SAN BRUNO, Calif. — Santa Clara University right-handed pitcher Max Bayles has been named to the West Coast Conference Baseball Preseason Team, as announced by conference office Thursday morning.
 
Bayles has emerged as one of the WCC's top pitchers through his first two collegiate seasons. After arriving as a true freshman in 2024, he has earned multiple all-conference honors, including all-WCC second team recognition in 2025 and WCC all-freshman team honors in 2024. He has also received national recognition, being placed on both the Golden Spikes Award Midseason Watch List and the NCBWA "Stopper of the Year" Award Watch List in 2025.
 
Across two seasons, Bayles owns a 7–8 career record with six saves and a 4.05 ERA. He has totaled 155 strikeouts against 47 walks, producing a better-than 3-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio, and has held opponents to a .222 batting average.
 
Bayles earned WCC all-academic honorable mention distinction along with his second team nod in 2025. He collected three WCC Pitcher of the Week awards last season while leading the WCC with 105 strikeouts and ranking fourth among qualified pitchers with a 4.45 ERA. Bayles struck out nine or more batters in six outings and recorded at least five strikeouts in 12 of his 15 appearances. His 14.18 strikeouts per nine innings rate ranked No. 4 in the country and tops in the WCC, while he also ranked among the nation's top-10 in strikeout rate (35.1%), xFIP (3.77) and SIERA (2.36). He struck out a career-high 12 in 5 1/3 innings at UC Davis on Feb. 22 and recorded 11 strikeouts in five innings at Portland on May 1. Bayles also threw a seven-inning complete-game shutout against San Francisco on March 22.
 
Bayles twice earned WCC Freshman of the Week honors in 2024. He finished second on the team that year with 21 appearances, including three starts, and posted a 3.40 ERA with 50 strikeouts. Bayles limited opponents to a .205 batting average and had at least three strikeouts in nine appearances.