New SDSU Baseball Head Coach Kevin Vance is set to lead a new look SDSU Baseball program this 2026 season. With the season just under 9 days away there’s been a ton of change from signing new players and filling out his staff—all the way to improving facilities.
It’s all in a days work and the end game is to restore the respect the SDSU Baseball program had once again. That will definitely take some time to do.
But Coach Vance is focused on the day to day. So when he was asked this week about his roles and responsibilities as the new head skipper, he broke his areas of focus down for the media to take note of.
The Team, That is a Team
First step in his coaching process has been to get his group of young players to agree that taking each day as a chance to improve has to be the main goal.
In 2025 SDSU finished with a 20-39 season overall and 14-16 record in the Mountain West. Not exactly the worst output in the world, but far below the standard for which the Montezuma Mesa has expectations for.
Vance, is no stranger to success. As an assistant coach at the University of Arizona his Wildcats are fresh off an NCAA Men’s College World Series berth. Vance was a big part of that success leading the pitchers unit from cellar dwellers to the top in just his first year at Arizona.
Wether fund raising or other off the field stuff, as a first year head coach there are opportunities to get excited. “We want to fill up Tony Gwynn Stadium,” said Vance. “We’ve got to earn that and win some games first but we want to get things going and get people in the stands and make it an awesome environment like it should be.”
The team breaks into 3’s typically with freshman, returning players and incoming transfers. So if the goal to get an at large bid is going to be achieved, the team is going to have to be a team without many clicks.
For the 2026 campaign Vance added 19 college transfers. This significant roster overhaul includes 13 players from Power 5 programs, featuring five from Oregon State, two from Arizona State, and two from Arizona, aiming for a true rebuild of the team. Vance is banking the new arrivals from the bigger schools he’s brought in will be hungry for an opportunity just as the rest.
And that’s the key word: opportunity. Each one can find success individually each day and collectively if they view everything as an opportunity worth working for.
Reigniting the Fanbase
Getting alumni together to be excited is also a big part of Vance’s vision. The potential of Tony Gwynn stadium holds a lot of memories for future successes. Bringing the former players and other supporters back onto the field is a big part of igniting that excitement.
The Tony Gwynn wall also doesn’t hurt. Appearance makes a difference to fans and alumni in returning to campus games. The new outfield wall was one big area to improve and the program did absolutely that.
In baseball there are several visual presences that bring about pride and respect in a game that was once America’s past time. The home run wall is eloquently that sight that makes you feel you’re at home again.
The wall features the iconography that has taken over SDSU athletics in the form of the Piedra del Sol or ‘sunstone calendar’ art many have come to praise on the football helmets and jerseys. Combined with the Tony Gwynn Stadium and pinstripes, it’s a homage to both Aztecs cultural history and SDSU’s proudest baseball achiever.
Building a schedule complete with teams like UCLA and USC was also very important. Both teams the Aztecs have one off games with; at UCLA in February 24 and at USC March 17.
Going into the Pac-12 in the future, gaining at large bids are the goal long term—Something that doesn’t much happen in the Mountain West. Challenging a team to do something uncommon, you must play those teams that are also uncommon.
To start the season off Vance’s Aztecs have their opening day and 3 game series against LIU starting on February 13-15 at Tony Gwynn Stadium. Following is at UC Irvine on Feb17. Then the Tony Gwynn Legacy takes place which involves games against Omaha, BYU, Utah, Creighton, and cross town rival USD.
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