Region I Postseason Preview kicks off with Matador baseball
HENDERSON, Nev. - The Arizona Western Matadors Baseball team (38-13) opens Region 1 Playoff Tournament action as the No. 3 seed against No. 2 seed Cochise College (43-13) on Thursday, May 7, in the first game of the four team double-elimination tournament.
Cochise won the 2026 regular-season series 4-2, Cochise won the first meeting of the season 16-8 in 8 innings on February 27th. The teams split a Feb. 28 doubleheader (10-1 Cochise, 12-11 AWC), Cochise edged AWC 4-3 on April 3, and they split on April 4 with AWC winning 4-1 before Cochise answered 8-2.
Runs could still be at a premium despite two high-powered lineups meeting at a neutral site. Cochise leads the ACCAC with 511 runs scored, while Arizona Western ranks second with 435.
Arizona Western is led by ACCAC Player of the Year Ten Shindo (SS). The Matadors' order around Shindo has produced all spring, including middle-of-the-lineup run producer Gerardo Castro (8 HR, 55 RBI) and table-setter Parker Husu (24 SB). Catcher Victor Lopez added the go-ahead RBI in AWC's 4-1 April 4 win, and Jamie Beerman drove in a key run in that victory.
On the mound, left-hander Diego Alcala struck out eight over 5.2 innings in the April 4 win, and right-hander Filippo Baldassarri (All-ACCAC First Team) closed it out. Depth arms Paul Garcia and Joris Meinsma also featured in the April series.
Cochise arrives with five All-ACCAC First Team selections: shortstop Shiryu Sato, outfielder Gavin Mesa, outfielder Landon Blais, catcher Jorge Cardenas and corner infielder Andrugh Yee. Mesa enters with 12 home runs, Sato and Cardenas have driven in 48 runs apiece, and Blais has been one of the league's toughest outs. In the April set, Mesa homered and Blais repeatedly set the table. Cochise has also leaned on arms Daniel Gomez and Collin Smith during the season.
Matchup snapshots from the regular season: AWC's April 4 win featured two-hit days from Shindo and Luis Angulo plus a Castro home run; Cochise countered later that day with two long balls and eight runs. On April 3, Cochise rallied late to win 4-3. The late-February split showcased the volatility of the matchup—Cochise won big in games one and two before AWC erupted for 12 runs to take the late game in the third meeting.
• Seeds/records: No. 3 Arizona Western (38-13, W1) vs. No. 2 Cochise (43-13, W3).
• Offense: Cochise leads the ACCAC with 511 runs; AWC is second with 435.
• Season series: Cochise 4-2 (2/27 Cochise 16-8; 2/28 split; 4/3 Cochise 4-3; 4/4 split).
• AWC notables: Ten Shindo (ACCAC Player of the Year); Gerardo Castro (8 HR, 55 RBI); Parker Husu (24 SB); Victor Lopez (run-producing catcher); Jamie Beerman (RBI in 4-1 win).
• Cochise notables: Shiryu Sato (All-ACCAC First Team), Gavin Mesa (12 HR, All-ACCAC First Team), Landon Blais (All-ACCAC First Team), Jorge Cardenas (48 RBI, All-ACCAC First Team), Andrugh Yee (10 HR, All-ACCAC First Team).
• Key postseason keys: limit free passes to Cochise's top third; attack in the zone early; turn contact into outs at the neutral site; manufacture runs with speed and situational hitting
First pitch is scheduled for 10:00 a.m. and all games can be seen on the Coyote Sports Network. Click on or Copy and paste the link below.