The El Camino College baseball team will be returning to the diamond with much of the same roster that reached the 3C2A SoCal Super Regionals last season.

The Warriors, who posted a 32-14 record, finished third in the South Coast Conference, recording the most wins in a season since 2019, when ECC won 40 games.

Under third-year coach Grant Palmer, this year’s team will be entering the 2026 season, with a deeper roster, carrying 39 players.

One key area of strength is on the mound.

Sophomore Cameron O’Neil (West Torrance High), an All-South Coast Conference First Team selection leads the returning group. As a freshman, O’Neil posted a 10-3 record, a 3.08 ERA with 77 strikeouts in 84 2/3 innings.

“Last season, we were a young team, didn’t have a lot of experience – this year, that’s an advantage for us, because we have a lot of guys coming back from that freshman class,” O’Neil said. “I think we have a good foundation that we started from and a lot of good freshmen that came in.”

Sophomores Adrian Pineda (Serra) and Tyler Tellenbach (Palos Verdes) also bring back valuable experience. Pineda went 7-2 last season, with a 3.02 ERA in 83 1/3 innings. Tellenbach went 3-1 in 32 2/3 innings.

Newcomers Anthony Camarena, freshman left-hander from Banning and Matthew Krause (Mira Costa), who spent last season at UC Irvine are also expected to contribute.

Slater Nunez (Torrance) earned SCC first team honors last season. Nunez was an all-first team selection in the South Coast Conference. He hit .337 and drove in 42 runs. He was also the team’s closer and recorded nine saves and struck out 19.

Dylan Mares (Carson) supplied the power last season, hitting eight home runs. Mares, who also earned all region honors, drove in 32 runs.

Palmer’s coaching staff has remained largely intact, with the exception of Grant Mayeaux, who is now the head coach at Chaffey College. Beyond personnel, Palmer said physical development has been a key factor in progression from the fall into the spring.

“They got out after it in the weight room, starting after the season in the summer and as well in the fall,” Palmer said.

He added that cohesion and team chemistry has been another strength of the team.

“They’re friends on the field and off the field, which bleeds on the field,” Palmer said.

The Warriors will open the season Friday at home in the Memorial Cup series against Orange Coast College. The series shifts to OCC Saturday and concludes Tuesday back at ECC.

Conference play will begin Tuesday, Feb. 17, on the road against Compton.