The 2016 UC Santa Barbara Gauchos baseball team represented the University of California, Santa Barbara in the 2016 NCAA Division I baseball season, the team competed in the Big West Conference and was led by head coach Andrew Checketts, who was in his fifth season with the program. They played their home games at Caesar Uyesaka Stadium.
<big>Season</big> <big>Highlights</big>
- Overall Record: The Gauchos finished the season with an impressive 43-20-1 overall record.
- Conference Record: In the Big West Conference, they had a record of 13-11, finishing third in the standings.
- NCAA Tournament: The team earned an at-large bid to the 2016 NCAA Tournament.
- They began their postseason journey in the Nashville Regional, hosted by Vanderbilt, and advanced by defeating some tough opponents.
- They went on to win the Louisville Super Regional, stunning the heavily favored Louisville Cardinals in a thrilling series. 4. College World Series (CWS): For the first time in program history, UC Santa Barbara reached the College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska.
- They had a notable upset victory against Miami in the CWS opener.
- Their season ended with losses to eventual champion Coastal Carolina and Arizona.
<big>Notable Players</big>
Shane Bieber was a pitcher who played for the Santa Barbara Gauchos in 2016. He later went on to join Major League Baseball with the Cleveland Guardians.
Rankings
References