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April 13, 2005
The San Diego Toreros return home this weekend for a three-game series with WCC rival No. 29 Pepperdine. The series begins 3pm Friday afternoon at USD's Cunningham Stadium. USD (22-17-1; 8-7 WCC) ripped Santa Clara pitching for 52 hits and 37 runs during a three-game sweep over the Broncos last weekend to close to within a game of Gonzaga in the WCC Coast Division standings. Pepperdine (23-10; 10-1 WCC), who is the favorite to win the WCC West, has lost just one league game this season and was projected as an NCAA Regional participant by
Baseball America in the publication's
College Midseason Report released Monday. All three games will be broadcast live on www.usdtoreros.com.
April 15-17, 2005
Cunningham Stadium/San Diego, Calif.
No. 29 Pepperdine @ San Diego
FRIDAY 3pm (RH Josh Butler 6-4; 2.54 ERA vs. RH Kea Kometani 7-2; 2.54 ERA)
SATURDAY 1pm (LH Justin Blaine 5-4; 3.35 ERA vs. LH Paul Coleman 5-0; 2.47 ERA)
SUNDAY 1pm (RH Matt Couch 2-2; 5.49 ERA vs. RH Barry Enright 4-1; 4.72 ERA)
Listen live to all three games on www.usdtoreros.com
SAN DIEGO (22-17-1; 8-7 WCC) Stats
A number of different Toreros filled up the stat sheet in San Diego's three-game road sweep of lowly Santa Clara last week at SCU's Buck Shaw Stadium... The top three hitters in the USD order, freshman OF Justin Snyder (.345 BA), 2B Keoni Ruth (.344 BA) and C/DH Jordan Abruzzo (.304 BA) combined to go 23-for-46 (.500 BA) en leading USD to three consecutive wins... Abruzzo went 5-for-5 in the series finale vs. SCU... He leads the league in hits (40) and homeruns (8)... Ruth totaled 8 RBIs in three games at SCU and is hitting .381 in USD's last 10 games... Three different Toreros homered off Bronco pitching, with Abruzzo hitting his first career grand slam, Snyder hitting his first career homerun and UT Ryan Lilly (.246 BA) adding a two-run shot... The USD pitching staff has more strikeouts (282) than any other staff in the WCC... Sophomore RH Josh Butler (6-4; 2.54 ERA) is expected to start for USD Friday... Butler is 5-1 with a 2.44 ERA spanning his last seven starts... San Diego is just 4-11-1 playing on its home field of Cunningham Stadium this season... USD posted a 21-6 home record a year ago.
PEPPERDINE (23-10; 10-1 WCC) Stats
The Waves have won four straight and lead the WCC West Division Standings by two and a half games over San Francisco... Pepperdine claimed a 4-2 non-conference victory over No. 14 Long Beach State Tuesday night in Malibu... The Waves scored all four of their runs on a pair of costly fielding errors by the 49ers... Under then-first-year head coach Steve Rodriguez, the Waves finished the 2004 regular season 28-30, but qualified for the NCAA Regionals by upsetting LMU in the 2004 WCC Championship Series... Peppedine leads the WCC in team batting average this season (.299 BA)... Sophomore C Chad Tracy (.373 BA), son of current LA Dodger manager Jim Tracy, leads the league in doubles (14), slugging % (.627) and total bases (84)... Junior 2B David Uribes (.321 BA) has stolen 13-of-15 bases this season and has scored 34 runs, both tops in the WCC... The Waves have experimented with shuffling the order of its weekend rotation, but have consistently used the trio of RH Kea Kometani (7-2; 2.54 ERA), LH Paul Coleman (5-0; 2.47 ERA) and RH Barry Enright (4-1; 4.72 ERA)... Senior closer RH Steve Kleen (3-1; 2.45 ERA) has 7 saves while also hitting .326 as the Wave's everyday first baseman.
THE SERIES
USD took two-of-three from Pepperdine last season in Malibu (6-11; 2-0; 8-2)... In a nationally televised game last season against the Waves, USD LH Justin Blaine allowed just five hits and two runs, pitching into the eighth inning to allow the Toreros a WCC series win on the road... Spanning the last four seasons, San Diego has won 4-of-7 series with Pepperdine... In the WCC Championship Series in both 2002 and 2003 the Toreros took 2-of-3 from Pepperdine in Malibu to advance into the NCAA Regionals...The last series between the two teams at Cunningham Stadium was a lopsided three-game sweep in favor of the Waves in early April 2003... The Waves own an 80-29 all-time advantage over the Toreros... USD is 13-20 against Pepperdine since 1999.
USD STARTING PITCHING
San Diego has received three consecutive winning starts from sophomore right-hander Josh Butler (6-4; 2.54 ERA). The 6-5 product of Danville, California, has allowed just three earned runs in his last 23 innings of work. Butler moved into USD's No. 1 spot in the rotation last week at Santa Clara and responded by striking out a career-high nine batters and allowing just four hits through seven innings. Junior lefty Justin Blaine (5-4; 3.35 ERA), who leads the WCC in strikeouts (77), innings (86) and starts (13) is expected to start Saturday afternoon versus Pepperdine. Blaine allowed a season-high 11 hits in seven-plus frames during a no-decision at Santa Clara last Saturday. Blaine is in search of his first win since a 6-inning, 12-strikeout victory over San Diego State on March 11. Spanning his last four starts (all against WCC opponents), Blaine is 0-3 with a 6.75 ERA, allowing 36 hits in 26.2 innings. Freshman RH Matt Couch (2-2; 5.49 ERA) has filled in nicely for injured starter LH Nate Boman (5-1; 2.28 ERA), who is hopeful to return later this season... Couch, a true freshman from Del Campo High School, worked a career-high 6.1 innings in his sixth collegiate start last week at SCU. Couch has made three consecutive weekend starts (St. Marys/Gonzaga/Santa Clara) going 2-0 with a 4.24 ERA, walking just one batter in 17 innings.
THE USD OFFENSE
San Diego caught fire offensively during the team's recent road trip to Santa Clara last weekend... USD upped its season's batting average from .280 to .291... Every starter in the Torero batting order registered a hit in a 19-2 rout over Santa Clara in the front end of last Saturday's series-opening doubleheader in which the Toreros set single-game season-high's for both runs (19) and hits (25)... Leadoff hitter OF Justin Snyder (.345 BA) has three or more hits in each of his last four games, enjoying a stretch in which he has gone 13 for his last 23 (.565 BA)... Snyder has four extra base hits during that span, including hitting a long homerun last week at Santa Clara, the first round-tripper of his young collegiate career... The top three hitters in the USD order, Snyder, 2B Keoni Ruth (.344 BA) and C/DH Jordan Abruzzo (.304 BA) combined to go 23-for-46 against SCU last weekend... Abruzzo went 5-for-5 in the series finale vs. SCU and hit his first career grand slam during the doubleheader Saturday... Abruzzo leads all WCC players in hits (40) and homeruns (8)... Ruth totaled 8 RBIs in three games at SCU and is hitting .381 in USD's last 10 games... SS Steve Singleton (.322 BA) leads all Torero players with 13 doubles... Singleton came up with a clutch RBI-double with two-outs in the ninth inning of Saturday's doubleheader nightcap to allow USD the opportunity to comeback and win in the tenth... Senior UT Jamie Hesselgesser (.321 BA) continues to provide offense for USD hitting down in the order... Hesselgesser went 4-for-11 (.364 BA) and scored eight runs in the three-game set with SCU.
THE USD BULLPEN
Called upon to pitch in 21 games this season, junior RH Matt Falk (2-2; 2.10 ERA) leads the WCC in appearances... Falk has a team-leading five saves and has totaled 25.2 innings this season, allowing just six earned runs... Falk is a junior transfer from UC Irvine that is being used as a pitcher for the first time in his college career after hitting .297 as a position player at Irvine as a true freshman in 2003... Freshman LH Dustin Church (1-1; 5.40 ERA) left the team prior to USD's recent trip to Santa Clara, leaving the Toreros with just five-to-six available arms in relief, depending on who is awarded weekend roster spots week-to-week... Senior RH Sean Warlop (0-2; 4.95 ERA) closed out USD's most recent win, a 8-5 decision over SCU to complete the three-game sweep last Sunday... Warlop is the most experienced Torero pitcher and one of just two senior arms on the USD staff.
BEST IN THE WEST
Over the past three seasons no West Coast Conference (WCC) team has been as successful as San Diego. The Toreros have won two of the last three WCC Championships, and entering the 2005 season, USD owns the league's best overall record (106-74) since 2002. The Toreros were impressive a year ago against perennial baseball powers in the Big West Conference, defeating each of the top five teams in the BWC, including a 7-4 victory vs. eventual National Champion's Cal State Fullerton. USD posted the best record in the WCC (35-21) last season, leading the league in batting average (.328), ERA (4.68), fielding % (.969) and on-base % (.412). San Diego's .328 batting average also ranked 7th-best nationally.
USD HEAD COACH
San Diego's Rich Hill has built the USD Toreros into one of the most successful Division I baseball programs on the West Coast. The 2005 spring season will be Hill's 18th year as a head coach at the collegiate level, and seventh at USD, having enjoyed 14 winning seasons in 17 years. Since taking over at USD in 1999, Hill has been remarkable in leading the Toreros to six consecutive winning campaigns, re-writing the school record book en route to claiming back-to-back West Coast Conference Championship titles in 2002 and 2003. Under his leadership San Diego has averaged 33 wins per season, including winning a school record 39 games in 2002, a year in which Hill was honored by his peers as the WCC Coach of the Year. Hill became one of the youngest coaches in collegiate history to reach 500 career victories in 2003, taking USD into postseason play and a second consecutive NCAA Regional appearance.
*14 winning seasons in 17 years as a head coach
*Over 500 career victories (536-369-2)
*Has averaged 35 wins per season at USD since 2000
*Back-to-back West Coast Conference Championships 2002-2003
*WCC Coach of the Year 2002
*Two NCAA Regional teams at USD
*8 players, including 7 graduating seniors sign pro deals following the 2004 season
ABRUZZO UP FOR NATIONAL PLAYER OF THE YEAR
2004 Freshman All-American and WCC Freshman of the Year C/DH Jordan Abruzzo has drawn the interest of the national media as he is a candidate for the Johnny Bench Award. Abruzzo, who leads USD and the WCC with eight homeruns this season, is one of 37 catchers from across the country named to the Johnny Bench Award Watch List. The award is given annually to the top national collegiate catcher. The watch list will be narrowed down to 10 semi-finalists, which will be announced May 17.
SAN DIEGO ON NATIONAL TV
College Sports TV (CSTV) has announced that for the second consecutive season the Toreros will play in front of a live national audience. The network has chosen USD's May 14th home game with WCC Coast Division rival Loyola Marymount as one 16 games it plans to air as part of its coverage of Division I College Baseball. It marks the first time in Cunningham Stadium's 29-year existence that a game will be televised live nationally. Last season USD defeated Pepperdine in Malibu April 18, a game carried by CSTV. ESPN unveiled a 2005 college baseball schedule that includes 29 games beginning April 8, with 16 games on ESPN or ESPN2 and 13 on its newest channel, ESPNU. At least two more games were planned but had not been confirmed. ESPNU also will show games from two NCAA regional sites, and will televise super-regional games that are not seen on ESPN or ESPN2.
USD WINS 2005 AGGIE BASEBALL CLASSIC
San Diego defeated three nationally recognized progams to win the team title in College Station. In front of 6,258 fans the Toreros knocked off No. 11 Texas A&M 3-0. San Diego also claimed a win over No. 19 Washington 3-0. USD posted a 4-1 record over the weekend tournament, allowing just four runs thanks to an outstanding effort from a pitching staff that posted four shutouts. Four USD players earned all-tournament honors, including LH Nate Boman, RH Josh Butler, LH Justin Blaine and 1B Randy Curtis.
USD RECOGNIZED AMONG THE NATION'S TOP COLLEGE PROGRAMS
San Diego was included in Baseball America's 2005 Preseason Top 50, garnering a ranking of No. 48. The publication also picked the Toreros to win the WCC Coast Division and named USD a projected NCAA Tournament participant.
THE ROAD TO OMAHA
San Diego is picked to win the West Coast Conference (WCC) Coast Division by Baseball America, while the league's coaches tabbed reigning division champs Loyola Marymount as their preseason division favorite. Under the guidance of 7th-year Toreros head coach Rich Hill, USD has won two of the last three WCC Championship titles, missing a chance to participate in the NCAA Regionals last season despite winning 15-of-17 to close out the season (finishing 35-21 overall).
ONE-DIVISION WCC FORMAT BEGINS IN `06
The West Coast Conference will change its league baseball format and schedule beginning in 2006. A one-division format will once again be implemented and the eight institutions will compete in a 21-game conference season. Currently, WCC schools compete in a two-division format, West and Coast, with a 30-game conference schedule. The two-division format was originally implemented in 1999, but continues to undergo re-alignment every two years. Under the one-division, 21-game format, each school will play the other seven opponents one time over the course of an eight-week conference season. Each team will play seven three-game series, with one week serving as the bye week. The top two finishing teams will play in the WCC Championship Series with the regular-season champ serving as series' host.
