DEPTH TO BE ON DISPLAY FOR PLNU BASEBALL IN 2026

(SAN DIEGO) PLNU Baseball has established itself as a West Region powerhouse, making four-straight regional appearances and winning two West Regional championships in that timespan.

Entering 2026, what stands out about this group of Sea Lions is its depth. 

“This is the best team I've had for depth,” Head Coach Justin James said. “A guy could start or be a backup guy, and they're making it really hard on me in a good way. Some of our backup guys for sure would be starting anywhere else. That's a good problem to have and gives me some flexibility during games to move people around and get other guys some at-bats.

“Guys can both play infield and outfield, and some guys are two-way pitchers. There's a lot of different lineup combinations – We can be very left-handed heavy if we need to match up or we can mix it up, so there's definitely options.”

Beyond its depth, James expects to see the team’s toughness and defense on display this season.

“Everything starts with toughness and energy,” James said. “I don't think you'll ever see us back away from a fight. I don't think you'll see us ever play lazy and you won't see us play disrespectfully. We really harp on winning half the game, so learning how to win two-strike pitches offensively, defensively and on the mound. Two strikes is something that we harp on a ton in this program.

“And this team plays very good defense. We’re known for playing good defense and being well-prepared, and this team will be up to our standard if not even a little better than normal.”

Point Loma enters 2026 ranked in the top-20 of three separate national polls, and as high as No. 14.

“I’m excited for this group,” James said. “I think the returners who came back had a really good fall. They learned a lot and I think they've grown from a year ago. The whole group in general who we brought in is a bunch of high-character, hard-working guys who took to learning the system really well. They have really good attitudes of just wanting to grow and get better, maybe one of the best I’ve ever had in that regard.”

ROSTER

Point Loma returns 10 players from last season’s team that was one game shy of a third Super Regional appearance in four seasons, while welcoming 20 new players to the fold.

Highlighted among the returners is All-PacWest shortstop Matt Bernath, along with fellow infielders Josiah Rodriguez (third base), Owen May (second base) and Jake Schwartz (first base). Outfielder Aiden Arriaga also returns from a season ago.

“Bringing back the whole left side of our infield is huge,” James said. “Bernath is a very good player both offensively and on the defensive end, and then Josiah is a very good third baseman and had huge numbers last year. Getting them some postseason play early in their career is huge, and then May has been part of this winning culture for four years now and has been a big part of our success.

“Aiden Arriaga was on base a ton for our guys and he’s very versatile, and Schwartz hit two homers in our recent scrimmage. Those are all good West Region players who are better than a year ago. Those guys right there really helped this fall in helping the new guys get acclimated to the program.”

Catcher Tommy Molina also returns to form a talented trio behind the plate along with newcomers Landen Bailey (San Diego Mesa C.C.) and All-PacWest catcher Mason Cook (Hawai’i Hilo).

“We have three very good catchers who are going to be splitting up the majority of the work,” James said. “We should have fresh catching if they stay healthy, and we don't lose much on each one of the guys. They all bring something to the game and easily could catch all four games of the weekend.”

James highlighted the offensive additions of Tristan Moore (New Orleans), Tyler Stull (Mt. SAC) and Hank Smith (Scottsdale C.C.).

“Tristan Moore from New Orleans is such a great fit. He's been such an awesome addition and he’s a major threat in our lineup. He's as cool as he is a hitter. He's just a good dude and he works really hard and wants to get better.

“Tyler Stull had a really big year offensively last year and Hank Smith is a very good left-handed hitter as well and possible closer. They have serious pop, so I’m excited for their extra base hits.”

On the mound, the Sea Lions have added starting pitchers including Derek Silva (San Diego Mesa C.C), Glen Huggins (Southwestern College), Vaughn Necker (Oklahoma) and Tyler Pechetti (Skyline C.C.), along with multiple relievers including Smith and Kyle Scritzky (West Valley College).

“We brought in some good pitchers and the right type of pitcher based on how we like to pitch, but also from a character and toughness standpoint we think we did a pretty good job with that,” James said. “We brought in a couple of transfers that should be our 7-8-9 guys.

“They command the ball pretty darn well and they have decent velocity too, so I think overall it's a really good group. It's deeper than we've been stuff wise by maybe a large amount than in the past, but again proving it's going to be two different things.”

SCHEDULE

Point Loma opens its season with a three-game home series against No. 15 Cal State Monterey Bay on Friday and Saturday before traveling north to play at Chico State (Feb. 5-7).

“We did that on purpose,” James said of PLNU’s two non-conference series against quality opponents to start the year. “We want to play the best competition there is. We don't shy away from it and Monterey Bay and Chico are known in the West region as two of the best programs that you could possibly play in a year.

“The first two weekends are going to be really hard. One is at home and one is on the road, so that adds another dimension to it. I think it's a really good way to start your year to see what you have, see what you need to work on and then set yourself up for PacWest play which isn't easy either.”

Point Loma will then begin its 44-game PacWest schedule on Feb. 13 with a doubleheader against Hawai’i Pacific, as part of a 10-game homestand to open conference play.

PLNU, the preseason PacWest favorite, won three-straight conference titles from 2022-24 before finishing second a season ago.

“The goal is always to win the conference,” James said. “It was one of my main goals when I took over here a long time ago because you go from coast to coast and start to finish. I think it’s the most important thing because it shows a program that does things right for the longest and it's not just a flash in the pan.

“If you have a chance at the conference title or you win it, I think that's a real big testament to how you're doing things.”

The PacWest Championships will take place May 6-8 in Santa Barbara, with the top-four teams in the conference standings competing to earn the PacWest’s automatic berth into the NCAA West Regional.

“Every year I say how underrated West Coast Division II baseball is,” James said. “The level of play is so high that there isn't an easy weekend and there's not an easy game on the West Coast. Maybe compared to some other regions with off weekends where you can kind of catch your breath and get healthy, we don't have one of those.

“Maybe that's a good thing to get you ready for hopefully playing later into the year and earning that, but that's the approach we take in our training to make sure that they're ready for that kind of battle.”

Six teams will then compete in the NCAA West Regional (May 14-16), with the Super Regionals (May 22-23) and NCAA Division II World Series (May 29-June 6) to follow.

“We work really hard on worrying about the processes to get to that,” James said of the team’s postseason aspirations. “It’s definitely a goal, but the processes are very clear to them and how to achieve that, where the end goal isn't necessarily what drives us every single day.”

 For the team’s full schedule, click HERE.