Fast finish earns CSM top seed in JUCO baseball playoffs

Conversely, Chabot-Hayward (15-5, 27-12) lost four of its last seven, and Skyline (15-5, 29-10) dropped two of its last three — with both suffering losses to CSM — and when the dust cleared, the Bulldogs’ fast finish earned them a three-way co-championship in the Coast North.

Fortune continued to smile on the Bulldogs with the Sunday announcement of the California Community College Athletic Association postseason bracket. Despite finishing with the worst overall record of the three co-champions, CSM earned the Coast North’s top seed. All three teams will host in the best-of-three regional playoff round, opening May 2, with Reedley at CSM; Cosumnes River-Sacramento at Skyline; and San Joaquin Delta-Stockton at Chabot. Fourth-place Cañada (9-11, 20-19) also qualified for the postseason field, and will open the playoffs at Sierra-Rocklin.

CSM’s hot streak began April 12 with a 7-6 home win over Cañada, with freshman outfielder Lucas Schumacher batting in the No. 9 spot and playing right field. The 2024 Serra graduate — one of just four San Mateo County natives on the Bulldogs’ roster — went a modest 0 for 2 with a walk in the game, but produced an RBI and a run scored.

Schumacher went on to the most interesting 5-for-21 stretch over CSM’s six wins, totaling eight RBIs and five runs during the streak, while manning center field and batting leadoff in the final two games — an 11-5 win at Chabot, and an 8-4 win at Cañada.

The Bulldogs’ 6-5 win over Skyline on April 19 was the most pivotal win, moving them to within one game of first place in the conference standings with two games to play.

The back-and-forth battle through the late innings saw CSM overcome a 4-2 deficit in the bottom of the eighth with a three-run rally, capped by a go-ahead two-run home run by sophomore Charlie Welch. Skyline answered with a run in the top of the ninth to tie it, but Schumacher set the table in the bottom of the frame with a leadoff single. After the Bulldogs loaded the bases, freshman Ethan Lopez got hit by a Devin Costa pitch to force Schumacher home for the walk-off win.

CSM moved into the first-place tie on the final day of the season with its win over Cañada, while Skyline fell 12-8 at Chabot.

Senior right-hander Michael Volkman earned the win for the Bulldogs, allowing two runs on eight hits through six innings of work. With the win, Volkman improved his record to 7-3, tying him for the team lead in wins with freshman AJ Minyard, and finished the regular season as CSM’s workhorse with a team-best 68 1/3 innings pitched.

Schumacher was 1 for 5 with a double and two RBIs in the regular-season finale, while Welch had two hits, and connected for his second home run of the year. Freshmen Dylan Hillman — CSM’s home run leader with 11 — and Rocco Giometti added two hits and one RBI apiece, and sophomore Luke Rossi also had two hits.

Sophomore right-hander Gino Rossi recorded the final out of the regular season, inducing a popup to sophomore second baseman Mattew Garcia.

Across the Bay, Skyline was getting walloped by Chabot, as the Gladiators scored in each of the first three innings to take a 9-0 lead. The Trojans made some noise trailing 12-3 in the top of the ninth, rallying for five runs, highlighted by a grand slam home run from freshman catcher Kyle Liu.

Liu totaled just 25 at-bats in limited playing time this year, batting .320 with 10 RBIs. His grand slam was the first homer of his collegiate career.