The Pioneers baseball team opened up the 2012 campaign at home on Feb. 4, dropping the first game of the season against Sonoma State by a score of 6-2.

About 314 fans were on hand for the season opener at the Pioneer field as newly appointed President of CSU East Bay, Leroy Morishita, threw out the honorary first pitch before the game.

Although it was a head-to-head matchup through the first five innings of the game, the Sonoma Seawolves took full control of the lead after the sixth inning and never looked back, handing the Pioneers a 0-1 record to start the season.

“Despite the loss, I was encouraged by the amount of quality at-bats we had,” said head coach Bob Ralston. “Even though we only scored two runs and hit into four double plays in the game, we hit the ball pretty hard which could’ve led to big innings.”

The losing pitcher in the game was Charlie Sharrer, who was the sixth pitcher to come in the game for the Pioneers.

The Pioneers look to put the loss behind them as they prepare for their four upcoming matches to be played this week.

“We’re looking forward to getting back on the field. I think that the kids are anxious to get the season rolling because they have worked very hard in the fall and in the spring,” said Ralston.

“Everyone’s very excited about the season and having the opportunity to see a good opponent in our conference in Sonoma was good for us. We were very competitive in that game and we’re excited about our chances this season.”

Entering his first season at the helm as head coach for the Pioneers and a local product of Moreau Caltholic High School, Ralston is optimistic about his first season managing the Pioneers ballclub.

Ralston brings to the team 21 years of coaching experience at the high school, junior college and even the minor league levels. A graduate of CSUEB, Ralston is excited about the opportunity to turn things around for the future of Pioneer baseball.

“Coming back here after the number of years that I was away, it felt like I never left. It’s special to be able to come back and coach here knowing that after I graduated, my journey went different ways and having the opportunity to come back now is really neat,” said Ralston.

“It’s been a smooth transition. I got a good coaching staff in Darren Lewis and John Norfolk who are both just doing an outstanding job. We share responsibility quite a bit. The administration has been real supportive and it’s been a lot of fun. Just coaching baseball full time has been a pleasant thing for me personally because I’ve been a teacher for a number of years, so focusing solely on coaching has been a lot of fun for me.”

Ralston and his coaching staff believe that pitching for the Pioneers will be the strength of the team this year, among others.

East Bay returns Brandyn Bell, Bryce Miller and Zachary Wong, their three leading pitchers in Earned Run Average (ERA) last season.

The Pioneers next matchup of the season will be today, as they will host Azusa Pacific before facing off against Westmont and Menlo this weekend.