2026 Season in Review – COD Baseball

Under the tutelage of sixth-year head coach Sam DiMatteo, the No. 8-seeded Roadrunners baseball team concluded the 2026 season by earning its fifth consecutive playoff berth.

DiMatteo reached a major coaching milestone on March 19, 2026, becoming the winningest coach in COD Baseball history. With a decisive road victory over Victor Valley College, he surpassed program legend Herb Claggett atop the program's all-time wins list. Under his leadership, the Roadrunners posted the most wins in a single season in school history, finishing with a 32-8 overall record and a 21-3 conference mark. Their success earned them the No. 8 seed in the Southern California Regional Playoffs and the opportunity to host a playoff series for just the second time in program history.

The Roadrunners also brought home a collection of postseason honors. 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. Brandon Leon earned a trio of major accolades, including IEAC Player of the Year, IEAC Defensive Player of the Year, and ABCA/Rawlings Pacific Division All-America First Team honors. Javier Vasquez was selected as the IEAC Pitching MVP.

COD also produced two Gold Glove recipients—Brandon Leon and Kaden Durazo—along with five First Team All-Conference selections: Matt Wallin, Caleb Ortiz, Victor Estrada, Kaden Prosofsky, and Jayvin Baxa. Five additional Roadrunners earned Second Team All-Conference recognition: Kaden Durazo, Jon Artis, Brandon "Makoa" Deth, Malakai Lopez, and Derek Ball.

You can find the complete IEAC All-Conference List HERE

The Roadrunners had some notable games in the 2026 season including: first win over Saddleback since at least the 1992 season, sweeping Chaffey for the first time since 1999, sweeping Mt. San Jacinto for the first time since 2022, first win at Rio Hondo since 2013.

Center fielder Brandon Leon (La Quinta H.S.) collected a host of postseason honors, earning ABCA/Rawlings Pacific Division All-America First Team recognition, Inland Empire Athletic Conference (IEAC) Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year honors, and an IEAC Gold Glove Award.

Leon delivered one of the most dominant single-season performances in Roadrunner history, finishing among the state's Top 5 in doubles (2nd, 24), batting average (5th, .458), and stolen bases (5th, 33). He also ranked among the Top 10 in hits (6th, 77), on-base percentage (7th, .533), and total bases (9th, 118).

The 5-foot-9, 170-pound sophomore led the IEAC in batting average, RBIs, and stolen bases, while finishing tied for third in home runs with five. Leon recorded 25 multi-hit games during the 2026 campaign, including 12 contests with three or more hits, two four-hit performances, and a six-hit game. He also posted 15 multi-RBI games, including seven with three or more RBIs, and scored multiple runs in 17 games, including four contests with three runs scored.

The University of California, Los Angeles commit delivered his signature performance of the season on March 17 against Victor Valley, turning in a career day from the leadoff spot by going 6-for-7 with six RBIs and one run scored. His six RBIs matched the highest single-game total by a Roadrunner since 2024, while his six hits were the most by a College of the Desert player in a game since 2022.

Right-handed pitcher Javier Vasquez (La Quinta H.S.) was named the IEAC Pitching MVP after finishing among the conference leaders in several major categories, including strikeouts (tied for 1st, 65), earned run average (2nd, 3.17), and wins (tied for 4th, 6).

Primarily a starter, the 6-foot-2, 230-pound freshman logged at least five innings in 12 appearances, including five outings of seven innings or more. Vasquez recorded seven games with five or more strikeouts and four performances with at least seven punchouts.

His most dominant outing came on March 26 at Chaffey, where he struck out eight batters over five innings in a rare Roadrunner victory in Rancho Cucamonga. His biggest performance of the season came in Game 2 of the Southern California Regional Playoffs against Saddleback, when he delivered six innings in a must-win elimination game to help keep the Roadrunners' season alive.

Right-handed pitcher Matthew Wallin (Perris Orange Vista) earned First Team All-IEAC honors after finishing tied for fourth in California with 10 wins and second in the conference with 56 strikeouts.

The 6-foot-2, 190-pound sophomore recorded 12 starts of at least five innings, including four outings of seven innings or more. He also posted four games with five or more strikeouts during the 2026 campaign.

The California State University, San Bernardino commit turned in his best performance of the season on January 29 at San Diego City, tossing a complete game while striking out 10 batters.

Right-handed pitcher Caleb Ortiz (Indio Shadow Hills) also earned First Team All-IEAC honors as a starting pitcher after finishing third in the state with a 1.88 earned run average and tied for second in the conference with seven wins.

Ortiz continued his development after earning Second Team All-IEAC honors as a freshman in 2025. The 5-foot-10, 185-pound sophomore recorded seven starts of at least five innings, including two outings of seven innings.

His best performance of the season came on March 21 in an 8-1 victory over Victor Valley, when he allowed just one run over 6.2 innings while striking out seven batters.

Left-handed pitcher Victor Estrada (Palm Desert H.S.) earned First Team All-IEAC honors as a relief pitcher after recording 41 strikeouts in 30.2 innings pitched. His 12.03 strikeouts per nine innings ranked among the most dominant relief performances in the conference.

The 6-foot-2, 208-pound freshman was called upon in nearly every situation imaginable and consistently delivered. While most of his appearances lasted two innings or fewer, Estrada also demonstrated the ability to provide extended relief, including a four-inning outing in a victory over Cerro Coso on April 9.

The California State University, San Bernardino commit authored several critical performances throughout the season, but none were bigger than his appearance in Game 2 of the Southern California Regional Playoffs against Saddleback on May 3. Entering in the ninth inning with the Roadrunners trailing by one run, Estrada recorded the final two outs to keep the deficit at a single run and earn the victory. College of the Desert then rallied for two runs in the bottom of the ninth to keep its postseason hopes alive.

Outfielder Kaden Prosofsky (Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Bishop James Mahoney H.S.) also earned First Team All-IEAC honors after finishing among the conference's Top 10 in multiple offensive categories, including batting average (.395, 4th), RBIs (38, 6th), slugging percentage (.651, 6th), home runs (4, tied for 7th), hits (46, 9th), and doubles (8, 10th).

The 5-foot-10, 180-pound freshman recorded 12 multi-hit games, including four three-hit performances, and nine multi-RBI contests, including three games with four or more RBIs.

His most memorable hit of the season came in Game 2 of the Southern California Regional Playoffs against Saddleback on May 3, when he delivered a walk-off hit in the bottom of the ninth inning to lift the Roadrunners to a must-win victory and keep their postseason hopes alive.

Prosofsky's biggest offensive performance came on March 7 at Mt. San Jacinto, where he went 3-for-4 with five RBIs and his third home run of the season in a decisive road victory.

Third baseman Jayvin Baxa (La Quinta H.S.) also earned First Team All-IEAC honors after finishing among the conference's Top 10 in several offensive categories, including walks (25, 2nd), triples (4, tied for 2nd), on-base percentage (.531, 4th), and runs scored (37, 10th).

The 5-foot-7, 171-pound sophomore recorded 12 multi-hit games during the 2026 season, including five three-hit performances. He also posted five multi-RBI games, including two contests with three or more RBIs, and scored multiple runs in 11 games, including three games with three or more runs scored.

The Westmont College commit turned in his best performance of the season on April 9 against Cerro Coso, going 2-for-3 with four RBIs. Baxa drove in the game-winning run in the bottom of the eighth inning when he was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, helping lift the Roadrunners to victory.

Shortstop Kaden Durazo (Yucaipa H.S.) earned Second Team All-Inland Empire Athletic Conference (IEAC) honors and was recognized with the IEAC Gold Glove Award. Durazo finished the season among the conference leaders in runs scored (36, 9th) and RBIs (31, 12th).

The 6-foot-2, 180-pound sophomore recorded 11 multi-hit games during the 2026 campaign, including three three-hit performances. He also posted nine multi-RBI games, including four contests with three RBIs, and scored multiple runs in 10 games, including four games with three or more runs scored.

The California State University, Los Angeles commit delivered his top offensive performance of the season on March 24 against Chaffey, going 3-for-4 with three RBIs in a home victory. 

Outfielder Jon Artis (Katy H.S., Texas) also earned Second Team All-Inland Empire Athletic Conference (IEAC) honors after finishing among the conference leaders in stolen bases (12, 6th) and home runs (4, tied for 7th).

The 6-foot, 190-pound sophomore recorded 11 multi-hit games during the 2026 season, including one three-hit performance. He also posted four multi-RBI games, highlighted by a five-RBI effort, and scored multiple runs in nine contests, including a six-run performance.

The Western Oregon University commit delivered his top offensive performance of the season on March 26 at Chaffey, going 2-for-5 with five RBIs.

Right-handed pitcher Brandon "Makoa" Deth (Honolulu, Hawaii, Moanalua H.S.) also earned Second Team All-Inland Empire Athletic Conference (IEAC) honors as a relief pitcher after serving as one of the Roadrunners' most reliable arms out of the bullpen.

The 6-foot, 165-pound freshman appeared in 19 games during the 2026 season, with 13 of those outings lasting three innings or fewer. A true middle-relief specialist, Deth posted a 3.47 earned run average while recording 36 strikeouts.

The California State University, San Bernardino commit turned in his best performance of the season on January 27 against San Diego City, striking out six batters over 3.2 innings of relief. 

Utility player Malakai Lopez (Rancho Mirage H.S.) also earned Second Team All-Inland Empire Athletic Conference (IEAC) honors after finishing among the conference leaders in several offensive categories. Lopez ranked second in stolen bases (14), third in home runs (5), and fifth in runs scored (45), while also placing among the Top 10 in doubles (13, 6th), hits (54, 7th), and RBIs (34, 10th).

The 6-foot, 180-pound freshman recorded 19 multi-hit games during the 2026 season, including three contests with three or more hits. He also posted eight multi-RBI games, including three performances with four or more RBIs, and scored multiple runs in 13 games, including four contests with three runs scored.

The California State University, San Bernardino commit delivered his top performance of the season on March 12 at Rio Hondo, going 4-for-6 with four doubles, four RBIs, and three runs scored.

Designated hitter Derek Ball (Parker, Colorado, Chaparral H.S.) also earned Second Team All-Inland Empire Athletic Conference (IEAC) honors after putting together an impressive freshman campaign.

The 6-foot-3, 205-pound freshman recorded seven multi-hit games during the 2026 season, including three contests with three or more hits. He also posted six multi-RBI games, highlighted by a five-RBI performance, and scored multiple runs in five games, including one contest with three runs scored.

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