What a difference a year makes.

After a forgettable 18-30 record in 2012, the 2013 Pioneers baseball team boasts a 24-14 record as they near the end of what has been a surprising 2013 season.

With wins over nationally ranked Sonoma State and Chico State, possessing a former national player of the week while holding a stint as one of the top 25 teams in the country, East Bay has seemingly gone from dud to stud overnight.

Nonetheless, in arguably one of the most impressive baseball outings in school history, the question of sustainability remains. Maintaining a winning record in college baseball, let alone the CCAA, is far from a formality for any team. While epitomizing what a successful season is in college baseball, whether or not they can cement a winning tradition in the upcoming years is still in question.

For those inquiring what the future holds for East Bay baseball, skepticism is warranted but not a part of the team’s future in becoming a national powerhouse in Division 2.

The assurance comes with the hiring of Head Coach Bob Ralston, a local product who has had minor league playing and coaching experience. Joining Ralston is Assistant Coach Darren Lewis, a former major league outfielder who played for both the San Francisco Giants and the Oakland Athletics.

With vast experience at the helm, the team has been coached to impact the game on the defensive end. As a result, they are winning ball games.

“We’ve had some great pitching performances from Sean Becker and Mike Pope and several guys really step up to the mound,” Ralston said. “I think our biggest difference is we’re better defensively and we have more pitching depth.”

Junior Sean Becker and sophomore Michael Pope have combined for a 13-4 record this season, proving to players, coaches and fans that they have a strong foundation for the future.

Not many get a first-hand look at the pitching staff like senior pitcher Zachary Wong. Throughout his tenure at the university, the savvy right-hander credits the pitching staff’s success to their commitment to perfecting their pitching technique.

“It’s all due to the mindset of tilting the baseball, which means when we throw the baseball it travels on a downward plane making the hitter work harder to hit it square,” said Wong. “Our pitching gets a crazy amount of ground ball outs because of trying to tilt the baseball.”

Perfecting their throw has allowed the staff to remain competitive throughout a nine-inning stretch. However, it is who is behind the pitcher that wins games and according to associate athletic director Marissa Parry; the team has players who have committed themselves to keeping competitive teams off the base pads.

“Finally we’re at a point where we have teammates that are really helping each other out and realizing that everyone has to be a part of it,” Parry Said. “Teams have this preconceived notion of where we have been in past years so they’re pretty shocked when they see our talent and pitching on the field this year.”

On the other side of the ball, the team has found a way to get on base due in large part to their growing confidence at the plate.

“They are more aggressive at the plate then they have been and I think that has a lot to do with Darren Lewis,” Parry said. “He was a great hitter in his day and has helped the guys get up there and feel like they can be aggressive and really attack the ball.”

The credit given to Lewis is proof that he has been a great addition to the program not only because of his prominence as a proven major league hitter, but for his wealth of knowledge that he has shared with his players.

To have him on the coaching staff to groom the offensive has only raised the level of play on this team, allowing for East Bay to get on base more frequently.

In their second season at the helm, Lewis and the rest of the coaching staff are closing the season with their first recruiting class at the university and strive to add more stellar recruiting classes in the future.

Coach Ralston insists that they are extremely happy with the players they have recruited and that they are very competitive. The seven freshmen are looking to develop into impact players during a successful season that will ultimately help the university attract other top recruits in the region.

Nevertheless, the team plans to take one game at a time in their quest to postseason baseball, all the while surprising their opponents in the process. As Coach Ralston says, “It is easier to be the underdog than the favorite.”

With the team’s progress in just one season, East Bay baseball won’t be the underdog for long.