PORTLAND, Ore. — Over 100 years of playing baseball, more than 1,000 wins in the modern era, multiple first-round draft picks and even a Hall of Famer, but history was made Sunday by the Saint Mary’s baseball team, as the Gaels won their first-ever West Coast Conference championship by beating Portland 5-2 to complete a three-game sweep at Joe Etzel Field.
The Gaels (30-22, 18-9 WCC) marked their best-ever season in the WCC by reaching the 30-win plateau for the first time in 25 years and winning their first conference title. Saint Mary’s finished the WCC season in a three-way tie for first place with BYU and Gonzaga, but thanks to series wins over both teams this season the Gaels will be the No.