Homegrown: Drew Townson & Tyler Patrick

Fresno State Baseball is looking to turn heads this season with a loaded schedule and a talented team. Their bullpen is filled with pitchers that can consistently throw strikes and execute in tight situations; however, two of their starters stand out in many ways, and they were born right here in the valley.

Tyler Patrick and Drew Townson are both starting right-handed pitchers for Fresno State, and both of them have contributed to this team significantly since they both came to Fresno State in 2025.

Townson grew up in Bakersfield and started playing baseball at a young age.

"My first travel ball tournament that I ever played in, I was seven years old, and it's November, so it's freezing cold. We had an 8 a.m. game because we just went 0-2 on Saturday," said Townson. "I remember getting to the field, and there's still ice on the grass, and I remember thinking, 'We really have to play baseball in this right now?'"

Townson played catcher until he was eight, and then shortstop for his whole life, all the way up until he came to Fresno State, where he switched to being a pitcher.

He went to Centennial High School and played baseball all four years. In high school, he was named first-team All-League, a Gold Glove recipient, and team MVP, batting .320 with 4 home runs, 16 RBIs, and 3 grand slams during his senior year.

Before he came to Fresno State, he played at Bakersfield College. He had a .273 batting average, .370 on-base percentage and .364 slugging percentage.

Townson's father, Kurt Townson, coached baseball his entire life, and he even coached him while he was at Bakersfield College.

"He got the head coaching job my sophomore year at Bakersville College. At first, I was like, I don't know how this is going to balance," said Townson. "So whenever we would get home from baseball practice, we were dad and son. We would watch golf, we'd do stuff, we honestly hardly even talked about baseball."

Patrick's upbringing wasn't much different than Townson's; he was born right here in Fresno, California, and grew up just four miles away from Bob Bennett Stadium.

Patrick recalls his first memory of baseball at a young age."I was probably 12 years old playing Cal Ripken All-Stars, and I was playing shortstop. There was a pop-up right at the second baseman, and I called him off, and I dropped it. Then I threw my hat on the ground," said Patrick. "Let's just say my dad was not very happy."

Patrick attended Clovis West High School, where he played pitcher, catcher, and designated hitter. He lettered as a starter in all four seasons and owned a .314 average with 39 hits. 39 RBIs, 13 doubles and six home runs as a senior. On the mound, he had a 9-1 record with a 1.08 ERA in 65 innings pitched, and struck out 77 batters. He also played quarterback for his football team, where he is the single-season and career passing leader.

Patrick's father, Kevin Patrick, also coached him in baseball while he was at Clovis West.

"I was at the field all the time, and I think it was good playing for my dad, but at the same time, it was hard. There was more of an expectation obviously, but I think I learned a lot from it, and then you just learn a lot of life lessons and stuff about ball that you take with you for the rest of your life," said Patrick.

Patrick's family history is filled with baseball. His father played baseball at CSUN; his uncle, Chris Patrick, played shortstop at Fresno State before being drafted to the pros; and his grandfather, James Patrick, was a legendary coach at Clovis High School, where he coached for 34 seasons and had 757 wins.

These players have many similarities. Both grew up in the valley, both played different positions in high school, and both were sons of coaches.

"It's not easy sometimes being a coach's kid," said Paul Loeffler, director of broadcasting and play-by-play announcer at Fresno State.

Both Patrick and Townson have contributed a lot to the Diamond Dogs in the year and a half they have been at Fresno State, especially last year at the Mountain West Tournament.

"They wouldn't have won the Mountain West tournament last year if Drew weren't so ultra competitive because it was the way he attacked his rehab after breaking his foot," said Loeffler. "If he weren't so determined to get back on the field, he wouldn't have been available in the tournament when they really needed him."

Townson said that another player who contributed to that win was Patrick.

"That Nevada game, we played 15 innings. He went three to finish the game and was just nails from the time he came in until the last out was recorded. That was fun to watch," said Townson.

This year, both Patrick and Townson are ready to start for the Dogs as they face a tough schedule. However, they aren't worried about what's to come, as they both believe Fresno State can make noise this year.

"I think we're each other's biggest supporters. Like if I'm throwing a bullpen, TP's there, every single good pitch, he's like, ''Atta boy, good pitch,' Or vice versa. Like every single guy, we're each other's biggest fans," said Townson.

After seeing what they have out of their new guys, they are both impressed and excited for what they can do in their final year in the Mountain West.

"When you got a new team coming in, 18, I think, and we got 12 freshmen. So, like, that's a whole new group. Especially young guys, and they've handled it really well," said Patrick.

With the season underway, it'll be exciting to see what Patrick and Townson can do together on the mound.

Fresno State Athletics

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Homegrown: Drew Townson & Tyler Patrick

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