Baseball Closes 2025 Season Against No. 15 Glendale

The Citrus College Baseball team wrapped up their 2025 campaign last week with a three-game series against No. 15-ranked Glendale College. The Owls finished the season with a 13-26 overall record and an 8-13 mark in conference play. 

Game One (April 22) — Glendale 22, Citrus 6 

In the series opener at home, the Owls fell 22-6 to a powerful Glendale lineup. Luke Willison highlighted the offense, going 1-for-3 with a home run, three RBIs, a run, a stolen base, and a walk. Derek Leader added a 2-for-4 performance with a run and a steal, while Danyal Jenkins went a perfect 2-for-2, scoring twice and swiping four bases — his 30 total steals rank fifth in the State. Joshua Cortinas and Michael Reyes each drove in a run for Citrus. 

Game Two (April 24) — Glendale 8, Citrus 7 

The Owls bounced back with a spirited effort at Glendale, nearly pulling off an upset. After trailing 2-0 early, Citrus rallied for three runs in the third inning behind a Dustin Yela two-run triple and a Nathan Hellein sacrifice fly. Despite falling behind 6-3, the Owls fought back: Derek Leader drove in a run in the sixth, and in the ninth, Hellein's RBI double and Leader's two-run double tied the game at 7-7. 

Glendale, however, walked it off in the bottom of the ninth to secure the 8-7 win. 

Citrus recorded 15 hits in the game. Derek Leader led the way, going 3-for-5 with two RBIs. Yela finished 2-for-5 with two runs and two RBIs, while Hellein was 2-for-4 with two RBIs, a steal, and a run. Jenkins added a 2-for-4 performance. On the mound, Isaac Gonzales, Reece Harney, and Jonathan Maldonado combined for eight innings and eight strikeouts. 

Game Three (April 25, Sophomore Day) — Glendale 8, Citrus 3 

The Owls returned home on Friday to celebrate Sophomore Day. After falling behind 1-0, Citrus took a brief 2-1 lead in the third inning with a sacrifice fly by Willison and an RBI single by Quintero. Glendale responded with five unanswered runs over the next three innings and added two more in the eighth to pull away, handing Citrus an 8-3 loss in the season finale. 

Sophomores led the way offensively: Hellein went 3-for-5 with an RBI, a run, and two steals; Quintero added an RBI single; and Willison chipped in a sacrifice fly and an RBI hit. Freshman Dustin Yela capped his outstanding season by going 3-for-5 with two runs scored — his 59 total hits rank fifth in the conference. 

On the mound, the Owls' sophomore pitchers all saw action. Alek Gavaghan (L, 1-2) started and struck out three over four innings, allowing only two earned runs. Maldonado, Julian Frias (2 Ks), and Harney (1 K) closed out the game, with Harney striking out the final batter of his Citrus career. 

With the 2025 season in the books, Citrus College Baseball now sets its sights on the 2026 campaign, aiming for a return to postseason play.