2025 Big West Baseball Preseason Coaches' Poll & Team | 2025 Schedule

UC Santa Barbara has been picked to win The Big West, according to a poll of the conference’s 11 head coaches. It is the third year in a row that the Gauchos have been selected as the favorites in February. 
 
UC Santa Barbara earned nine of the 11 first-place votes to total 99 points. The Gauchos, winners of three of the last five Big West titles (2019, 2022, 2024) under 14th-year head coach Andrew Checketts, finished 2024 with a 44-14 overall record and won the conference crown with a 26-4 league mark to earn the right to host the regional round of the NCAA Tournament for the first time on campus. UC Santa Barbara is expected to compete nationally this season, appearing on several media outlets’ preseason NCAA rankings (22nd by D1Baseball, 22nd by USA Today, 22nd by NCBWA, 23rd by Baseball America, 24th by Perfect Game).
 
The Big West coaches also voted on an 11-player preseason team and the Gauchos had three representatives in junior right-handed pitcher Tyler Bremner, sophomore right-handed pitcher Jackson Flora and sophomore right-handed pitcher Cole Tryba.
 
Bremner was an All-Big West First Team and an All-American according to three outlets (ABCA, NCBWA, Perfect Game). The San Diego, Calif. product went 11-1 with a 2.54 ERA, striking out 104 batters in 88.2 innings pitched. With expectations for a repeat performance, Bremner’s name is also featured on numerous outlets’ preseason All-America teams including D1Baseball (First Team), Perfect Game (First Team) and Baseball America (First Team).
 
Tryba was an All-Big West Honorable Mention selection in 2024 with three saves, a 3.64 ERA and 65 strikeouts in 47.0 innings on the mound. Tryba is anticipated to produce on a national level and was named a Preseason All-American by D1Baseball.
 
Flora was an All-Big West Honorable Mention selection last season with a 3.83 ERA, 40 strikeouts and five saves in 47.0 innings of work on the hill.

Outside of the trio that made the preseason team, UC Santa Barbara’s pitching is reinforced by the return of junior left-handed pitcher Hudson Barrett who was an All-America Third Team, Freshman All-America First Team, All-Big West First Team and Big West Freshman Pitcher of the Year selection in 2023 with a 1.92 ERA and 82 strikeouts on 61.0 innings pitched. LeTrey McCollum is the top returning hitter for the Gauchos, after slashing .320/.383/.400 with 33 runs, 14 RBI and 10 stolen bases last season.

UC Irvine is second in the poll with 89 points and received the remaining two first-place votes. Last year, the Anteaters went 45-14 for all games, placed second in the conference with a 22-8 league mark and earned a trip to the regional round of the NCAA Tournament. UC Irvine joins the Gauchos in the preseason national polls, being rated No. 24 by Baseball America and receiving votes by USA Today and NCBWA. UC Irvine head coach Ben Orloff begins a seventh season in charge at the alma mater. 
 
The Anteaters took two spots on the Big West preseason team with junior first baseman Anthony Martinez and sophomore left-handed pitcher Ricky Ojeda.
 
Martinez was an All-Big West First Team member slashing .316/.422/.492 with 18 doubles, nine home runs, 54 runs and a UCI single-season record 74 RBI. The Anteater first baseman is a Third Team Preseason All-American according to D1Baseball, Baseball America and Perfect Game.
 
Ojeda was an All-Big West First Team honoree and Freshman All-American by NCBWA and D1Baseball last season. The lefty made 25 relief appearances for 52.0 innings and recorded a 6-1 record, one save, a 3.46 ERA and 74 strikeouts.

Excluding the two on the preseason team, the Anteaters also bring back Will Bermudez, an All-Big West Second Team member a year ago after recording a slash line of .301/.420/.447 with 43 runs, 12 doubles, three triples, four home runs and 48 RBI.   

Cal Poly was picked third with 79 points. The Mustangs were tied for third in last year's standings with a 20-10 conference record, 35-22 overall.

Two Mustangs were placed on the preseason team in sophomore infielder Alejandro Garza and sophomore right-handed pitcher Griffin Naess. The second-year pair were last season’s Big West Freshman Field Player of the Year and Freshman Pitcher of the Year, respectively. Garza appeared in 56 games with 52 starts as a rookie and batted .346 with 28 RBI and 27 runs. Naess had an undefeated pitching record on the mound (7-0) in 15 appearances, 12 starts, with a 3.58 ERA and 1.19 WHIP. The Mustang freshman hurler compiled 62 strikeouts in 73.0 innings of work. 

Outside of Garza and Naess, Larry Lee, the league’s longest-tenured head coach with 23 seasons at the reigns, returns two 2024 All-Big West honorees in redshirt senior infielder Ryan Fenn (.325/.362/.461, 43 R, 43 RBI, 10 SB) and redshirt junior right-handed pitcher Tanner Sagouspe (4-2, 9 SV, 3.23 ERA, 47.1 IP, 54 K). 
 
Hawai’i was predicted for fourth with points. The Rainbow Warriors were tied for third in with a 20-10 league mark, 37-16 for the season. Senior Jordan Donahue earned a spot on the preseason team. Last year, the Rainbow Warrior shortstop hit .349 with 30 RBIs to go along with 17 doubles, 43 runs scored and 10 stolen bases en route to an All-Big West Second Team selection.

Two 2024 All-Big West honorees in sophomore third baseman Elijah Ickes (36 R, 28 RBI) and junior outfielder Matthew Miura (.303/.427/.410, 49 R, 41 RBI) also return for fourth-year skipper Rich Hill. The Hawai'i head coach enters a 38th season overall in the NCAA (1998-93 at Cal Lutheran, 1994-98 at San Francisco, 1999-2021 at San Diego).
 
Entering its inaugural year of being a full-fledged Division I and Big West member, UC San Diego was selected to finish fifth with 63 points. The Tritons were fifth last season with a 17-13 league record, 30-23 overall. Graduate catcher Emiliano Gonzalez earns a spot on the preseason team. The UCSD backstop hit .317 with 10 doubles, 6 home runs, 46 RBI and 30 runs. 

Bolstering the Triton lineup for 13th year head coach Eric Newman are sophomore utility Anthony Potestio (.318/.395/.439, 20 R, 20 RBI), sophomore outfielder Michael Crossland (.292/.393/.433, 37 R, 26 RBI) and junior outfielder Patrick Hackworth (2023 All-Big West Honorable Mention). 
 
CSUN (50), UC Davis (25), Cal State Fullerton (36), Long Beach State (36), Cal State Bakersfield (18) and UC Riverside (12) round out the poll.

CSUN finished above .500 in league play last season at 16-14 and were 30-24 overall. Third-year head coach Eddie Cornejo looks to build on the momentum and brings back sophomore outfielder Jarren Sanderson who slashed .312/.385/.435 with 26 runs and 31 RBI last season.

UC Davis senior left-handed pitcher Bryan Green, an All-Big West Honorable Mention selection in 2024 with a 3.86 ERA and 62 strikeouts in 63.0 innings of work, was placed on the preseason team. For fourth-year head coach Tommy Nicholson, senior right-handed pitcher Carter Delaney reinforces the Aggie pitching staff, coming off an All-Big West Honorable Mention season with a 5-3 record, 2.23 ERA and 35 strikeouts in 44.1 innings pitched. 

Cal State Fullerton, the hosts for the returning Big West Baseball Championship, and fourth-year skipper Jason Dietrich bring back two of its top hitters in Eli Lopez (.300/.406/.415, 32 R, 19 RBI) and Maddox Latta (29 R, 31 RBI). 

Long Beach State junior right-handed pitcher Kellan Montgomery fills out the preseason team. Montgomery had a 3.95 ERA with 73 strikeouts in 86.2 innings pitched last season. The Beach return Kyle Ashworth (45 R, 27 RBI) an All-Big West Honorable Mention selection a year ago. 

There will be two new head coaches in the league at the helm of the Cal State Bakersfield and Long Beach State programs. The Roadrunners have hired Jordon Banfield as its new baseball head coach. The Beach have tabbed TJ Bruce as their new skipper. Banfield spent the previous four seasons as the head coach at Oakland. Bruce was the associate head coach at TCU for the previous two seasons. 

The 2025 Big West conference schedule consists of a 30-game slate, with each side facing all 10 opponents in three-game sets starting Friday, March 7. Check listings to see which contests air on ESPN+. 

The Big West’s top five teams will advance to the Big West Baseball Championship May 21-24 at Cal State Fullerton's Goodwin Field, with the winner earning an automatic berth in the NCAA Championship.
 

2025 Big West Baseball Preseason Coaches' Poll
Rank	Institution	Points
1.	UC Santa Barbara	99 (9)
2.	UC Irvine	89 (2)
3.	Cal Poly	79
4.	Hawai'i	76
5.	UC San Diego	63
6.	CSUN	50
7.	UC Davis	47
T8.	Cal State Fullerton	36
	Long Beach State	36
10.	Cal State Bakersfield	18
11.	UC Riverside	12
First-place votes in parentheses

2025 Big West Baseball Preseason Coaches' Team
Student-Athlete	Year	Position	Institution	Hometown
Tyler Bremner	Jr.	RHP	UC Santa Barbara	San Diego, Calif.
Jordan Donahue	Sr.	INF	Hawai'i	Mililani, Hawai'i
Jackson Flora	So.	RHP	UC Santa Barbara	Pleasanton, Calif.
Alejandro Garza	So.	3B	Cal Poly	Bakersfield, Calif.
Emiliano Gonzalez	Gr.	C	UC San Diego	Azusa, Calif.
Bryan Green	Sr.	LHP	UC Davis	Sparks, Nev.
Anthony Martinez	Jr.	1B	UC Irvine	Fairfield, Calif.
Kellan Montgomery	Jr.	RHP	Long Beach State	Santa Barbara, Calif.
Griffin Naess	So.	RHP	Cal Poly	Laguna Beach, Calif.
Ricky Ojeda	So.	LHP	UC Irvine	Valencia, Calif.
Cole Tryba	So.	LHP	UC Santa Barbara	Long Beach, Calif.