Cue the music.
At long last, the Tigers are going dancing.
For the first time in program history, University of Pacific baseball is headed to the West Coast Conference Tournament.
An 11-11, eight-inning tie against San Diego in its Senior Day and regular-season home finale May 10, paired with results elsewhere in the WCC, officially punched Pacific’s ticket to Scottsdale Stadium in Scottsdale, Arizona, for the conference tournament May 20-23.
“It was a goal we set at the start of the year,” coach Reed Peters said. “These guys really came together. The leadership of the senior class helped us turn it around. It was some great work by our assistant coaches to help us get here, but it ultimately came down to the players to get us there.”
Pacific closed the regular season at 23-28-1 overall and 15-13-1 in conference play, securing the No. 2 seed and a first-round bye.
The Tigers will next play the second-lowest advancing seed at 7 p.m. Thursday, May 21.
All WCC Tournament games will stream on ESPN+, with the championship game scheduled for 1 p.m. Saturday, May 23, on ESPNU.
“It’s hard to explain,” senior infielder Jake Tandy said. “I’ve had a lot of ups and downs here, and it feels like all those downs have finally paid off. We’re finally getting to reap the rewards of all the hard work we’ve put in.”
Since rejoining the WCC in 2013-14, the Tigers had never qualified for the six-team conference tournament.
Now, Pacific heads to Scottsdale riding one of the hottest stretches in program history, having won 15 of its final 21 conference games, including a program-best five straight WCC series victories before the regular-season finale at Portland.
“We set out at the beginning of the year to make history by reaching the conference tournament,” shortstop Brendan O’Sullivan said. “But we’re not done. We want to keep making history.”
The ‘little rebirth party’
Game No. 30 had come and gone, and the script felt all too familiar.
Pacific had just been swept by league rival St. Mary’s, dropping to 2-7 in WCC play.
On the bus ride home, the conversations started. O’Sullivan and redshirt junior left-hander Garret Plata knew something had to change, and fast.
Two days later, another loss — a nonconference defeat to Cal State Bakersfield that dropped Pacific to 10-21 overall — became the breaking point.
That’s when the “pow wow” happened.
“No phones, no anything,” O’Sullivan said. “We met for two or three hours, really hammered everything out and got back to our goals.”
At first, it wasn’t easy. Tough truths were aired, brutal honesty filled the room. Yet, it was exactly what the Tigers needed.
“Accountability is a huge part of this team,” Tandy said. “If we’re calling out someone’s shortcomings, it’s not out of hate. It’s because we love and want the best for each other. That meeting really laid the groundwork for us to get on the same page.”
Not only did the turnaround follow, but a new tradition came with it.
Borrowing from his Delta College days, Peters brought in the demerit chart.
“If you don’t get a job done — pop up, walk a guy, whatever it may be — you’re sprinting after the game,” O’Sullivan said. “That’s the first thing we do after every game, before meetings or anything else.”
From the foul line to the fence, Pacific can rack up anywhere from one to five demerits, regardless of the result.
O’Sullivan knows other teams probably think they’re nuts.
They don’t care.
“They had their own little rebirth party,” Peters said. “I wasn’t there, but from what I heard, that’s what helped turn things around for us.”
‘Continue making history’
When Peters took over in June 2024 after an 11-44 season, the difference was immediate.
Peters arrived from San Joaquin Delta College, where he spent 17 seasons building a powerhouse, compiling a 386-167 record and helping place 140 student-athletes at Division I programs.
What came with him was the same expectation.
A culture built on winning.
“He completely flipped it,” Tandy said. “From the players he brought in, to the culture he created, everything changed. The focus now is doing whatever it takes to win ballgames and execute every aspect of the game. It’s a completely different mindset from previous years, and he’s done a really good job bringing this team together while holding us accountable.”
In Peters’ debut season, Pacific reached 20 wins for the first time since 2019. This year, that foundation turned into history.
Ask Peters, though, and the credit belongs elsewhere.
“Their camaraderie,” Peters said. “This is a team that’s very united, very loyal to one another and works together.”
Of course, having plenty of talent doesn’t hurt, either.
“I was talking with some guys,” O’Sullivan said. “Our one through five is really strong, and then you have Robert Ore — one of our best hitters — in the six hole. You get through that first five, and there’s another tough four before it rolls back to the top. Hitting-wise, I think we have one of the best lineups in the WCC.
“Then our pitching has been great. Carson Revay in the back end. Garret Plata, Zach Todd, all of our guys. The way they’ve pieced things together and dominated on the mound time and time again gives us energy at the plate and lets us go up there free and swing away.”
Culture. Camaraderie. Talent.
Pacific hopes it’s enough to keep this run going.
“Getting that first-round bye will set us up well,” O’Sullivan said. “It puts us in a good spot to continue making history, win the tournament and reach an NCAA Regional.”
Tandy added, “We’re striving for big things. We’re trying to do things this school has never seen before.”
This article originally appeared on The Record: Pacific baseball makes program history with first WCC Tournament bid
Reporting by Dylan Ackermann, The Stockton Record / The Record
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
