2026 UC Santa Barbara Gauchos baseball team

2026 UC Santa Barbara Gauchos baseball
ConferenceBig West Conference
Record12–2 (3–0 Big West)
Head coach
Associate head coachMatt Fonteno (7th season)
Assistant coachKyle Hunt (2nd season)
Pitching coachDylan Jones (7th season)
Home stadiumCaesar Uyesaka Stadium
2026 Big West Conference baseball standings
Conf. Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
Cal Poly  ‍‍‍ 6 – 0   1.000 12 – 7   .632
UC San Diego  ‍‍‍ 3 – 0   1.000 7 – 10   .412
Cal State Fullerton  ‍‍‍ 5 – 1   .833 10 – 10   .500
UC Santa Barbara  ‍‍‍ 4 – 2   .667 14 – 4   .778
UC Davis  ‍‍‍ 4 – 2   .667 9 – 9   .500
Cal State Northridge  ‍‍‍ 2 – 4   .333 11 – 9   .550
Long Beach State  ‍‍‍ 2 – 4   .333 7 – 13   .350
UC Riverside  ‍‍‍ 1 – 2   .333 6 – 14   .300
Hawai'i  ‍‍‍ 1 – 5   .167 10 – 9   .526
UC Irvine  ‍‍‍ 1 – 5   .167 9 – 11   .450
Cal State Bakersfield  ‍‍‍ 1 – 5   .167 7 – 14   .333
† – Conference champion
‡ – Tournament champion
y – Invited to the NCAA tournament
As of March 20, 2026[1]
Rankings from D1Baseball

The 2026 UC Santa Barbara Gauchos baseball team represent the University of California, Santa Barbara during the 2026 NCAA Division I baseball season. The Gauchos will play their home games at Caesar Uyesaka Stadium as a member of the Big West Conference. They are led by head coach Andrew Checketts in his fifteenth season as manager. The top five teams in the Big West Conference will play in the conference's postseason tournament, with the winner receiving the automatic bid to the 2026 NCAA tournament.

Previous season

See also: 2025 UC Santa Barbara Gauchos baseball team

Last season, UC Santa Barbara finished with a 36–18 record, going 16–14 in the Big West, and finishing tied for fourth in the conference. They fell in the first round in an elimination game against Hawai'i, falling 2–6.[2] They did not receive an at-large bid to the 2025 NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament, and finished the season unranked.

Preseason

Big West Preseason Poll & Team

The Big West Coaches' Poll and Team was released on February 6, 2026. UC Santa Barbara was predicted to finish first in the conference, and had one player make the preseason team.[3]

Coaches' Poll
Pos. Team Points
1 UC Santa Barbara 95 (5)
2 Cal Poly 89 (5)
3 UC Irvine 86 (1)
T-4 Cal State Fullerton 67
Hawai'i
6 UC San Diego 60
7 Long Beach State 41
8 UC Davis 40
9 CSUN 25
10 Cal State Bakersfield 22
11 UC Riverside 13
Preseason Coaches' Team
Player No. Position Class
Jackson Flora 2 RHP Junior

Personnel

Starters

Lineup
Pos. No. Player. Year
C 12 Nate Vargas Senior
1B 6 Nick Husovsky Graduate
2B 25 Cade Goldstein Freshman
3B 31 Xavier Esquer RS Junior
SS 5 Jonathan Mendez Junior
LF 35 Max Stagg RS Sophomore
CF 3 Rowan Kelly Sophomore
RF 41 Noah Karliner Graduate
DH 19 Cole Kosciusko Freshman
Weekend pitching rotation
Day No. Player. Year
Friday 2 Jackson Flora Junior
Saturday 20 Nathan Aceves Sophomore
Sunday 17 Kellan Montgomery Senior

Roster

Source:[4]

2026 UC Santa Barbara Gauchos baseball team
Players Coaches
# Pos. Name B/T Height Weight Year Home town
1 OF Colin Beazizo L/L 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Jr Lake Stevens, WA
2 RHP Jackson Flora R/R 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Jr Pleasanton, CA
3 OF Rowan Kelly L/L 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) 175 lb (79 kg) So Menlo Park, CA
5 INF Jonathan Mendez R/R 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Jr Los Angeles, CA
6 INF Nick Husovsky R/R 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Gr Ramona, CA
7 LHP Cole Tryba L/L 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Jr Long Beach, CA
9 OF Jack Haferkamp R/R 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 205 lb (93 kg) RS Fr Carlsbad, CA
10 OF Liam Barrett L/R 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 185 lb (84 kg) So Mountain View, CA
12 C Nate Vargas L/R 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 225 lb (102 kg) Sr Rocklin, CA
13 C Nico Libed R/R 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Jr Chula Vista, CA
14 RHP Hudson Aber R/R 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 195 lb (88 kg) RS Fr Danville, CA
15 LHP Nic Peterson L/L 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Jr Tustin, CA
16 INF Corey Nunez R/R 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Sr Torrance, CA
17 RHP Kellan Montgomery R/R 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Sr Santa Barbara, CA
19 UTL Cole Kosciusko L/L 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Sr Castro Valley, CA
20 RHP Nathan Aceves R/R 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 220 lb (100 kg) So Huntington Beach, CA
21 LHP Peter Broughton L/L 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 160 lb (73 kg) Fr Torrance, CA
22 LHP Chase Hoover L/L 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Jr Santa Barbara, CA
23 C Braden Watson R/R 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 230 lb (104 kg) RS Fr Peoria, AZ
24 LHP Van Froling L/L 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 210 lb (95 kg) So Sacramento, CA
25 UTL Cade Goldstein L/R 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Fr Calabasas, CA
26 INF William Vasseur R/R 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Sr Fort Collins, CO
27 RHP Josh Jannicelli R/R 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Fr Santa Rosa, CA
28 RHP Raymond Olivas R/R 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 185 lb (84 kg) So Stockton, CA
29 RHP Gavin Moran R/R 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Fr La Puente, CA
31 INF Xavier Esquer R/R 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) 190 lb (86 kg) RS Jr Palo Alto, CA
32 RHP Calvin Proskey R/R 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Jr Oak Park, IL
33 RHP Luke Bailey R/R 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Fr San Diego, CA
34 RHP Stunner Gonzales R/R 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 225 lb (102 kg) So Carlsbad, CA
35 OF Max Stagg R/R 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 215 lb (98 kg) RS So Adelaide, Australia
36 RHP Kole Laubach R/R 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Fr San Jose, CA
37 C Ian Fernandez R/R 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 205 lb (93 kg) So Napa, CA
38 INF Dawson Dines L/R 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 215 lb (98 kg) So Ripon, CA
39 OF Mitch Namie L/R 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Sr Mesa, AZ
41 OF Noah Karliner R/R 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 235 lb (107 kg) Gr Huntington Beach, CA
44 RHP Kyle Pott R/R 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Fr Elk Grove, CA
45 RHP AJ Krodel R/R 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Jr Villa Park, CA
46 INF Ryan Severns R/R 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Fr Fontana, CA
49 INF Jake Johnson R/R 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Fr San Diego, CA
50 INF Jordan Marian S/R 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Fr Foothill Ranch, CA
51 RHP Tyler Walton R/R 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Fr Mission Hills, CA
53 INF Evan Thomas L/R 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Fr Fallbrook, CA
55 LHP Donovann Jackson L/L 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Sr Glendora, CA
Head coach

Andrew Checketts

Assistant coach(es)

Matt Fonteno
Dylan Jones
Kyle Hunt

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • Injured
  • Current redshirt

Roster
Last update: February 19, 2026

Schedule

Source:[5]

Legend
  Gauchos win
  Gauchos loss
  Postponement
Bold Gauchos team member
2026 UC Santa Barbara Gauchos baseball game log (12–2)
Regular Season (12–2)
March (5–0)
Date Time
(PST) 		TV Opponent Rank Stadium Score Win Loss Save Attendance Overall BWC
March 1 1:05 p.m. ESPN+ Utah* — Caesar Uyesaka Stadium
Santa Barbara, California		 12–1 Montgomery (2–0) Abercromb (0–1) None 715 8–2 —
March 3 6:00 p.m. ESPN+ LMU* — Caesar Uyesaka Stadium 11–1 (8) Donovann (1–0) Johnson (0–1) Olivas (2) 477 9–2 —
March 6 4:05 p.m. ESPN+ Long Beach State — Caesar Uyesaka Stadium 4–3 Flora (4–0) Fields (1–2) Krodel (2) 685 10–2 1–0
March 7 3:05 p.m. ESPN+ Long Beach State — Caesar Uyesaka Stadium 7–4 Olivas (1–0) Anderson (0–2) None 882 11–2 2–0
March 8 1:05 p.m. ESPN+ Long Beach State — Caesar Uyesaka Stadium 6–2 Montgomery (3–0) Shelby (1–1) Krodel (3) 607 12–2 3–0
March 10 4:35 p.m. ESPN+ Saint Mary's* — Caesar Uyesaka Stadium — — — — — — —
March 13 6:00 p.m. ESPN+ at UC Davis — Dobbins Stadium
Davis, California		 — — — — — — —
March 14 6:00 p.m. ESPN+ at UC Davis — Dobbins Stadium — — — — — — —
March 15 1:00 p.m. ESPN+ at UC Davis — Dobbins Stadium — — — — — — —
March 20 4:35 p.m. ESPN+ Hawai'i — Caesar Uyesaka Stadium — — — — — — —
March 21 3:05 p.m. ESPN+ Hawai'i — Caesar Uyesaka Stadium — — — — — — —
March 22 1:05 p.m. ESPN+ Hawai'i — Caesar Uyesaka Stadium — — — — — — —
March 24 4:00 p.m. ESPN+ at Saint Mary's* — Louis Guisto Field
Moraga, California		 — — — — — — —
March 27 4:35 p.m. ESPN+ Oregon* — Caesar Uyesaka Stadium — — — — — — —
March 28 3:05 p.m. ESPN+ Oregon — Caesar Uyesaka Stadium — — — — — — —
March 29 12:05 p.m. ESPN+ Oregon — Caesar Uyesaka Stadium — — — — — — —
March 31 6:30 p.m. at B1G+ USC* — Dedeaux Field
Los Angeles, California		 — — — — — — —
Postseason (0–0)
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from D1Baseball. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Pacific.
Notes

Awards

Preseason

National team

Preseason Perfect Game All-American First Team[7]
Player No. Position Class
Jackson Flora 2 RHP Junior
Baseball America All-American First Team[8]
Player No. Position Class
Jackson Flora 2 RHP Junior
Golden Spikes Award Watchlist[9]
Player No. Position Class
Jackson Flora 2 RHP Junior

Rankings

Main article: 2026 NCAA Division I baseball rankings
Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked RV = Received votes
Week
PollPre12345678910111213141516Final
Coaches'[10]RVRV*RVRVRVRV
Baseball America[11]——————
NCBWA†[12]RVRVRVRVRVRV
D1Baseball[13]——————
Perfect Game[14]2125242222—

† NCBWA ranks 30 teams in their preseason poll, but only ranks 25 teams weekly during the season.
* A new poll was not released for this week, so for comparison purposes, the previous week's ranking is inserted in this week's slot.

References

  1. ^ "Big West Conference". D1Baseball.com. Retrieved March 20, 2026.
  2. ^ Chinen, Kyle (May 22, 2025). "UH baseball downs UC Santa Barbara to advance in Big West Tournament". Hawaii News Now. Retrieved February 19, 2026.
  3. ^ "UC Santa Barbara Favored to Win The Big West in 2026 Baseball Preseason Poll". bigwest.org. February 6, 2026. Retrieved February 6, 2026.
  4. ^ "2026 Baseball Roster".
  5. ^ "2026 Baseball Schedule".
  6. ^ "2026 Big West Baseball Championship". Retrieved January 19, 2026.
  7. ^ "Preseason Collegiate All-Americans". Retrieved February 19, 2026.
  8. ^ "2026 Preseason College Baseball All-America Teams". Retrieved February 19, 2026.
  9. ^ "Golden Spikes Award Watch List". Retrieved February 19, 2026.
  10. ^ "2026-27 Baseball Coaches Poll". www.sportsdata.usatoday.come. Retrieved February 6, 2026.
  11. ^ "College Baseball Top 25 Rankings". www.baseballamerica.com. Retrieved January 19, 2026.
  12. ^ "LSU tops 2026 NCBWA Preseason Poll". sportswriters.net. Retrieved February 9, 2026.
  13. ^ "2026 D1Baseball Preseason Top 25 Rankings". d1baseball.com. Retrieved January 19, 2026.
  14. ^ "2026 Preseason Top 25". perfectgame.org. Retrieved January 19, 2026.
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