COD Baseball Earns No. 8 Seed, Set to Host SoCal Regional Opening Round

College of the Desert Baseball has earned the No. 8 seed and will host No. 9 Saddleback and No. 17 Cerritos in the opening round of the Southern California Regional Playoffs after capturing their 8th conference title.

You can find the complete 3C2A SoCal Regionals bracket HERE

Ticket Information:
General admission is $12. Faculty, staff, children under 12, adults 60+, and students with a valid A.S. card are $8. No guest passes will be accepted.

The series will feature a first-of-its-kind opening round format, typically reserved for the Super Regional stage, and will be played at Ted Hamilton Field on the campus of College of the Desert in Palm Desert.

Friday's action begins at 11 a.m., with Cerritos facing Saddleback in Game 1. The loser will immediately move into an elimination game against the higher-seeded Roadrunners at 3 p.m. The winner of Game 2 will advance to face the Game 1 winner on Saturday.

The format sets the stage for an electric weekend, with matchups and start times shifting based on results. The first team to earn two wins will advance. If all three teams are tied at 1-1 after Game 3, the scenario becomes even more compelling.

Fans are encouraged to follow the COD Athletics website and social media channels for real-time updates throughout the weekend.

The series will also coincide with a regional heat wave, as Coachella Valley temperatures are expected to run approximately 10 degrees above average. Highs are projected to reach 97 on Friday and 96 on Saturday, before cooling closer to seasonal norms at 88 on Sunday.

Under the direction of sixth-year head coach Sam DiMatteo, the Roadrunners secured their fifth consecutive playoff berth, finishing the regular season with a 31–6 overall record and a 21–3 mark in conference play. DiMatteo earned his second Inland Empire Athletic Conference Coach of the Year honor, while Assistant Coach/Pitching Coach Reid Santos was named IEAC Assistant Coach of the Year.

DiMatteo also reached a major milestone on March 19, earning his 121st career victory with a road win at Victor Valley, surpassing program legend Herb Claggett on the all-time wins list.

The Roadrunners were awarded the No. 8 seed in the Southern California Regional Playoffs and collected several top conference honors, including Player of the Year (Brandon Leon), Defensive Player of the Year (Brandon Leon), and Pitching MVP (Javier Vasquez). The team also earned two Gold Glove awards (Brandon Leon and Kaden Durazo), five First Team selections (Matt Wallin, Caleb Ortiz, Victor Estrada, Kaden Prosofsky, and Jayvin Baxa), and five Second Team selections (Kaden Durazo, Jon Artis, Brandon Deth, Malakai Lopez, and Derek Ball).

Scouting the Field

Cerritos (26-14, 17-7 SCC) enters the postseason as the No. 17 seed after finishing third in the South Coast Conference. After a 3-7 start, the Falcons surged late, winning eight of their final 10 games. Cerritos is led by third-year head coach Nate Fernley, who previously spent 17 seasons leading El Camino College.

Saddleback (24-16, 14-7 OEC), the No. 9 seed, also placed third in the Orange Empire Conference. The Bobcats opened the season 8-2 and have won nine of their last 11 contests. Saddleback is led by 15th-year head coach Sommer McCartney.

Recent History

COD and Cerritos last met on May 4, 2024, during the SoCal Regional playoffs, with the Falcons earning a 4-1 victory. Since 1992, the Roadrunners are 1-4 all-time against Cerritos.

COD and Saddleback last faced off on May 14, 2022, in the Super Regional round, where the Bobcats claimed a 5-1 win. The Roadrunners are 0-2 all-time against Saddleback dating back to 1992.

What's Next

The winner of the opening round will advance to the Super Regionals, scheduled for May 7–9. The 3C2A Baseball State Championship will be held May 23–25 at Great Park in Irvine.

Probable Lineups:

Cerritos
1. Luke Crowder (#18) lf
2. Tyler Peshke (#2) ss
3. Brody Cuellar (#24) dh
4. Mateo Heredia (#4) 3b
5. CJ Berthon (#7) 1b
6. Andrew Perez (#25) 2b
7. Adam Smith (#6) rf
8. Alejandro Rosas (#39) c
9. Hudson Comer (#26) cf
SP: Logan Hunt (#27) RHP

Saddleback
1. Matthew Henning (#1) 1b
2. Wesley Hickey (#9) cf
3. Jacob Hudson (#6) 3b
4. Jack Borges (#15) rf
5. Joey Doskocil (#27) 2b
6. Carter Enoch (#13) dh
7. Andrew Bertolette (#25) c
8. Cole Strane (#4) ss
9. Dmitri Susidko (#24) lf
SP: Jace Barajas (#5) RHP

College of the Desert
1. Brandon Leon ** (#2) cf
2. Malakai Lopez * (#17) 2b
3. Kaden Prosofsky * (#14) rf
4. Noah Arreola (#33) 1b
5. Jayvin Baxa * (#1) 3b
6. Derek Ball * (#34) dh
7. Jon Artis * (#9) lf
8. Benjamin Wade (#21) c
9. Kaden Durazo * (#7) ss
SP: Javier Vasquez ** (#32) RHP

**Conference MVP
*All-Conference

Follow COD Athletics on Twitter @COD_Athletics Instagram @COD_Athletics or Facebook @College of the Desert Athletics

For additional information, please contact the COD Sports Information Office at 760.423.6641.

Information & Story provided by COD Sports Information. Photo by Darbie Catalfamo Photography.