On the board: Eddie Madrigal delivered an RBI hit in the fifth—his 89th hit of the season, a new program record. / Photo by Emily Smith for SMC Athletics
Historic Run for Saint Mary’s Comes to an End at NCAA Tournament with Loss to Oregon State
The Gaels’ remarkable season included their second West Coast Conference championship and their first-ever victory in the NCAA Tournament. After defeating OSU on Friday night in a major upset, SMC fell to the eighth-ranked team on Sunday.
A 2025 season full of wild ups and downs for the Saint Mary's Gaels came to an end Sunday evening as they fell in the elimination game to eighth-ranked Oregon State to conclude their season in the NCAA Regional. The Gaels made history along the way, winning their second WCC Tournament Championship and earning a bid to their second-ever NCAA Tournament. They left their mark in the annals of SMC baseball with the program's first-ever NCAA Regional win—and they did this in truly dramatic fashion by upsetting the Beavers Friday night. Call this an exclamation point on an excellent 2025 season.
In Sunday’s game, Oregon State jumped on Saint Mary’s early with runs in five of the first six innings, including a nine-run sixth inning that put the game out of reach. The Gaels got on the board in the fifth inning with a pair of RBI singles from Eddie Madrigal and Cody Kashimoto to make it a three-run ballgame, but the nine runs off eight hits for the Beavers would help seal the game—and advance OSU to the regional final against three-seed USC.
“I’m very proud of this team! They battled all year long and believed in the standard of what we want Gael Baseball to be,” said Head Coach Eric Valenzuela. “It's just the start, the future is bright, but I can't say enough about this group. Starting 2–7 in conference play and going on a tear to make it to Sunday of the NCAA Regionals is pretty special. This team will go down in the history books with the program's first-ever NCAA Regional win.”
The Gaels first got on the board in the fifth with an RBI hit from Eddie Madrigal—who set the new program single-season hits record with 89. Over the course of the game, the Gaels were held to seven hits, as Oregon State’s Ethan Kleinschmit pitched into the eighth inning to earn his eighth win of the season and keep their season alive. After freshman Lukas Sarantos started for the Gaels, Valenzuela got six relievers out on the mound for the Gaels, with five of them making their first ever NCAA Regional appearance.
Gaels Making Their NCAA Debut
At the plate, Brady Petit, Makoa Sniffen, Micah Nicholson, Brett Williams, and Hayden Driggs made appearances late in the game to get a taste of NCAA postseason baseball. The game ended in a fitting way for Saint Mary's and fifth-year senior Hayden Driggs: He came to the plate in the ninth and crushed the 1–1 pitch deep over the left field wall for the second home run of his career.
Freshmen Brady Petit and Makoa Sniffen also got plate appearances in the eighth inning, and each recorded hits; Petit lined a ball to right field, and Sniffen doubled to the left field corner.
That Tournament Run
Taking stock of the Gaels’ three games in the NCAA Tournament: Cody Kashimoto led the team with four hits and a pair of RBI. On the mound, Dylan Delvecchio earned the Gaels’ only win, and Daniel Guevara Castro earned a save with their joint performance in Friday’s win over Oregon State.
Saint Mary's concluded their 2025 season with a record of 36–26, going 1–2 in their second regional appearance in program history. An additional season recap will be released in the coming days to highlight the historic 2025 season and individual accomplishments.
For the Gaels, one of the truly special aspects of this tournament was the support from dedicated Saint Mary’s fans who traveled to Corvallis and made their presence felt. For these student-athletes making history, the community's support made the moment even more memorable.
