Tuesday, March 24
Moraga, CA
4:00 PM
Saint Mary's College of California
vs
UC Santa Barbara
Photo by: Varun Aravind (@vflicks04)
BSB | Gaels Host Gauchos in Midweek Before Heading to Portland for Week Two of WCC Play
3/24/2026 10:05:00 AM | Baseball
MORAGA, Calif. - The Saint Mary's baseball team hosts UC Santa Barbara to complete its two-game season series with the Gauchos on Tuesday before heading to Portland to take on the Pilots in the second week of West Coast Conference Play.
The Gaels dropped their conference-opening series two games to one to Pepperdine last week but will look for the bounce back with a midweek against the Gauchos at 4 p.m. Saint Mary's (12-11, 1-2 West Coast Conference) is 2-1 in midweek competitions this season with wins over Bakersfield and UC Davis and will look for its first win over the Gauchos since knocking them off a season ago when they were the 21st-ranked team in the country.
GAME COVERAGE AND INFORMATION
BSB | Saint Mary's vs. UC Santa Barbara | Louis Guisto Field at Br. Ronald Gallagher Stadium
Moraga, Calif. | March 24 | 4 PM
Live Stats | ESPN+ | Tickets
BSB | Saint Mary's at Portland | Joe Etzel Field
Portland, Ore. | March 27-29 | 6/3/1 PM
Live Stats | ESPN+ | Tickets
GAELS OUTLOOK
Damozonio Matches Season High with 6 Innings against Pepperdine in Stadium Lights Debut…
Senior right hander John Damozonio got the start for the Gaels on a historic night, debuting their new stadium lights at Louis Guisto Field at Br. Ronald Gallagher Stadium on Friday against Pepperdine. Damozonio went six strong innings for the fourth time this season and was able to get credit for his third win of the season as the Gaels held on 9-8 to defeat the Waves in the WCC opener.
Damozonio has been the Gaels' Friday starter since Opening Day and has been putting up career numbers so far here in 2026, leading the team with three wins and a career low 2.81 ERA. On Friday, the San Jose native completed six innings, allowing three runs off five hits while striking out five batters. He leads the team with 31 strikeouts and ranks top-10 in the WCC in wins and ERA over his six starts this season.
Romero Continues to Shine in SMC Season Debut…
Junior right hander Luis Martin Romero has been a bright spot in the Gaels' bullpen this season and was able to put together another quality outing this past weekend against Pepperdine. Romero made his seventh appearance of the season in game three against the Waves where he pitched 2.1 scoreless innings allowing just two hits.
Romero leads the team with a 2.03 ERA in his seven appearances including a career high three innings pitched in a 5-4 win over San Jose State back in February. Romero also recorded his first career win as a Gael in Arizona last week, completing the remainder of the eighth inning against Rice to allow for a wild five-run inning in the bottom half of the frame as the Gaels came from behind to defeat the Owls 11-8.
Griffith Goes Yard for 2nd Homer of Season…
Tanner Griffith continues to impress out of the leadoff spot for the Gaels this season as he went 4-for-12 in his series against Pepperdine this past weekend. Over his three games, he led the team with five RBI including his second home run of the season, a two-run shot in game two against the Waves.
Griffith ranks top-10 in the West Coast Conference in batting average, slugging, on-base percentage, OPS, runs, hits, doubles and walks. The Livermore native is currently on pace for a career season with a .382 batting average and tying his career high with two home runs through his first 22 games played. Griffith has also played a stellar center field this season, recording a pair of outfield assists with 51 putouts and zero errors.
Series History…
Saint Mary's split its season series with UC Santa Barbara in 2025 and will look to do so again on Tuesday as they host the Gauchos for a midweek contest at 4 p.m. UCSB has won six of the last seven meetings with the Gaels as head coach Eric Valenzuela and his squad will look for their first home win since 2019. Saint Mary's is a combined 8-13 against UC Santa Barbara dating back to 2008.
Portland has had the recent edge over Saint Mary's winning eight of its last nine games against the Gaels. Each game of their three-game conference series in 2025 was decided by three runs or fewer but Saint Mary's was able to win the finale 12-9 to salvage a game. The Gaels were last swept in Portland during the 2024 season and will look for their first road win against the Pilots since 2018.
ABOUT THE GAUCHOS (15-6, 5-4 Big West)
Since defeating Saint Mary's 13-3 back on March 10, the Gauchos have hit a bit of a rough patch, losing four of their last six games. UCSB dropped two games to UC Davis and most recently lost a conference series with Hawaii two games to one, now holding a conference record of 5-4. The Gauchos continue to pitch at a high level, holding a Big West best 2.84 ERA. Junior right hander Jackson Flora has been one of the best starting pitchers in college baseball, holding a 5-0 record and a 0.94 ERA.
At the plate, the Gauchos have a trio of .300+ hitters including Rowan Kelly who leads the team with 28 hits on the season. The team's 16 home runs have been spread out pretty evenly throughout the roster but Nick Husovsky leads the team with five on the year. UC Santa Barbara is off from conference play this week as they'll host 20th ranked Oregon this weekend for a three-game series. They'll then take on USC next Tuesday before resuming Big West action against Cal Poly.
ABOUT THE PILOTS (14-7, 3-0 WCC)
The Portland Pilots stand at 14-7 and 3-0 in conference play after their series sweep over LMU this past weekend. The Pilots were picked to finish fourth, just one spot behind Saint Mary's, in the 2026 WCC Preseason Coaches Poll. The Pilots have been known to boast a deep and talented pitching staff in recent years and so far they are proving that trend correct once again, leading the WCC with a team ERA of 3.32. Will Labonte leads all starters with a 2.08 ERA over his six appearances this season. Logan Anderson and Trey Newmann have also combined for four wins over their nine starts this season.
The Pilots have just a .266 batting average as a team with senior outfielder Brady Bean leading the way with a .318 average over his 21 games. Bean has shown a bit of everything for the Pilots, leading the team with 27 hits while also flashing some power with five doubles and a team high three home runs. In its conference opening series, Portland outscored LMU 18-7 over the first two games and then were able to come from behind and score two in the ninth to take the finale 4-3 on Sunday. The Pilots have won six straight entering the week including an upset win over 17th ranked Oregon State earlier this month.
All games this week will be streamed live on ESPN+ and tickets can be bought online 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 dropped their conference-opening series two games to one to Pepperdine last week but will look for the bounce back with a midweek against the Gauchos at 4 p.m. Saint Mary's (12-11, 1-2 West Coast Conference) is 2-1 in midweek competitions this season with wins over Bakersfield and UC Davis and will look for its first win over the Gauchos since knocking them off a season ago when they were the 21st-ranked team in the country.
GAME COVERAGE AND INFORMATION
BSB | Saint Mary's vs. UC Santa Barbara | Louis Guisto Field at Br. Ronald Gallagher Stadium
Moraga, Calif. | March 24 | 4 PM
Live Stats | ESPN+ | Tickets
BSB | Saint Mary's at Portland | Joe Etzel Field
Portland, Ore. | March 27-29 | 6/3/1 PM
Live Stats | ESPN+ | Tickets
GAELS OUTLOOK
Damozonio Matches Season High with 6 Innings against Pepperdine in Stadium Lights Debut…
Senior right hander John Damozonio got the start for the Gaels on a historic night, debuting their new stadium lights at Louis Guisto Field at Br. Ronald Gallagher Stadium on Friday against Pepperdine. Damozonio went six strong innings for the fourth time this season and was able to get credit for his third win of the season as the Gaels held on 9-8 to defeat the Waves in the WCC opener.
Damozonio has been the Gaels' Friday starter since Opening Day and has been putting up career numbers so far here in 2026, leading the team with three wins and a career low 2.81 ERA. On Friday, the San Jose native completed six innings, allowing three runs off five hits while striking out five batters. He leads the team with 31 strikeouts and ranks top-10 in the WCC in wins and ERA over his six starts this season.
Romero Continues to Shine in SMC Season Debut…
Junior right hander Luis Martin Romero has been a bright spot in the Gaels' bullpen this season and was able to put together another quality outing this past weekend against Pepperdine. Romero made his seventh appearance of the season in game three against the Waves where he pitched 2.1 scoreless innings allowing just two hits.
Romero leads the team with a 2.03 ERA in his seven appearances including a career high three innings pitched in a 5-4 win over San Jose State back in February. Romero also recorded his first career win as a Gael in Arizona last week, completing the remainder of the eighth inning against Rice to allow for a wild five-run inning in the bottom half of the frame as the Gaels came from behind to defeat the Owls 11-8.
Griffith Goes Yard for 2nd Homer of Season…
Tanner Griffith continues to impress out of the leadoff spot for the Gaels this season as he went 4-for-12 in his series against Pepperdine this past weekend. Over his three games, he led the team with five RBI including his second home run of the season, a two-run shot in game two against the Waves.
Griffith ranks top-10 in the West Coast Conference in batting average, slugging, on-base percentage, OPS, runs, hits, doubles and walks. The Livermore native is currently on pace for a career season with a .382 batting average and tying his career high with two home runs through his first 22 games played. Griffith has also played a stellar center field this season, recording a pair of outfield assists with 51 putouts and zero errors.
Series History…
Saint Mary's split its season series with UC Santa Barbara in 2025 and will look to do so again on Tuesday as they host the Gauchos for a midweek contest at 4 p.m. UCSB has won six of the last seven meetings with the Gaels as head coach Eric Valenzuela and his squad will look for their first home win since 2019. Saint Mary's is a combined 8-13 against UC Santa Barbara dating back to 2008.
Portland has had the recent edge over Saint Mary's winning eight of its last nine games against the Gaels. Each game of their three-game conference series in 2025 was decided by three runs or fewer but Saint Mary's was able to win the finale 12-9 to salvage a game. The Gaels were last swept in Portland during the 2024 season and will look for their first road win against the Pilots since 2018.
ABOUT THE GAUCHOS (15-6, 5-4 Big West)
Since defeating Saint Mary's 13-3 back on March 10, the Gauchos have hit a bit of a rough patch, losing four of their last six games. UCSB dropped two games to UC Davis and most recently lost a conference series with Hawaii two games to one, now holding a conference record of 5-4. The Gauchos continue to pitch at a high level, holding a Big West best 2.84 ERA. Junior right hander Jackson Flora has been one of the best starting pitchers in college baseball, holding a 5-0 record and a 0.94 ERA.
At the plate, the Gauchos have a trio of .300+ hitters including Rowan Kelly who leads the team with 28 hits on the season. The team's 16 home runs have been spread out pretty evenly throughout the roster but Nick Husovsky leads the team with five on the year. UC Santa Barbara is off from conference play this week as they'll host 20th ranked Oregon this weekend for a three-game series. They'll then take on USC next Tuesday before resuming Big West action against Cal Poly.
ABOUT THE PILOTS (14-7, 3-0 WCC)
The Portland Pilots stand at 14-7 and 3-0 in conference play after their series sweep over LMU this past weekend. The Pilots were picked to finish fourth, just one spot behind Saint Mary's, in the 2026 WCC Preseason Coaches Poll. The Pilots have been known to boast a deep and talented pitching staff in recent years and so far they are proving that trend correct once again, leading the WCC with a team ERA of 3.32. Will Labonte leads all starters with a 2.08 ERA over his six appearances this season. Logan Anderson and Trey Newmann have also combined for four wins over their nine starts this season.
The Pilots have just a .266 batting average as a team with senior outfielder Brady Bean leading the way with a .318 average over his 21 games. Bean has shown a bit of everything for the Pilots, leading the team with 27 hits while also flashing some power with five doubles and a team high three home runs. In its conference opening series, Portland outscored LMU 18-7 over the first two games and then were able to come from behind and score two in the ninth to take the finale 4-3 on Sunday. The Pilots have won six straight entering the week including an upset win over 17th ranked Oregon State earlier this month.
All games this week will be streamed live on ESPN+ and tickets can be bought online 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
Players Mentioned
BSB | Saint Mary's vs Pepperdine Highlights, 3-21-26
Saturday, March 21
BSB | Saint Mary's vs Pepperdine Highlights, 3-20-26
Friday, March 20
BSB | Saint Mary's vs. Grand Canyon Game 2 Highlights, 3-15-26
Sunday, March 15
BSB | Saint Mary's vs. Grand Canyon Highlights, 3-14-26
Saturday, March 14
