Cal State East Bay returns to their home diamond with a 4-1 win

After a two-year Covid-19 hiatus, California State University, East Bay’s baseball team is back in full swing, starting their season with a 4-1 win against the Academy of Arts on Feb. 4 at Pioneer Field.

The players took the field with excitement and competitive verve, ready to face any curve balls thrown their way. The Pioneers kicked the game off with a run in the bottom of the second, followed by their first home run of the season from sophomore Matthew O’Mahony in the bottom of the fourth.

“I had pre-game jitters, but once we [got] out there and started playing, it all [went] smoothly [by] trusting in all our practices we’ve had over the past months; I’m excited to be playing again. If we play like today, we’ll be just fine, our pitching is good, our defense is strong, and our hitting will take care of itself,” said O’Mahony.

Starting pitcher, Ethan Brodsky got the pitching staff off to a strong start, logging the win with six strikeouts and only four hits allowed in five innings. The decision marked his second East Bay career win, with the last coming on April 26, 2019, against California State University, Los Angeles.

“We have a lot of great pitchers, players, and guys who can hit the ball really well. I’m feeling really great about this upcoming season,” stated Brodsky.

One of those players, relief pitcher Ryan Robinson, recorded the save with a stellar one-hit, two-strikeout performance over three-innings. Robinson closed out the game, his final pitch marking an CSUEB victory for the first time in over two years.

“I feel great; it’s been a long couple years waiting to do this again; I expect the season to go just like that. I expect a lot of good defense, we’re gonna throw a lot of strikes, and it’s going to be [a lot of] team wins. It feels amazing being back with the guys; we worked so hard for this. There’s a lot of young guys stepping up,” concluded Robinson.

Leading this group of young and hungry players is Mike Cummins entering his fifth year as head coach at CSUEB. Since his arrival in 2017, the Pioneers sport a record of 82-87. One of his assistant coaches, alumni, and former catcher Jake Ruiz, anticipates a successful season for the Pioneers.

“It feels great seeing the guys out here reaping the benefits of hard work after the past few years. I think we’re gonna have a really good season. We have a lot of older pitching, good young guys who like to play hard and a group of competitive [players],” said Ruiz.

The Pioneers wrapped up the weekend, splitting their double-header, the first game a 6-4 win and the second a 5-9 loss against the Academy of Arts. The Pioneers cap off their pre-conference schedule with a four-game home and away series against Holy Names (Feb 10, 11, and 12) followed by a three-game home series against Simpson University (Feb. 18 and 19).