MORAGA, Calif. - The air is still cool here in Northern California but college baseball is officially back as Saint Mary's will open their 2025 campaign with a four-game home series against Saint Louis University out of the Atlantic 10. The two programs will meet for the first time since 2012 and make for an entertaining opening series as both teams finished in the top-three in their respective conferences in 2024. 

Head coach Eric Valenzuela enters his second season and his eighth overall after returning to Moraga last season. After a senior heavy roster in 2024, Valenzuela will welcome 16 true freshmen and look to start the next chapter for Saint Mary's baseball. The four-game series will kickoff with a doubleheader on Friday, February 14th starting at 10:00 AM.     

GAME COVERAGE

BSB | Saint Mary's vs. Saint Louis | Moraga, Calif. | Louis Guisto Field at Br. Ronald Gallagher Stadium
Friday, February 14th | 10:00 AM (DH) | Saturday, February 15th 1:00 PM | Sunday, February 16th 10:00 AM
Live Stats | ESPN+ | Tickets

GAELS OUTLOOK

2024 Season Recap…

The 2024 season was a special one as head coach Eric Valenzuela returned to Saint Mary's after his four-year stint at Long Beach State and led the Gaels to their best season since 2019, his final season before departing for the Beach. Saint Mary's stood as one of the best power hitting teams in the country, belting 103 home runs, good for 29th most in all of Division I. 

Saint Mary's was in the hunt for the regular season title the entire year but fell to third in the conference standings after a three-game sweep from Portland. They would mash their way past Pepperdine in the opening round of the WCC Tournament in Las Vegas but drop back-to-back games to Portland and Gonzaga to end their postseason run. Their third place league finish and 34 wins contributed to their most successful season since the departure of Valenzuela. 

Six different Gaels recorded double-digit homers on the season as Saint Mary's was the only team in the WCC with over 100 home runs. It was no secret that the Gaels had power and the ability to belt their way to wins as they also ranked inside the top-60 in Division I in batting average and slugging percentage. At the heart of their power was senior Christian Almanza who went on to break the program single-season and career home run records with 24 on the year and 47 during his three-year career. 

On the mound, Derik Eaquinto was the team's Friday starter and did not disappoint. The lefty starter had a career season with 83.1 innings pitched and led the Gaels rotation with six wins and a 3.46 ERA, ranking third in the WCC for eligible starters. Eaquinto was awarded for his efforts with a First Team All-WCC selection and will look to lead the rotation again for his final season in 2025.   

New Season, New Faces…

Saint Mary's will have a new look this season after losing 19 players from the 2024 roster. Among those key players lost include the program's all-time home runs leader in Christian Almanza as well as relief pitcher Preston Howey who was drafted in the 14th round to the Detroit Tigers. 

The Gaels were among one of the best power hitting teams in the country last season with a conference leading 103 home runs. However, they lost 65% of their offense in terms of runs batted in and lost four of their six players with double-digit home runs. A new season brings new opportunities though as Valenzuela will look to revamp the team's offense and take a different approach game in and game out. 

Some notable freshmen include right handed pitcher Sam Kretsch and catcher Ian Armstrong. Kretsch is slated to make his collegiate debut as the team's starter on Sunday against Saint Louis. Kretsch was a standout pitcher at Junipero Serra High School where he threw over 60 innings and finished with a 1.63 ERA his senior season to be named to the First Team All-West Catholic Athletic League. 

Fellow teammate and catcher Ian Armstrong also joins the Gaels baseball program for the 2025 season. Armstrong was a First Team All-West Catholic Athletic League selection along with Kretsch, batting .370 with five home runs during his 2024 senior season. Armstrong will get plenty of opportunity after Saint Mary's lost two of their starting catchers in Connor Harrison and Nathan Chong from last season. 

Also in the rotation for the Gaels opening series are transfers Donovan Chriss and Noah Waldeck. Chriss spent his first two seasons with Big West member UC San Diego where he finished with 33 appearances and over 40 innings pitched primarily as a relief pitcher. Chriss returns to the Bay Area where he attended De La Salle High School and is slated to be the game two starter for the Gaels against the Billikens. 

Noah Waldeck was named Saturday's starter by head coach Eric Valenzuela and also boasts an impressive junior college resume. Waldeck spent two years at Palomar CC in San Diego where he ended his redshirt freshman season with a 1.00 ERA including two wins and a pair of saves. Waldeck played his high school baseball at Tri City Christian where he was a four-year varsity standout recording a 0.62 ERA with a team high 77 strikeouts in his senior season.   

The Gaels may look a little different this season but head coach Eric Valenzuela and his staff have brought in new and young talent to start the next chapter for Saint Mary's baseball. Valenzuela led the Gaels to their best season since his departure in 2019 and will look to keep up the pace after Saint Mary's was picked to finish third in the WCC preseason poll. 

Valenzuela Back, Back, Back Again…

Saint Mary's head coach Eric Valenzuela began his Gaels career back in 2014 and he quickly put the program on the map with notable draft picks such as Corbin Burnes and Tony Gonsolin. In 2016 Saint Mary's captured their first ever WCC regular season title and tournament championship. They would make their first ever NCAA Regional that season but fall to Coastal Carolina and Navy to end their postseason run. 

Valenzuela finished his six-year stint with Saint Mary's with a 180-156 record and then departed for Long Beach State in 2020. With the Dirtbags, he compiled a 100-69 overall record in his four seasons and also produced nine draft picks. He put together his most successful season at Long Beach in 2023 with a 33-22 record but jumped at the opportunity to come back to Moraga for the 2024 season. 

Valenzuela led the Gaels to their best season since he was last with the program in 2019, finishing in third place with a 16-8 conference record. They slugged their way past Pepperdine in the first round of the conference tournament before falling to Portland and Gonzaga to end their postseason run. He now has 214 wins in his SMC career and is just two wins shy of putting his name in the record book and becoming the program's all-time winningest coach. He would surpass Miles McAfee who recorded 215 wins from 1973-1980. Valenzuela will continue his efforts to get Saint Mary's back to the NCAA Tournament after leading them to their first appearance in 2016.     

WCC Preseason Poll and Awards…

On Thursday, February 6th, the West Coast Conference released the 2025 baseball preseason poll with Saint Mary's being picked to finish tied for third along with Gonzaga at 44 points. San Diego was picked to win the conference after taking home the league title in 2024, their first regular season title since 2015. 

Along with the preseason poll was the preseason all-conference team where three Gaels were selected. After putting together solid 2024 campaigns, Ryan Pierce, Brian Duroff and Derik Eaquinto were all selected to the WCC preseason team. Pierce and Duroff combined for 26 home runs in 2024 while Eaquinto was the team's ace and a First Team All-WCC selection, finishing last season with a 3.46 ERA and a team high six wins on the hill. 

Saint Mary's finished the 2024 season with a 34-22 record and a 16-8 conference record good for third place, their best regular season finish since 2019. Also at the top of the preseason poll were the Portland Pilots who were picked to finish second after falling in the conference championship game and boasting one of the best rotations in the WCC in 2024. The full 2025 WCC Preseason Poll can be found below:

1. San Diego - 64 points (8)
2. Portland - 48 points (1)
T-3. Gonzaga – 44 points
T-3. Saint Mary's – 44 points
5. Santa Clara – 43 points
6. LMU – 36 points
7. Pepperdine – 19 points
8. San Francisco – 17 points
9. Pacific – 9 points 

ABOUT THE BILLIKENS (ATLANTIC 10)

The Saint Louis Billikens will visit Moraga for the first time in program history and kickoff their 2025 campaign. The last time the two programs met was in a neutral site game in Arizona in 2012 where Saint Louis shutout Saint Mary's for the 2-0 victory. The Billikens are fresh off of their most successful season since 2018, winning 37 games and claiming their first A-10 regular season title since the 2018 season. Their 37 wins was also good for second most in program history.  

In the 2025 A-10 preseason poll the Billikens were picked to finish third behind VCU and Richmond but they did receive five first place votes, the most of any conference team. Saint Louis returns just one all-conference selection from 2024 and that's senior infielder Ethan Sitzman. Sitzman batted .310 on the season and ranked fourth on the team with 61 hits. 

Saint Louis head coach Darin Hendrickson added eleven new players this season including four transfers. The four transfers include Joe Connolly (Iowa), Riley Iffrig (Indiana State), Justin Lee (Middle Tennessee State) and Karl Ralamb (Coastal Carolina). 

Hendrickson and his squad led the A-10 in batting average (.301) and were second in team ERA (5.01). As a result, Hendrickson was named the A-10 Coach of the Year for the third time in his career. Hendrickson boasts an impressive resume as he stands as the program's winningest coach in his 17-year career at Saint Louis, recording 516 wins and three A-10 Tournament Championships.    

The four-game series will kickoff with a doubleheader on Friday, February 14th starting at 10:00 AM. Changes to the series schedule due to expected weather will be updated on social media and at smcgaels.com. The series will be streamed live on ESPN+ and tickets can be bought online at smcgaels.com/tickets. 

Be sure to follow your Gaels on Facebook, Instagram, and X to get all the latest Saint Mary's athletics updates and information. 

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