Santa Clara University’s baseball squad cemented its place in the 2026 West Coast Conference Tournament by completing a 3‑2 sweep of Pepperdine, marking the team’s eighth consecutive victory and solidifying its postseason aspirations.
Honoring the Past While Building the Future
The game carried extra emotional weight after a pregame ceremony that paid tribute to twelve graduating seniors. Offensively, Luke Devine led the charge, going 3‑for‑4 and launching a solo home run, while Ben Cleary delivered a pivotal insurance run in the seventh inning that helped seal the win.
Pitching proved equally decisive. Tyler Alleman turned in a career‑long six‑shutout innings, backed by solid relief work from Josh Johnson and Cooper Lanz, who closed the game with a swinging strikeout to seal the victory.
Looking Ahead to a Familiar Rival
The Broncos will now travel to face San Francisco in the tournament, a team that swept them in three consecutive one‑run games earlier in the season. Despite those prior setbacks, the current roster feels confident after the recent surge in performance.
The eight‑game winning streak matches the longest run the program has posted since May 2023, and it marks the Broncos’ third appearance in the West Coast Conference Tournament in the past four years, underscoring a consistent upward trajectory.