The College of Marin Baseball Team is in the midst of an excellent five year stretch. With their win over Los Medanos on April 27th, the Mariners clinched their fourth Bay Valley Conference Championship in the previous five seasons. College of Marin Baseball was tops in the BVC in 2013, 2014, 2015 and again in 2017.
Under the tutelage of Head Coach Steve Berringer the Mariners have reached the playoffs in each of the last five seasons.
In 2013, the Mariners won the Bay Valley Conference with a 19-5 record and 28-8 overall. They faced BVC foe Solano and were shockingly upset in three games. Mariners Pitcher Tyler Ihrig was drafted by the Chicago Cubs in the 23rd round of 2013 MLB Amateur Draft. The 2014 team posted a 15-6 conference record and a 21-15 regular season record. They faced Cosumnes River College in the first round and advanced with a pair of victories. In the super regionals they squared off against San Joaquin Delta and fell in two straight games. Pitcher Alec Kenilvort was drafted by the Colorado Rockies in the 15th round of the 2014 MLB Amateur Draft. The 2015 squad completed the championship three peat with a 19-5 conference record and a 25-10-1 overall record. They hosted Cabrillo College in the first round of the NorCal Playoffs and fell in a heartbreaking three games.
The 2016 season was a bit different, as Head Coach Steve Berringer took a year’s hiatus to serve as Athletic Director for College of Marin. Associate Head Coach Conor Bird served as the team’s head coach during the 2016 season and led the Mariners to the playoffs. While they did not win the Bay Valley Conference Title, they still compiled a 16-8 conference record and a 23-13 record overall. The team faced Cañada College in the opening round advanced by an 8-3 score. The first round against Cosumnes River was a hard fought affair but Marin dropped two of the three games.
The 2017 team faced their own set of challenges. The non-conference schedule featured some marquee wins and some heartbreaking losses. The Mariners split a four game series against NorCal #1 seed College of San Mateo and also endured a run of four consecutive losses by less than two runs. They posted a non-conference record of just 9-9, but a sparking Bay Valley Conference record of 17-4 for the 2017 BVC title.
Mariners hold the number six seed, while the visitors from Fresno City College are the 11 seed. Fresno finished third in the Central Valley Conference with a 13-8 conference record and 26-14 overall record. Top pitcher for the Fresno City College Rams is Kobe Portillo who compiled a 7-1 record in 70 innings pitched with a 1.16 ERA. Fresno’s top hitter was Michael Beltran who hit .337 in 163 at bats.
The 2017 Mariners possess several capable bats and arms. Second baseman Marcus Chiu led the Bay Valley Conference with 13 home runs and 44 RBIs while hitting .359. Marin has a glut of talented pitchers, but Chase Gardner had the finest season with a 7-0 record and a 1.76 ERA in 71.2 innings pitched.
Marin plays host to Fresno City College on Friday, May 5th at 2:00PM with game two scheduled for Saturday, May 6th at 11:00AM. Game three (If necessary) will take place approximately 30 minutes after the conclusion of game two.