Westmont College Professional Athletes

Westmont's Unlikely MLB Standout Is Making a Case for Something Real

Michael Stefanic didn't take the conventional path to the big leagues. The Westmont College product — out of a small NAIA school in Santa Barbara — has spent years proving he belongs at every level. Right now, through the week of September 6–12, he's doing it with a .389 batting average for the Oakland Athletics, a mark that ranks among the best in all of Major League Baseball.

In Saturday's game against the Seattle Mariners, Stefanic crossed the plate for a run while maintaining that elite average. For a rebuilding Athletics squad searching for reasons for optimism, Stefanic has quietly become one of the more compelling storylines on the roster.

What makes the number stick out isn't just the figure itself — it's the context. Hitting .389 in September, when pitching staffs are stretched and rosters are expanded, still demands elite bat-to-ball skills and a disciplined approach. Stefanic has always been known for contact and plate awareness, traits he honed long before he had a recognizable college baseball program behind his name.

Westmont College, a Division III-equivalent NAIA school, doesn't produce MLB regulars on a routine basis. Stefanic's emergence as a legitimate MLB contributor — and now a statistical standout — is the kind of story that resonates well beyond Oakland. It's a validation not just of his own persistence, but of the idea that elite talent can develop outside the Power Five pipeline.

Also in the league, Andrew Vasquez remains on the Detroit Tigers roster, though no notable statistical activity was recorded for him during the period.

For Westmont fans, the headline belongs entirely to Stefanic. A .389 average in the final weeks of the MLB season is the kind of number that gets remembered — and for a program that rarely sees its alumni in the majors, it's a moment worth savoring.

Michael Stefanic is making a case to be one of the hottest hitters in baseball right now — and he's doing it as a Westmont College alum.

The Athletics second baseman has been relentless at the plate across the final week of August and into September, posting a batting average that has swung between .375 and .455 across five logged game entries. That's not a hot night or a favorable matchup. That's a sustained, multi-series tear against legitimate American League competition.

The Numbers

Against the Orioles on August 30, Stefanic's average sat at .375 in one appearance and climbed to .429 in another — a sign he was finding his stroke and refusing to let go of it. He carried that form into the Texas series on September 2, where his best showing of the week came in a 5-8 Athletics loss to the Rangers: two hits, an RBI, a run scored, and two walks. His average jumped to .455 on the day, a sign that belongs in a video game. By Friday, September 4 — an Athletics win over the Mariners, 5-4 — Stefanic added another hit and settled at .389 on the day, keeping his season average firmly in productive territory.

What makes the performance notable isn't just the average. It's the discipline. The two-walk game against Texas suggests Stefanic isn't expanding his zone or chasing pitches just because he's locked in — he's taking what pitchers give him and punishing everything in the zone. That's a difficult combination to quiet.

Context

Westmont College, the small school in Santa Barbara, doesn't produce MLB regulars on a conveyor belt. When one of its alumni carves out a role in the big leagues, it tends to be through precisely the kind of patient, contact-oriented approach Stefanic is showcasing. He fits that mold completely.

The Athletics, still building toward a future in Sacramento and navigating a transitional roster, aren't exactly playing for October. But Stefanic is giving Oakland something to feel good about in September, and he's giving Westmont alumni everywhere a genuine reason to tune in. With the stretch run underway, he's the kind of under-the-radar contributor who quietly puts together a season-ending résumé that demands a larger role next year.

Andrew Vasquez, the other active Westmont alum in MLB, is currently on the Tigers roster, though no game activity from him surfaced during this period.

For Warriors fans, the story this week starts and ends with Stefanic — batting .389 on September 4 and showing no signs of cooling off.

Michael Stefanic Is One of the Hottest Bats in Baseball Right Now

If you haven't been paying attention to the Oakland Athletics' middle infield this week, now is the time to start. Westmont College alum Michael Stefanic posted a scorching .429 batting average across the Aug. 23–29 stretch, making him one of the most productive hitters in the American League during that span.

The second baseman out of Santa Barbara has been getting it done consistently, not in flashes. On Thursday, Aug. 27, Stefanic went 1-for-the-day in Oakland's 7–4 win over the Twins, chipping in an RBI to help the A's pull away. Then on Saturday, Aug. 29, he delivered again in a tight 2–2 contest against the Orioles — part of the same relentless stretch that has his average locked at that eye-popping .429 mark.

For context: .429 over any sustained stretch at the MLB level is elite. Whether Stefanic can carry that production into September — the stretch run — is the storyline to watch out of Oakland.

It's a strong moment for Westmont's small but legitimate pipeline to professional baseball. The Warriors, an NAIA program in Santa Barbara, don't churn out MLB rosters, but Stefanic has quietly carved out real big-league relevance. His performance this week is the kind of thing that gets noticed in front offices and, more importantly, in lineup card conversations.

Also on the Westmont radar: Andrew Vasquez remains on the Tigers' roster, though he didn't factor into the box scores during this particular window. The lefty reliever's presence keeps Westmont with two active MLB affiliates — a genuine point of pride for a school of roughly 1,300 undergrads.

This week, though, belongs to Stefanic. A .429 average isn't a footnote — it's a headline, and Warriors alumni have every right to be loud about it.