SAN JOSE, Calif. – The San José State baseball team will open the 2026 season against Long Beach State in a three-game weekend series from Friday, Feb. 13 to Sunday, Feb. 15 at Bohl Diamond in Long Beach, Calif. Friday and Sunday’s game can be watched on ESPN+.
The Spartans are looking for their for their fifth trip in a row to the Mountain West championship game and first Mountain West conference championship since 2023
The Spartans are 27-35-1 all-time against Long Beach State
The Spartans last played LBSU in a three game series in May, 2016 on the road. The Beach took all three games of the series
The Spartans last beat Long Beach State on May 4, 1996 in a 4-2 victory when both teams were members of the Big West conference
The Spartans were picked to finish fifth in the Mountain West preseason poll
Last season, the Spartans tallied 55 double-plays, the fourth most in the nation. The three teams ahead of them played six-10 more games than the Spartans
Three Spartans, Tyler Albanese, Alex Fernandes, and Kyle Calzadiaz, were named to the preseason All Mountain West Team.
The Spartans were one of two teams in the conference to have multiple players picked for preseason all conference and the only team to have multiple pitchers
Last season, Fernandes led the Spartans with a .361 batting average and a .447 OBP. He was also named to the MW All-Tournament Team
Albanese was named Second Team All-Mountain West and to the MW All-Tournament Team in 2025. Albanese finished the season with a 2.97 ERA and nine saves, the third most in a season in SJSU history
Calzadiaz recorded an ERA of 3.15 in conference play in 2025 and was also named to the 2025 MW All-Tournament Team
Spartans also return shortstop Rocco Caballero, who was named Second Team All-Mountain West last season. Caballero batted .286 in 2025 and hit 21 doubles, the eighth most in a season in SJSU history
Outfielder Jake McCoy led the team with a .519 slugging percentage in 2025. McCoy his nine home runs and batted .299 last season. McCoy is also a RHP, pitching in one game last season
The Spartans also return LHP Jesse Gutierrez, who was SJSU’s Friday starter to begin 2025 before suffering a season-ending injury. Gutierrez registered a 2.36 ERA in five appearences. Gutierrez was also named to the MW All-Tournament Team in 2024
LHP EJ McGrew led the Spartans with seven wins last season
RHP David Thomas pitched 74.1 innings in 2025, the most on the team
The Spartans return 19 players in 2025, including five starting batters and eight pitchers
The Spartans have added 17 transfers and four freshmen to the 2026 squad
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