Santa Clara Baseball Qualifies for WCC Tournament
Santa Clara relief pitcher Cooper Lanz (37) ’26 celebrates after striking out Pepperdine’s Finley Buckner to win the game for Santa Clara against Pepperdine at Stephen Schott Stadium on Saturday, May 16, 2026. (Nina Glick/The Santa Clara)
Santa Clara baseball (25-28, WCC 13-14) qualified for the WCC Baseball Tournament with a sweep of its series against Pepperdine (21-32, WCC 15-12) this weekend at Stephen Schott Stadium.
The Broncos crushed the Waves, run-ruling them 10-0 in seven innings in the WCC series opener on Thursday, May 14. They continued their momentum on Friday with another 9-2 win.
Heading into the final game of the series, the Broncos knew what was at stake. A win on Saturday would secure the sixth and final spot in the WCC Tournament.
The Broncos began conference play 3-12. Entering Saturday’s game, they had won seven consecutive games. The game also marked Senior Night, with 12 seniors honored in a pregame ceremony.
Saturday did not feature the offensive explosion Santa Clara had in the previous two nights. However, solo runs by Luke Devine ’28 and Ben Cleary ’27 helped the Broncos secure the 3-2 victory.
With the win, Santa Clara finished the season 13-14 in conference play, tying Portland in the standings. Because the Broncos won the head-to-head season series 2-1, they earned the final spot in the WCC Tournament.
Santa Clara will make its third appearance in the last four years at the WCC Baseball Tournament. The Broncos won the tournament in 2023 and were eliminated in the opening round in 2024.
Their eight-game winning streak ties the program’s longest since May 2023, when Santa Clara won eight straight games during its run through the WCC Tournament and into an NCAA Regional.
Six of the WCC’s ten teams qualify for the tournament.
Jace Gillmore (36) ’27 and Ben Cleary (3) ’27 celebrate Cleary’s home run in the seventh inning to put Santa Clara up 3-0 against Pepperdine at Stephen Schott Stadium on Saturday, May 16, 2026. (Nina Glick/The Santa Clara)
Santa Clara baseball coach Rusty Filter (50) points for relief pitcher Cooper Lanz to come in for relief pitcher Josh Johnson (left) ’25 MSSB ’26 after Santa Clara conceded two runs in the eighth inning, bringing the Santa Clara lead to just 3-2. (Nina Glick/The Santa Clara)
The winner of the WCC Baseball Tournament receives the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
Next up: The No. 6 Broncos will face No. 3 University of San Francisco in the first round of the WCC Tournament in Scottsdale, Ariz. on Wednesday, May 20, on ESPN+. The last time the teams met, the Dons swept the Broncos in three consecutive one-run games on the road. A win against San Francisco would send Santa Clara to a matchup with No. 1 Gonzaga.