Led by their seniors, the men’s varsity baseball team extends their win streak to four games as they prepare for the postseason.

LOS ANGELES – The regular season has finally come to a close for the Knights, who finish with an impressive 20-8 record, going 12-5 in league play. This was good enough to finish 3rd in the Mission League, and earn them yet another CIF-SS Division 1 playoff berth.

Notre Dame has had an incredibly polarizing season to say the least. Starting out on a 12 game win streak to begin the year, contrasted with a six game slump in the middle of the season, has led the Knights to their fair share of ups and downs. Coach LaFace is still confident that his
team has what it takes to make it deep into the postseason, especially with the added momentum that this latest win streak brings.

The streak was sparked in Mission Hills, where Notre Dame was able to take back control of their three game series against Bishop Alemany. After dropping game one at home, the Knights were able to secure the last two games thanks to their masterful pitching, highlighted by a combined shutout from seniors Holden Newhouse and JuJu Diaz-Jones in the series finale at home.

The seniors continue to step up in their following series against Loyola. The Knights were led by Air Force commit Malakye Matsumoto, who went 4/4 in game one with a towering two-run homer to cap off an amazing performance en route to a 6-4 victory. The final game was dominated by the seniors, emphasized by Jacob Madrid’s jaw-dropping three home run game, where he homered in every at bat. The senior catcher recorded five RBIs and helped propel the Knights to a 7-1 win in the regular season finale.

“They have worked hard, persevered, and maintained a steady focus and competitiveness throughout the season with all its ups and downs,” said Coach LaFace on the seniors. “[I am] proud of how they have grown and matured.”

The seniors will have one of their toughest challenges of the season, as they face Ayala to start the playoffs. Ayala currently stands at 23-3 on the year, and are the reigning champions of the Palomares League. They rank 9th on Sports Illustrated’s Top 25 Rankings for the California CIF Southern Section, one spot behind Notre Dame. These two teams are closely matched, meaning a memorable playoff game is on the horizon.