Esquival earns CCAA and NCBWA Pitcher of the Week
By Nicolas Esparza, February 24, 2026
Cal Poly Pomona left-handed pitcher Dylan Esquival shut down No. 7-ranked Colorado Mesa Feb. 6, earning him CCAA Pitcher of the Week and NCBWA West Region Pitcher of the Week honors.
The senior pitcher threw seven strikeouts, didn’t allow a single run and held Colorado Mesa to two hits in five innings in his second start of the season. The Broncos came out with a 5-1 win, splitting the series 2-2.
Esquival described his pitcher of the week honors as a shock. When his mother congratulated him, his response was, “What did I do?” However, The Broncos’ ace and right-handed pitcher Andrew Campbell wasn’t shocked at all by Esquival’s honors.
“I mean, he’s been putting in those numbers,” Campbell said. “We were all expecting it. He puts in the work, and he definitely deserves it.”
Campbell and Esquival have been teammates for the last four years, rooming together for travel games. Campbell attributes Esquival’s success to his preparation and describes him as a great example to younger teammates.
His first start of the season was on opening day in a 1-0 win against Azusa Pacific University. In the home opener, he pitched a four-inning shutout, only allowing three hits and striking out five. The Broncos ended up sweeping the Cougars 3-0.
“It’s his mental toughness,” head coach Randy Betten said. “He wants to get after hitters. He’s not scared in big moments. He just loves to compete on a pitch-by-pitch basis.”
Since his arrival at CPP, Esquival’s role on the team has evolved. He started as a bullpen pitcher during his freshman year in 2023 and struck out 20 that year. As a sophomore in 2024, he still worked mainly out of the bullpen but did have one start and struck out 15 for the year.
As a junior, he appeared in 10 games starting in nine of them. He led the team in strikeouts with 48 recorded for the 2025 season and even threw a complete game shutout. As a senior, Esquival is now already showing his progression from his first three starts of the 2026 season.
Betten found Esquival’s switch from pitching on pure emotion to now competing on a pitch-by-pitch basis demonstrates his development.
“Take away what he does on the field,” Betten said. “His maturity has definitely grown from a true freshman kind of a young kid to become very mature in the game, as well as off the field, cares about school, cares about being successful, puts in the work, understands the work, better than what he did as a freshman. It’s good to see him blossom.”
The Broncos faced Hope International Feb. 13-15, dropping the series 2-1. Esquival had his third start Feb. 13 and was a bright spot for the team despite the loss. He only allowed four hits in five scoreless innings with six strikeouts.
Esquival said he felt like he wasn’t throwing his best pitches that day but didn’t let that discourage him. He described this most recent start against Hope International as a turning point for him.
“(That’s) a mentally young Dylan, freshman or sophomore year, would have completely let everything play in against me and let the emotions get the best of me,” Esquival said. “I feel like keeping your head down and really working extra hard to keep that focus to throw strike after strike. I feel like that’s showing a huge level of growth for me personally.”
Esquival makes an effort to improve by constantly adjusting his pitch and remaining level-headed in high-pressure moments, he added.
A major part of his growth comes from the support of his father, as he described his father as being “utterly devoted” to seeing him succeed. He started off playing tee ball when he was 5 years old, but he really adapted to pitching in middle school, though it appears he was destined to be a pitcher before birth.
“When my mom was pregnant, (my father) would rub on her belly and wish for a left-handed pitcher,” Esquival said. “It’s crazy how it worked out.”
David Coggin, a former MLB pitcher, has also been a key figure in Esquival’s baseball career. Since he was in middle school, Coggin taught Esquival how to work on his mechanics and what his expectations are as a player.
Esquival’s goal for this year is to work on taking care of his body, on and off the field. As a team, he believes the Broncos can make the playoffs this season.
As for after CPP, Esquival hopes to continue a career playing baseball and humbly reflected on his last four years.
“Being here has been everything,” Esquival said. “It’s given me an opportunity to get a degree this semester. It’s given me an opportunity to play more baseball, and it’s given me an opportunity to connect with old teammates and new teammates. I feel like it’s just given me so much to who I am today, and I’ve been forever grateful for this opportunity.”
Feature image courtesy of the CPP Athletics
