. “I ry of some kind unfold as they C ommunication studies have a big voice.” listened to it.”

Thursday, March 10, 2016

ARTS | 5

Exploring Southeast Asia: Urban vs. remote Vietnam Rebecca Ezrin @Ezrinrebecca

Rebecca Ezrin is a journalism junior studying abroad in Chiang Mai, Thailand. With many class field trips and personal trips planned, her adventures are virtually endless. She aims to share her authentic experiences and what she has learned. This past weekend, she paid a quick visit to Vietnam.

Hanoi Rocks Hostel, a popular hostel amongst young backpackers.

Since the recession hit in 2008, tourism in Vietnam has skyrocketed.

The streets of Hanoi are vibrant and packed with tourists and locals.

Hanoi, Vietnam’s capital city, is 1,006 years old. It is the second largest city in Vietnam with a population of approximately 7.5 million.

The city lies on the right bank of the Red River, which flows from Yunnan, China, through Northern Vietnam to the Gulf of Tonkin.

Pictured below is Woodstock Beach Camp Hostel, which is located approximately 20 minutes from the main town, in a non-touristy area.

Pictured are the busy streets of the Hoan Kiem District, aka the Old Quarter in Hanoi. Similar to Chiang Mai, there are no traffic laws.

In Hanoi, however, the drivers will not hesitate to drive straight into pedestrians if their path is blocked.

Thursday, March 10, 2016

OPINION | 6

A not-so-Super Tuesday

Brandon Barlett @bacbartlett

Brandon Bartlett is an English sophomore and Mustang News columnist. The views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of Mustang News editorial.

Time to admit it: This election is depressing. There is no way around it, the utter depravity of nuance, facts, common sense and general human goodness displayed in the Republican candidates really concerns me.

How far have we fallen? How much farther can we fall?

Right now, the Republican Party have a racist, sexist, fear-mongering fascist going up against a mildly disguised racist, sexist, fear-mongering fascist going up against a slightly less racist, sexist, fear-mongering fascist.

And you know who is winning?

The first one.

It is truly amazing how helpless one can feel within a democracy.

Can anything pierce the veil of ignorance which shrouds us? Or have we simply gone blind from living inside the bright city on a hill?

But how can we be surprised?

Representational government does just that — it represents. It’s the cold black mirror reflecting our increasingly less hidden monsters. And maybe this is its strength. Maybe this hangover will be the proverbial slap in the face that we desperately need; the morning after shows us how far we have strayed.

Or maybe not.

We must keep the faith. As Churchill is said to have put it, “Democracy is the worst form of govern-

ment, except for all the others.” This seems to ring true.

Democracy puts the power in the hands of the masses, and yet we often expect better quality than in that which has “mass appeal.” Are not things targeted to the masses the lowest of quality? Is not popular culture and media more often a race to the bottom than it is anything else?

So why democracy? Why chose a system doomed to give poor results?

Because it is better than the alternative.

As the

avelli showed us, the truest civil servant is terrifying. For the man or woman so empty of themselves that they do not even need to be well liked, may become a tyrant for the sake of the people. For while is it is not better to be feared than loved, it may be better to fear one’s government than to love it.

So how do we answer this? We give the intoxicating brew to the greatest amount of people possible, for if we all take but a sip, none will become drunk with power.

And, I guess, we wait to come what

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dogmatist would remind you, power corrupts.

And yet we need s ome one to hold power. For as much as my libertarian/anarchist friends would like to tell you otherwise, we need some form of governance. Even tyranny is superior to the Hobbesian state of nature.

But there are very few true civil servants out there. And as Machi-

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will. For while the tyranny of the majority may drive John the Savage to suicide and Guy Montage out of town, at least Win ston Smith will never be brought to the Ministry of Love.

And maybe that is enough.

But I do fear that my position gives me a peace greater than I should hold. For I am a straight white cisgender male, and the worst I have to fear is Ted Cruz

sending me to “see if the sand can glow in the dark.” More likely than not, the election of one of our most feared candidates will do me more good than harm.

If I were Middle-Eastern or African American, could I be peacefully resigned to the democratic process?

If I were a woman or a member of the LGBTQIA+ community, would I sit idly by as the legal castle that I have built is threatened by the taunting tide?

I doubt that I have the stoic mastery to do so.

So, my reader, what can we do?

For I know not the correct steps to take.

But may we do this: Let us decide, before the drum begins to roll, whether the scaffold is the place for our nicest manors and most proper clothes, or if it is the final stronghold: Whether we should continue to make music while we go down with the ship, or if we must swim to shore. For whether we make peace or rage against that goodnight, either is better than the dying of the light because we were too lazy to relight the candle.

Francesca Gilles is business administration freshman. Letters to the editor do not reflect the editorial coverage or viewpoints of Mustang News.

In light of the recent sexual assault at one of the Delta Chi houses, my thoughts toward the university’s approach of dealing with these issues has drastically changed; it seems to me that Cal Poly, and universities around the country, have reached a turning point.

With each sexual assault that occurs in conjunction with a greek event, I hear the same weak rhetoric flung to deflect responsibility from those who are actually accountable. A cursory scroll through Yik Yak, or a brief eavesdrop on passing conversations after the email notification this past Sunday yielded inadequate explanations and excuses for the actions of the offender, the failure of Delta Chi to prevent this incident, as well as downright misogynistic assumptions made about the victim.

My personal favorite was, “Girls make shit like this up all the time.”

My own issues with greek life aside, it pains me to realize that despite the tire-

decision, and it is utterly inexcusable to subvert the guilt in this way.

So a survivor has a choice to make: either put her social life, emotional well-being and wallet on the line in exchange for justice (which is difficult to obtain in and of itself), or to pipe down, and accept that the system is against her — to move on with her life, all the while knowing that her attacker is safe from the hand of justice, protected by the iron curtain of his fraternity.

When a business incorporates, it effectively deflects liability away from the members (e.g., the CEO, the board, the shareholders), and the entity accepts liability — this way, shareholders in a company cannot be held personally liable for any torts committed by the corporation, save their shares in the company.

The same is true for the fraternity system.

In the many instances of fraternity-based sexual assault, not only at Cal Poly but also across the country, the fraternity, a national organization, has absorbed the liability of its members. It’s gotten to the point that people seemingly join fraternities for this very privilege — to do whatever they want, whether or not it’s legal, and face none of the consequences.

Fraternities are regressive, and seemingly

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Fraternities and sexual violence— enough is enough less efforts of the administration, ASI and numerous on-campus organizations to promote gender equity and halt misogyny at Cal Poly, some students still feel that victim-blaming and doubt is the proper route.

Let’s get something straight: A woman’s choice not to report a rape or sexual assault is not indicative of a lie. A number of factors influence this decision, the first being that a criminal or civil case is often emotionally taxing and can do more harm than good in terms of the survivor’s well-being; post-traumatic stress disorder and permanent sexual dysfunction are not uncommon after effects of a sexual assault or rape.

Second, a criminal or civil case can be financially out of the question, especially for a college student.

Third, the social consequences that come with reporting a rape or sexual assault can often be the most profound deterrent from survivors’ seeking justice. At a school where a girl’s social life is practically synonymous with attending fraternity parties, women who report rapes and sexual assaults can be ostracized, shamed for bringing negative attention to the crumbling ivory tower that is the fraternity system.

Fear of this sort of long-term shame and humiliation would be a factor in anyone’s

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Letter to the editor:

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encourage the “brothers” to explore their most base and primal instincts. Because they provide free alcohol at parties, they believe that they have the right to demean, violate and humiliate the girls in attendance — a jarring quid-pro-quo that no woman in her right mind would agree to.

Women on this campus have a choice to make when they choose to socialize: Do I risk my own personal safety to have a good time, perhaps giving up some of my freedoms under duress? Or do I completely reject the predominantly greek social scene? Forcing women to choose between self-objectification in exchange for admittance is utterly disgusting, an injustice more aligned with the misogyny of centuries past.

They promote — nay, encourage — sexism and perpetuate rape culture, and I’ve had enough.

And I don’t think I’m alone.

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SPORTS | 8

Continued from page 1

“We didn’t anticipate losing so many players; we knew we had six seniors we were going to lose, and that’s a high number for us,” head coach Larry Lee said. “We knew we were going to lose two juniors, we ended up losing all four. And then to compound that, we lost two of our high recruits.”

Despite losing some of his top players — including the ace pitcher of the 2015 season Casey Bloomquist, who signed with the Chicago Cubs — Lee sees the positives in having a younger team.

“As long as they’re good, as long as the quality’s there, I like going with young guys because in theory you only have them for three years because the good ones are going to sign after their junior year,” Lee said. “They’re good, they’re gonna make their mistakes because they’re freshmen, but you’re gonna live with those guys because they’ve earned it, they’re the better players …

They’ll continue to get better with experience.”

Out of the 15 freshmen on the team, four are expected to be in the starting lineup this season.

One of the four is Kyle Marinconz, who starts at either shortstop or second base, depending on the game.

He has started in every game so far, holding a .985 fielding percentage and through 47 at-bats, he’s maintaining a batting average of .362 with four RBI. “My role has been to be just one

Thursday, March 10, 2016

guy, a part of the team,” Marin- The younger players look to the Poly baseball. He started in 48 conz said. “We don’t have one guy returning players for guidance. games last season and has provwho’s just going to go out there “Coming in here as a freshman, en to be a versatile player, starting and win the game. It takes nine the older guys really took all of us behind the plate, at first base, in guys on the field to win a ball- under their wing just ‘cause we’re left field or at designated hitter. game and I just want to be one of really young,” McKenna said. “In Barbier was also named second those nine.” order for us to be good this year, team all-conference as a utility Marinconz enjoys being part a lot of the young guys are going player in the 2016 College Sports of a younger team as it gives to have to step up and play well.” Madness Big West Preseason poll. him advantages that he wouldn’t Junior catcher and first baseman This is his fourth year on the team have otherwise.

Brett Barbier is one of two team and he uses his experience to help “I expected (the young team) captains this season. his teammates. coming in, I knew that a bunch “As an older guy and playing of the older guys were going to with older guys in the past, that get drafted and it was good to was their role,” Barbier said. “They know that you have a chance were just like ‘It’s just a baseball coming in to be a major game,’ and you’ve just got to impact player,” Marinlet them know that.” conz said. “I know evComing off a rough “IN ORDER FOR US TO eryone here knows 2015 season where that and everybody the Mustangs went BE GOOD THIS YEAR, works hard.”

27-27 and lost experiA LOT OF THE YOUNG The players know enced players, Barbier GUYS ARE GOING TO that they have to work had his doubts about hard to earn their posithis season.

HAVE TO STEP UP AND tions on the team.

“I was a little nerPLAY WELL.” “Everyone’s on an even vous ’cause we’re young,” playing field,” McKenna Barbier said. “I feel like, FRESHMAN CENTER FIELDER said. “You’ve gotta do the litso far, we’ve handled the ALEX MCKENNA tle things right … You’ve gotta bumps in the road pretty well. be a confident guy, go out there And that was what I was most and go about your business the nervous about, was the young right way. If you do that, good “On the field when stuff kind of guys being ready to play by the things happen, you get rewarded hits the fan or we’re in a rough time season came and I’ve been for working hard.” inning, my job is just being calm very impressed by a lot of the There are dynamics unique to and letting the younger guys know guys that have been able to get college games that are foreign to like ‘Hey, we’re gonna get out of the opportunity to play so it just the high school level, requiring this, it’s not a big deal,’” Barbier made me way more confident in younger players to adapt to the said. “When I’m playing first base everybody else.” environment. Freshmen have and I have Kyle Marinconz playBarbier sees positive changes in to learn to adjust to playing ing second, he’s kind of uptight the team’s chemistry, a chemistry games under the lights, playing sometimes out there, but I’m out different from years previous. for a larger crowd and playing there cracking jokes with him, just “This season’s a lot different at an overall higher intensi- trying to get him to loosen up.” from last year … There’s definitety than what they are used to.

Barbier is no stranger to Cal ly more of a winning sense when

we’re down in a game … There’s not this apprehensive feeling among players when we’re down in a game,” Barbier said. “That brings it back more towards my redshirt freshman year (2014) when we won Big West and it was kind of that atmosphere in the dugout and with the team.”

The new players were thrown another fresh element to them on Tuesday, playing their first away game of the season.

Playing on the road requires athletes to lose sleep for travelling time, to miss class and to adapt to being in a completely different environment, playing in unfamiliar baseball fields.

“All those little things play a huge role … Especially on a young team like this,” Barbier said. “These next three weeks are going to be the true test for our team and seeing how we do, and I am confident that everyone will be able to make it through.”

After completing a 12-game season-opening home stand, the Mustangs faced the Pepperdine Waves at Eddy D. Field on Tuesday to begin a 10-game road trip.

The Mustangs lost to the Waves 12-4 after Pepperdine ripped off an 11-run second inning to take the game. Four of the runs were unearned, all coming from one throwing error made by junior third baseman Michael Sanderson, a community college transfer playing his first season for the Mustangs.

“The more game experience we can get, we can learn from our mistakes,” Lee said.