Some introductions might be necessary when the Cal State LA baseball team returns to Reeder Field this weekend.

The Golden Eagles, who have been playing their home games at East Los Angeles College (ELAC) as their home field underwent upgrades, come back to Reeder firmly in second place in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA). But Golden Eagles fans might not be familiar with two of the players who have been responsible for the team’s recent run of success.

First baseman Alberto Prado, who leads the team in home runs and batting average, and pitcher Brandon Gutierrez, who recently threw a no-hitter, played minor roles on the team last year. In the past couple of weeks, the pair was recognized with player-of-the-week honors for standout performances that have helped boost the Golden Eagles to an 11-5 CCAA record (14-12 overall).

Sophomore Gutierrez earned the FloCollege/CCAA Baseball Pitcher of the Week award for March 17-23 following his no-hitter against Cal Poly Pomona in the nightcap of a doubleheader on March 22 at Pomona’s Scolinos Field. The Golden Eagles won the game 7-1.

The previous week, Prado was named FloCollege/CCAA Baseball Player of the Week and the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association West Region Player of the Week after he went 10-for-14 for a .714 batting average over a four-game series against San Francisco State.

“They want it,” coach Vince Beringhele said. “Once you put in the effort and you take ownership of what you want to be, players take off from that point. Those two in particular have really done that and look toward improving every time. That drive will always make a player better.”

The right-handed Gutierrez recorded the fifth no-no in the program’s history and the first since Isaac Morales shut down San Francisco State’s bats in 2007. Gutierrez said it was the first no-hitter he has thrown at any level.

“The (Pomona) dugout was yelling, he’s throwing a no-hitter, he’s throwing a no-hitter,” he said. “They were trying to jinx me, so I knew I was getting close. I tried not to think about it. I just went out there and did my thing and not let anything affect what was going on.”

In six starts this season, Gutierrez has compiled a 4-1 record. He leads the conference with three complete games, and ranks fifth in ERA (2.78) and fourth in WHIP (1.09).

As a freshman, Gutierrez pitched only 5.1 innings as a reliever, but Beringhele knew he would play a bigger role as a sophomore.

“We had our end-of-year meeting, and he was almost surprised at how we felt about him,” Beringhele said. “He had great stuff. He just didn’t command the fastball well enough. He was a little wild, but he really worked hard on his weaknesses during summer ball and came back a much better player.”

Photo: Senior Alberto Prado’s hot bat has helped push the Golden Eagles to second place in the CCAA standings with an 11-5 record. (Credit: Xavier Zamore/Cal State LA)

Gutierrez said he also worked improving his change-up, slider, and curveball, as well holding runners on.

He has now won two CCAA Pitcher of the Week awards this season. He collected the first in early March after a complete-game, one-hit performance in a 6-0 win over Cal State San Marcos.

Against Pomona, Gutierrez had to work around three errors and four walks, but he quelled a hot-hitting Broncos lineup that had collected 21 runs on 33 hits in the first two games of the series.

The Golden Eagles went on to sweep Pomona in the four-game series. In the March 23 series finale, Prado hit his team-leading fourth home run to help the Golden Eagles to an 11-5 victory.

In the series against San Francisco State from March 14 to 16, the senior first baseman tallied 10 hits in 14 at-bats for a .714 average, a home run, four RBI, and two walks. He posted a .765 on-base percentage and a .929 slugging percentage while scoring runs in each of the four games.

“I guess I was in a zone,” Prado said. “It started off in the last game against Stanislaus [in the previous series]. I went 3-for-4 with a home run, and it kind of leaked into the next weekend. But it was more about the competition, who was in front of us. [San Francisco State] is a good team, so I really had to try my best to get it done.”

Prado, who tried to walk on as a transfer from Moorpark College in the fall of 2023, grayshirted last season as he and the coaching staff tried to find a position for him. He even tried his hand at catching, but more established players were ahead of him.

In recent games this season, injuries to teammates have allowed Prado to get at-bats as the starting first baseman and he has taken advantage of the opportunities. He owns a .392 batting average, 12 RBI, a .458 on-base percentage, and a .627 slugging percentage over 16 games, including 12 starts.

There is no guarantee Prado, who is listed as a utility player, will hold onto to the starting job at first base when his teammates return from injury, but Beringhele says he will find Prado at-bats.

“Prado’s bat has been so good,” he said. “We might be looking at a platoon situation. He’ll probably play half the games at first, maybe DH a little, but we have to keep that bat in the lineup.”

Cal State LA will host the Sonoma State Seawolves for a four-game set this weekend. The start times for the games are 6 p.m. Friday, 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. for the Saturday doubleheader, and 4 p.m. Sunday.

“ELAC isn’t too far, but it’s still not home,” Prado said. “The grass is looking really nice, the dirt is leveled on the field. We’re all excited about finally playing at home.”

Said Beringhele, “It’s going to be great to get out on Reeder and have the fan support. We’re putting out a great product on the field and it would be great for the student body to get out here and see us play. It’s been so long, and I know the players are itching to get back on our field.”

Tickets for Golden Eagles baseball are on sale now at LAGoldenEagles.com/Tickets.

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California State University, Los Angeles is the premier comprehensive public university in the heart of Los Angeles. Cal State LA is ranked number one in the United States for the upward mobility of its students. Cal State LA is dedicated to engagement, service, and the public good, offering nationally recognized programs in science, the arts, business, criminal justice, engineering, nursing, education, and the humanities. Founded in 1947, the University serves more than 24,000 students and has more than 250,000 distinguished alumni.