By Ron Smith
April 29, 2024
 
(SANTA BARBARA, Calif.) Westmont Baseball (33-15-3, 23-8-1 PacWest) concluded the 2024 season with a split of a doubleheader at Concordia (23-20, 17-15). The Golden Eagles won the first game 6-3 before the Warriors responded with a 5-3 victory in game two.
 
In the first game, Concordia took a 5-0 lead into the top of the sixth before Westmont got on the board. Tanner Beltowski and Andrew Guidara pounded back-to-back doubles down the right field line to make it a 5-1 game.
 
The Golden Eagles, however, restored a five-run advantage, with an RBI-double by David Baruch that turned the score to 6-1.
 
Westmont's Bryce McFeely made it a more respectable score in the top of the ninth with a two-run home run down the left field line, but that was all the Warriors would muster in the early game. It was McFeely's 11th home run of the season.
 
The Warriors took a 1-0 lead in the opening frame of the second game when Michael Soper singled to center, driving in Daniel Patterson from third. Patterson doubled to lead off the game, then reached third on a ground ball by McFeely.
 
In the top of the fourth, Westmont stretched the lead to 3-0. Joey Rico and Jayden Mingus walked back-to-back to lead off the inning. One out later, Griffin Brown singled through the right side, driving in Rico and moving Mingus to third. Mingus scored on a sacrifice fly by Patterson.
 
Concordia tied the game with three runs in the bottom of the sixth, threatening to sweep the series. The Golden Eagles' first run scored on a ground ball to short on which Shane Wallace was retired at third as Michael Dixon scored. Then Wyatt Madison sent a two-RBI single up the middle, tying the game as it was headed into the final inning.
 
In the top of the seventh, Trey Dunn led off with a double to left center and was then replaced at second by pinch runner Isaac Veal. After Patterson was intentionally walked, Jack Bollengier produced a successful sacrifice bunt, advancing both runners. McFeely was also intentionally walked, loading the bases with one away.
 
That brought up Soper who was unintentionally walked, forcing in Veal and giving Westmont a 4-3 lead. Grant Yzermans stepped to the plate and delivered a sacrifice fly to center to bring home Patterson for a two-run lead.
 
Zach Yates returned to the mound in the seventh inning after entering the game with two away in the bottom of the sixth. Yates retired the side in order, securing Westmont's 33rd win of the year. It was the first win of the year for the Warriors' closer, who concluded the 2024 campaign with 10 saves - putting him in a three-way tie for second in program history for saves in a single season.
 
Westmont finished second in the PacWest standings, two games behind #4 Point Loma Nazarene (36-9-1, 25-6-1) and six and one-half games ahead of both Concordia and Hawai'i Pacific (30-20, 17-15). The Warriors are currently ranked 17th in the nation in the last poll by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association and second in the West Region.
 
As a staff, Warrior pitchers rewrote the single-season program record for saves at 19 and produced the second highest number of strikeouts per nine innings at 8.71. Their 393 strikeouts was the fourth most by a Warrior squad.
 
Ryan Humphreys struck out 86 batters in 2024, establishing a new team record 13.19 strikeouts per nine innings.
 
Offensively, Westmont posted a .468 collective slugging percentage, fifth best in the Warrior record book. The team's 61 home runs was the third most in a single season.
 
Patterson's 18 home runs set a school record, as did his .746 slugging percentage and his 153 total bases. His 59 runs scored tied Robbie Haw for fourth on the single-season list and his 20 doubles tied Simon Reid and Will Barring for second.
 
As for career records, Patterson ranks second in slugging percentage at .640.
 
Humphreys is the career leader in strikeouts per nine-innings at 12.64. Sean Youngerman ranks third on the same list at 9.12 and Bryan Peck ranks sixth at 8.58. That means half of the Warriors all-time best strikeout pitchers were members of the 2024 team.
 
Peck has 26 career wins, which ties him at third in the record book. Headed into his senior season, he is just two behind Russell Harmening and three back of Daniel Butler.
 
Tyler LaTorre ends his second year at the helm of the Westmont baseball program with a record of 81-24-3 and a winning percentage of .764.
 
At the end of the 2009 season, the Westmont baseball program was 228 games under .500 (since the 1958 season). In the last 15 years, under LaTorre and previous head coach Robert Ruiz, the Warriors have whittled away at that deficit and now have a record of 1415-1452-5, just 37 games from the .500 mark. The program's record during that stretch is 578-287-5 for a winning percentage of .667.