Bronco Baseball falls to Waseda in International Exhibition Game
Waseda University’s Aoma Ohuchi slides into third base during Santa Clara baseball’s game against Waseda on Feb. 24, 2026. (Dylan Ryu/The Santa Clara)
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — On Tuesday, Feb. 24, Stephen Schott Stadium set the stage for an international showcase as Santa Clara University baseball welcomed Waseda University as part of the Japanese powerhouse’s 14th United States tour. The exhibition brought one of Japan’s most decorated collegiate programs to the Bay Area, offering fans a very rare glimpse of international competition on the college level.
“I was kind of shocked,” said Bronco infielder Mateo Garcia ’26. “I never imagined we’d play an international team.”
Competing in the prestigious Tokyo Big6 Baseball League, Waseda holds a league-record 49 championships and showed why it holds that distinction. The team opened their American tour with a 3-0 victory against the Broncos, fueled by a three-run third inning and a dominant pitching performance.
“Coach talked about how prestigious Waseda is and how much talent they have,” said Garcia. “I was just really excited to see what that level of baseball looks like and how we could compete with it.”
Bronco Head Coach Rusty Filter was right. The game’s turning point came in the top of the third, where Waseda’s Ousuke Yuasa worked a walk, stole second and moved to third on an error. Aoma Ohuchi followed with an RBI single to right field to break the scoreless tie. Moments later, Kensai Terao lined a single into shallow center, plating two more runs and giving Waseda a 3-0 cushion they would not relinquish.
On the mound, Waseda starter Konan Miyagi was in complete control. The right-hander fired five scoreless innings, allowing just two hits while striking out six. Miyagi, a member of the Japanese Collegiate National Team that faced the United States in the USA vs. Japan All-Star Championship Series last July, no-hit the Broncos through four innings before Matthew Tiendas ’29 led off the fifth with a single through the right side.
Waseda’s bullpen was just as sharp. Soichiro Koshii delivered two shutout innings, Kazuki Kozai handled the eighth and Kouki Takahashi closed the door with a seven-pitch, 1-2-3 ninth to secure Waseda’s combined four-hit shutout.
While Santa Clara used the exhibition to rest many of its starters, it was a great time for some of the young talent to get on the field. The Broncos were able to keep pace defensively, turning two double plays and using eight pitchers to limit Waseda to four hits across nine innings.
The Broncos matched Waseda’s batting output, highlighted by a double down the left field line from Hunter Fujimoto ’29 in the eighth and two singles off the bat of Payton Lambert ’27.
While the result favored the visitors, the night underscored the growing global reach of college baseball and gave a measuring stick for the Broncos against one of Japan’s premier programs.
“This is really a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” said Will Anderson ’27. “Playing a team you’re not used to, forming connections like this—it opens up so many doors for the future of the program.”
Both Garcia and Anderson expressed interest in continuing to play at least one international team per season, noting the opportunity would not only bring more attention to SCU but also create international connections.
“I think the opportunity of collegiate athletes being able to play international teams, being able to harbor connections with people their age that are like-minded, but not from the same country—I think it creates a bond that transcends, something that brings everybody together,” said Anderson.
With the regular season still young, these matchups carry importance not just for wins and losses, but for filling out the roster and shaping the identity of a team that has shown it can compete with the best on the Division I level.