Cal Poly Pomona alum Cody Ponce rejoined Major League Baseball on Tuesday and made history in the process.

An Upland High graduate, Ponce agreed to a three-year, $30 million contract with the Toronto Blue Jays, the defending American League champion.

It’s the largest sports contract ever signed by a Cal Poly Pomona alum, and doubles the largest contract ever given to a domestic player returning from the Korea Baseball Organization.

Last week, Ponce was named the Most Valuable Player of the Korea Baseball Organization, while also winning the Choi Dong-won Award (for best pitcher) unanimously.

Ponce went 17-1 with a 1.89 ERA and 252 strikeouts in 180.2 innings for the Hanwha Eagles, leading the team to the Korean Series, where the team ultimately lost to the LG Twins in five games. He picked up the only win for the Eagles in Game 3, providing a six-inning quality start.

Ponce set the KBO single-season strikeout record in September, and also set the single-game record with 18 strikeouts back on May. In June, he was named the starting pitcher of the Korean All-Star Game with 1.62 million votes, the third-most of any player selected for either team, and was named the KBO League MVP for the month of April.

A member of the Cal Poly Pomona baseball team from 2013-2015, Ponce helped lead the Broncos to the 2015 NCAA Division II College World Series and the national semifinal.

In 185.2 innings for the Broncos, Ponce posted a 2.42 career ERA with a 14-10 record across 47 appearances. He is one of just four pitchers in school history to throw at least 85 innings and not allow a single home run, while also ranking in the program’s Top 10 in both saves and ERA.

Following the 2015 season with the Broncos, Ponce was drafted in the second round (55th overall) by the Milwaukee Brewers, the fifth-highest MLB Draft pick in the program’s history.

After spending five seasons in the minor leagues, Ponce made his Major League debut on August 2, 2020 for the Pittsburgh Pirates, becoming Cal Poly Pomona’s 12th alum to appear in an MLB game.

He then spent three seasons in the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) League, where he tossed a no-hitter on August 27, 2022 for the Nippon Ham Fighters, before playing in Korea this past season.

WICKSTROM HALTS STREAK

After a tough two-game road trip to Idaho and a 0-5 start to the season, the UC Riverside women’s basketball team finally got its first win of the season.

Sophomore guard Hannah Wickstrom scored a career-high 30 points as the Highlanders returned home to SRC Arena and defeated previously unbeaten Cal Lutheran 64-47 on Saturday, Nov. 29.

Wickstrom was 9 for 13 from the floor and 11-16 from the free-throw line to lead the Highlanders (1-5 overall), who open Big West Bold Week at home against UC Irvine on Thursday at 6 p.m.

BRONCOS ON TO DALLAS

With a second consecutive NCAA Division II West Region championship secured with a 1-0 victory over Azusa Pacific on Saturday, Nov. 29, the Cal Poly Pomona women’s soccer team is just three wins away from repeating as national champion.

Senior Angelina Rivas scored the match-winner in the 39th minute, and freshman goalkeeper Jenna Tetrault (Redlands East Valley High) notched her 12th shutout as Cal Poly Pomona (17-2-3 overall) continued its postseason journey.

The Broncos play at No. 1-ranked Dallas Baptist in a national quarterfinal match on Saturday, Dec. 6 at 1 p.m.

CMS HOSTS D3 POLO

The Claremont Mudd Scripps men’s water polo team will host the 2025 USA Water Polo Division III national championships on Saturday and Sunday at Axelrood Pool in Claremont.

CMS will be the top seed in the four-team tournament and will play Augustana in the semifinals on Saturday at noon. Second-seeded Pomona-Pitzer plays MIT 2 p.m. The national championship match is Sunday at noon.

The Stags (22-5 overall) are making their fourth appearance in a D3 semifinal, most recently winning the national title in 2023. Pomona-Pitzer (19-13) won the D3 title in 2021.

ODDS & ENDS

San Bernardino Valley College sophomore defensive back Asaad Chapman has offers from Mississippi State, North Carolina, Oregon and UTSA, among others. He was expected to sign on Thursday. … Sophomore Angelina Beall (Arlington High) scored three goals but the Riverside City College women’s water polo team lost 21-6 to No. 1-ranked Long Beach City in the California Community College Athletic Association championship match on Saturday, Nov. 22. Beall finished with 131 goals this season. … . The Mt. San Jacinto College women’s basketball team hosts the Eagle Invitational this weekend. The 13th-ranked Eagles (5-3 overall) play Skyline (7-1) on Friday at 6 p.m. and Irvine Valley (6-1) on Saturday at 2 p.m.