On Friday, May 29, the Saint Mary’s Gaels made headlines in the 2026 NCAA Tournament by upsetting the UCLA Bruins 3-2 in the Los Angeles regional. The Bruins are the number one overall national seed in the NCAA Tournament.
The Gaels are the first team to ever beat a number one overall seed in their regional opener of the NCAA Tournament. Before this game, number one seeds were 26-0 in their first NCAA Tournament games under the current format.
Here is how head coach Eric Valenzuela’s team made history in the 2026 NCAA Tournament.
John Damozonio and Cam Staton put together a massive pitching effort
John Damozonio got the start on the mound for Saint Mary’s against the number one team in the country. In seven innings of work, he had six strikeouts while allowing just two earned runs.
By the time Damozonio exited the game, the Gaels had tied the game up with UCLA 2-2. Domazonio also threw a total of 105 pitches against the Bruins.
The right-handed senior is putting together his best season in a Saint Mary’s baseball uniform. He has a 2.70 ERA in 83 1/3 innings of work in 2026 with 87 strikeouts. Damozonio was also named first-team All-West Coast Conference.
When Damozonio exited the game, Cam Staton came on in relief for him. The left-handed junior earned the win on the mound for the Gaels. In two innings of work, he allowed just one hit, one walk, and no runs. Staton also struck out three hitters during his big-time outing.
Jacob Johnson with a big day at the plate for the Gaels
Saint Mary’s designated hitter Jacob Johnson led the Gaels offensively in their tight win over UCLA. He had three hits and two RBIs. Two of Johnson’s hits were home runs. He hit his first home run in the fourth inning to put Saint Mary’s on the scoreboard. His second home run came in the top of the ninth inning and was the game-winning run for Saint Mary’s.
OH MY GOD SAINT MARY'S TAKES THE LEAD ????????
GAELS 3 OUTS AWAY FROM TAKING DOWN #1 NATIONAL SEED UCLA pic.twitter.com/o91lidqSfm
— 11Point7 College Baseball (@11point7) May 29, 2026
The third hit Johnson had was a double. This season, the redshirt-sophomore from Danville, Calif. has a .342 batting average with 14 home runs. He was an All-West Coast Conference honorable mention.
Up next for Saint Mary’s
The Saint Mary’s Gaels will await the winner of the Los Angeles regional game between Cal Poly and Virginia Tech. They will play the winner of that game on Saturday, May 30, at 9 p.m. ET at Jackie Robinson Stadium.
WBN NCAA: https://worldbaseball.com/league/ncaa/
PHOTO: Saint Mary’s pitcher John Damozonio (25) pitches during an NCAA baseball game against Gonzaga on Friday, April 17, 2026 in Moraga, Calif. (AP Photo/Lachlan Cunningham)
