(Interstat) — IRVINE, Calif. — UC Santa Barbara and UC San Diego will meet Saturday afternoon in the Big West Baseball Championship at Irvine, California. First pitch is scheduled for the evening.

The Gauchos (38-17) enter as the higher seed behind a potent offense and a deep pitching staff. The Tritons (25-27) counter as a tournament-tested underdog, having split a competitive three-game series at UC Santa Barbara in April.

UC San Diego took two of three in that series, winning 4-3 on Apr. 10 before falling 11-10 in 11 innings on Apr. 11 and losing 3-1 on Apr. 12. The Tritons have shown they can hang with the Gauchos, but UC Santa Barbara’s superior regular-season record suggests a deeper, more consistent club.

UC Santa Barbara right-hander Calvin Proskey is a player to watch. In his most recent start Friday against Cal Poly, Proskey took the loss, allowing 2 earned runs on 8 hits over 5.1 innings with 3 strikeouts. He has been sharp in other recent outings, including a win May 15 vs. UC Riverside (4.2 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 6 K) and a win May 9 at Cal State Northridge (6 IP, 0 H, 3 ER, 4 K). He also earned a win May 2 at Cal State Bakersfield (4 IP, 0 H, 1 ER, 2 K).

For UC San Diego, left-hander Niccolas Gregson has been electric of late. He threw a gem Friday at Cal State Fullerton, allowing 1 earned run on 0 hits over 7 innings with 4 strikeouts for the win. Earlier in May, he struck out 3 over 2 scoreless innings vs. Fullerton on May 15. Gregson has been less consistent, however, taking losses in three of his previous four starts before Friday, including a May 9 outing at Cal State Bakersfield (4.1 IP, 0 H, 4 ER, 6 K) and a May 3 start at Long Beach State (5 IP, 0 H, 4 ER, 4 K). He also allowed 4 earned runs on 10 hits over 5.1 innings vs. UC Irvine on Apr. 26.

UC Santa Barbara enters after a 4-2 loss to Cal Poly on Friday. Proskey started that game, and relievers AJ Krodel (2 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 4 K) and Chase Hoover (1.2 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 1 K) also contributed.

UC San Diego comes in after a 5-1 win at Cal State Fullerton on Friday. Gregson started and was the most productive player. First baseman Gabe Camacho went 3-for-4 with an RBI, and reliever Devon King (2 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 2 K) also contributed.

The game marks a rematch of a series that saw the Gauchos win the regular-season finale but drop the opener. Saturday night’s championship tilt will determine which team advances.