DAVIS, Calif. - Aggie Pride is not a one-size-fits-all sentiment; it's deeply personal and resonates differently with each Aggie. Riley Acosta's Aggie Pride is embodied in his remarkable perseverance, and since first setting foot on campus Acosta's Aggie Pride has been an innate part of his identity.

The story begins in the fall of 2021, when Acosta, a computer science major from Redondo Beach, Calif. stepped onto Phil Swimley Field for an open tryout, eager to earn a spot on the Aggies' roster.

Reflecting on his decision, Acosta said, "I got to Davis and my plan was to play on the club team just to play baseball and get ready for the tryout with them for a month. Worst comes to worst, I knew I could keep playing with them and still be able to play baseball."

Acosta had weighed heavily on the decision of whether he should pursue his baseball dreams at a local junior college to further develop his skills. But despite this internal debate, Acosta's attention to detail and dedication to his work in the classroom ultimately led him to Davis.

Once Acosta had settled on Davis, he began to reach out to the coaches to inquire on an opportunity to walk on. While tryouts for walk-ons are a common practice among many college sports programs, the chances of success for these athletes are often more like a long shot than a fairy tale.

The Aggies happened to be holding an open tryout at the same time Acosta was looking to get his foot in the door with the team.

It would turn out that the Aggies needed Acosta as much as Acosta wanted the opportunity.

Acosta, made the fall roster with four others, participating in all the workouts and practices for the final month prior to winter break. Recalling those early days, Acosta said, "After getting a chance to play and prove myself at the open tryout, I made it with a few other guys and we had about two weeks left in the fall to play in some inter-squads and practice, but we still didn't have any guarantees to be on the roster because of the uncertainty of everything."

The 2022 Aggies saw Acosta earn a spot on the roster. The foot was officially in the door.

During the 2022 season Acosta saw sporadic playing time as an outfielder and occasional pinch-hitter, as the Aggies battled through the season. That first season was a reality check for Acosta and he saw right away that the jump from high school to college baseball was very much a physical one.

In response, he dedicated the entire following summer to getting stronger and putting on size to help him compete, knowing that he would have to be back at square one the following fall; fighting for a roster spot that was not guaranteed.

"After my freshman year, we didn't really know where I fit into the program's plans," Acosta added. Enduring an already challenging spring, the subsequent fall brought new challenges.

With a full year of recruitment under his belt, UC Davis baseball head coach Tommy Nicholson and his staff introduced a revamped roster featuring 21 new faces but despite the overhaul, Acosta's resolve remained unshaken. His discussions with Coach Nicholson about carving out a role as a bullpen catcher midway through his second fall at least gave Acosta some direction and a path to sticking on the roster.

"We had gotten wind that Riley had a little bit of experience catching towards the end of his second fall," said Nicholson. "And we just really needed help with guys catching bullpens at the time. It was an idea floated to him as he was still a guy trying to make the roster at this point and this opportunity would kind of be his way to make the team because there wasn't really any sort of playing time available in the outfield spots."

Being the team-first guy that all Aggie teammates had grown to love, Acosta was willing to accept the challenge. With a smile on his face, Acosta said, "I came in with no gear, had to figure it out. I literally didn't even have a glove, but I figured it out."

A midst a noticeable culture shift taking place within the program, Acosta's journey in essence mirrored that growth taking place with the subtle gains still being met with some uncertainty every step of the way. "I pretty much spent most of my sophomore season traveling and developing as a bullpen catcher," said Acosta.

Statistically the 2023 season wasn't as successful as Acosta has hoped, but that did not affect his attitude. And after that 2023 season, Acosta was the only Aggie left from the five that made the team back in 2021.

"Riley is the first guy to the field, the last guy to leave," added Nicholson. "Everyone on the team can see his work ethic and he's a great teammate."

With just 60 at-bats through two years, Acosta turned to summer ball for a chance to put it all together. Playing for the Bay Area Admirals, Acosta was able to get into a regular routine of catching and he was receiving consistent at-bats on a game-to-game basis.

Here was the chance Acosta has been looking for to prove himself.

"It was good experience in my development skill-wise to spend the summer playing ball," said Acosta. "I was able to get reps catching and that grew my leadership qualities since I had to command the attention of 30 new pitchers."

Nicholson noticed a different sound coming off Acosta's bat almost right away when he got back to Davis. "He always had good bat-to-ball skills, but now the balls he was hitting had a chance to split the gap, or burn the outfielders," recalled Nicholson. "The summer he spent playing ball after his sophomore year was a big confidence booster."

And while Acosta still had to battle for playing time on an experienced and talented roster, the confidence he gained from the summer and the two previous seasons shone through. When he got his chance, he consistently delivered crucial hits and it earned him a spot among the team's top hitters by the season's end.

In 2024 Acosta's extra-base hits surged to 13, from just one in the previous two seasons combined, including three home runs and 24 RBIs.

"It's an incredible story because he wasn't the guy that was penciled in to be the starter, but he just kept earning it," said Nicholson. The Aggie head coach admires Acosta's journey and believes there is tremendous potential for further improvement, rooted in his work ethic and attitude.

"We don't have the year that we had without him, and I don't think our culture is what it is without him," added Nicholson.

Not only did Acosta's personal numbers soar, but the Aggies, as a team, had one of the best seasons in program history. The Aggies finished with 29 wins on the year, improved by 12 games from the previous season, making it just the third time in UC Davis' Division I era they have recorded a winning season and the first time doing so since 2015.

"This season was a huge turnaround from the past few years of uncertainty, for both me and the team," said Acosta. "The culture we have created here is special, and I'm excited to see how we are going to build on this season as the next year rolls around."

Acosta's humble beginnings started as a walk-on with limited playtime before transitioning to learning an entirely new position. He earned a scholarship after his third fall, and this past season he led the team's qualified hitters in batting average.

It's been a remarkable journey that has seen Acosta's Aggie Pride and perseverance evolve into the heartbeat that has help shift the culture of Aggie Baseball.