This month, Sagehen baseball received a new accolade: first in program quality in the West. According to Baseball MatchFinder, a website that analyzes programs around the country, Pomona-Pitzer (P-P) ranks first among 17 Division III baseball programs in the West. The Sagehens beat out programs like No. 2 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Stags in the process, and ranked second nationally only to Johns Hopkins University.
The ranking comes from the website’s College Baseball Match Finder analytics tool built to aid athletes from across recruiting backgrounds in finding a program that will fit their ideal student-athlete experience. Their index accounts for nine factors: academic reputation, earnings, net price, win percentage, title contention, coaching stability, program budget, weather and location.
Upon hearing this news, P-P baseball head coach Frank Pericolosi was impressed, but unsurprised. He said that the rankings affirmed what he already knew: Sagehen baseball, which has made the NCAA tournament four times since 2022, and reached the NCAA Division III World Series in 2024, is a model of academic and athletic excellence
“It’s a nice honor to be recognized,” Pericolosi said. “We’ve been knocking on the door every single year from a baseball standpoint and success on the field. We’ve also a good history of players after they graduate. We’ve had guys go to medical school or to law school and work in professional baseball.”
“It’s a nice honor to be recognized,” Pericolosi said. “We’ve been knocking on the door every single year from a baseball standpoint and success on the field. We’ve also a good history of players after they graduate. We’ve had guys go to medical school or to law school and work in professional baseball. ”
Sagehen baseball’s excellence extends beyond the field for the student-athlete experience. Will Polishuk PO ’28 shared how he balances his studies and practice while taking a heavy course load and playing for a highly competitive team.
“We’re lifting four times a week and practic[ing] three days a week,” Polishuk said. ”So learning to find that balance between schoolwork and sports is tricky. I’m a junior now, and the best thing that’s helped me is trying to focus on the task at hand. If I’m doing homework, I’m locked in and trying not to focus on anything else. When I’m at practice, I might have a test the next day, but I’m trying to focus on what I’m doing at that moment.”
For Polishuk, the fall term has been crucial in preparing for the games to come.
“Right now, we’re in fall ball,” Polishuk said. “It’s a very important time to get the [first-years] bought in on what we’re trying to do as a program and get them introduced to all the different things we do in terms of lifts and the practices. It’s really important to build that foundation before we go at it in the spring. There’s a lot of work that goes with that.”
Max Brunngraber PZ ’27 shared the importance of fostering team chemistry and gearing up for the upcoming season, emphasizing the team’s commitment throughout all aspects of their life.
“I’d say the biggest thing is effort,” Brunngraber said. “Our upperclassmen are all very good about not just getting better on the field, but everything we do, from maintaining relationships within the team or building new relationships with younger guys.”
Looking forward to the upcoming season, the Sagehens have something to prove. Their 2025-26 campaign came to an end after an NCAA Regional Finals matchup against Johns Hopkins last May, in which the Sagehens brought home a SCIAC championship and finished with a 34-14 record. There is clearly an appetite to go farther this season. Many of the current seniors played for the 2024 Division III World Series team as first-years. Each and every one of them wants to make it back this year, according to Pericolosi.
“We have guys with experience,” Pericolosi said. “Our seniors made it to the World Series their [first] year. Some of them played a big, big role in it. There’s a desire to get back there from our senior leadership, coaches and the entire team. That’s the biggest goal.
As the team’s fall season begins, they remain focused on the small steps ahead of them, taking their championship aspirations one day at a time.
“We’re trying to get better at baseball every day, Pericolosi said. “We’re trying to do all the things that put you in position to win games, but the overall goal is to win a national championship and participate in the World Series.”
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