With the perfect mixture of veteran experience and young talent, the University of Redlands baseball team was reshaped into a Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) powerhouse under Head Coach Aaron Holley in his second year at the helm. Highlighted by a 20-8 record for second place in the conference standings, the Bulldogs returned to the SCIAC Postseason Tournament for their second appearance in three years en route to registering a 28-14 overall mark, which was just two wins shy of the most in program history.
The Bulldogs began their season with a statement, as they buried non-conference opponents La Sierra University, Vanguard University, and St. Katherine College. Through the three games, the squad plated 35 runs and held each school to five runs or less. Senior catcher Sean McMillan (Redwood City, CA) excelled in the early-season competition by notching seven hits and driving in eight RBI. Sophomore second baseman Christopher Scalisi (Woodland Hills, CA) came on strong as well, barreling six hits and driving in a pair of RBI. Freshman starter Felix Minjarez (Riverside, CA) kicked off his rookie season with a win against Vanguard after tossing 4.2 innings and fanning six batters.
After a smooth 3-0 start, the Maroon and Gray hopped right into SCIAC competition against the Whittier College Poets. Redlands set the tone early by taking the opening two games of the three-game series. Minjarez tossed eight strong frames and struck out eight in the opener, while freshman southpaw Noah Jones (San Bernardino, CA) recorded his first collegiate save. Freshman starter Matthew Acosta (San Bernardino, CA) had an equally impressive outing by picking up his second win of his young career in game two, going 7.1 innings and fanning seven. Offensively, senior outfielder Connor Hancock (Burbank, CA) went 4-for-9 with three RBI and three runs scored in the two wins.
Although the Bulldogs suffered a slight skid against the Pomona-Pitzer Colleges Sagehens by dropping the Saturday doubleheader, the squad opened the series with an important 5-2 win on Friday. Minjarez continued to impress in the victory by tossing his second-consecutive game with eight innings and also recorded four strikeouts. Jones slammed the door once against for his second save of the year. Junior third baseman Mark Tumlinson (Anaheim, CA) had a day in the win, going 2-for-2 with an RBI and a run scored.
However, Redlands battled back to snatch the following three-game series against the University of La Verne, with Minjarez's opening-series no-hitter setting the stage for a great weekend. He had everything working for him on the day, as he blanked the Leopards in the hits and runs column while allowing two baserunners on a four-pitch walk and a hit-by-pitch. Minjarez also utilized his defense effectively, with a little help from the sure-handed senior shortstop Jordan Dresner (Etiwanda, CA), who made back-to-back web-gem plays in the bottom of the eighth to preserve the no-hitter. In addition, Dresner went 2-for-4 with a triple, an RBI, and two runs scored at the plate.
The U of R jumped into a busy March that included a good mix of quality conference foes and out-of-region opponents. The Bulldogs remained hot in the SCIAC by taking two of three games from the Occidental College Tigers, with the wins coming by way of opposite techniques. In the opening game, the Bulldogs slaughtered the Tigers by pounding out 12 runs, with each player reaching base at least once and eight players notching at least one hit. Scalisi launched his first-career round-tripper, while Minjarez improved his record to 5-0 by going the distance and recording five strikeouts. In a back-and-forth battle, Redlands later grabbed the rubber match with a five-run answer in the top of the 10th frame, as Dresner and Hancock each recorded a two-RBI hit.
Less than a week after the Occidental series, the Bulldogs put their endurance to the test by playing five games in four days against non-conference competition, starting with a doubleheader sweep over Rutgers University – Newark (NJ) and Ithaca College (NY). The Bulldogs banged out 24 runs over the course of 18 innings, led by an offensive surge from junior left-fielder Mitch Samson (Orangevale, CA), who went 4-for-6 with four RBI and five runs scored. Redlands went on to win two of the following three non-SCIAC games, matching its offensive output of 24 runs between the triumphs in a second meeting with Rutgers – Newark and an impressive 13-3 rout of then-sixth-ranked Kean University (NJ). Dresner continued his hot hitting with a four-RBI outburst to go along with three hits against Rutgers-Newark, while junior hurler Michael Collins (Upland, CA) tossed a solid seven innings against Kean while striking out two and scattering three hits.
On March 20, the Bulldogs jumped back into SCIAC action by facing off against the frontrunners from Cal Lutheran University in a three-game series. After the Kingsmen squeaked out a game-one victory in extra innings, the Bulldogs rallied back to sweep the doubleheader on home turf. Acosta was the workhorse in the morning game, tossing 7.2 scoreless innings while scattering eight hits. Freshman designated hitter Joey Warner (Indio, CA) and Hancock combined for three RBI, while Dresner was a perfect 3-for-3 at the plate. In game two, the Bulldogs reigned supreme in walk-off fashion, as Samson plated freshman pinch-runner Nick Ono (Loma Linda, CA) with a single through the left side. In addition, sophomore reliever John White (Burbank, CA) worked a crucial inning out of the bullpen to maintain the tie in the top of the ninth inning.
Unfortunately, the Maroon and Gray's hot streak simmered ever so slightly when it dropped 2-of-3 games to the Chapman University Panthers. After losing the first two games each by a one-run margin, the Bulldogs used a quality start from Collins in the 3-2 victory, as he went the distance to pick up his third win of the season. Tumlinson produced a 3-for-5 day with an RBI at the dish to lead the offense.
The Bulldogs hit stride in April, as they began with sweeps of the Caltech Beavers and the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges Stags with ease. Five of the six victories came via mercy rule, as the Bulldogs touched home 70 times over the course of the six games to finish off the three-game-series schedule in the SCIAC.
Based on the standings after24 games, Redlands faced four conference opponents in the last of the regular-season schedule in order to set the pairings for the SCIAC Postseason Tournament. Sitting in second place, the Bulldogs drew an ideal slate and faced off against Caltech and La Verne for a Saturday doubleheader. The Bulldogs cruised by Caltech in an 18-0 victory, while they defeated La Verne by a score of 6-3 on a rain-shortened contest. In the victory against La Verne, Acosta picked up his seventh win of the season, while Collins showed his versatility by coming out of the bullpen to earn the save. McMillan, Dresner, and Hancock each recorded two hits to equal four RBI and two runs scored for the Maroon and Gray.
The Bulldogs continued to roll through the SCIAC Final Four, defeating Pomona-Pitzer, 9-7, and CMS, 5-2. In the game against the Sagehens, the U of R used a four-run sixth inning that featured RBI-knocks from sophomore center-fielder Christian Conci (San Mateo, CA), Dresner, and Hancock. Warner was the big bat in the CMS victory, going 2-for-3 with two runs scored. Freshman reliever Adam Stead (Rialto, CA) and senior reliever Josh Makler (Portland, OR) both made appearances, while junior reliever Kevin Stevens (Highland, CA) picked up the save.
After a successful regular season that landed the Bulldogs tied-for-second place overall, the Bulldogs made their return to the SCIAC postseason Tournament for the program's second appearance in three years. As a result of the tiebreaker, the Bulldogs earned the right to host Friday's opening game of the tournament as the No. 2 seed and faced off against a familiar foe in third-seeded Pomona-Pitzer. In the season's fifth contest against one another, the Bulldogs came out victorious once again to defeat the Sagehens, 10-4. Redlands successfully rode a quality five-inning showing by Collins and a four-inning save from White for an impressive victory. With a three-RBI effort from Warner, the Bulldogs worked their way into the winner's bracket.
Unfortunately, the Bulldogs' momentum was halted there, as they dropped the next two contests of the tournament. After making the trek to Thousand Oaks, Redlands came up short against La Verne and Cal Lutheran, thus ending the season with a 28-14 overall record.
At the conclusion of the conference season, Collins was named SCIAC Pitcher of the Year and Minjarez was named the Newcomer of the Year while also landing on the First Team. Dresner, McMillan, and Scalisi joined Minjarez on the First-Team list, while Hancock and Samson garnered Second-Team All-Conference laurels. In addition, Tumlinson was recognized as a member of the All-SCIAC Sportsmanship Team.
The accolades continued to roll in for the Bulldogs, as McMillan received D3baseball.com All-West Region Third-Team laurels and American Baseball Coaches Association of America (ABCA)/Rawlings All-West Region Third-Team recognition. Hancock earned ABCA/Rawlings Second-Team All-West Region recognition, while Scalisi joined McMillan on the ABCA/Rawlings All-West Region Third Team.
With high expectations of continuing its upward trajectory, the Redlands baseball team relies on the talented returning corps while filling the void left by a quality senior class. With Holley serving as the team's skipper, the Bulldogs look forward to building upon this season's success as they strive to compete at the national level.