Hey Gaels Fans, Get Ready to See Baseball, Softball, Soccer, and Rugby Under the Lights at Saint Mary’s
State-of-the art lighting is coming to SMC playing fields. For the first time on the SMC campus, the Gael community will be able to take in evening games.
Let there be lights—for the fields where the Saint Mary’s Gaels play. After years of conversations between SMC and the Town of Moraga, outdoor stadium lights have been approved for Brother Ronald Gallagher Stadium, Cottrell Field, and Saint Mary's Stadium. These are the home fields of Saint Mary's Baseball, Saint Mary's Softball, Saint Mary's Men's and Women's Soccer, and Saint Mary’s Men’s and Women’s Rugby.
This season the stellar play by multiple Gael teams on their home fields and away earned them a place in the bright lights of conference championships and national tournaments. That includes SMC Baseball, which won the West Coast Conference Championship and stunned nationally-ranked Oregon State in the NCAA Regionals. It includes SMC Softball, which has won back-to-back WCC titles for the first time ever. And it includes perennial national powerhouse Gaels Men’s Rugby, which won the national championship in 2024 and this year made it into the Final Four.
Now home games for Saint Mary’s will include both day and evening games—opening up the game experience to even more fans in the Bay Area.
“I’d like to thank the Town of Moraga for continuing to see us as a pillar of their community and understanding our need for this project approval," said Saint Mary’s Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics Mike Matoso. “The addition of lights to these facilities will allow for evening play, which will improve both our student-athlete and fan experience, along with entertainment for the Town of Moraga. We are excited to see our athletes and fans under the lights in the very near future."
Saint Mary's is working with Musco Sports Lighting to provide the latest, state-of-the-art lighting systems at each outdoor venue. As a partner on this project, Musco brings experience designing lighting for professional stadiums, international superspeedways, Olympic Games, as well as major ports, airports, and railyards.
The Gaels will now join the likes of Gonzaga, Portland, Pacific, Santa Clara, LMU, and San Diego as WCC programs with all of their outdoor facilities lit for evening competition. Stay tuned for future information on this exciting project.
Sports Under the Lights
Photos by Tod Fierner and Ashleen Rai ’25
Lights will soon illuminate games for sports including Softball, Men’s and Women’s Rugby, and Men’s and Women’s Soccer. Along with lighting up Br. Ron Gallagher Stadium, the project encompasses Cottrell Field and Saint Mary’s Stadium.
