In college baseball, what truly matters is how you handle your conference opponents and how you finish. Despite some struggles the last couple of games, the team is confident that things will start to turn around. 

“Regardless of the scoreboard, we have yet to play our brand of baseball,” states head coach Jake Portugal.  “We’ve seen glimpses of what we’re capable of, but not consistently through 9 innings.” 

The team currently sits at 2-11 with conference play to start on March 2 against Grossmont College. Conference play is important because the winner receives an automatic bid into the playoffs, while second and third get at-large bids. Portugal adds that having a challenging non-conference schedule better prepares the team for the second-half of the season.

The team will continue to rely on returning players Andrew Gauna, Isaiah Gomez, Jake Klimkiewicz, Sean Alvarez, Anthony Mezzacappa, and Danny Yanez. Klimkiewicz currently leads the team with a .382 batting average and has driven in 10 runs. Not to be outdone, Andrew Gauna is hitting .356 with 9 RBI’s along with his team leading 23 strikeouts.  Isaiah Gomez has 3 home runs and is tied in 2nd with Gauna with 9 RBI’s. Freshmen Luke Rhee, Andrew Ramirez, Ethan Wright, Cameron Goffar, Jeremiah Goodwin, and Cayden Hunting have also contributed. Ramirez leads the pitching staff with an ERA of 5.06. 

The confidence of the team remains high. Baseball has always been a game of execution. One element of the game that the coaching staff will focus on is putting the ball in play with 2 strikes and hitting the bottom of the strike zone with multiple pitches. “Our team will continue to empty our tank daily, " adds Portugal. “There is no doubt our group will continue to do that, especially heading into our conference opponents.”