IRVINE, Calif. – The Concordia University Irvine baseball team is getting ready to start their 2026 season this week and is picked to finish sixth in the PacWest preseason poll.
 
Juniors Matthew Kaiser and Isaiah Walz have been named to the NCBWA (National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association) Preseason All-West Region team. This duo received recognition at the end of the 2025 season from the PacWest conference as well.
 
Pitcher Matthew Kaiser was impressive in the 2025 season as he recorded a 6-3 record with a 3.47 ERA. The junior had a team high of four complete games and the first no-hitter in CUI baseball's NCAA DII era against Westmont. The Los Alamitos, Calif. native pitched 59.2 innings allowing 51 hits and 30 runs with 23 earned runs. He kept his opponents' batting average to .239 and a WHIP of 1.37.
 
Isaiah Walz started in the short stop position and was dominant at the plate with a .385 hitting average recording 62 hits and 40 runs in his 161 at bats. He had eight doubles, three triples, two home runs, and 13 stolen bases.  
 
The Green and Gold have a handful of returners that will contribute to the season. Wyatt Madison who can pitch and be a hitter at the plate. Nathan Hunter, Evan Langer, and Josh Pugh are some of the pitchers that will be back on the mound. Senior infielders Makamae Du Pont, Landry Spitler, and David Baruch III are a few contributors that will be back on the field.
 
The Golden Eagles have six new freshman joining the roster with four being pitchers. Drew Hall is an outfielder while Cooper Marinelli is a catcher.
 
The Golden Eagles will start their season with a home series as they take on Northwest Nazarene this weekend. They will play two double headers starting Friday Jan. 30 at 2 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. while finishing Saturday Jan. 31 with 1 p.m. and 4:30 p.m.
 
To see the full CUI baseball schedule click HERE.