The 2020s have not been a kind decade for Cal State LA’s baseball team. After the COVID-19 pandemic shut down the 2020 and 2021 seasons, the Golden Eagles have yet to finish a season with a winning record, last doing so in 2018. For 16-year manager Vince Beringhele, these struggles came down to his teams’ inexperience compared to the rest of the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA).
“We built a young team coming out of COVID, and we knew that we would have a year or two that were going to be a struggle because this is a much older league,” said Beringhele.
However, he believed 2024 marked a building year for his Golden Eagles. The team finished in last place the prior year with a 19-29 record and were expected to finish second-to-last in the coaches poll. The team defied those expectations and nearly made the CCAA tournament, ending the year in seventh with a 23-27 record.
Now, with eight months of off-season in the books, the Golden Eagles return to the diamond in 2025 with a mix of new and returning faces, looking to end a seven-year postseason drought.
Pitching was the Achilles’s heel of last year’s squad. LA’s pitching staff collectively posted a 6.66 earned run average (ERA), walking the second most batters in the CCAA with 249 free passes and hitting a conference-high 112 batters. No other team in the CCAA hit more than 80.
“Pitching has not been to the level we’ve expected,” Beringhele said. “We’ve walked too many guys. We have hit too many batters, and we’re just giving up too many free bases.”
The staff has undergone a rehaul in 2025. All five of LA’s main starters from last year are gone, including wins leader Owen Hunt. Beringhele looked for guys with “pitchability,” or pitchers who attack the strike zone when selecting new starters. Replacing them is a mix of promising underclassmen and transfer players. Beringhele mentioned returning second-year Brandon Gutierrez as the staff’s top pitcher. After only pitching five innings for the club last season, he brings a three-pitch mix that includes a fastball topping out at 92 miles per hour, a changeup, and a curveball. Gutierrez’s pitching philosophy speaks to Beringhele’s insistence on throwing strikes.
“Just going after guys, getting ahead early, and competing with the fastball,” Gutierrez said of his approach.
The starting lineup presents more certainty, with most of last year’s top contributors returning. However, the lineup will deal with its own losses, particularly All-CCAA first baseman Matthew Piotrowski. A mainstay in the lineup throughout his two seasons with the Golden Eagles, Piotrowski started all 50 games last year. He had a .350 batting average, was second on the team in hits with 70, runs batted in (RBI) with 42, and stolen bases with nine.
“Losing a guy like Pio is going to hurt,” Beringhele said. “It’s a middle-of-the-order bat that you knew what was coming every day.”
Beringhele said he’s considering a platoon at first, with names like third-year players Will Schwab, Mount San Antonio College transfer Gilbert Morales, Alberto Prado, and fourth-year Drew Emmons expected to get time at the position.
In contrast, the middle infield brings back last year’s starters, redshirt senior second-baseman Javy Espinoza and second-year shortstop Ethan Gonzalez. Espinoza started all 50 games last season with a .327 batting average, tallying 35 RBIs, 15 walks, and nine doubles. Gonzalez hit .318 in 46 games with the Golden Eagles, along with 30 RBIs. Espinoza talked about the advantages of playing with Gonzalez.
“We built that chemistry starting last year, and we’re just carrying it over to this year,” Espinoza said. “We know where we like our feeds, we just communicate well, and we understand the game.”
Beringhele spoke highly of his veteran middle infielders.
“They’re like having coaches on the field,” he said.
Similarly, the outfield is veteran-laced, with fourth-years Isaiah Marquez and Malik Clayton leading the way. Perhaps no one played a larger offensive role last year than Marquez. His team-leading 10 home runs, 52 RBIs, and 23 walks, along with a .348 batting average, earned him second-team All-CCAA honors.
Clayton moves to the outfield after primarily being a catcher last season. An All-CCAA honorable mention in 2024, he had a team-high .350 batting average with a .433 on-base percentage and a slugging percentage of .600. He also tallied 35 RBIs, eight home runs, and 18 walks.
Replacing Clayton behind the plate is third-year Ben Lee, who is transferring in from Cal Poly Pomona. Lee only started three games for the Broncos last year compared to 25 games in 2023, where he batted .270 with 13 RBIs. Now starting for the Golden Eagles, Lee expressed enthusiasm for his new role.
“I’ve worked my whole career for an opportunity like this, so I’m just going to go out there and do my thing,” said Lee.
Veterans like Marquez say they have a chip on their shoulder after last season. Despite exceeding expectations, the team lost eight of their final 12 games, contributing to them missing the tournament. Marquez said the team learned not to take games for granted.
“Each game means something. You can’t take a day off,” said Marquez. “You got to go full force every game like it’s your last.”
This year, the CCAA tournament heads to Reeder Field in May. Should the Golden Eagles return to the tournament, they would have home-field advantage while attempting to win their first conference tournament championship since 2013.
The Golden Eagles’ first regular season game is on Friday, Jan. 31, at 1 p.m. against Vanguard University. Their first home game is on Friday, Feb. 7, at 6 p.m., when they take on Biola University.
This article was first published in the January 29 print edition of the University Times.
