Games #1 & 2
ART U Urban Knights (0-0, 0-0 PacWest) vs. Fresno Pacific Sunbirds (4-0, 0-0 PacWest)
Saturday, March 6, 2021 at 2 p.m. & 5:30 p.m.
Fresno, Calif. – FPU Diamond
Live Stats & Video

Games #3 & 4
ART U Urban Knights (0-0, 0-0 PacWest) vs. Fresno Pacific Sunbirds (4-0, 0-0 PacWest)
Saturday, March 6, 2021 at 2 p.m. & 5 p.m.
Alameda, Calif. – College of Alameda
Live Stats & Video

In the 359-day absence of competition, the hearts of the Academy of Art University baseball team have undoubtedly grown fonder. This week, ART U sees its long-awaited wish for the game to return granted as the 2021 season begins on Saturday with Head Coach Dan McDermott and his staff at the helm for the seventh year.

Over the course of March and April, the 2021 schedule will pair the Urban Knights with Northern California Pacific West Conference members Fresno Pacific and Holy Names for three series apiece. Following a home/road format throughout, ART U first matches up with the Sunbirds on Mar. 6 and Mar. 8 then plays the Hawks on Mar. 12-13. With an off-day in between once again, Academy of Art and FPU will meet on Mar. 25 and 27 then April begins with Apr. 2-3 rematches with HNU. The final series will then close out the month as the Knights get one last look at Fresno Pacific (Apr. 15, 17) and Holy Names (Apr. 23-24). To view the 2021 schedule, click here!

A vital part of the team's veteran core are three returning seniors turned graduate students. Infielder Justin Summers, catcher/first baseman Ryan Gamboa, and pitcher Matthew Sanchez each led in their own way as Summers offered the squad's highest on-base plus slugging percentage (1.038), Gamboa drove in the most runs (14 RBIs), and Sanchez tied for the most strikeouts (38) in last year's shortened season. That trio will join a fellow graduate student in outfielder Andrew Shebloski who comes to ART U by way of Saint Mary's.

In San Francisco for the second iteration of their respective senior seasons are returning pitcher Jayson Summers and infielder Fabian Barcena. Summers' stock was on the rise at the abrupt end of 2020 as a career-high seven strikeouts and one run allowed over 6.0 innings against Hawaii Pacific on Mar. 10, 2020 propelled him to the lowest earned run average (1.64) among pitchers on the team.

The largest class on the 2021 Academy of Art roster is a collection of nine returning juniors. Pitchers Ryan Skillman, Collin Carriger, and Jacob Hord plus pitcher/utilities Noah Daubin, Cannon Secrist, and Morgan Edwards combine with outfielder/third baseman Ty Conrad, catcher/third baseman Austin LaBarber, and infielders Vincent Lontz and Dominic Ruggiero, who redshirted last year. Secrist ranked among the team's top two in both batting average and strikeouts as a pitcher while Conrad led with five steals as well as a .295 batting average and eight RBIs in their respective debuting 2020 campaigns.

Representing the future of the program are returning sophomore infielder Nathan Macis and freshman outfielder Joel Mitchell along with a trio of sophomore transfers that includes outfielder Hayato Niki, shortstop Adam Inouye, and catcher/first baseman Liam Rizzo.

Grateful for the opportunity to play and determined to make history, the Urban Knights welcome the first pitch of their 2021 journey this Saturday.