SEA LIONS LOOK TO BUILD OFF HISTORIC CAMPAIGN

(SAN DIEGO) PLNU Baseball’s 2022 season was historic in more ways than one.

Point Loma won its first-ever PacWest Conference title and NCAA West Regional on its way to finishing as national runner-up.

The Sea Lions are doing everything in their power to take it one step further this season.

“Our goals are pretty much the same every year,” Head Coach Justin James said. “To win 40 games, win the conference, get into a regional, hopefully host that regional and super regional, and win a national championship.

“Those are our big long-term goals and then obviously in order to achieve those, it’s how good can we be every single day and break it down a little bit smaller. That’s pretty much what this program has been built on for a couple years now.”

After its memorable postseason run, PLNU has experience to draw from in pursuit of its first-ever national title.

“What those guys went through last year can never be taken away from them and the returners know exactly what it takes to get to where we want to go,” James said. “There’s a lot of ups and downs that you have to deal with in order to get that far.

“They’ve seen it firsthand and they’re going to have to be a lot tougher in dealing with those things than they had to be a year ago. I think the challenges will be even more this year than they were last year.”

One of those challenges is the weight of outside expectations, with Point Loma on the national radar going into the season being ranked No. 4 in the NCBWA Division II Preseason Top-25 and No. 1 in the West Region.

“We haven’t brought it up very much,” James said on the heightened outside expectations. “We just go about our business and that goes back to our winning one day at a time mentality and not worrying about things that don’t matter.

“A year ago or multiple years ago, the goal was always the same thing – how far can we go into postseason play? I think people have always thought of Point Loma as one of the better baseball programs in the conference but now obviously the stakes are probably a little bit higher.”

While admitting that some of the statistical marks that PLNU achieved last season may not be matched this year, James sees a lot of similarities between last year’s team and this season’s group.

“How hard we play, the work ethic, the competitiveness and the team culture is almost I think identical to what it was a year ago and they’re doing a really good job with that,” James said. “We have just as good of defenders this year as we did last year, so I really don’t see a big drop-off from year-to-year when it comes to the defensive side.

“Then making holistic hitters and an offense that can change our style of play basically day-by-day depending on what we need. I think we have the right guys to do that two years in-a-row now.”

Returners

Four returning Sea Lions earned Preseason All-PacWest honors – Scott Anderson (shortstop), Jakob Christian (first base), Cole Hillier (relief pitcher) and Dylan Miller (starting pitcher).

Christian and Hillier were also selected to the NCBWA Preseason All-West Region squad, while Hillier represented PLNU on the NCBWA Preseason All-America Second Team.

Anderson, last year’s PacWest Defensive Player of the Year, recorded a .968 fielding % at shortstop a season ago, while hitting .312 with nine home runs, 49 RBIs and an OPS of .868.

“He’s one of the best college baseball players in the country,” James said of Anderson. “He’s a phenomenal guy off the field. His work ethic is through the roof. He’s a really good shortstop first and foremost defensively, and every year he keeps getting better as an offensive player. He’s now someone who they need to pay attention to.”

Christian took the PacWest by storm as a freshman last year, earning PacWest Freshman of the Year and First Team All-PacWest recognition in 2022. He also received NCBWA All-West Region honors after batting .322 with a 1.011 OPS to go along with 13 home runs and 56 RBIs.

“Jakob had a phenomenal freshman year and he keeps getting better and better,” James said. “His work ethic really can’t be beat and he continues to be hungry and wants to learn. He’s a better player than he was a year ago.”

Hillier, an ABCA and NCBWA All-American last year, led NCAA Division II with 17 saves in 2022. The First Team All-PacWest selection accumulated a 2.25 ERA in 36 innings pitched, with 57 strikeouts and a 1.08 WHIP.

“I can’t bring up how important he was and how valuable he is to the pitching staff,” James said of Hillier. “He pitched in some crazy situations last year with a slow heartbeat. He’s better than he was last year also just through the training and how hard he works, so I expect a big year out of him as well.”

Miller was named to the All-PacWest Second Team last season after posting a 4.06 ERA in 88.2 innings pitched. The right-hander threw a no-hitter against Concordia on March 5.

“Dylan is one of our top-three pitchers no matter what format,” James said. “He deserves that and pitched in some big-time games for us the past two years. He’s going to be in that role again this year.”

James also expects significant contributions from returning starters Hunter Otjen (utility) and Jack Malone (outfield).

Otjen thrived in a utility role for the Sea Lions last year, both in the outfield and on the mound. At the plate, he hit .325 with 11 home runs and 49 RBIs, tallying a .973 OPS. As a pitcher, he recorded a 2.61 ERA in 31 innings pitched.

"Hunter is a great player and ultimate competitor,” James said. “He sets the tone for the team through his actions. He continues to get better every year as well and is a legitimate threat both on the mound and in the box. He regularly finds the barrel and I see him having another big year."

Malone started in 51 games a season ago, batting .272 with seven home runs and 40 RBIs, while accumulating an .827 OPS.

“Jack was a difference-maker, especially defensively, but he had a good offensive year as well and started to show flashes of being an All-Conference type outfielder,” James said. “He’s had a good fall and has been working hard, so I think he’s going to be a key returner from the offensive side as well.”

Newcomers

David Garcia (Point University), Bryson Hashimoto (Palomar College) and Joey Nicolai (UC Riverside) lead a group of transfers that are expected to make an immediate impact.

“There’s quite a few,” James said of his incoming group. “It starts at third base with David Garcia, an older guy that is a very good defender and a good teammate.

“At second base, Bryson Hashimoto is a very good baseball player from Palomar. He has a pretty good hit tool and is a good defender as well. Those two guys right away will get a lot of at-bats early.

“Joey Nicolai is a great defender both in the infield and in the outfield, giving us some flexibility. He has shown a lot of offensive growth in the fall. I think that he’s also going to be in line for a lot of at-bats early and to earn a starting role.”

The Sea Lions also added NCAA Division I transfers Cole Colleran (University of San Diego), Ray Cebulski (Long Beach State), Ethan Pope (Cal Baptist), Will Pope (Farleigh Dickinson) and Troy Wentworth (UC Irvine) to bolster the group of 14 returning players.

Coaching Staff

James enters his fifth year as head coach with a 103-60 overall record. He is joined once again on staff by assistant coaches Steve Sanchez and Riley Regala.

Point Loma has also added former Sea Lion greats Baxter Halligan and Jack Gonzales, two important members of last year’s team, to the coaching staff.

In 2022, Halligan earned almost every award possible – PacWest Male Athlete of the Year, PacWest Pitcher and Player of the Year, NCBWA West Region Pitcher and Player of the Year, as well as an All-American by the D2CCA, ABCA and NCBWA – after dominating at the plate and on the mound.

He batted .344 with a 1.028 OPS, to go along with 10 home runs and 49 RBIs, while posting a 2.07 ERA and striking out 120 batters in 100 innings pitched.

Gonzales, a Second Team All-PacWest selection in 2022, struck out 107 batters in 95.2 innings pitched with a 3.48 ERA last season.

“The coaching staff I have here is one of the best in the country,” James said. “I think in regards to Baxter and Jack, they’re just as good as coaches as they were as players.

“I think we’ve gotten lucky from that standpoint and they like to do a good job just as they did as players. They’re making our players better by that type of leadership that they’re showing every day in practice.”

Schedule

Point Loma begins its 2023 schedule with a tough non-conference slate, starting on Friday with a five-game home series against Northwest Nazarene, one of the teams PLNU hosted in last year’s NCAA West Regional.

The Sea Lions are then slated to also take on Cal State Monterey Bay (Feb. 10-11) and Cal State San Bernardino (Feb. 17-18) before beginning their PacWest title defense at home Feb. 24-25 against Fresno Pacific.

“Our preseason is very difficult,” James said. “I think it’s a very tough schedule but it’s a very beneficial schedule if we play well in regards to trying to get back into the postseason.

“We have to play well right out the gate. I’m assuming that the majority of games are going to be close, so you learn how to play close games early and have to win games in different ways which I think bodes well for when you get into conference play.”

Point Loma was picked first in the PacWest Preseason Poll, garnering seven of nine first-place votes. Azusa Pacific received the other two first-place votes.

APU and PLNU will square off in a highly anticipated Super Regionals rematch March 31-April 1.

The two preseason favorites are then expected to be leading contenders in the first-ever PacWest Conference Tournament, scheduled for May 10-12 in Fresno.

The Sea Lions will then hope to earn a fifth-ever NCAA West Regional berth (May 18-20), with the Super Regionals (May 26-27) and World Series (June 3-10) to follow.

For PLNU’s full schedule, click HERE.