Santa Clara Club Baseball player Matteo Pignati (14) ’29 scores against Menlo College at Cartan Field on Saturday, April 17, 2026. **(Nina Glick/The Santa Clara)**

Santa Clara University is home to 21 active club sports teams, but you would be hard-pressed to find a team boasting a better resume than club baseball.

In 2023, alumni Kyle Drobick ’25, Jimmy Andre ’25 and Matt Sawyer ’25, then juniors, founded the University’s club baseball program. Three years later, Drobick and Andre now serve as coaches, and the team sits at 16-3 overall and 14-2 in conference play, and is ranked the number one Division II team in the country.

Coach Drobick has been with the team every step of the way. “He helped start this team three years ago, and he’s been really rallying everyone to keep showing up, keep showing out,” said centerfielder Connor Anderson ’28. “Most of our starters now are freshmen, so it kind of shows how much he’s really brought to this program. He’s got a lot of people coming out and supporting.”

The National Club Baseball Association (NCBA) regional playoffs are set to begin on May 1, and maintaining their standing as the best DII team won’t be easy.

The unpredictability of baseball was on full display when the Broncos visited Menlo College for the first two of a three-game series on Saturday, April 18.

“The baseball gods were, for sure, in effect today,” said right fielder Matteo Pignati ’29 following Santa Clara’s 16-15 loss in game two of the series. The first game went smoothly, as the Broncos took care of business 11-5, but game two took a turn, with the two teams trading blows late in a game where no lead seemed safe.

Gavin Brunsman (19) ’27 yells “we’re getting hot today” in between innings of Santa Clara Club Baseball’s first game against Menlo College on Saturday, April 17, 2026. **(Nina Glick/The Santa Clara)**

Santa Clara jumped out to an early 4-0 lead over Menlo, who responded with a four-run third inning. The Broncos took the lead back, 6-4 in the following inning, only for Menlo to respond again with three runs in the fourth to take a 7-6 lead. Back-to-back bunt singles loaded the bases for Santa Clara, allowing them to recapture the lead 10-7, but Menlo College was not to be denied, rallying in the sixth to score five, giving them a 12-10 lead.

In doubleheaders, only seven innings are played, meaning Santa Clara was down to their last three outs. The Bronco bats rose to the occasion, taking the lead 13-12, and had their opponents on the ropes with two outs and a runner on second. Down to their last strike, the Oaks of Menlo College were able to tie the game at 13-13, bringing it to extras.

The Broncos plated two runs in the top half of the eighth, but it wasn’t enough as Menlo sealed the defeat 16-15 with a walk-off single. In a tense game that even saw Menlo College’s head coach ejected late in the eighth inning for arguing a reversed out call, the Broncos fans in attendance stayed lively, willing their team on until the final pitch. “I’ve never seen stuff like this happen. Probably one of the craziest games I’ve ever played in,” Pignati added. “We hit the crap out of the ball. We did really well. We just got to flush it. Move on tomorrow, knowing we have the right mindset.”

Connor Anderson (11) ’28 pitches against Menlo College during Santa Clara Club Baseball’s first game gainst the Oaks on Saturday, April 17, 2026. (Nina Glick/The Santa Clara)

Similar to many of the tight-knit organizations on campus, club sports can often provide a support system for students and a family-like environment.

“I’ve made relationships I thought I’d never have. I’ve met so many cool people here that do so many different things, but we all still play baseball together,” said Anderson. “We’re basically family,” Pignati continued. “If you think you’re hanging up the cleats, just come out to club and have some fun.”

The Broncos finished up their series vs. Menlo College with a bounce-back 11-0 shutout victory, and they will conclude their regular season with make-up games against No. 6 Stanford, with whom they split the season series one game apiece, and last-place University of San Francisco.

The Stanford matchup will decide the winner of the Pacific North Conference and the number one seed heading into the regional playoffs. The Broncos will look to build on a runner-up finish in the 2025 playoffs, seeking the program’s first NCBA World Series appearance.