Eli Lopez joined the Arroyo Seco Saints this summer to put himself in the best possible position for his senior year. Lopez grew up playing baseball in the Southern California area as he’s from Pico Rivera, California, but moved a few minutes down the road to Whittier, California with his family as a child.  

Lopez grew up in a household with college athletes as his parents. Along with collegiate baseball, his father was drafted by the New York Yankees in 2002.  

“I guess you could say I grew up in the ballpark,” Lopez explained. “I am very fortunate to have people that have lived a life that I want to live. [My parents] push me to be the best every day.” 

As a ballpark kid, Lopez was inspired by his father’s drive and motivation which sparked his interest in baseball.  

While attending and playing baseball at Los Altos High School, Lopez picked up two Most Valuable Player honors, Defensive MVP junior year and Team MVP senior year. Lopez was also named First Team All-League both his junior and senior years. To wrap up his strong senior season, Lopez earned Second Team All-CIF and Top 5 Athlete in the Hacienda League.  

“I was new coming into that high school, I only knew a couple guys,” Lopez said. “[I grew] relationships with people I still talk to till this day.”  

Graduating in 2022, Lopez looked to continue his baseball journey, but the recruiting process wasn’t easy.  

“I wasn’t very highly recruited out of high school, I started to grab attention January of my senior year,” Lopez mentioned. “I would always go to Fullerton camps, and I would always put myself in front of the coaches because it’s somewhere I really wanted to play.”  

Growing up close to California State University, Fullerton and attending a few of their baseball games, Lopez felt that he couldn’t “pass up” this opportunity to become a Titan.  

In his first year at Cal State Fullerton, Lopez played in 18 out of 56 total games with a batting average of .311 and a .415 on-base percentage. Lopez continued to improve in his sophomore year, playing 53 out of 54 games with 19 RBIs and a .300 batting average.  

This past collegiate season, Lopez ranked fourth on the team with a .314 batting average and recorded 23 RBIs and 38 runs. To recognize his stellar season, Lopez earned a 2025 Big West Honorable Mention.  

When reflecting on his time at Cal State Fullerton so far, Lopez shared his thoughts in an interview.  

“I really like the culture that they have going on there and the greatness that the program has instilled in their players,” Lopez explained. “I think that we have a great staff and the guys are second to none.”  

Once the college baseball season came to a close for the Titans, Lopez looked to play another summer season, but this time with the Arroyo Seco Saints.  

In the Saints’ first nine complete games, Lopez has had 24 at-bats with nine runs and four RBIs. With a .483 on-base percentage, Lopez continues to be an on-base machine for the Saints.  

Lopez has been consistent in the leadoff spot for the Saints and shared that his mindset at the plate is to get on base and get in a good scoring position for the team.  

The Saints’ fire-starter mentioned that he has a goal to steal more bags this summer and continue to check in with his mindset through self-talk.  

As he enters his senior year after this summer, Lopez reflects on what he enjoys most about the college baseball environment.  

“It’s awesome; I’m blessed to be able to play at some very cool ballparks,” Lopez said. “Playing college baseball is one of the stepping stones that I wanted to accomplish in my life.”  

Lopez’s consistency at the plate will be an asset for the Saints this summer as he continues to push himself to the next level. He looks to carry this motivation to his senior season at Cal State Fullerton.  

Contributors:

• Saints reporter Taylor Dowdy (Arizona)
• Edited by Saints reporter Tyler Bowne (San Diego State)