Garza, Naess Named to Preseason All-Big West Team; Mustangs Picked Second
2/6/2026 12:00:00 PM | Baseball
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. — Coming off a Big West Championship title and one of the program’s best seasons, Cal Poly baseball was picked to finish second in the Big West Preseason Coaches’ Poll while junior third baseman Alejandro Garza and junior starting pitcher Griffin Naess were each named to the Preseason All-Big West Team, the conference announced Friday.
After finishing second in the regular season standings and winning the inaugural Big West Championship last season, the Mustangs earned 89 total points and five first place votes from the league’s coaches, tied with UC Santa Barbara who is picked to finish first.
The coaches also selected a pair of Mustangs, Garza and Naess, onto the 11 player Big West All-Preseason Team.
Garza has earned First Team All-Big West honors each of his first two seasons with the Mustangs and was the 2024 Big West Field Freshman of the Year. Last season, he had an impressive sophomore campaign. He led the Big West in hits and hit .351 with 16 doubles, six home runs, and 54 RBIs. He was the ninth toughest batter in the nation to strike out and was 13th in the nation in hits. Throughout the course of the 2025 season, Garza had 32 multi-hit games and had a 20-game hitting streak at one point.
He hit .412 with runners in scoring position and was named the team’s Ozzie Smith MVP award winner. Garza also had a strong summer competing in the Cape Cod League for the Orleans Firebirds, hitting .298 against some of the best collegiate pitchers in the country.
Naess has also earned All-Big West honors in each of his first two seasons in SLO.. Cal Poly’s ace all last season, Naess finished with a 7-3 record and a 3.41 ERA with 62 strikeouts over 95 innings in 16 starts. He had 10 games in which he pitched at least six innings and had five games of at least five strikeouts. He earned the team’s Mike Krukow Pitcher of the Year award as opponents hit just .242 off him.
Cal Poly finished with a 43-19 record in 2025, the program’s most wins since 2014. Eight total players earned All-Big West honors, four of which return this season. The Mustangs begin the 2026 season Friday, Feb. 13 on the road at Campbell as part of a three-game series there. First pitch Friday is set for 2 p.m. PT.
