'That One was for Pops': Christopher Honors Late Father with Complete Game

As he entered the bottom of the ninth, three outs away from a first career complete game, CSUN's senior pitcher Adam Christopher did his best to stay calm.

Pitching on the final day of the 2026 season and making his last collegiate appearance, the Northridge native had a chance to send CSUN out with a victory against Hawai'i. Already with double-digit strikeouts, Christopher was pitching the game of his career despite raining conditions and a raucous crowd at Les Murakami Stadium in Honolulu.

Whenever he found himself getting caught up in the moment throughout the night, he looked down at his glove, which contained the words "Big Fan," allowing him to reset.

"Big Fan" was a tribute to his father, Thomas Christopher, who passed away on July 15, 2025 – exactly 10 months to the day of Christopher's start in Hawai'i.

"He was always loud at the games," Christopher said of his father. "On Twitter, if we had posted anything, he'd end it with #BigFan."
Adam Christopher with parents

Ten months before the game in Hawai'i, Christopher had received a visit from his parents while pitching in a summer league in Utah. His parents departed shortly after watching him pitch in a game in which he struck out the side before being ejected.

Just days after their visit, he received a phone call about his father.

"I got a call from mom, and it was that weird feeling when you're getting a phone call," he recalled. "She told me that dad passed away. I ended up going to the game that night because, with everything going on, baseball was a good place to be."

After the game, Christopher made the 10-hour drive home to Northridge. His family held memorial services four days after his father's passing, and on that day of the funeral, he received a timely email from CSUN.

Looking to continue his baseball career as a graduate student, Christopher had spoken with CSUN head coach Eddie Cornejo about possibly joining the Matadors. However, he had missed the university's application deadline by two weeks.

"I found out I missed the deadline, but I went ahead and emailed them to see if there was anything that I could do," Christopher said. "Then on July 19th, literally an hour after my dad's funeral, I got an email from a CSUN employee saying that I could apply by August 1st.

"I called Eddie and told him about the email," Christopher added. "I was thinking it was meant to be."

Joining the Matadors was a full circle moment for his family. Both of his parents attended CSUN while his father was a former Matador offensive lineman on the school's football team. From 1985-87, his father helped CSUN post two winning seasons.

"He loved CSUN," Christopher said. "Those CSUN teams were a gritty group, and it was old school football. He was in a fraternity as well. At his funeral, well over 100 CSUN alumni were in attendance.

"He bled Valley State," Christopher added.
Adam Christopher with father

Prior to joining CSUN, Adam began his career at Loyola Marymount before transferring to Reinhardt University in Waleska, Ga. Christopher helped lead Reinhardt to two postseason appearances, highlighted by a trip to the NAIA World Series.

CSUN provided the opportunity for a return to the Division I ranks along with the chance to stay close to home and support his mother, Heidi.

Christopher's season with CSUN featured plenty of highs. He earned an Opening Day start on the mound and served as a Friday night starter. Yet despite the success, he felt the absence of his biggest fan.

"My dad was my best friend," Christopher said. "That was hands down my guy. Normally, I could call him if I agreed or disagreed with something. I could vent, and he would be that reasonable voice.

"Starting on Opening Day, I thought that the cards were falling into place, but I got hit by a comebacker against Western Michigan and I was out for two weeks," he added. "Because I love dad, I wanted to talk to him, and I was bummed that he couldn't see this."

After battling back from injury, Christopher embraced a new role as a long reliever. It was there that he began to find his groove, beginning with a dominant outing against Cal State Bakersfield in which he struck out six batters over five shutout innings.

"I was pitching with a different feeling," he said. "After that game, I started to play free and thought, 'My dad's got a front row seat. He can enjoy this.'"

While he missed his father, his mother provided unwavering support throughout the emotional season.

"My mom was the biggest supporter in everything," he said. "Any home game I was pitching, she would bring everybody – whether it was from church or friends. While it was difficult not having dad, being home with mom and having that support system at CSUN allowed me to play free."

Christopher collected three wins in his relief role and helped the Matadors remain in postseason contention until the final weekend of the season. Heading into the series in Hawai'i, Christopher knew he would pitch but wasn't sure when.
Adam Christopher with mother

"I remember telling Gabe Hernandez that I got a gut feeling I would start the final game," Christopher said. "It's the 15th, the anniversary of dad. Plus, I got to start Opening Day, and I could close out the year."

Christopher also had the luxury of having his mother join him on the trip. With the anniversary landing on the final game of the season, it seemed fitting that he would get the start.

"When I found out I was starting, I had all these emotions running, and I just thought, 'It's the last one. Go enjoy it,'" Christopher said.

"We were already out of playoff race, but Nick Alfonso and I talked about that last game; it was just about pride," he added.

Christopher would save his best performance for his last game. Through the first four innings, he recorded five strikeouts while holding Hawai'i scoreless. But then, the rain arrived.

"I get out in the fifth, and it's raining pretty hard," he said. "When I got through that inning, and I was still able to dot my sinkers in aggressively, I knew we were going to be able to rock for a while."

CSUN provided Christopher with run support with a pair of runs. Hawai'i would finally scratch across a run in the rained-soaked fifth before Christopher ended the threat with a timely strikeout and let out a thunderous cheer from the mound.

After CSUN broke the game open in the sixth inning, Christopher added five more strikeouts to bring his total to 11 through eight innings.

"I could tell the guys were playing with a lot more behind them," Christopher said. "I didn't really talk to anyone about the anniversary, but all of a sudden, when I got some strikeouts going, there was a sense that something special is happening."

Christopher did his best to not let the moment overwhelm him. After completing the eighth inning, he looked at Cornejo and said "Let's do it. Let's go," before taking his seat on the bench.

Following his 12th strikeout to start the ninth, Christopher allowed a one-out single. With more than 100 pitches already thrown, he received a crucial defensive play from catcher Jehee Lee, who threw out the runner attempting to steal second.

"By some miracle throw, we caught the runner on the helmet when we weren't covering the guy at first, and I had just thrown a slider," Christopher said.

Two batters later, Christopher induced a ground ball to first baseman Mateo Rickman, who made the putout to secure the complete-game victory.

"For me, all of the emotions were hitting during the game, and I was trying to block them out," Christopher said. "But as soon as that last out was made, everything hit me.

"I remember when Mateo gave me the game ball, he said 'That one was for pops,'" Christopher added. "That was a feeling I can't describe."
Adam Christopher Hawaii Screenshot

Among the many supporters waiting to congratulate him after the game was his mother.

"My mom was just kind of in awe," he said. "I remember telling her that I wanted to go crazy out there and go as far as I could. We sat there hugging and crying. She was thankful of the coaches, and her big thing was 'God is good.'"

Christopher is grateful for everything he accomplished in his collegiate career, especially the emotional night in Hawai'i.

"I loved this team," Christopher said. "We were very close. We had guys tearing up before we made the last out."

As for his biggest fan, Christopher felt his father's spirit was with him every step of the way this season.

"He couldn't see my time at CSUN, but what was cool is that you almost feel like he's seeing it the whole way," Christopher said. "To have all the family and friends and everyone who loved dad supporting, I was able to keep it rolling, not just for myself but the family.

"Hawai'i was a top tier college moment," he added. "I've also never felt a team closer than on that day. Some things are bigger than baseball."

#GoMatadors

California State University Northridge Athletics

'That One was for Pops': Christopher Honors Late Father with Complete Game

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