CSUN Hits the Road for the First Time to Face Saint Mary's

Friday, February 20

Moraga, Calif.

2:00 p.m.

California State University at Northridge

Saint Mary's

Photo by: Chuck Marvel

CSUN Hits the Road for the First Time to Face Saint Mary's

2/19/2026 1:44:00 PM | Baseball

BASE Game Notes - Feb. 19

NORTHRIDGE, Calif.---CSUN Baseball opens its first road trip of the new season in Moraga to take on Saint Mary's in a three-game series. The opener is set for Friday at 2 p.m. while the teams play game two on Saturday at 1 p.m. and the finale on Sunday at 1 p.m. All three games will be broadcast on ESPN+.

FOR STARTERS
The Matadors wrapped up their first homestand of the season on Wednesday, finishing up at 3-1. The three wins through four games are the most for the program since the 2023 season when the Matadors began 4-0. The series at Saint Mary's opens a four-game road trip for the Matadors, which concludes with a midweek game at California Baptist on Tuesday, Feb. 24. Next weekend sees the Matadors returning to Robert J. Hiegert Field to host Western Michigan in a three-game series.

PITCHING ROTATION
CSUN's pitching rotation will have a similar look to last weekend's series with senior right hander Adam Christopher (0-0, 4.50 ERA) getting the nod in game one followed by Traig Oughton going in game two. Oughton picked up a win last Saturday by working five innings and allowing three runs against Seattle U. Gabriel Hernandez (1-0, 3.60 ERA) made the Sunday start last week in what was his first appearance since suffering an injury near the midway point of last season. CSUN's staff will be opposed by Saint Mary's rotation of John Damozonio (0-1, 9.00 ERA) and Cam Staton (1-0, 3.00 ERA) while Sunday's starter is yet to be determined.

LAST TIME OUT
The Matadors tasted defeat for the first time this season on Wednesday to Portland by a 5-4 score at Robert J. Hiegert Field. CSUN dug a 5-0 hole in the game with the Pilots jumping ahead for three runs in the first inning. The Matador bullpen worked the final 8.1 innings, allowing just two runs combined, highlighted by four hitless and shutout frames by Lucas Alaniz. Freshman Jack Jones, who was the first out of the bullpen, tossed 4.1 innings, giving up two runs. After being shutout through the first six innings, CSUN got into the scoring column on a two-run homer by Trent Abel in the seventh while two more came across in the eighth. The Matadors though hit into a double play to end the eighth with the bases loaded and stranded two more runners in the ninth.

MATADOR QUICK HITS
Kyle Panganiban is off to a fast start to 2026, slashing .385/.556/.923 to go with two homers and seven RBI. He is also a perfect 3-for-3 in stolen base attempts ... the trio of Kyle Panganiban, Matthew Pena, Vaughn Coleman and Matthew Thomas have reached safely in all four games this season ... the Matadors' three-game sweep of Seattle U was their first to open a season since 2023 ... Pena became the first Matador since Justin Toerner in 2018 to record at least seven RBI in a single game on Sunday versus Seattle U ... Outfielder Matthew Thomas would hit a solo homer in the opener, becoming the first Matador since Kyle Barret in 2018 to record a homer in his first career CSUN bat ... Sophomore left hander Kody King was among the 10 CSUN pitchers to see action against Seattle U. He would toss a shutout frame on Saturday, holding a CSUN 4-3 lead, while he struck out the side ... In total, 13 CSUN newcomers have already made their debut with the team during the opening homestand.

SCOUTING SAINT MARY'S
The Gaels went 1-2 last weekend against Creighton to kick off the 2026 season. The team's win in the series was in game two by a 7-2 score while the Gaels dropped the rubber match, 9-8. Saint Mary's is coming off a historic season in program history, winning the WCC Tournament and advancing to the NCAA Regionals. Overall, SMC went 36-26 last season with a 15-9 WCC mark. Prior to the season, the team was picked to finish third by the league's head coaches. Diego Castellanos, a Preseason All-WCC selection, has hit an even .500 in the early going this season while Jacob Johnson is batting .417 with two homers and six RBI to lead the team. As a team, the Gaels hit .358 as a group last weekend while the pitching staff sported a 6.33 ERA.

Series History: CSUN leads Saint Mary's 14-8 in the all-time series. The teams last played in the 2022 season in Moraga with the Matadors posting a three-game sweep. CSUN has won seven of 11 all-time meetings at Saint Mary's.

#GoMatadors