SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. (Interstat) — A pivotal Big West Conference series opens Friday when the Cal Poly Mustangs host the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos at Robin Baggett Stadium.

First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. PDT under clear skies with a temperature near 61 degrees.

The matchup features two of the conference’s top teams early in the season. Cal Poly (17-10) holds a slight edge in overall record over UC Santa Barbara (16-10). The teams just met Thursday, with the Gauchos shutting out the Mustangs 6-0.

A player to watch for Cal Poly is catcher Ryan Tayman, who enters the series on a power surge. In his last four games, Tayman is 9 for 18 with five home runs and nine RBIs. That includes a 3-for-5, two-homer, five-RBI performance in Tuesday’s 10-4 win at Fresno State.

For UC Santa Barbara, third baseman Xavier Esquer is a key bat. He drove in two runs in Tuesday’s 7-6 loss at Southern California. The Gauchos have lost three of their last four games.

The Mustangs’ offense has been potent, scoring 10 or more runs in three of their last five contests. Their pitching will look to rebound after Thursday’s shutout loss.

Projections for the game are split. Interstat’s game simulator predicts a 7-2 Cal Poly victory. However, the same service’s ELO rating system gives UC Santa Barbara a 57.1% probability to win.

Following Friday’s game, the series continues Saturday at Baggett Stadium. UC Santa Barbara then hosts Southern California on Tuesday. Cal Poly will host San Jose State on Tuesday before a challenging road series at Oregon State next weekend.