UC Santa Barbara Baseball Defeats No. 20 Oregon

Gauchos bounce back with strong pitching and timely hitting in game two of the series

Mar. 29, 2026 at 6:18am

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The UC Santa Barbara baseball team defeated No. 20-ranked Oregon 8-2 on Saturday afternoon. The Gauchos got a solid start from pitcher Nathan Aceves and strong relief work from Cole Tryba, while the offense came alive with timely hitting to even the three-game series at one game apiece.

Why it matters

This win is an important bounce-back for the Gauchos, who had lost six of their last seven games entering Saturday's contest. The victory over a ranked opponent like Oregon could provide momentum for UCSB as they look to climb the standings in the competitive Big West Conference.

The details

The Gauchos jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the second inning thanks to some Oregon miscues. After the Ducks tied it in the fifth, UCSB retook the lead in the bottom half of the inning on RBI singles from Xavier Esquer and Colin Beazizo. The Gauchos then added four insurance runs in the eighth to seal the victory.

  • The series finale is set for Sunday, March 29, beginning at 12:05 p.m.

The players

Nathan Aceves

The UCSB starting pitcher who set the tone with a strong outing on the mound.

Cole Tryba

The UCSB relief pitcher who was perfect over 4.1 innings, striking out the first batter he faced to end a fifth-inning threat.

Xavier Esquer

The UCSB player who broke a 2-2 tie with a crucial two-out RBI single in the fifth inning.

Colin Beazizo

The UCSB player who followed Esquer's hit with an RBI double to extend the Gauchos' lead.

Andrew Checketts

The UCSB head coach who praised his team's performance, saying they are better offensively than they had shown in recent games.

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What they’re saying

“We've been struggling offensively. I think we're better than that. I think our coaches have done a good job recruiting. We have better players than that.”

— Andrew Checketts, UCSB Head Coach

“Aceves set the tone for the day. When you have a heartbreaker like we did last night—1–0 going into the ninth—you're frustrated. If the starter goes out there and isn't good, that can carry over from the day before, no matter how much you talk about it. I thought (Aceves) did a really good job of not letting that happen and coming out and hitting the strike zone early.”

— Andrew Checketts, UCSB Head Coach

“Coming back from injury two weeks ago, my stuff didn't feel as good, but I still stuck to the process and stuck to my mentality. That's what really helped me today. It felt really good.”

— Cole Tryba, UCSB Relief Pitcher

“My plan was attack, attack, attack. Just getting in there early, trusting the process, trusting my stuff—that's really just it.”

— Cole Tryba, UCSB Relief Pitcher

What’s next

The Gauchos and Ducks will conclude their three-game series on Sunday beginning at 12:05 p.m.

The takeaway

This victory over a ranked opponent like Oregon could provide a much-needed boost for the UCSB baseball team as they look to build momentum and climb the standings in the competitive Big West Conference.