Tigers Trek to Cuesta to Open Three-game Series

RIVERSIDE -- Lifting the lid on its 2017 campaign, the Riverside City College (RCC) Tigers baseball team will trek to San Luis Obispo for a three-game nonconference series against the host Cuesta College Cougars this weekend.

Riverside, 25-18 overall, 9-12 in the Orange Empire Conference (OEC) in 2016, is scheduled to play Cuesta on Friday, Jan. 27, at 2 p.m., Saturday, jan. 28, at 1 p.m., and Sunday, Jan. 29, at 12 p.m.

Cuesta was 28-14 overall in 2016, 18-6 in the Western State Conference -- North Division and won the WSC-North championship. The Cougars reach the Super Regional round where it lost the lost two games of a three-game series to visiting Chaffey College.

The Tigers also reached the Super Regionals (third round) against OEC rival Golden West College (GWC). Golden West won, 7-6 (12 innings), lost, 0-1 (ten innings), and then won the finale, 10-6, to advance to the Sectionals where it defeated Chaffey twice to advance to the CCCAA Championships.

Riverside will welcome back sophomore 1B John Gonzalez (Corona - Corona HS '15), P-1B-DH Ryan Mota (Fontana - Kaiser HS '14), 2B Garrett McKee (Hemet - Hemet HS '15), OF Dean Miller (Riverside - Ramona HS '15) and C Zach Grande (San Bernardino - Cajon HS '15), as well as pitchers LHP Dallas Burk (Big Bear HS '14), LHP Blake Tuthill (Redlands - Redlands East Valley HS '14) and closer RHP Cole Young (Corona / Norco HS '14).

The Tigers' first home game of the season will be on Tuesday, Jan. 31, at 5 p.m. when they host the San Bernardino Valley College Wolverines in a non-conference game. 

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