Tuesday, February 24
Bakersfield, CA
6:30 PM
Saint Mary's College of California
at
Bakersfield
#45 Jared Mettam: .412 BA, 7 H, 2 R, 1 HR, 3 RBI this season
Photo by: Saint Mary's Athletics / Tod Fierner
BSB | Gaels Kickoff 5-Game Week with Bakersfield and San Jose State
2/23/2026 5:08:00 PM | Baseball
MORAGA, Calif. - The Saint Mary's baseball team will take its high-powered offense to Bakersfield for a midweek clash with the Roadrunners on Tuesday night before returning to the Bay Area for a four-game set with San Jose State starting on Thursday.
The Gaels are fresh off a series win over CSUN after run-ruling the Matadors 12-0 in the rubber match on Sunday. Over the three-game series, the Gaels recorded 27 runs, 36 hits and ten home runs as they continue to put up gaudy numbers early in their 2026 campaign. First pitch for their midweek matchup with Bakersfield is set for 6:30 p.m and can be streamed live on ESPN+.
GAME COVERAGE AND INFORMATION
BSB | Saint Mary's at Bakersfield | Hardt Field
Bakersfield, Calif. | Feb. 24 | 6:30 p.m.
Live Stats | ESPN+ | Tickets
BSB | Saint Mary's vs. San Jose State | Louis Guisto Field at Br. Ronald Gallagher Stadium
Moraga, Calif. | Feb. 26-27 | 2:00 p.m.
Live Stats | ESPN+ | Tickets
BSB | Saint Mary's at San Jose State | Excite Ballpark
San Jose, Calif. | Feb. 28 - Mar. 1 | 1:00 p.m.
Live Stats | ESPN+ | Tickets
GAELS OUTLOOK
Gaels Mash in Series Win over CSUN…
Saint Mary's recorded its first series win of the season after its 12-0 rout over CSUN on Sunday afternoon, evening out its record at 3-3. The Gaels recorded two shutouts with a pair of solid starts from senior right hander John Damozonio and transfer southpaw Jake Hilton but the offense continues to be the storyline as they put up 27 runs and hit ten homers over the three games.
Dating back to the series finale against Creighton the weekend prior, Saint Mary's has now had 3+ home runs in four straight games and rank eighth in the country with 15 long balls on the season. Leading the charge against the Matadors was Jacob Johnson and Makoa Sniffen who each had three home runs over the weekend series. Johnson leads the team and ranks fourth in Division I with five homers while Sniffen had his first career multi-homer game in the series finale and also recorded a career high five RBI in the 12-0 victory.
The Offense Heard 'round the World…
Saint Mary's got to showcase its dynamic offense on the national stage last season after winning the 2025 WCC Tournament and it seems like they've picked up where they left off to start the 2026 season. The Gaels lead the West Coast Conference in batting average (.366), home runs (15) and slugging (.653) with several of those figures competing on a national scale. Their .366 batting average ranks sixth in Division I and 15 home runs puts them at eighth with no other WCC school in double-figures.
The Gaels are currently on a four-game streak of 3+ home runs dating back to game three of their season opening series with Creighton. They've hit 13 home runs during that stretch including a season high four homers in their 12-0 win over CSUN this past weekend.
Individually, Saint Mary's has several standout players at the plate off to great starts including leadoff hitter Tanner Griffith. Griffith not only plays an excellent center field for the Gaels but currently leads the team with a .538 batting average, ranking inside the top-20 in all of Division I. Griffith has seven hits, a pair of doubles and a home run as the lefty poses as a challenge for every pitching staff. Diego Castellanos is also hitting over .500 with a team high 11 hits. The right fielder had a career high four hits in the Gaels' 7-2 win over Creighton on opening weekend.
In the power department, Jacob Johnson and Makoa Sniffen lead the team with a combined eight home runs. Johnson has been a revelation for the Gaels through his first six games, smashing five home runs along with a team high ten RBI and a .417 batting average. Quickly behind Johnson in the batting order comes Sniffen who has three homers on the season with all three coming in their series against CSUN this past weekend. Sniffen recorded his first multi-homer game in the rubber match to aid the Gaels in a 12-0 run-rule win.
Saint Mary's broke several offense records in 2025 and are on pace for more impressive numbers here in 2026.
Damozonio and Hilton Record Wins on the Mound…
Pitching has been a work in progress for Saint Mary's over the last couple of seasons but they got two impressive starts over the weekend from John Damozonio and Jake Hilton. Damozonio recorded his first win of the season with six shutout innings as the Gaels went on to take game one against the Matadors 8-0.
Senior transfer Jake Hilton followed suit on Sunday in the rubber match with five scoreless innings of his own and five strikeouts. Hilton earned his first win as a Gael after transferring from D-III Pomona Pitzer where he was a two-time ABCA All-Region selection. Saint Mary's pitching had just one shutout in all of 2025 and now have two to start the 2026 campaign.
Makoa Sniffen Named WCC Player of the Week…
Saint Mary's belted ten home runs over its three-game series with CSUN last week and sophomore first baseman Makoa Sniffen had three of those, including a team-high nine RBI to earn this week's WCC Baseball Player of the Week.
Sniffen had big shoes to fill with the departure of All-American first baseman Eddie Madrigal from last season but has gotten off to a great start here in 2026 as he ended his three-game series with CSUN with a .455 batting average, 1.364 slugging percentage, five hits, three home runs and nine RBI.
Sniffen ended the weekend with a bang, recording his first multi-homer game of his career in the Gaels' 12-0 rout in the rubber match to clinch the series win. Sniffen had a career-high three hits and five RBI thanks to a two-run homer in the second inning followed by a three-run bomb in the fifth that gave the Gaels a commanding 11-0 lead. Sniffen is the first WCC Player of the Week winner since Ryan Pierce won the weekly award on May 5 of last season.
Series History…
Saint Mary's is 5-2 over Bakersfield dating back to the 2009 season. The Gaels and Roadrunners last met in 2023 when Saint Mary's hammered Bakersfield in a 14-2 road victory. Bakersfield went on to split that regular season series with a 5-3 win in Moraga. Bakersfield has not won at home over the Gaels since 2018.
Saint Mary's has clashed with San Jose State in each of the last three seasons and hold a record of 5-1 during that stretch. Last season, the Gaels swept the regular season series which featured a dominant 13-5 road victory at Excite Ballpark. The Gaels have won four straight dating back to 2024 and seven of their last eight meetings dating back to 2019. San Jose State will look to defend home field and seek its first home win over Saint Mary's since 2019.
ABOUT THE ROADRUNNERS (4-4, 0-0 Big West)
Bakersfield enters the week with a 4-4 record. The Roadrunners are fresh off a 2-1 record at the Kleberg Classic in Corpus Christi, Texas where they defeated the host, Texas A&M - Corpus Christi and Long Beach State. They started the 2026 season with a series split against Southern Indiana before falling 14-4 to Utah Tech. Following Saint Mary's, the Roadrunners will head back to Texas to take on Texas Tech in a three-game series starting on Feb. 27.
Bakersfield hits .250 as a team and are led by Kanoa Morisaki who is hitting a team best .389 with eight RBI. Three different players have two home runs each, contributing to a team total of eight on the season. The Roadrunners were picked to finish 10th in the 2026 Big West Preseason Coaches poll released earlier this month. Bakersfield is led by second year head coach Jordon Banfield who took over in 2024 after coming from Oakland University.
ABOUT THE SPARTANS (3-4, 0-0 Mountain West)
San Jose State has been an improving west coast baseball program and were picked to finish fifth in this year's Mountain West Preseason Coaches poll. Pitchers Tyler Albanese and Kyle Calzadiaz along with outfielder Alex Fernandes were all named to the Preseason All-Mountain West team as the Spartans had the second-most preseason team selections.
San Jose State enters the week with a 3-4 record including a series win over Long Beach State to start the 2026 season. After taking two games from the Dirtbags, the Spartans went on to lose three of their next four games. SJSU fell in a midweek shootout to Santa Clara before dropping their next series two games to one to San Francisco.
Fernandes leads the team with a .423 batting average through his first seven games. He leads the team with eleven hits including a pair of doubles and five RBI. Peyton Rowles is also a .400+ hitter for the Spartans hitting .417 with ten hits. San Jose State only has two home runs on the season and have a combined batting average of .242. Brad Sanfilippo enters his ninth season as head coach for the Spartans after being promoted following the 2018 season. Over his eight seasons Sanfilippo has combined for 172 victories and has led the Spartans to the Mountain West Tournament Championship game in four straight seasons.
Additional game information and media links can be found at smcgaels.com. Be sure to follow your Gaels on Facebook, Instagram, and X to get all the latest Saint Mary's athletics updates and information.
#GaelsRise
The Gaels are fresh off a series win over CSUN after run-ruling the Matadors 12-0 in the rubber match on Sunday. Over the three-game series, the Gaels recorded 27 runs, 36 hits and ten home runs as they continue to put up gaudy numbers early in their 2026 campaign. First pitch for their midweek matchup with Bakersfield is set for 6:30 p.m and can be streamed live on ESPN+.
GAME COVERAGE AND INFORMATION
BSB | Saint Mary's at Bakersfield | Hardt Field
Bakersfield, Calif. | Feb. 24 | 6:30 p.m.
Live Stats | ESPN+ | Tickets
BSB | Saint Mary's vs. San Jose State | Louis Guisto Field at Br. Ronald Gallagher Stadium
Moraga, Calif. | Feb. 26-27 | 2:00 p.m.
Live Stats | ESPN+ | Tickets
BSB | Saint Mary's at San Jose State | Excite Ballpark
San Jose, Calif. | Feb. 28 - Mar. 1 | 1:00 p.m.
Live Stats | ESPN+ | Tickets
GAELS OUTLOOK
Gaels Mash in Series Win over CSUN…
Saint Mary's recorded its first series win of the season after its 12-0 rout over CSUN on Sunday afternoon, evening out its record at 3-3. The Gaels recorded two shutouts with a pair of solid starts from senior right hander John Damozonio and transfer southpaw Jake Hilton but the offense continues to be the storyline as they put up 27 runs and hit ten homers over the three games.
Dating back to the series finale against Creighton the weekend prior, Saint Mary's has now had 3+ home runs in four straight games and rank eighth in the country with 15 long balls on the season. Leading the charge against the Matadors was Jacob Johnson and Makoa Sniffen who each had three home runs over the weekend series. Johnson leads the team and ranks fourth in Division I with five homers while Sniffen had his first career multi-homer game in the series finale and also recorded a career high five RBI in the 12-0 victory.
The Offense Heard 'round the World…
Saint Mary's got to showcase its dynamic offense on the national stage last season after winning the 2025 WCC Tournament and it seems like they've picked up where they left off to start the 2026 season. The Gaels lead the West Coast Conference in batting average (.366), home runs (15) and slugging (.653) with several of those figures competing on a national scale. Their .366 batting average ranks sixth in Division I and 15 home runs puts them at eighth with no other WCC school in double-figures.
The Gaels are currently on a four-game streak of 3+ home runs dating back to game three of their season opening series with Creighton. They've hit 13 home runs during that stretch including a season high four homers in their 12-0 win over CSUN this past weekend.
Individually, Saint Mary's has several standout players at the plate off to great starts including leadoff hitter Tanner Griffith. Griffith not only plays an excellent center field for the Gaels but currently leads the team with a .538 batting average, ranking inside the top-20 in all of Division I. Griffith has seven hits, a pair of doubles and a home run as the lefty poses as a challenge for every pitching staff. Diego Castellanos is also hitting over .500 with a team high 11 hits. The right fielder had a career high four hits in the Gaels' 7-2 win over Creighton on opening weekend.
In the power department, Jacob Johnson and Makoa Sniffen lead the team with a combined eight home runs. Johnson has been a revelation for the Gaels through his first six games, smashing five home runs along with a team high ten RBI and a .417 batting average. Quickly behind Johnson in the batting order comes Sniffen who has three homers on the season with all three coming in their series against CSUN this past weekend. Sniffen recorded his first multi-homer game in the rubber match to aid the Gaels in a 12-0 run-rule win.
Saint Mary's broke several offense records in 2025 and are on pace for more impressive numbers here in 2026.
Damozonio and Hilton Record Wins on the Mound…
Pitching has been a work in progress for Saint Mary's over the last couple of seasons but they got two impressive starts over the weekend from John Damozonio and Jake Hilton. Damozonio recorded his first win of the season with six shutout innings as the Gaels went on to take game one against the Matadors 8-0.
Senior transfer Jake Hilton followed suit on Sunday in the rubber match with five scoreless innings of his own and five strikeouts. Hilton earned his first win as a Gael after transferring from D-III Pomona Pitzer where he was a two-time ABCA All-Region selection. Saint Mary's pitching had just one shutout in all of 2025 and now have two to start the 2026 campaign.
Makoa Sniffen Named WCC Player of the Week…
Saint Mary's belted ten home runs over its three-game series with CSUN last week and sophomore first baseman Makoa Sniffen had three of those, including a team-high nine RBI to earn this week's WCC Baseball Player of the Week.
Sniffen had big shoes to fill with the departure of All-American first baseman Eddie Madrigal from last season but has gotten off to a great start here in 2026 as he ended his three-game series with CSUN with a .455 batting average, 1.364 slugging percentage, five hits, three home runs and nine RBI.
Sniffen ended the weekend with a bang, recording his first multi-homer game of his career in the Gaels' 12-0 rout in the rubber match to clinch the series win. Sniffen had a career-high three hits and five RBI thanks to a two-run homer in the second inning followed by a three-run bomb in the fifth that gave the Gaels a commanding 11-0 lead. Sniffen is the first WCC Player of the Week winner since Ryan Pierce won the weekly award on May 5 of last season.
Series History…
Saint Mary's is 5-2 over Bakersfield dating back to the 2009 season. The Gaels and Roadrunners last met in 2023 when Saint Mary's hammered Bakersfield in a 14-2 road victory. Bakersfield went on to split that regular season series with a 5-3 win in Moraga. Bakersfield has not won at home over the Gaels since 2018.
Saint Mary's has clashed with San Jose State in each of the last three seasons and hold a record of 5-1 during that stretch. Last season, the Gaels swept the regular season series which featured a dominant 13-5 road victory at Excite Ballpark. The Gaels have won four straight dating back to 2024 and seven of their last eight meetings dating back to 2019. San Jose State will look to defend home field and seek its first home win over Saint Mary's since 2019.
ABOUT THE ROADRUNNERS (4-4, 0-0 Big West)
Bakersfield enters the week with a 4-4 record. The Roadrunners are fresh off a 2-1 record at the Kleberg Classic in Corpus Christi, Texas where they defeated the host, Texas A&M - Corpus Christi and Long Beach State. They started the 2026 season with a series split against Southern Indiana before falling 14-4 to Utah Tech. Following Saint Mary's, the Roadrunners will head back to Texas to take on Texas Tech in a three-game series starting on Feb. 27.
Bakersfield hits .250 as a team and are led by Kanoa Morisaki who is hitting a team best .389 with eight RBI. Three different players have two home runs each, contributing to a team total of eight on the season. The Roadrunners were picked to finish 10th in the 2026 Big West Preseason Coaches poll released earlier this month. Bakersfield is led by second year head coach Jordon Banfield who took over in 2024 after coming from Oakland University.
ABOUT THE SPARTANS (3-4, 0-0 Mountain West)
San Jose State has been an improving west coast baseball program and were picked to finish fifth in this year's Mountain West Preseason Coaches poll. Pitchers Tyler Albanese and Kyle Calzadiaz along with outfielder Alex Fernandes were all named to the Preseason All-Mountain West team as the Spartans had the second-most preseason team selections.
San Jose State enters the week with a 3-4 record including a series win over Long Beach State to start the 2026 season. After taking two games from the Dirtbags, the Spartans went on to lose three of their next four games. SJSU fell in a midweek shootout to Santa Clara before dropping their next series two games to one to San Francisco.
Fernandes leads the team with a .423 batting average through his first seven games. He leads the team with eleven hits including a pair of doubles and five RBI. Peyton Rowles is also a .400+ hitter for the Spartans hitting .417 with ten hits. San Jose State only has two home runs on the season and have a combined batting average of .242. Brad Sanfilippo enters his ninth season as head coach for the Spartans after being promoted following the 2018 season. Over his eight seasons Sanfilippo has combined for 172 victories and has led the Spartans to the Mountain West Tournament Championship game in four straight seasons.
Additional game information and media links can be found at smcgaels.com. Be sure to follow your Gaels on Facebook, Instagram, and X to get all the latest Saint Mary's athletics updates and information.
#GaelsRise
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