Friday, February 13
Moraga, CA
2:00 PM
Saint Mary's College of California
vs
Creighton
BSB | 2025 WCC Champs Open 2026 Season with Creighton on Friday, February 13th
2/12/2026 10:03:00 AM | Baseball
MORAGA, Calif. - Although it felt like the 2025 season came to an end just the other week, another season of college baseball is upon us as Saint Mary's welcomes the Creighton Bluejays to Moraga for a three-game series starting on Friday, February 13th.
Creighton will come to Moraga for the first time in program history and get the Gaels in good form, coming off of their second WCC Tournament Championship and their first NCAA Regional victory in program history. The weekend series represents a return series as the Gaels went to Omaha last season, dropping the non-conference set two games to one. Friday's opener will represent just the fifth meeting all-time between the two programs.
All three games will be streamed live on ESPN+ and tickets can be bought online at smcgaels.com/tickets.
GAME COVERAGE AND INFORMATION
BSB | Saint Mary's vs. Creighton | Louis Guisto Field at Br. Ronald Gallagher Stadium
Moraga, Calif. | Feb. 13-14 | 2 PM, 10 AM, 1:30 PM
Live Stats | ESPN+ | Tickets
GAELS OUTLOOK
2025 Season Recap…
A season for the record books; Saint Mary's captured their second ever WCC Tournament Championship last season after defeating preseason favorites San Diego 9-8. They would receive the automatic bid to the NCAA Regional also for the second time in program history but do something they weren't able to do in their previous trip to the postseason tournament, win an NCAA Regional game. The Gaels shocked the country and knocked off regional hosts and no. 8 Oregon State 6-4 for their first ever NCAA Tournament win. The Gaels' season ended two games later with a narrow loss to USC before a redemption win for the Beavers that eliminated Saint Mary's.
Saint Mary's was one of the best offensive teams on the west coast, setting program records in runs (271), hits (628), doubles (117), RBI (418) and leading the conference with a .299 batting average. They also broke several WCC Tournament records including hits (69), walks (31), runs (63), doubles (18), triples (3) and an individual game record of five hits from returning catcher Ian Armstrong.
Saint Mary's overcame the odds and plenty of adversity during the 2025 season as they started conference play just 2-7 and really had their work cut out to just make the conference tournament. They went on to win eight of their next nine conference games featuring series wins over Pepperdine, LMU and Pacific. They ended the regular season on a five-game win streak after taking two of three against Gonzaga before sweeping Santa Clara to finish in third place for the second consecutive season. Head coach Eric Valenzuela and his squad are battle tested and will boast postseason experience coming into the 2026 season, having their sights set on another conference tournament championship and NCAA Regional appearance.
2026 WCC Coaches Preseason Poll and Awards…
After a historic 2025 campaign, Saint Mary's was picked to finish third in the 2026 WCC Preseason Poll, earning 67 points and one first place vote behind Gonzaga and San Diego. Gonzaga was picked to finish second with 73 points and four first place votes while San Diego was tabbed the preseason favorite yet again, receiving 77 points and five first place votes.
Saint Mary's did tie Gonzaga for the most Preseason Team selections, combining for four selections with three position players and one pitcher. Sophomore catcher Ian Armstrong, junior outfielder Diego Castellanos, senior shortstop Jared Mettam and sophomore pitcher Lukas Sarantos were the Gaels four preseason selections after being significant contributors in 2025.
Key Returners and New Faces…
Saint Mary's returns 19 players from the 2025 squad and will also welcome 20 total newcomers including 14 true freshmen. Along with the four players selected to the WCC Preseason Team, the Gaels also return switch hitter Cody Kashimoto who led all of Division I in sacrifice bunts and slashed his way to a .281 batting average. Kashimoto was also a trusted infielder, making 59 starts at second base for the Gaels as he will be a key veteran presence for the 2026 squad.
Three-year vet Tanner Griffith also returns for Saint Mary's as the everyday center fielder along with key sophomores both on the mound and at the plate in Talin Gardini, Sam Kretsch, Brady Petit and Makoa Sniffen. Gardini and Kretsch combined for 42 appearances last year while Petit came on late in the season to hit .408 from the dish as the team's number one pinch hitter.
Valenzuela went heavy with the true freshman this season, bringing in 14 compared to just six transfers. Some impact players for the Gaels include transfer pitchers Cam Staton and Jake Hilton. Staton was the state leader in strikeouts at the JuCo level last season, striking out 113 batters at Sierra College. Hilton comes to Moraga as a DIII transfer from Pomona Pitzer where he had a stellar four-year career, finishing as a two-time ABCA All-Region selection and the SCIAC Pitcher of the Year in 2024. Valenzuela struck again over the summer but this time at the DII level, securing outfielder Nick Allred from San Francisco State. Allred was also a 2025 ABCA All-Region selection after leading the team with a .391 batting average and 84 total hits for one of the best offensive seasons in program history.
The full 2026 roster breakdown includes 19 returners, 20 newcomers, 16 freshmen/redshirt freshmen and six transfers.
Series History…
Saint Mary's and Creighton have only met four times in their series history with the Bluejays owning a 3-1 record. Their first meeting all-time came back in 1997 at the Rawlings Spring Training Tournament in Phoenix. Saint Mary's then went out to Omaha last season for a three-game series where they dropped two games after winning the series opener 11-6. This will be Creighton's first ever trip to Moraga this weekend.
ABOUT THE BLUEJAYS (Big East)
The Creighton Bluejays were picked to finish second in the Big East in this year's Preseason Coaches Poll, released back on December 18th. Creighton posted 43 wins last season and swept both the regular season and conference tournament titles to earn its first NCAA Regional bid since 2019.
The Bluejays did lose long time head coach Ed Servais who announced his retirement at the end of the 2025 season after 22 seasons with the program, but the Bluejays reload with key returners in catcher Connor Capece, 2025 Freshman of the Year Wilson Magers, shortstop Ben North and rotation arms Ian Koosman and Jimmy Burke. Capece and Magers were named to the Preseason All-Big East Team for Creighton. Capece hit .351 from the plate as the team's everyday catcher while Magers was named the Big East Freshman of the Year, posting a 6-2 record with a 3.09 ERA.
First-year head coach Mark Kingston was hired in June of 2024 as the program's Associate Head Coach but also Coach-in-Waiting as the plan was for Kingston to take over after the retirement of Ed Servais following the 2025 season. Kingston was previously the head coach at South Carolina from 2018-2024 before joining the Bluejays staff. He has led every team he has been a head coach of to the NCAA Tournament, making appearances with South Carolina, South Florida and Illinois State.
Tickets for the weekend series can be bought online at smcgaels.com/tickets and fans can catch all the action live on ESPN+.
Be sure to follow your Gaels on Facebook, Instagram, and X to get all the latest Saint Mary's athletics updates and information.
#GaelsRise
Creighton will come to Moraga for the first time in program history and get the Gaels in good form, coming off of their second WCC Tournament Championship and their first NCAA Regional victory in program history. The weekend series represents a return series as the Gaels went to Omaha last season, dropping the non-conference set two games to one. Friday's opener will represent just the fifth meeting all-time between the two programs.
All three games will be streamed live on ESPN+ and tickets can be bought online at smcgaels.com/tickets.
GAME COVERAGE AND INFORMATION
BSB | Saint Mary's vs. Creighton | Louis Guisto Field at Br. Ronald Gallagher Stadium
Moraga, Calif. | Feb. 13-14 | 2 PM, 10 AM, 1:30 PM
Live Stats | ESPN+ | Tickets
GAELS OUTLOOK
2025 Season Recap…
A season for the record books; Saint Mary's captured their second ever WCC Tournament Championship last season after defeating preseason favorites San Diego 9-8. They would receive the automatic bid to the NCAA Regional also for the second time in program history but do something they weren't able to do in their previous trip to the postseason tournament, win an NCAA Regional game. The Gaels shocked the country and knocked off regional hosts and no. 8 Oregon State 6-4 for their first ever NCAA Tournament win. The Gaels' season ended two games later with a narrow loss to USC before a redemption win for the Beavers that eliminated Saint Mary's.
Saint Mary's was one of the best offensive teams on the west coast, setting program records in runs (271), hits (628), doubles (117), RBI (418) and leading the conference with a .299 batting average. They also broke several WCC Tournament records including hits (69), walks (31), runs (63), doubles (18), triples (3) and an individual game record of five hits from returning catcher Ian Armstrong.
Saint Mary's overcame the odds and plenty of adversity during the 2025 season as they started conference play just 2-7 and really had their work cut out to just make the conference tournament. They went on to win eight of their next nine conference games featuring series wins over Pepperdine, LMU and Pacific. They ended the regular season on a five-game win streak after taking two of three against Gonzaga before sweeping Santa Clara to finish in third place for the second consecutive season. Head coach Eric Valenzuela and his squad are battle tested and will boast postseason experience coming into the 2026 season, having their sights set on another conference tournament championship and NCAA Regional appearance.
2026 WCC Coaches Preseason Poll and Awards…
After a historic 2025 campaign, Saint Mary's was picked to finish third in the 2026 WCC Preseason Poll, earning 67 points and one first place vote behind Gonzaga and San Diego. Gonzaga was picked to finish second with 73 points and four first place votes while San Diego was tabbed the preseason favorite yet again, receiving 77 points and five first place votes.
Saint Mary's did tie Gonzaga for the most Preseason Team selections, combining for four selections with three position players and one pitcher. Sophomore catcher Ian Armstrong, junior outfielder Diego Castellanos, senior shortstop Jared Mettam and sophomore pitcher Lukas Sarantos were the Gaels four preseason selections after being significant contributors in 2025.
Key Returners and New Faces…
Saint Mary's returns 19 players from the 2025 squad and will also welcome 20 total newcomers including 14 true freshmen. Along with the four players selected to the WCC Preseason Team, the Gaels also return switch hitter Cody Kashimoto who led all of Division I in sacrifice bunts and slashed his way to a .281 batting average. Kashimoto was also a trusted infielder, making 59 starts at second base for the Gaels as he will be a key veteran presence for the 2026 squad.
Three-year vet Tanner Griffith also returns for Saint Mary's as the everyday center fielder along with key sophomores both on the mound and at the plate in Talin Gardini, Sam Kretsch, Brady Petit and Makoa Sniffen. Gardini and Kretsch combined for 42 appearances last year while Petit came on late in the season to hit .408 from the dish as the team's number one pinch hitter.
Valenzuela went heavy with the true freshman this season, bringing in 14 compared to just six transfers. Some impact players for the Gaels include transfer pitchers Cam Staton and Jake Hilton. Staton was the state leader in strikeouts at the JuCo level last season, striking out 113 batters at Sierra College. Hilton comes to Moraga as a DIII transfer from Pomona Pitzer where he had a stellar four-year career, finishing as a two-time ABCA All-Region selection and the SCIAC Pitcher of the Year in 2024. Valenzuela struck again over the summer but this time at the DII level, securing outfielder Nick Allred from San Francisco State. Allred was also a 2025 ABCA All-Region selection after leading the team with a .391 batting average and 84 total hits for one of the best offensive seasons in program history.
The full 2026 roster breakdown includes 19 returners, 20 newcomers, 16 freshmen/redshirt freshmen and six transfers.
Series History…
Saint Mary's and Creighton have only met four times in their series history with the Bluejays owning a 3-1 record. Their first meeting all-time came back in 1997 at the Rawlings Spring Training Tournament in Phoenix. Saint Mary's then went out to Omaha last season for a three-game series where they dropped two games after winning the series opener 11-6. This will be Creighton's first ever trip to Moraga this weekend.
ABOUT THE BLUEJAYS (Big East)
The Creighton Bluejays were picked to finish second in the Big East in this year's Preseason Coaches Poll, released back on December 18th. Creighton posted 43 wins last season and swept both the regular season and conference tournament titles to earn its first NCAA Regional bid since 2019.
The Bluejays did lose long time head coach Ed Servais who announced his retirement at the end of the 2025 season after 22 seasons with the program, but the Bluejays reload with key returners in catcher Connor Capece, 2025 Freshman of the Year Wilson Magers, shortstop Ben North and rotation arms Ian Koosman and Jimmy Burke. Capece and Magers were named to the Preseason All-Big East Team for Creighton. Capece hit .351 from the plate as the team's everyday catcher while Magers was named the Big East Freshman of the Year, posting a 6-2 record with a 3.09 ERA.
First-year head coach Mark Kingston was hired in June of 2024 as the program's Associate Head Coach but also Coach-in-Waiting as the plan was for Kingston to take over after the retirement of Ed Servais following the 2025 season. Kingston was previously the head coach at South Carolina from 2018-2024 before joining the Bluejays staff. He has led every team he has been a head coach of to the NCAA Tournament, making appearances with South Carolina, South Florida and Illinois State.
Tickets for the weekend series can be bought online at smcgaels.com/tickets and fans can catch all the action live on ESPN+.
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
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