MORAGA, Calif. - After rain canceled the team's midweek matchup with CSUN on Tuesday, the Gaels will continue to rest up and play in their conference home opener on Friday, April 4th against Portland. Saint Mary's got off to a great start this season winning four of their first five games including a 5-1 road win over 21st ranked UC Santa Barbara. After getting swept by 15th ranked Vanderbilt in Nashville, they would return home and rattle off five straight wins including a series sweep over San Diego State.
The Gaels have seen better days as of late though, having dropped five of their last six games. They kicked off their WCC schedule last weekend with a road series against San Francisco where the Dons clinched their first series win over the Gaels since 2023. Despite their woes on the mound, the Gaels still lead the conference with a .285 team average and will look to end a six-game skid with the Pilots dating back to 2023.
First pitch Friday is slated for 3:00 PM and tickets can be bought online at smcgaels.com/tickets.
GAME COVERAGE
BSB | Saint Mary's vs. Portland | Br. Ronald Gallagher Stadium
Moraga, Calif. | April 4-6 | 3/1/1 PM
Live Stats |
ESPN+ |
Tickets
GAELS OUTLOOK
The Gaels returned from San Francisco with a 1-2 record which featured an extra-innings victory on Saturday, scoring four runs in the tenth inning to come from behind.
Tanner Griffith had an RBI double to start the scoring in the tenth and then
Eddie Madrigal crushed a three-run homer to right field for his team leading eighth of the season. Freshman
Talin Gardini came in for the bottom half of the tenth and struck out two batters to shut the door and secure the team's first conference win of the season.
The Gaels have struggled on the mound in recent weeks but still boast the best offense in the WCC with a team batting average of .285. Saint Mary's will embark on a crucial five-game homestand into the weekend and also get the chance to host two of the top teams in the conference in Portland and San Diego who have a combined conference record of 8-4.
The Pilots sit in a tie for first with a 5-1 conference record with series wins over Pacific and LMU.
Dylan Delvecchio will get the start in game one for the Gaels on Friday. The senior lefty is one of the most talented and complete arms on this Gaels pitching staff. The San Marcos native has a 2-1 record and is the team's best strikeout pitcher. He leads the team with 36 strikeouts and went a career high six innings earlier this season to get the win over Big East member Creighton, 11-6.
The Gaels midweek matchup with CSUN was canceled due to weather so their homestand will now begin with Portland on Friday, April 4th. The Gaels had a shot at the WCC regular season title in 2024 but got swept by the Pilots in the final week of the regular season, solidifying their third place finish. Portland has won six straight games over Saint Mary's dating back to 2023 and ten of their last twelve meetings dating back to 2021.
ABOUT THE PILOTS (WCC)
A common trend we have seen from the top teams in the West Coast Conference has been a difficult non-conference schedule resulting in tough starts to the 2025 season. Portland started the year just 1-4 and also suffered a seven-game losing streak to start the month of March after getting swept by third ranked Arkansas.
Despite the early struggles they kicked off WCC play with a 5-1 record, sweeping Pacific and then taking two of three against LMU to put them in a tie for first place with Gonzaga. The Pilots added to their recent momentum with an upset win over 15th ranked Oregon Wednesday night, beating the Ducks 7-6 in walk-off fashion.
Portland will enter the weekend series with a 12-17 overall record. They rank fourth in the WCC with a .257 batting average and seventh with a 6.70 staff ERA. Junior catcher Tyler Howard leads the team with a .369 average, ranking fourth among hitters in the WCC. On the mound, Herbert Curtis leads all starters with a 3.27 ERA but the season headline thus far belongs to Ryan Rembisz who threw the program's first ever perfect game in an 8-0 win over Seattle back in February. Rembisz struck out a career high twelve batters in the outing and leads the team with a 4-1 record.
The Pilots have been knocking on the door for their first WCC Tournament championship and a trip to the NCAA Regionals, falling in the title game the last two seasons to Santa Clara in 2023 and San Diego in 2024. They were picked to finish second in this year's preseason poll behind reigning WCC champs San Diego.
First pitch of game one on Friday is slated for 3:00 PM at Br. Ronald Gallagher Stadium. The weekend series will be streamed live on ESPN+ and tickets can be bought online at smcgaels.com/tickets.
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