Tuesday, May 6
Eugene, OR
6:05 PM
Saint Mary's College of California
at
Oregon
Photo by: Saint Mary's Athletics / Tod Fierner
BSB | Pacific Northwest Road Trip for the Gaels, Take on #5 Oregon and WCC Foe Gonzaga
5/5/2025 4:37:00 PM | Baseball
MORAGA, Calif. - Winners in eleven of their last twelve games, Saint Mary's will embark on their longest road trip of the season and head to the Pacific Northwest. They will first take on fifth ranked Oregon in a two-game set on Tuesday and Wednesday before heading northwest to Spokane to resume conference play against Gonzaga.
Oregon will represent the highest ranked team the Gaels have faced all season and the highest ranked team they've faced since number four Florida a season ago. Saint Mary's has won three straight WCC series and will have a chance to crack the top-three this weekend against Gonzaga.
GAME COVERAGE
BSB | Saint Mary's vs. #5 Oregon | PK Park
Eugene, Ore. | May 6-7 | 6/6 PM
Live Stats | Big10+ | Radio | Tickets
BSB | Saint Mary's vs. Gonzaga | Patterson Baseball Complex
Spokane, Wash. | May 9-11 | 6/6/3 PM
Live Stats | ESPN+ | Radio | Tickets
GAELS OUTLOOK
Ryan Pierce Earns Second WCC Player of the Week Award…
Ryan Pierce tore it up last week smashing three home runs and hitting .444 from the plate to earn his second WCC Player of the Week award of the season. The Gaels went 4-0 last week with a midweek win over Nevada and a series sweep over Pacific to improve to 10-8 in WCC play. Pierce hit a solo-home run to dead center in their 13-8 win over the Wolf Pack and then hit a pair of home runs in their weekend series against the Tigers.
Pierce raised his season batting average to .291 and also reached double digit home runs for the second straight season bringing his SMC career total to 25. Saint Mary's remains one of the hottest teams in the WCC as they have now won eleven of their last twelve games and three straight conference series wins (Pepperdine, LMU, Pacific).
Chicks Dig the Long Ball…
Per the 1999 Nike commercial featuring Mark McGuire, Greg Maddux and Tom Glavin, 'Chicks dig the long ball'. Saint Mary's has belted 20 home runs over their last eight games, averaging nearly three homers per game. Despite losing the bulk of their power from the 2024 season, Saint Mary's has reloaded and gotten standout performances offensively from the likes of Eddie Madrigal, Ryan Pierce, Aiden Taurek and Diego Castellanos.
Madrigal leads the WCC with 16 home runs and is a clear candidate for conference Player of the Year while Pierce stands as the other Gael with double-digit home runs on the season. As a team, they now rank third in the conference with 53 home runs. They recorded a season high five long balls in their series finale win over Pacific, including a pair from second baseman Cody Kashimoto. Madrigal and Kashimoto also went back-to-back in the second inning of their 11-5 victory over the Tigers.
Freshmen Standouts...
In the thick of the Gaels current hot streak they have had several freshmen step up with big time performances both at the plate and on the mound. Catcher Ian Armstrong has started in 29 games behind the dish and has a .330 batting average with 32 hits, four homers and 28 RBI. Armstrong has been a staple in the bottom third of the Gaels batting order and has shown the ability to hit to all fields and put the ball in play.
On the mound, freshmen Lukas Sarantos and Sean Cannon have been lights out over the last month of the season. Sarantos started the season as a reliever but was moved to the Friday starter role three weeks ago and has gone 3-0 in his first three career starts. Sarantos has a great fastball/breaking ball mix and can touch the low 90's. He's gone 5+ innings in each of his three starts. Sean Cannon has been a spark plug for the Gaels out of the bullpen, making nine appearances on the season. He picked up his second win of the season with a scoreless frame against Pacific and brings great confidence to the mound every outing.
Series History…
Saint Mary's last took on the Oregon Ducks in a three-game series back in 2019 when they were swept in Eugene. The last win over the Ducks came in 2011 in a 3-2 victory. Oregon enters the week as the fifth ranked team in the country, the highest ranking they've been when facing Saint Mary's in their series history. The Ducks were ranked 15th in the country in their three-game series back in 2011.
Despite the Gaels six-game losing streak to the Ducks dating back to 2011, the six games were decided by an average of 1.8 runs per game. Four of those six games were decided by just one run.
It has been a seesaw affair between Saint Mary's and Gonzaga as the two programs are 5-5 over their last ten meetings. Gonzaga has the most recent win after handing the Gaels their first loss in the WCC Tournament a season ago. However, Saint Mary's won the conference series two games to one which featured a 14-run shutout in game three to clinch the series win.
The last time Saint Mary's was in Spokane was in 2023 when they also took two out of three to win the conference series.
ABOUT THE DUCKS (BIG10)
Oregon has been one of the top programs on the west coast for the majority of the season but after four straight wins against in-state rival Oregon State and a conference series win over Michigan State, they reached their highest ranking of the season at number five in this week's NCAA D1 Baseball poll. The Ducks hosted the third ranked Beavers and swept them in an electric non-conference series, their first series sweep over a top-three opponent in program history.
Oregon State comes into the weekend with a 33-13 overall record and sits in third place with a 16-8 record in their first year as a member of the Big10. Four of the top five spots in the conference standings are made up of first year members.
Oregon has some big bats in their lineup with five players in double figures to lead the conference with 88 total home runs. Mason Neville leads the team and the conference with 23 homers to give him 50 runs batted in and a .329 batting average. Grayson Grinsell leads the Ducks staff with a 7-2 record and a 2.77 ERA. Sophomore lefty Toby Twist will make his season debut and get the start for Oregon in Tuesday's game.
ABOUT THE BULLDOGS (WCC)
Gonzaga has had a breakout season in the WCC sitting in second place with a 13-5 record. After dropping two of three to San Diego, the Zags bounced back with a series win over LMU last week to keep them in second place and just a game out of first. Gonzaga is hitting just .265 from the plate as a team but leads the WCC with a staff ERA of 5.51.
Mikey Bell leads the team offensively with a .359 average and ten homers, the only Zag with double digit home runs on the season. Bell is currently riding an eight-game hitting streak which includes two homers and seven RBI. On the mound, Finbar O'Brien leads all pitchers with a perfect 5-0 record and 60 innings pitched. Miles Gosztola and Justin Feld have combined for the most starts on the team with 23 between the duo.
Both games against Oregon are scheduled for 6:00 PM and can be streamed live on Big10+. The Gaels will then return to ESPN+ for their weekend conference series with Gonzaga starting on Friday, May 9th at 6:00 PM.
Be sure to follow your Gaels on Facebook, Instagram, and X to get all the latest Saint Mary's athletics updates and information.
#GaelsRise
Oregon will represent the highest ranked team the Gaels have faced all season and the highest ranked team they've faced since number four Florida a season ago. Saint Mary's has won three straight WCC series and will have a chance to crack the top-three this weekend against Gonzaga.
GAME COVERAGE
BSB | Saint Mary's vs. #5 Oregon | PK Park
Eugene, Ore. | May 6-7 | 6/6 PM
Live Stats | Big10+ | Radio | Tickets
BSB | Saint Mary's vs. Gonzaga | Patterson Baseball Complex
Spokane, Wash. | May 9-11 | 6/6/3 PM
Live Stats | ESPN+ | Radio | Tickets
GAELS OUTLOOK
Ryan Pierce Earns Second WCC Player of the Week Award…
Ryan Pierce tore it up last week smashing three home runs and hitting .444 from the plate to earn his second WCC Player of the Week award of the season. The Gaels went 4-0 last week with a midweek win over Nevada and a series sweep over Pacific to improve to 10-8 in WCC play. Pierce hit a solo-home run to dead center in their 13-8 win over the Wolf Pack and then hit a pair of home runs in their weekend series against the Tigers.
Pierce raised his season batting average to .291 and also reached double digit home runs for the second straight season bringing his SMC career total to 25. Saint Mary's remains one of the hottest teams in the WCC as they have now won eleven of their last twelve games and three straight conference series wins (Pepperdine, LMU, Pacific).
Chicks Dig the Long Ball…
Per the 1999 Nike commercial featuring Mark McGuire, Greg Maddux and Tom Glavin, 'Chicks dig the long ball'. Saint Mary's has belted 20 home runs over their last eight games, averaging nearly three homers per game. Despite losing the bulk of their power from the 2024 season, Saint Mary's has reloaded and gotten standout performances offensively from the likes of Eddie Madrigal, Ryan Pierce, Aiden Taurek and Diego Castellanos.
Madrigal leads the WCC with 16 home runs and is a clear candidate for conference Player of the Year while Pierce stands as the other Gael with double-digit home runs on the season. As a team, they now rank third in the conference with 53 home runs. They recorded a season high five long balls in their series finale win over Pacific, including a pair from second baseman Cody Kashimoto. Madrigal and Kashimoto also went back-to-back in the second inning of their 11-5 victory over the Tigers.
Freshmen Standouts...
In the thick of the Gaels current hot streak they have had several freshmen step up with big time performances both at the plate and on the mound. Catcher Ian Armstrong has started in 29 games behind the dish and has a .330 batting average with 32 hits, four homers and 28 RBI. Armstrong has been a staple in the bottom third of the Gaels batting order and has shown the ability to hit to all fields and put the ball in play.
On the mound, freshmen Lukas Sarantos and Sean Cannon have been lights out over the last month of the season. Sarantos started the season as a reliever but was moved to the Friday starter role three weeks ago and has gone 3-0 in his first three career starts. Sarantos has a great fastball/breaking ball mix and can touch the low 90's. He's gone 5+ innings in each of his three starts. Sean Cannon has been a spark plug for the Gaels out of the bullpen, making nine appearances on the season. He picked up his second win of the season with a scoreless frame against Pacific and brings great confidence to the mound every outing.
Series History…
Saint Mary's last took on the Oregon Ducks in a three-game series back in 2019 when they were swept in Eugene. The last win over the Ducks came in 2011 in a 3-2 victory. Oregon enters the week as the fifth ranked team in the country, the highest ranking they've been when facing Saint Mary's in their series history. The Ducks were ranked 15th in the country in their three-game series back in 2011.
Despite the Gaels six-game losing streak to the Ducks dating back to 2011, the six games were decided by an average of 1.8 runs per game. Four of those six games were decided by just one run.
It has been a seesaw affair between Saint Mary's and Gonzaga as the two programs are 5-5 over their last ten meetings. Gonzaga has the most recent win after handing the Gaels their first loss in the WCC Tournament a season ago. However, Saint Mary's won the conference series two games to one which featured a 14-run shutout in game three to clinch the series win.
The last time Saint Mary's was in Spokane was in 2023 when they also took two out of three to win the conference series.
ABOUT THE DUCKS (BIG10)
Oregon has been one of the top programs on the west coast for the majority of the season but after four straight wins against in-state rival Oregon State and a conference series win over Michigan State, they reached their highest ranking of the season at number five in this week's NCAA D1 Baseball poll. The Ducks hosted the third ranked Beavers and swept them in an electric non-conference series, their first series sweep over a top-three opponent in program history.
Oregon State comes into the weekend with a 33-13 overall record and sits in third place with a 16-8 record in their first year as a member of the Big10. Four of the top five spots in the conference standings are made up of first year members.
Oregon has some big bats in their lineup with five players in double figures to lead the conference with 88 total home runs. Mason Neville leads the team and the conference with 23 homers to give him 50 runs batted in and a .329 batting average. Grayson Grinsell leads the Ducks staff with a 7-2 record and a 2.77 ERA. Sophomore lefty Toby Twist will make his season debut and get the start for Oregon in Tuesday's game.
ABOUT THE BULLDOGS (WCC)
Gonzaga has had a breakout season in the WCC sitting in second place with a 13-5 record. After dropping two of three to San Diego, the Zags bounced back with a series win over LMU last week to keep them in second place and just a game out of first. Gonzaga is hitting just .265 from the plate as a team but leads the WCC with a staff ERA of 5.51.
Mikey Bell leads the team offensively with a .359 average and ten homers, the only Zag with double digit home runs on the season. Bell is currently riding an eight-game hitting streak which includes two homers and seven RBI. On the mound, Finbar O'Brien leads all pitchers with a perfect 5-0 record and 60 innings pitched. Miles Gosztola and Justin Feld have combined for the most starts on the team with 23 between the duo.
Both games against Oregon are scheduled for 6:00 PM and can be streamed live on Big10+. The Gaels will then return to ESPN+ for their weekend conference series with Gonzaga starting on Friday, May 9th at 6:00 PM.
Be sure to follow your Gaels on Facebook, Instagram, and X to get all the latest Saint Mary's athletics updates and information.
#GaelsRise
Players Mentioned
C
/ BaseballRHP
/ BaseballOF
/ BaseballINF
/ Baseball1B/OF
/ Baseball1B/3B
/ BaseballRHP
/ BaseballOF
/ BaseballBSB | Saint Mary's Postgame Interview vs. USC
Saturday, May 31
BSB | Saint Mary's Postgame Interview vs. #8 Oregon State
Friday, May 30
BSB | Saint Mary's vs. #8 Oregon State NCAA Regional Highlights
Friday, May 30
BSB | Saint Mary's vs. San Diego WCC Championship Game Highlights
Sunday, May 25
