Chaffey Baseball Settles into Conference Competition
By Andre Manzo
Chaffey baseball has set their feet into the Inland Empire Athletic Conference in 2026, sitting one game under .500 with three wins.
In their latest exhibition, they fell 13-6 at home in a series opener against Cerro Coso College. The game was an illustration of how mental mishaps have the habit of snowballing.
It leaves the stinging thought that the field did not see the player’s best, especially after Chaffey’s three game win streak against Victory Valley finally showcased their ability to string wins together
Matthew Toscano took the starting role on Tuesday, seeing traffic early as the game opened with an infield error and a hit-by-pitch walk. Across 1.2 innings, three runs came across home plate, with only one being earned.
Chaffey fought with their bats, tying the game 4-4 at the end of the fifth inning. They were headlined by designated hitter Jack Terry, going perfectly in three at-bats across the first five innings. The rest of the lineup until that point seemed to have a hive mind of plate discipline, drawing more walks than hits to crowd the bases.
Chaffey continued showcasing their comfort in letting bases come to them, with 47 walks to 58 hits in conference play. Practice has clearly driven a patient approach at the plate for this young team.
Yet the momentum faded shortly after. Cerro Coso put up four runs at the top of the sixth, through five hits and help from an early Chaffey error that choked up pitcher Rudy Rosales.
After the sixth, Chaffey continued to stumble at the base of an uphill battle. Again, six errors in a single game is not a sign of a winning team. Across their prior three game win streak, Chaffey only allowed five errors.
Image courtesy of Andre Manzo: Chaffey baseball regroups after their pregame warm-ups.
Where the Panthers Stand
This pattern paints the potential of a team that is still struggling to embrace the attention to detail. Bobbled balls turn into crowded bases, then to stolen bases and to high leverage pitch counts that cannot always be executed.
Head Coach Grant Mayeaux noted that defensive setups are still revolving with a next-man-up mentality. Grant Price is being tested at third base -- previously at first -- after rolling his ankle a couple weeks ago.
Robert Morales took that challenge at first, and his serviceable glove and bat has given him the grace to continue growing in that corner of the infield.
Cleanliness in routine plays is the catalyst of an experienced polished team. For now, Chaffey is still developing their relationship with pressure, hoping to make diamonds.
“Guys aren’t going to be perfect. You’re going to shoot yourself in the foot more often than not by trying to be perfect. That’s what can really open the floodgates for error.” said Mayeaux, regarding the handling of pressure.
For a program that is barely seeding their culture, motives have to remain clear across staff and players.
“It’s the relentless pursuit of developing yourself as a human and as a baseball player. And the guys that we’re bringing into this program are guys that are ready for that” said Mayeaux.
Overall, the Panthers are 5-17, with many of their losses attributed to early regional games.
They have made progress since starting conference action. In seven games, they have a .246 batting average(BA) and a .346 on-base percentage (OBP), flashing their ability to keep up with those in the Inland Empire Athletic Conference.
Hayden Hull and Adrian Morales are off to hot conference starts, both batting over .300, going neck and neck in the team’s hit race. Hull has nine hits across seven games and Morales has eight across six.
Trevor Young continues to be the leading pitcher in the rotation, with a strong 3.00 earned run average (ERA), looking to excel as his starts become more crucial to the team’s success.
Young appears to feed well off pressure. In his senior year at Don Lugo High School, he bolstered a 1.64 ERA across ten appearances for a winning program. As he continues to adjust to college competition, his progress is expected to be linear.
Chaffey baseball will continue their series, with potentially more competitive defense, at Cerro Coso College on Thursday, Mar. 12. They hope to tie the series, swinging the momentum for a game three home matchup.