RIVERSIDE--- America's favorite pastime will officially return to Riverside on Friday evening as the California Baptist baseball program opens its 2025 campaign at James W. Totman Stadium against the University of Portland. Head Coach Gary Adcock returns for his 22nd season at CBU and will be looking to return to the Western Athletic Conference Tournament Championship to avenge his 2024 season ending. The Lancers boast a 35-man roster, welcoming 18 new faces and returning 17 from their 2024 squad.

CBU's most notable return is, of course, Nicholas Dumesnil, a nationally recognized breakout star behind an incredible 2024 season. The junior returns to Totman this year as a first-round MLB Draft prospect and has earned numerous preseason accolades, and will be tasked with leading the Lancers to their first NCAA Regional. Jacob Wilson also makes his return for his sixth and final season in the Navy and Old Gold, leading Adcock's pitching staff in maturity and experience. Other familiar faces include seniors Julian Alvarez, Jake Brown, and Ryan Kim. On the newer side, Andrew Walters will be looking to make a splash after transferring from a local junior college and originating from UCLA. Walters was named a D1 Baseball JUCO Top-10 Power Hitter and has certainly flexed his power at the plate during the fall season. Another notable newcomer is true freshman Chris Ramirez, who will be sliding into the infield as a shortstop with confidence. Ramirez has already proven to be a strong hitter and will fit nicely in a strong offensive batting order.

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California Baptist fell third in the WAC Preseason Coaches Poll behind Grand Canyon and Abilene Christian, respectively. Grand Canyon has always faired well during the regular season and will be a strong program to face in Riverside, but ACU has climbed the ranks and will be a thrilling match-up for the Lancers. After opening its year against Portland, the Lancers will head down to San Diego to take on the Tony Gwynn Tournament hosted by San Diego State, where CBU will face Long Beach, UC Santa Barbara, and UC San Diego. Other notable games throughout the year include a series against Rutgers on the East Coast, the University of the Pacific, and the infamous Crosstown Showdown against UC Riverside. Across the 56 games slated for 2025, 34 will be home at Totman Stadium, and the furthest CBU will travel is to New Brunswick, New Jersey.

The Pilots enter 2025 after a solid previous season, going 37-19 and falling just short against San Diego in the WCC Tournament. Portland boasts an impressive pitching staff, which includes Carter Gaston. Gaston is a right-handed pitcher who dominated during his sophomore season with a 3.01 ERA, a 10-1 pitching record, and an impressive 50 punchouts from the mound. The junior RHP was named to the NCBWA Preseason All-American team and was a staple in the Preseason All-WCC Pitching Staff. Joining Gaston with preseason honors are Spencer Scott and Zach Toglia. Scott returns to Portland for his senior campaign behind a solid previous year, with a .316 batting average, 11 doubles, and 27 RBI. Toglia also returns to the PNW for his senior season as a go-to infielder for the Pilots. Toglia boasts power at the plate after knocking 10 home runs, 36 RBI, 15 doubles, and a total of 48 hits during the 2024 season. The four-game opening weekend series will be the first time Portland and California Baptist face off in the diamond, which looks to be a competitive showing to kick off the 2025 NCAA Baseball Season.

Season tickets for CBU Baseball are on sale now.