By Cesar Rivas, April 11, 2026
Cal Poly Pomona sophomore Anthony Cosme established a commanding pitching presence on the mound in his first start of the baseball season against Cal State Dominguez Hills March 28 with a 5-1 victory, earning him CCAA Pitcher of the Week.
Cosme ended the night tallying 10 strikeouts with 85 pitches in six innings of work. His 10 strikeouts are tied for the most strikeouts in a single CCAA game this season.
Head coach Randy Betten praised the performance of the 19 year old right-handed pitcher March 28.
“That was incredible,” Betten said. “What he did on Saturday was special. I mean, that was dominance, and hopefully more of that to come.”
Cosme started playing baseball at 4 years old, after moving back to the United States from a brief stay in Guanajuato, Mexico. From there, his love for the game ascended.
Before taking the mound at Scolinos Field, Cosme attended St. John Bosco High School, in Bellflower, California, where he started as a catcher and a fielder. Cosme said the game subconsciously told him his time as a position player was coming to a close during his sophomore year.
“It was transitioning from my sophomore year at Bosco, and I wasn’t getting a lot of opportunities, and I couldn’t really hit well,” Cosme said. “I would come in and pitch in certain spots for my JV and freshmangames, and I would perform really well. I told myself, like, ‘OK, I guess the game’s telling me it’s time to work to be this pitcher, and from then on, I focused on becoming the best pitcher that I could be.”
Toward the end of his high school career, assistant coaches Jenzen Torres and Anthony Mizrahi scouted Cosme at a tournament in Palm Desert, California. After they reported their findings back to Betten, the Broncos offered Cosme an athletic offer.
“[At] the beginning of May, maybe I eventually committed to come and be a Bronco,” Cosme said. “I really love the coaching staff. I really loved the talks that we had with Randy, the talks that I had with the pitching staff. I really enjoyed each other single one of them.”
While finishing his time at St. John Bosco, Cosme already built his resume by being a three-time pitcher of the year, First Team All-CIF and First Team All-Trinity League.
“He’s a hard worker,” Betten said. “He cares about his teammates and being successful, and he just wants the team to be successful.”
Anthony Mizrahi also praised the hard work Cosme displays on and off the field, mentioning that sometimes Cosme needs to be reminded to slow down. Mizrahi also admired his maturity in the ways he carries himself, and how it shows on the mound.
His collegiate success began his freshman year at CPP as he was named the Broncos opening day starter of the 2025 season. Despite dealing with an injury during his first year, Cosme posted 6.34 ERA in 12 appearances, striking out 43 batters across the campaign. He was also named the 2024-2025 CPP Athletics Male Freshman of the Year.
“The way he goes about his business, with his care and concern, especially with his attention to detail, to what he puts into his craft, is something special to see as well,” Mizrahi said. “We can do as much as we can as coaches, but it does take a lot from players and he’s one of those guys. He’s going to work no matter what.”
Cosme made three previous appearances this season, all out of the bullpen tallying 12 strikeouts in 10 innings pitched and only allowed two runs.
Cosme leans on his faith, as he mentioned that he lets God control his outings every time he takes the mound. That through all the obstacles he has faced, he thanks God for the opportunity that he was given.
“I just give it up to God,” Cosme said. “I let him control everything. Every time that I go out to the mound after my warmup pitches, I look up into the sky and go behind the mound, and I just like a little prayer. Essentially, I look up to the Lord and I ask him like, ‘OK , it’s me and you.’ That’s how I like to live my life.”
Cosme’s next appearance came against the No. 10 team in the country in Cal State Monterey Bay, in which he pitched the second game of the doubleheader Friday, April 3. In six innings of work and 96 pitches, he struck out five batters while allowing three runs, in a close 3-2 loss.
Mizrahi said he wasn’t worried about the loss, as Cosme did his job and pitched well by generating a lot of weak contact that just squeezed through the gaps. Despite the loss, Mizrahi was proud of the way Cosme battled and still filled the strike zone against a good team such as Monterey Bay.
Cosme said the way to continue his success is just to keep being consistent. While Betten and Mizrahi both agreed that the key to continuing his run of form is to just be himself, as his hard work is demonstrated every time he takes the mound.
“Consistency, consistency, consistency,” Cosme said. “That’s the biggest thing. Some of the best ball players are the ones that can be as consistent as possible each and every day. It’s being able to continue to do the right things, being able to show up to the field every day, getting your work in day by day. Yeah, it might sound boring, but the rewards come from the board. Being able to be consistent definitely is the biggest thing.”
Feature image photo courtesy of Cesar Rivas