Citrus Baseball Starts 2026 Season 1–1 After Opening Weekend

Citrus College Baseball opened the 2026 season with a split, earning a 9–3 win over Fullerton College on Opening Day, Friday, January 23, before dropping a tight 5–4 decision to Pasadena City College on Saturday, January 24.

The Owls delivered a statement win Friday against a Fullerton squad that advanced to the 2025 3C2A Baseball Super Regionals last season.

Sophomore outfielder Jordan Daniels jump-started the Citrus offense in the first inning, driving in Julian Hines, who had doubled earlier in the frame. Fullerton answered with a pair of home runs in the top of the second to take a 3–1 lead, but it proved to be the Hornets' only scoring inning.

Citrus chipped away before erupting late. Cole West doubled home Cam Casado in the fourth, and Daniels tied the game with a solo home run in the fifth. The Owls added a run in the seventh when Nick Velazquez scored on a wild pitch.

Citrus broke the game open in the eighth, plating five runs highlighted by RBI singles from Garrett Patterson and Dominic Torrez, followed by a two-run double from Daniels to cap the scoring.

Daniels led the offense, going 3-for-5 with four RBIs and a run scored. Casado finished 3-for-5 with two runs, while Patterson went 1-for-4 with an RBI, a run scored and a stolen base. Torrez added two hits, an RBI, a run and a stolen base.

On the mound, Conner Luetto started and allowed three earned runs over 4.2 innings with four strikeouts. Ryan Harrison (1-0) earned the win after tossing 2.1 scoreless innings with two strikeouts. Sean York and Evan Ellis each worked a scoreless inning in relief.

Citrus came up just short Saturday in a back-and-forth contest with Pasadena City College.

After falling behind 2–0 in the second inning, the Owls answered immediately when Cam Casado launched a solo home run — his first of the season — to cut the deficit to one. Pasadena added a run in the fourth, but Citrus responded with single runs in the fourth and sixth innings to knot the score at 3–3.

The Lancers scored twice in the eighth to regain the lead, but Citrus pulled within one in the bottom half when Joe Gilkeson drove in Velazquez on an RBI groundout. The Owls threatened in the ninth with runners on second and third and two outs, but could not deliver the tying hit.

Casado paced the Owls offensively, finishing 4-for-4, a triple shy of the cycle, with three runs scored, an RBI and a stolen base.

Michael Moses made the start, allowing three earned runs over four innings. Gabe Buranasiri impressed in his collegiate debut, striking out six across three scoreless innings. Garrett Patterson added 1.2 scoreless innings in relief.

Citrus remains at home and will host Golden West College on Tuesday, January 27 at 1 p.m.