With baseball season approaching fast, San Diego State is ready to take the field again. The Aztecs begin the 2026 season Feb. 13 at 6 p.m. against Long Island University.
“We want to fill up Tony Gwynn Stadium,” head coach Kevin Vance said. “We’ve got to earn that and win some games first, but we want to get things going and get people in the stands and make it an awesome environment, as it should be.”
After two straight sub-.500 seasons, the Scarlet and Black are in the middle of a rebuild. This has included a roster rehaul with 19 transfers and eight freshmen amongst the 10 returners.
The rehaul brings a lot of experience from transfers and returners, helping freshmen get geared up for the highs and lows of a long college baseball season.
“I truly can’t thank [the upperclassmen] enough,” freshman pitcher Jake Frohn said. “They’ve been showing us the ropes, and they’ve been really good mentors for us freshmen, so I truly can’t thank them enough for what they’ve done for us.”
Vance and several players, such as senior infielder Tyce Peterson, redshirt junior infielder Jabin Trosky and assistant coach Tyler Holt, have multiple years of experience with deep tournament runs, including trips to Omaha, the home of the College World Series.
“With our team having that experience, it means the freshmen can learn from those guys,” Vance said. “The guys have done a great job with that, mentoring them and showing them the ropes, and it is not easy, the guys know that, and they can bring the freshmen along.”
Even with the revamped roster and many new faces, the team’s chemistry feels like that of a team that has been together for years. The team culture from the coaching staff to the players combines optimism, togetherness and grit.
“I love just how close we’ve gotten as a team,” Frohn said. “I feel like ever since the first time we stepped foot on campus, you know, we’ve been pretty close. We’ve dealt together really well, and just being a part of this brotherhood is something really special that I’ve loved.”
College baseball forces freshmen to adjust not only to faster competition but also to the daily grind of balancing athletics and academics.
“The biggest adjustment coming from high school to college baseball was definitely the level of play,” freshman second baseman Max Farrell said. “I feel like the players in college are a lot more talented, it’s a much faster game and also the time management. Whether it is balancing classes, lifts, practices, studying and finding time to eat, all that has been the hardest part so far.”
“Do things right.”
That’s the quote from Tony Gwynn on the board above right field that the coaching staff passes down to their players from day one. Vance even adds to that statement with his “one pitch at a time” motto, which the team has adopted and hangs onto every day.
“The best piece of advice that I’ve received is just ‘One pitch at a time.’ It’s from Coach Vance,” Frohn said. “If you get caught up in the future, in the past, say you mess up a pitch, and you keep thinking about that, it’s only going to hurt you for the next pitch. So once that pitch is over, flush it, next pitch. Focus on one pitch at a time.”
While the Aztecs emphasize staying focused on the small details, their ultimate goals for the season remain sky high.
“I want to win a Mountain West championship, first off, then make a deep run into the postseason,” Farrell said. “I think we all have aspirations for going to Omaha, to the College World Series.”
