Cal Poly blanked by Irvine as Mustangs drop Big West series

KEYT on April 27, 2025

Mike Klan

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. – Left-handed starter Josh Volmerding (4-3) shouldered a tough 0-4 loss to UC Irvine but posted a quality start (6.0 IP, 3 ER) while tallying a single-game career-high 11 strikeouts.

Cal Poly (28-13, 15-5 BW) dropped a third game behind UC Irvine (31-9, 18-2 BW) after losing the series for the first time in four years. The Mustangs got substantial pitching support but could not make their offensive chances count, leaving nine men on base.

The Mustangs enjoyed their best chances in the second and third innings when they had two runners in each frame. Jack Collins earned a pair of walks and Cam Hoiland tallied a multi-hit game (2-for-4), but there was not much offensive production elsewhere for Cal Poly.

Josh Volmerding was on fire in the top of two, pulling off a rare three-K inning when he punched out Castagnola, Penso, and Gaz on strikes. Heading into the third, the sophomore southpaw retired another set of Anteater batters for six in a row, five being strikeouts.

After Volmerding tallied his seventh and eighth strikeouts, UC Irvine finally broke through for a trio of runs with RBIs from Penso and Gaz. He fanned McCombs in the fifth to tally his ninth K, tying his single-game career high.

Volmerding went on to shatter his career-high with another pair of punchouts in the sixth before being relieved by Tanner Sagouspe. With “Goose” adding three strikeouts through three complete innings, the Mustangs finished with their second-most K’s in a game this season.

UC Irvine added a fourth insurance run on an eighth-inning sac fly, which persisted to a 0-4 loss for the Mustangs.

Cal Poly and UC Irvine wrap up the three-game series with Ethan Marmie’s start tomorrow, slated for 1:00 p.m. at Baggett Stadium.

(Article courtesy Cal Poly Athletics).

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Isla Vista holds Earth Day event with live music and educates on use without waste

KEYT on April 27, 2025

Andie Lopez Bornet

ISLA VISTA, Calif. – Earth Day is officially celebrated on April 22, but for some Isla Vista students, every day is Earth Day.

“There’s a lot we can do, and Earth Day shouldn’t just be one day. As everyone says, Earth Day should be every day,” said Stephen Bond, an Environmental Studies major at UCSB.

The Isla Vista Recreation and Park District, along with the UCSB Associated Students Environmental Affairs Board, celebrated Earth Day with a clothing swap, informational tables, live music from bands like Fig Jam, and more.

“It’s been a culmination of a lot of hard work. We’ve pretty much been working on this the whole year,” said Ash Clancy Prast, Earth Day Co-Chair at the AS Environmental Affairs Board. “We’ve got around 30 organizations tabling here, showcasing sustainability.”

Students at the event shared tips on living eco-friendly in Isla Vista.

“Picking out sustainable food places like farmers markets, eating locally, stuff like that,” said Clancy Prast.

“Doing everything we can, whether that’s recycling thin film plastic or educating the public,” added Bond.

Earth Day was first created in 1970 following a massive oil spill, which at the time was one of the largest in U.S. waters.

“Earth Day was kind of started in Santa Barbara because of the big oil spill,” said Ella Graban, an Environmental Studies major at UCSB. “And I don’t think we should forget the roots of that. We need to keep fighting for the Earth, because no one else is going to do it for us.”

Despite some earlier rain, students still came out to connect with the Earth and dance on the grass under clearing skies.

“It’s just a really awesome way to highlight sustainability — and get a lot of freebies,” said Clancy Prast.

Earth Day events serve as a reminder to the community to protect the planet and continue using eco-friendly habits.

“When we’re harming the planet, we’re harming ourselves. You’ve got to put your best effort into recycling and other eco-friendly efforts,” Graban said when asked about the importance of celebrating Earth Day.

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Ventura man arrested on multiple offenses Saturday morning

KEYT on April 26, 2025

Caleb Nguyen

VENTURA, Calif. – Ventura Police arrested a 33-year-old man on numerous offenses after being found tampering with a neighbor’s vehicle on Thille Street at 6:45 a.m. Saturday.

VPD officers found and identified the suspect, who then fled on a bicycle, trying to evade the officers.

The 33-year-old then fell from his bike after VPD officers tried blocking his path. He was quickly taken into custody without further incident or injury.

The Ventura man threw something from the Victoria Ave. overpass during the pursuit, later identified as 17 grams of fentanyl.

VPD officers later booked the suspect into the Ventura County Jail under the following charges:

Vehicle Tampering – 10852 VC

Resisting or Delaying an Officer – 148(a)(1) PC

Possession for Sale of a Controlled Substance – 11378 HS

Destruction or Concealment of Evidence – 135 PC

Possession of a Hard Drug – 11395 HS

The 33-year-old man had six active warrants in Ventura County and one in Santa Barbara County in addition to the charges above, according to the VPD.

Those with additional information on the incident are asked to contact the VPD.

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Space X set to launch Falcon 9 rocket Sunday afternoon

KEYT on April 26, 2025

Caleb Nguyen

VANDENBERG SPACE FORCE BASE, Calif. – SpaceX plans to launch 27 Starlink satellites in support of a Falcon 9 Rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base at 3:41 p.m. Sunday.

Backup opportunities for the launch are available until 5:45 p.m. on the same day. Added launch opportunities are available Monday starting at 1:39 p.m..

Central Coast residents may feel the sonic boom from the impact of the launch.

Following stage separation, the first stage will land on the Of Course I Still Love You droneship stationed in the Pacific Ocean.

Live webcasts of the mission will be available five minutes before liftoff on both the Space X website and social media page.

Viewers with images or videos of the launch are encouraged to share them with KEYT at the following link.

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Fatal crash part of six car collisions on Central Coast Saturday morning

KEYT on April 26, 2025

Caleb Nguyen

CENTRAL COAST, Calif. – A solo fatal car crash Saturday morning was one of six across the Central Coast, according to the Santa Barbara County Fire Department.

Emergency personnel pronounced the solo male driver dead at the scene after he crashed his car into a ditch on Highway 154 and the Camino Cielo Summit, detailed the SBCFD.

Five more crashes occurred between Los Alamos and Gaviota across Highway 101 and the SBCFD issued a warning to drive carefully after these collisions.

Highway 154 remains open with one lane closed due to the fatal crash. Causes for all of these crashes remain under investigation, detailed the SBCFD.

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Man arrested Friday afternoon for pulling handgun in Ventura road rage incident

KEYT on April 26, 2025

Caleb Nguyen

VENTURA, Calif. – Ventura Police officers arrested a 36-year-old Exeter man just after 3:00 p.m. Friday after he pulled a handgun during a road rage incident on the 126 Freeway near Wells and Darling Roads.

The victim called 911 after the suspect started aggressively tailgating him and followed him off the highway into the city of Ventura, according to the VPD.

The victim then exchanged words with the 36-year-old and pointed the gun at him, his partner and the couple’s infant child, detailed the VPD.

Officers conducted an enforcement stop after the 911 call and found out the 36-year-old had pointed the gun in a threatening manner toward the family, according to the VPD.

The Exeter man had possession of a loaded handgun, though he had a permit allowing him to own it legally, detailed the VPD.

VPD officers then booked the 36-year-old into the Ventura County Jail and arrested him on assault with a deadly weapon and child endangerment charges.

Those with additional information on the incident are asked to contact the VPD.

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Crews put out ranch house fire in Los Alamos Saturday morning

KEYT on April 26, 2025

Caleb Nguyen

LOS ALAMOS, Calif. – Santa Barbara County Fire Department crews put out a ranch house fire at 9:00 a.m. Saturday after a maintenance worker noticed flames.

The house is under renovation and crews knocked down the fire within 10 minutes of arrival, according to the SBCFD.

The ranch home sustained moderate damage, though nobody was injured from the fire, detailed the SBCFD.

The cause for the fire remains under investigation.

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Pacifica graduate Nohl Williams drafted in 3rd round by the Kansas City Chiefs

KEYT on April 26, 2025

Mike Klan

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – Nohl Williams will be sitting pretty in Kansas City.

The defensive back was selected in the 3rd round of the 2025 NFL Draft by KC with the 85th pick overall.

Williams is a 2020 Pacifica High School graduate and he helped the Tritons win a State Bowl Game title in 2019.

He initially went to UNLV but then transferred to Cal where he led the nation last year with seven interceptions.

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Dons sweep Royals on go-ahead home run by Jetner Welch

KEYT on April 26, 2025

Mike Klan

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – Jetner Welch slugged a go-ahead home run in the eighth inning as Santa Barbara High School baseball edged rival San Marcos 2-1 to complete the 2-game season sweep.

The win keeps Santa Barbara tied for first place with Ventura in the Channel League at 9-2-1 with one week remaining.

The Dons play two games against Pacifica while Ventura has a 2-game series with Dos Pueblos.

Both Santa Barbara and San Marcos started sophomore pitchers and both shined on the mound.

The Dons Tosh Whitworth and the Royals David Burkholder were locked in a pitcher’s duel.

San Marcos scored a run in the bottom of the third on a throwing error that allowed Mason Crang to score

The Dons tied the game in the top of fifth inning as Kai Mault singled, stole second and scored on a two-out single to left by Whitworth.

Welch was the hero with a home run to right field in extra innings.

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Gauchos drop series opener at UCSD

KEYT on April 26, 2025

Mike Klan

SAN DIEGO, Calif. – The UC Santa Barbara Baseball team (27-13, 12-10 Big West) opened their four-game swing through San Diego with two big swings as both LeTrey McCollum and Nate Vargas left the yard against UC San Diego (21-19, 10-9 Big West) on Friday night. However, the two home runs were not enough to put away the Tritons as the Gauchos dropped the series opener, 6-4.

HOW IT HAPPENEDIt was a shaky start for Santa Barbara, as the Gauchos surrendered runs in both the first and second innings. The tally in the first was unearned, as an errant throw went from nearly cutting down a runner trying to grab an extra 90 feet to granting that runner 90 more feet, and with them a run. After Santa Barbara left the bases loaded in the top of the second, a two-out double gave the Tritons another run in the bottom half of the frame.

Another two-out double in the bottom of the fourth gave the hosts a 4-0 lead, but the Gaucho offense clicked into gear in the top of the fifth to provide a response. After Rowan Kelly’s lead-off walk, Corey Nunez drove in Santa Barbara’s first run of the night with a double into the right field corner. Then, McCollum cracked a two-out home run to cut the deficit to one, a frozen rope that bounced off the top of the right center field fence on its way out.

But the Tritons got two runs back in the bottom of the sixth with more two-out hitting, this time a ground ball hit so hard through the right side of the Gaucho infield that it ended up being un-fieldable. Santa Barbara was able to loosen UC San Diego’s grip on the game in the top of the ninth, which Vargas led off by hitting the first pitch he saw out to right field, his team-leading seventh home run of the year. Kelly legged out an infield single to keep the rally alive, bringing the tying run to the plate. However, the Gauchos were unable to put any more runs on the board.

BY THE NUMBERSFor McCollum, his fifth-inning home run was his fifth of the season and his second in as many games. McCollum joins Jonathan Mendez, Jack Holman and Isaac Kim as Gauchos to homer in consecutive games this season. Holman has done it a team-high three times, while Mendez was the most recent to do it, leaving the yard on March 23 and March 25Despite working only four innings on the mound Friday night, Tyler Bremner continued to rack up the strikeouts, tallying eight K’s. He is now 12 away from matching Dan Yokubaitis’ UC Santa Barbara record for career strikeouts. With a repeat of his career-best 13 in a game, Bremner could take the record outright next weekend.Bremner is not the only one hunting a record, as McCollum’s home run extended his on-base streak to 36 games, nine away from matching (and 10 from breaking) the longest on-base streak in program history of 45 games, set by Christian Kirtley in 2022.

UP NEXTThe Gauchos will be back at Triton Ballpark on Saturday, April 26 at 2 p.m. for the second game of this three-game series. The game will be live on ESPN+ with live stats and an audio broadcast available through ucsbgauchos.com.

(Article courtesy UCSB Athletics).

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