Pitchers’ Paradise: How UC Santa Barbara Became a College Baseball Powerhouse

Pitchers’ Paradise:
How UC Santa Barbara Became a
College Baseball Powerhouse

Gauchos Ace Jackson Flora Keeps Up Legacy of
Big-League Hurlers Coming Through Santa Barbara

By Ryan P. Cruz | May 21, 2026

“Good pitching is an equalizer,” says Andrew Checketts, UC Santa Barbara’s head baseball coach and the guru behind a long line of major-league pitching prospects to come out of the Gauchos program in recent years.

This philosophy has led to the development of Cy Young Award winners, first-round draft picks, and million-dollar arms that made their ways through the bullpen at Caesar Uyesaka Stadium in Santa Barbara.

Any college program that produces a major-league pitcher can be considered a success. But a school that manages to churn out multiple top-ranked prospects in the span of a decade can be counted among the best in the nation. At UCSB, big-league-level hurlers have become increasingly common, from 2020 Cy Young winner Shane Bieber to last year’s top-drafted pitcher, Tyler Bremner.

Now, UCSB baseball has a new ace in Jackson Flora, a right-handed junior whose 100-mile-an-hour fastball has caught the attention of major-league scouts, many of whom expect Flora to follow Bremner as the first pitcher selected in next year’s draft. 

The Checketts Effect

It’s no surprise that Head Coach Andrew Checketts has helped the Gauchos become a national pitching powerhouse. Before taking his first head coaching position with UCSB, Checketts had already built a career of developing pro-level hurlers at his previous stints as pitching coach at UC Riverside and Oregon. Over his time at those schools, he had three dozen players drafted or signed to pro contracts.

Since taking over at UCSB in 2011, Checketts has instilled a culture of success, based on the idea that Santa Barbara can be just as attractive as any other baseball program in the country. In 15 seasons, he’s won more than 525 games, not only boasting the highest number of wins for a UCSB coach but the highest win percentage at more than .650.

In that decade and a half, UCSB has risen to national prominence, with more than 70 major-league draftees, including three pitchers taken as first-round draft picks. These include current big leaguers Dillon Tate, Michael McGreevy, and Bremner. One former Checketts pitcher, Shane Bieber, even went on to win the Cy Young Award as the best in the American League in 2020 before making his World Series debut for the Toronto Blue Jays in 2025.

It’s hard to understate the impact Checketts has on the UCSB baseball program. In his second season, he led the Gauchos back to their first NCAA Tournament in nearly 20 years. That team went on a miraculous run at the end of the regular season to clinch a spot in the NCAA regional, where the Gauchos defeated Texas A&M in an upset that earned Checketts his first postseason victory.

Since then, it’s been more of the same success. The Gauchos won 30 games in 2014, something rare at the time but now par for the course under Checketts. In 2015, UCSB finished with a Division 1–record 40 wins and was selected to host an NCAA tournament game for the first time in the school’s history.

In 2016, UCSB reached a new height with its first-ever trip to Omaha to compete in the College World Series. That magical run ended with 43 wins, including sweeps at both the Nashville Regional and Louisville Super Regional and a huge upset over No. 3 Miami.

The Gauchos continued to excel on the national level, winning the Big West Championship in 2019 with a new record-setting 45-11 record and another tournament appearance. In 2020, they defeated the No. 1–ranked UCLA Bruins, and in 2021 they reached another NCAA regional with a group of pitchers that finished the year with a record-breaking 619 strikeouts.

In 2022, the Gauchos added power hitting with a new school record of 79 home runs and another Big West Championship. This continued in 2023 with a new record-high 86 home runs, followed by another long ball season with 84 home runs in 2024.

Last year, Checketts reached the milestone 500-win mark. It was fitting that Checketts reached his 500th win the same year that Bremner, one of his best recruits, broke the UCSB record for career strikeouts with 295.

But Checketts is hesitant to take sole credit for the success. He says the program has been able to win due to a deep roster of dedicated coaches, as well as a lot of support from the university and the program’s donors. He says he’s able to hand off many coaching duties to current Assistant Coaches Dylan Jones and Matt Fonteno, who are both likely to go on to lead their own programs in the future.

He says that UCSB is in a unique spot, geographically, that makes recruiting a little easier. Not only is the weather perfect year-round, but the Central Coast is near enough to both Northern and Southern California to attract families who want to be able to see their kids play college ball.

“We have great academics, we have great weather, and we get a certain kid and family here that I think values the experience,” Checketts said. “But those guys also see a path to be able to be a major leaguer and to be able to be a first-round draft pick.”

The pathway to the big leagues is a true possibility at UCSB, and in the modern era of college sports — with the transfer portal and lucrative player contracts — it’s important to be able to keep players when other teams come calling in the offseason.

“Sure, there’s people calling, and some of the guys are in positions where they could play anywhere in the country and they chose to stay here,” Checketts said. “We’ve had the first pitcher taken in the draft twice, and now potentially a third time with Jackson [Flora]. That ceiling here is as high as it can be anywhere. It’s an amazing place with a great degree, and you can win a Cy Young from here. You can go to the College World Series here. You can sign for five to seven million dollars — you don’t have to leave.”

King of the Hill

When Gauchos right-hander and projected first-round draft pick Jackson Flora takes the field, the crowd usually gets quiet. He’s got what the kids call aura. His 6’5″ frame looks even bigger when he steps on the mound, and his expressionless face is enough to intimidate most batters before he even throws a pitch. Then he throws a fastball.

For those who have never seen a baseball player throw more than 100 miles an hour, it’s almost shocking to see in person for the first time. The hissing sound is the first thing that gets you, mostly because it’s hard to catch sight of Flora’s fastball, which reaches the plate in less than 400 milliseconds (a blink of an eye). The ball smacks the leather of catcher Nate Vargas’s mitt so hard it sounds more like a firecracker or pistol than a baseball. It’s the kind of pitch that catches everybody’s attention.

Major-league scouts have Flora ranked as the top pitcher available for next year’s draft. He’s been showered with accolades this season: National Player of the Week; Golden Spikes National Pitcher of the Year Semifinalist; and finalist for the Dick Howser Trophy, given to the best college baseball player in the country. Only one previous UCSB pitcher, Dillon Tate, has been considered for the Howser.

Flora’s constantly topping the weekly nationwide pitchers lists, and his fastball — which tops out at 100.4 miles per hour — often makes batters look silly when they try to make contact.

Even when hitters are able to catch up to his fastball, Flora mixes in his slider and off-speed curveball to keep them whiffing. There’s a reason his earned run average (ERA) is the best in the nation at 1.03. When he’s on the mound, you can bet the other team will have to scratch to earn every run. In fact, this year he finished with a 10-0 record as a starter, with 115 strikeouts and only 12 runs allowed.

In his final start at home against UC Riverside at Caesar Uyesaka Stadium on May 14, Flora pitched one of his best games of his career. He dispatched batter after batter with an almost business-like precision, pitching a perfect game through the first seven innings. Riverside didn’t get on base until the final two innings, and Flora struck out a dozen to pitch a complete-game shutout for the third time in his career as a Gaucho.

It was a microcosm of UCSB’s season, where dominant pitching and a home run from Vargas were all the Gauchos needed to get the 1-0 win and keep their Big West Championship hopes alive in the final week of the regular season.

This season was the culmination of the work Flora put in during his three years at UCSB. When he chose to become a Gaucho, he hoped he would develop into the kind of pitcher the school had produced in previous years. Flora said one of the main reasons he came to UCSB — besides the familiar Southern California climate — was because the school had been highly recommended by Matt Ager, another pitcher from his hometown of Pleasanton, California, who had also attended Foothill High School.

“You want to go somewhere that will make you better, especially if you want to play professional baseball, which I want to do,” Flora said. “You want to go somewhere that has a chance to help you get drafted. And I knew the history, the location, and it was a good school, so my parents were on board.”

When Flora arrived on campus, he said he was relieved to be able to learn alongside some of the team’s older guys, including Ager and future major league draft picks Ryan Gallagher and Tyler Bremner. He soaked in everything he could from the older pitchers, while putting in extra work in off hours to make sure his body continued to fill out his growing frame.

“Following their footsteps made it easy for me,” Flora said. “I didn’t have to take on such a big role where I was stressed out all the time. I could just be in the bullpen, watch them do their thing, and be like, ‘All right, it’s my turn to go now.’ ”

Jackson Flora is projected to be the first pitcher taken in next year’s Major League Baseball draft.
| Credit: UCSB/Jeff Liang

Flora says he now tries to take on the role as a leader for the rest of his teammates. He says he’s grateful he came to UCSB, where the dugout culture is more like a group of brothers or roommates. He wants to play well for his teammates, and they always back him up with big plays and the runs necessary to get the win.

“This team makes it really easy to just have fun and enjoy the moment. I like all the guys on our squad,” Flora said. “So, it just kind of takes your mind off it when you’re playing for the guys around you versus playing for yourself, or playing for results. Just go out there and have fun and enjoy playing baseball.”

In his final regular-season win against Riverside, Flora’s comfort on the hill is obvious. He’s in charge, throwing high-90 fastballs with deadly precision. He calls it his “flow state,” where everything is so consistent that he’s repeating the same routine pitch after pitch.

He straightens his hat brim and adjusts his belt. Flips the ball across his body from his glove to his throwing hand. Gives a quick shoulder shrug, then steps his right foot onto the pitching rubber. Starts his efficient windup, with an exaggerated knee kick reminiscent of old-time ballplayers, then launches another fastball for a strike. The radar reads 99 mph.

“You kind of want to reach that flow state, and then once you feel it and it clicks, you can just kind of keep going back to it. It’s really fun,” he says.

The only time Flora lets his emotions loose is after a clutch strikeout or a big win, such as the shutout against Riverside. After the final out, he leans back, pumps his fist, and lets out a loud yell before his teammates come to wrap him up in a bear hug.

Gaucho Grind

It’s difficult to pick out a singular moment that defines this year’s Gaucho baseball squad. There are plenty of choices, from the Gauchos’ upset defeat over the number-one team of the country in April to the three-game sweep over UC Riverside that clinched a share of this year’s Big West title in the final days of the regular season.

But it might be that the Gauchos’ response to adversity will be the factor that truly defines what this year’s team is capable of achieving. 

Earlier this year, the Gauchos went toe-to-toe against some of the toughest competition in the country, picking up wins against top-20-ranked opponents from Southern Mississippi, Oregon, USC, and UCLA. When the Gauchos traveled to No. 1 UCLA’s Jackie Robinson Memorial Stadium on April 14, they picked up their biggest win in recent memory in a 4-0 shutout over the Bruins.

When UCLA returned to play at UCSB’s Caesar Uyesaka Stadium two weeks later on April 28, the Gauchos had reached a low spot in the season, with two straight losses at home to league rival Cal State Fullerton. It was a moment that might have become too big for UCSB, and with the stands packed at their home field, the Gauchos struggled against the top-ranked Bruins on the way to a 15-3 loss — their third loss in a row.

At the team’s practice the next day, the Gauchos reckoned with the reality of a must-win road trip to Cal State Bakersfield. After the three-game skid, UCSB now needed to win every league game if the team wanted to stay in the running for the Big West conference title.

The practice was intense, with the players taking charge and pushing each other through every drill, while Coach Checketts watched intently from the dugout.

“I mapped it out for them. I told them we still control our own destiny,” Checketts said. “I said, ‘If you want to win a conference championship, you have very little wiggle room. You gotta be almost perfect in conference play.’ ”

Nate Vargas, the team’s 6’3″ catcher from Rocklin, California, is one of the team’s emotional leaders. He sets the tone in games and practices and is often the guy to get the team’s energy going with a big hit or clutch home run. 

“I still have yet to have a conference championship in college, and so I made it my goal going into this year to win the Big West. So honestly, whatever I have to do individually to help us as a team win the Big West, I’m willing to do whatever it takes,” Vargas said at the team practice following the UCLA loss.

Vargas went on to hit four home runs in the team’s final 10-game stretch, including a homer in each of the Gauchos’ final three games during Senior Week, in a sweep against UC Riverside that secured a share of the Big West Championship for UCSB.

Vargas says part of UCSB’s success is tied to its team chemistry. He says it’s a welcome contrast to previous teams he’s played on, where a lack of cohesiveness off the field often created more issues on the field.

“I think that the biggest reason why I’m so faithful to this team is because of our team culture. Everyone here likes each other and likes to be around each other,” Vargas said. “Especially when we’re in the dugout. We’re all in it together at the end of the day. It’s not like we’re competing against each other.”

Xavier Esquer, an infielder from Palo Alto who transferred to UCSB from Arizona two years ago, said he noticed the same contagious competitive culture when he arrived at the Santa Barbara campus. 

“It’s almost like a fraternity,” said Esquer, who was convinced by high school teammate Zander Darby to make the transfer in 2025. “Before I even got on campus, the guys that had been here welcomed me in. It was a good culture to come into.”

Esquer went on to start all 54 games for UCSB last year, scoring a team-high 50 runs and finding a way to get on base any way he can, including getting hit by pitches 23 times that season. He’s kept it up this year, reaching base consistently and cracking two home runs — including a grand slam — during the Gauchos’ 19-run romp over Riverside in the second-to-last game of the year.

“When we’re playing to our standard, and we’re playing good baseball, we’ll beat anyone, and we’ve shown that,” Esquer said. “That’s what we’re built for. That’s why we have intense practices and why our training environment is intense. It’s definitely something where when we get out on that field and we’re playing these teams, we’ve been prepared for this. This is who we want to play.”

Home Sweet Home

Caesar Uyesaka Stadium is one of the most beautiful venues to watch college baseball games in the country. In the spring, a cool ocean breeze floats over the two-level stands in the infield, and the bright grass and reddish-brown dirt of the field offer a welcome parallel to the muted green trees and beige rocks of the Santa Ynez Mountains in the distance.

In recent years, renovations have made the stadium worthy of hosting NCAA tournament games, with a new clubhouse and a giant 60-foot video board behind the right-field fence.

The Gauchos are always comfortable at home. In the past three seasons, UCSB boasts a 68-19 record at home, with a perfect 25-0 finish at home during the 2025 regular season.

Kellan Montgomery, the team’s second leading starting pitcher with more than 70 innings this year, grew up in town and played high school ball just across Highway 101 at Dos Pueblos before starting his career at Long Beach State. The senior right-hander transferred to UCSB this year to play one more season right in his own backyard.

“It’s awesome to be playing at the field where I grew up coming to watch games. It’s nuts,” Montgomery said. “I have a lot of memories here, doing camps and watching games, all that stuff.”

Montgomery says it was an easy choice to come and join the talented bullpen at UCSB, where he could learn alongside some of the best pitchers in the country. This year’s pitching roster leads the Big West with a combined ERA of 3.45, which is among the top five in the NCAA. On any given day, opponents could be facing starters Flora, Montgomery, Nathan Aceves, or Cole Tryba, with another round of relievers such as Chase Hoover waiting in the wings.

“It’s a good feeling knowing you have some really talented arms behind you,” Montgomery said. “It takes a lot of pressure off. It helps everybody out and allows people to recover a little better. And just the kind of guys we have too, the talent — it’s great.”

The team won its last three games at home, all three against Riverside in must-win games to capture the league title. In each game, it was typical Gaucho grit, with the pitchers and defense holding on strong while the offense settled in to put up enough runs to claim victory. In the final game, with Montgomery on the mound, the Gauchos got a trio of home runs from Vargas, Jonathan Mendez, and Noah Karliner.

“When we start scoring, especially early, we know our pitching is gonna dominate them,” Esquer said. “You can see, especially the vibe in the other team’s dugouts after we put up a couple runs and then we throw a couple zeros out there. It makes the games fun.”

After the final win at home, the Gauchos ran on the field in celebration of another Big West conference championship. They won 10 of their last 11 games following the loss to UCLA on April 28, and landed the No. 1 seed heading into this week’s conference tournament. 

Now, it’s up to the Gauchos to decide where they will land at this year’s NCAA tournament. They’re now ranked No. 23 in the
country, according to Baseball America, and with a good showing at the conference tournament in Irvine, UCSB could clinch a favorable seed to make another run at the
College World Series. 

Watch UCSB in the 2026 Big West Baseball Championship on ESPN+ from Thursday, May 21, to Saturday, May 24.