2026 Season in Review – COD Baseball

Under the tutelage of sixth-year head coach Sam DiMatteo, the No. 8-seeded Roadrunners baseball team concluded the 2026 season by earning its fifth consecutive playoff berth.

DiMatteo reached a major coaching milestone on March 19, 2026, becoming the winningest coach in COD Baseball history. With a decisive road victory over Victor Valley College, he surpassed program legend Herb Claggett atop the program's all-time wins list. Under his leadership, the Roadrunners posted the most wins in a single season in school history, finishing with a 32-8 overall record and a 21-3 conference mark. Their success earned them the No. 8 seed in the Southern California Regional Playoffs and the opportunity to host a playoff series for just the second time in program history.

The Roadrunners also brought home a collection of postseason honors. DiMatteo earned his second Inland Empire Athletic Conference Coach of the Year honor, while Assistant Coach/Pitching Coach Reid Santos was named IEAC Assistant Coach of the Year. Brandon Leon earned a trio of major accolades, including IEAC Player of the Year, IEAC Defensive Player of the Year, and ABCA/Rawlings Pacific Division All-America First Team honors. Javier Vasquez was selected as the IEAC Pitching MVP.

COD also produced two Gold Glove recipients—Brandon Leon and Kaden Durazo—along with five First Team All-Conference selections: Matt Wallin, Caleb Ortiz, Victor Estrada, Kaden Prosofsky, and Jayvin Baxa. Five additional Roadrunners earned Second Team All-Conference recognition: Kaden Durazo, Jon Artis, Brandon "Makoa" Deth, Malakai Lopez, and Derek Ball.

You can find the complete IEAC All-Conference List HERE

The Roadrunners had some notable games in the 2026 season including: first win over Saddleback since at least the 1992 season, sweeping Chaffey for the first time since 1999, sweeping Mt. San Jacinto for the first time since 2022, first win at Rio Hondo since 2013.

Center fielder Brandon Leon (La Quinta H.S.) collected a host of postseason honors, earning ABCA/Rawlings Pacific Division All-America First Team recognition, Inland Empire Athletic Conference (IEAC) Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year honors, and an IEAC Gold Glove Award.

Leon delivered one of the most dominant single-season performances in Roadrunner history, finishing among the state's Top 5 in doubles (2nd, 24), batting average (5th, .458), and stolen bases (5th, 33). He also ranked among the Top 10 in hits (6th, 77), on-base percentage (7th, .533), and total bases (9th, 118).

The 5-foot-9, 170-pound sophomore led the IEAC in batting average, RBIs, and stolen bases, while finishing tied for third in home runs with five. Leon recorded 25 multi-hit games during the 2026 campaign, including 12 contests with three or more hits, two four-hit performances, and a six-hit game. He also posted 15 multi-RBI games, including seven with three or more RBIs, and scored multiple runs in 17 games, including four contests with three runs scored.

Leon's signature performance came on March 17 against Victor Valley, when he turned in a career day from the leadoff spot, going 6-for-7 with six RBIs and one run scored. His six RBIs matched the highest single-game total by a Roadrunner since 2024, while his six hits were the most by a College of the Desert player in a game since 2022.

Right-handed pitcher Javier Vasquez (La Quinta H.S.) was named the Inland Empire Athletic Conference (IEAC) Pitching MVP after finishing among the conference leaders in several major categories, including strikeouts (tied for 1st, 65), earned run average (2nd, 3.17), and wins (tied for 4th, 6).

Primarily a starter, the 6-foot-2, 230-pound freshman logged at least five innings in 12 appearances, including five outings of seven innings or more. Vasquez recorded seven games with five or more strikeouts and four performances with at least seven punchouts.

His most dominant outing came on March 26 at Chaffey, where he struck out eight batters over five innings in a rare Roadrunner victory in Rancho Cucamonga. His biggest performance of the season came in Game 2 of the Southern California Regional Playoffs against Saddleback, when he delivered six innings in a must-win elimination game to help keep the Roadrunners' season alive.

Right-handed pitcher Matthew Wallin (Perris Orange Vista) earned First Team All-Inland Empire Athletic Conference (IEAC) honors after finishing tied for fourth in California with 10 wins and second in the conference with 56 strikeouts.

The 6-foot-2, 190-pound sophomore recorded 12 starts of at least five innings, including four outings of seven innings or more. He also posted four games with five or more strikeouts during the 2026 campaign.

The California State University, San Bernardino commit turned in his best performance of the season on January 29 at San Diego City, tossing a complete game while striking out 10 batters.

Right-handed pitcher Caleb Ortiz (Indio Shadow Hills) also earned First Team All-Inland Empire Athletic Conference (IEAC) honors as a starting pitcher after finishing third in the state with a 1.88 earned run average and tied for second in the conference with seven wins.

Ortiz continued his development after earning Second Team All-IEAC honors as a freshman in 2025. The 5-foot-10, 185-pound sophomore recorded seven starts of at least five innings, including two outings of seven innings.

His best performance of the season came on March 21 in an 8-1 victory over Victor Valley, when he allowed just one run over 6.2 innings while striking out seven batters.

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Left-handed pitcher Victor Estrada (Palm Desert H.S.) was also named First Team All-IEAC as a relief pitcher, finishing the season in

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Outfielder Kaden Prosofsky (Saskatoon {SK} Bishop James Mahoney) was also named First Team All-IEAC finishing the season in

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Third baseman Jayvin Baxa (La Quinta H.S.) was also named First Team All-IEAC finishing the season in

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Short stop Kaden Durazo (Yucaipa H.S.) was named Second Team All-IEAC and was honored by winning the IEAC Gold Glove Award, finishing the season in

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Outfielder Jon Artis (Katy {TX} H.S.) was also named Second Team All-IEAC finishing the season in

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Right-handed pitcher Brandon "Makoa" Deth (Honolulu {HI} Moanalua) was also named Second Team All-IEAC as a relief pitcher, finishing the season in

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Utility player Malakai Lopez (Rancho Mirage H.S.) was also named Second Team All-IEAC finishing the season in

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Designated hitter Derek Ball (Parker {CO} Chaparral) was also named Second Team All-IEAC finishing the season in

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For additional information, please contact the COD Sports Information Office at 760.423.6641.

Information & Story provided by COD Sports Information. Photo by Darbie Catalfamo Photography.