San Diego (25-8, 11-4 WCC)  •  Pepperdine (14-16, 6-6 WCC)
Fowler Park (1,700) • San Diego, CA
Live Stream  •  WCC Network  |  Live Statistics  •   USDToreros.com
Social  •  Twitter.com/USDBaseball  •  Instagram.com/USDBaseball

SAN DIEGO — San Diego baseball (25-8, 11-4 WCC) is set to continue West Coast Conference play this weekend against Pepperdine (14-16, 6-6 WCC), taking on the Waves for a three-game series at Fowler Park.

The Toreros were originally scheduled to play Gonzaga this weekend in Spokane at the Patterson Baseball Complex, but the series was postponed on Thursday afternoon due to COVID-19 protocols within the Zags program. New dates for the games have not yet been determined.

USD's 2021 series with Pepperdine was first scheduled for April 1st, 2nd, and 3rd, then was moved to May 27th, 28th, and 29th following COVID-19 protocols within the Waves program in late March. With both teams slated for an off weekend, the series was moved for a third time to this Friday, Saturday, and Sunday after USD's series with Gonzaga was postponed.

Friday and Saturday's contests are set for a 6 p.m. start, and the series finale on Sunday will get going at 2 p.m. All three games will be streamed on the WCC Network, with longtime Torero broadcaster Jack Murray on the call.

USD is out to its best 33-game start since 2012, when the Toreros also began the year 25-8 before they finished the season 40-17 (15-9 WCC) and appeared in an NCAA Regional.

ALL-TIME SERIES VERSUS PEPPERDINE
• San Diego is 76-130 against the Waves all-time, with the two programs' most recent meeting coming on February 14, 2020, a 5-4 USD loss at Tempe Diablo Stadium in Arizona that was part of the Angels College Classic tournament.

• The Toreros have gone 4-6 in their last 10 matchups with Pepperdine, but are 7-4 at home versus the Waves since Fowler Park opened in 2013.

FOR STARTERS (PROBABLE)
FRIDAY: Sophomore right-hander Jake Miller will make his team-best seventh Friday night start of the 2021 season when he takes the mound in game one of the Toreros' series versus Pepperdine.

• Miller is 4-1 with a 2.37 ERA in eight appearances so far this season (all starts), and ranks second on the USD roster in both strikeouts (49) and innings pitched (38).

• In his most recent outing at Santa Clara last Friday (4/23), the Newbury Park, California native threw 5.2 innings while allowing only one run and two hits, striking out four in the process.

SATURDAY: Redshirt freshman righty Conner Thurman will reprise his role as San Diego's Saturday night starter in game two against the Waves, marking his fifth mid-series start of the 2021 season.

• Thurman is 5-2 with a 2.96 ERA so far this year and leads the team in wins (5), strikeouts (63), and innings pitched (48.2).

• In his most recent outing at Santa Clara last Saturday (4/24), the Mesa, Arizona native allowed three runs on seven hits across six innings of work, fanning 10 Broncos before he received the win for the series' middle game.

Thurman was named the WCC Pitcher of the Week on March 16 after he struck out 12 in seven shutout, two-hit innings versus UC Riverside.

SUNDAY:  USD's Sunday starter is TBA.

LAST TIME OUT
• San Diego swept conference opponent Santa Clara last weekend, taking all three games on the road against the Broncos to notch its fourth sweep of 2021.

• The Toreros earned a 2-1 win on Friday, took down Santa Clara by a 9-4 margin on Saturday, and finished the series strong with a 6-4 win in the series finale on Sunday.

ON FRIDAY (2-1 WIN):
• San Diego successfully completed a late-game rally to earn the victory, with sophomore Caleb Ricketts beginning the top of the ninth with a sharp single to deep right field before true freshman Kevin Sim laced a single into the left-center field gap that skipped past Broncos centerfielder Coleman Brigman to advance Sim to third and score Ricketts to tie the game at one.

• Sim scored the go-ahead run on graduate student Paul Kunst's sacrifice fly a batter later, and the Toreros had a 2-1 lead they would not relinquish.

• Sophomore righty Jake Miller started the game on the mound for San Diego, firing 5.2 innings while allowing zero earned runs and just two hits, striking out four Santa Clara batters along the way.

• He was relieved by a trio of redshirt sophomore Ryan Robinson, true freshman Ivran Romero, and graduate student Kieran Shaw on the mound, who combined for 3.1 scoreless innings to conclude the contest and finalize USD's 2-1 victory. Robinson has now thrown an even 15 innings this season while allowing only one run, Romero received the win on Friday to move to 3-1 on the year, and Shaw earned his team-leading sixth save of 2021 after he recorded the final out.

ON SATURDAY (9-4 WIN):
• Graduate student Thomas Luevano led the way for the Toreros at the plate, going 2-for-4 with a pair of doubles, three RBIs, a run scored, and a walk. He got the scoring started in the top of the first with a double to left field to plate sophomore shortstop Cody Jefferis, giving USD an early 1-0 lead that it would hang on to until the top of the fifth.

• San Diego was able to expand its advantage in that frame, scoring on a wild pitch (Will Worthington) and a double by junior catcher Shane McGuire that plated Jefferis and graduate student Paul Kunst.

• In the seventh, Luevano added his second double of the game, bouncing one over the Broncos' third baseman for two RBIs before he came around to score on an RBI single back up the middle by true freshman Jack Costello.

• The Toreros added two more runs on two more doubles an inning later, with Jefferis and Kunst each contributing an extra-base hit and an RBI.

• Redshirt freshman Conner Thurman started the game on the mound for San Diego and pitched six innings of three-run ball with 10 strikeouts, two shy of his career and season high of 12.

• He was relieved by true freshman Ivran Romero, who threw three innings while allowing just one run with six strikeouts of his own, one shy of his career and season high of seven. Romero struck out four batters in a row between the bottom of the seventh and the bottom of the eighth, striking out the side via three looking strikeouts in the eighth before he notched two more in the ninth to earn his third save of 2021 and finalize USD's 9-4 win.

ON SUNDAY (6-4 WIN):
• Graduate student Paul Kunst got the scoring started for San Diego in the top of the fifth with a base-loaded, three-RBI double down the third base line. He led all USD players at the plate, going 2-for-5 with three RBIs, two doubles, and a run scored.

• Two batters later, fellow graduate student Thomas Luevano doubled the Torero lead with a three-run homer to deep left field, plating junior Shane McGuire and Kunst.

• True freshman Jack Costello notched two hits of his own on Sunday, his 13th multi-hit performance of the season.

• Freshman right-hander Carter Rustad started the game on the mound for USD, throwing four innings of two-run ball while striking out eight, one shy of his career high of nine.

• He was relieved by freshman Jack Hyde (2-0), who tossed two innings out of the bullpen to receive the win before redshirt sophomore Ryan Robinson and graduate student Kieran Shaw teamed up for three scoreless frames to conclude the game and secure San Diego's 6-4 victory, with Shaw earning his seventh save of 2021 after the last out.

IT ALL STARTS WITH KUNST
• Batting at the top of the Torero batting order for all three games against the Broncos, graduate student Paul Kunst provided the spark the USD offense needed in Santa Clara, going 4-for-12 (.333), with five RBIs, four runs scored, and three doubles.

• On Friday, Kunst plated the go-ahead run in the top of the ninth with a clutch sacrifice fly.

• On Saturday, the Novato, California native scored three runs and added an RBI double.

• And on Sunday, he cleared the bases with a three-RBI double down the third base line, giving his team the lead for good after it had trailed by an early 1-0 margin.

• Kunst has started 24 of USD's 33 games at either second base or center field so far in 2021 after missing the team's first six games with an injury, and is batting .313 (30-96) with three doubles, two home runs, and 21 RBIs this season.

• He joined the Toreros as a walk-on in 2016, was cut from the team, then redshirted after making the 2017 squad.

• Since then, Kunst has earned a scholarship and appeared in 130 games in a San Diego uniform, batting .290 (169-583) with nine home runs, 21 doubles, and 72 RBIs.

LUEVANO LIGHTS IT UP
• Thomas Luevano joined his graduate studies classmate in having a big series at Stephen Schott Stadium last weekend, going 3-for-10 (.300) with six RBIs, two runs scored, a home run, and a walk in San Diego's sweep of Santa Clara.

• On Saturday, Luevano led the way for the Toreros at the plate, going 2-for-4 with a pair of doubles, three RBIs, a run scored, and a walk. He got the scoring started in the top of the first with a double to left field to plate sophomore shortstop Cody Jefferis, giving USD an early 1-0 lead.

• And on Sunday, the graduate student launched his team-leading ninth home run of the year, a three-run effort in the top of the fifth inning that gave his team a 6-1 advantage that it would not relinquish.

• Luevano transferred to San Diego from Creighton, where he played his junior and senior years at two-year starter at shortstop.

• Prior to Creighton, he spent two seasons at Moorpark College (2015-16), utilizing a redshirt in 2016 due to injury.

• Luevano is batting .325 (39-120) so far in 2021 with a tied-for-conference-high nine home runs, 13 doubles, and a WCC-best 48 RBIs.

JEFFERIS STAYS STEADY
• Sophomore shortstop Cody Jefferis has been perhaps the Toreros' most consistent hitter thus far, posting a .339 (43-127) batting average with 24 RBIs, 24 runs scored, 10 doubles, and 56 total bases though all 33 of San Diego's games.

• One of just three USD players to have started every game and the only one to have started every game at one position, Jefferis kept up his productive ways at the plate against Santa Clara, notching three hits (two doubles) while scoring two runs, driving in a run, and walking once.

• The Valencia, California native has also provided plus defense up the middle, frequently saving runs and taking hits away with his diving stops and heads-up plays.

CONSISTENCY FROM COSTELLO
• True freshman Jack Costello has impressed in his first college season, batting .367 (40-109) with 14 RBIs, 10 doubles, two triples, and a home run so far in 2021.

• His hot start to the season has included a 12-game hit streak (3/4-3/23), two three-game hit streaks (3/30-4/3 and 4/16-4/18), and 13 multi-hit games.

• The Simi Valley, California native's 12-game hit streak included strings of five games in a row with two hits (3/5-3/13), four games in a row with two hits (3/14-3/21), and concluded with a five-hit night on 3/23 at USC.

• This past weekend against Santa Clara, Costello turned in another strong series, going, 3-for-11 (.272), with an RBI, a double, and two walks.

• His .367 batting average is tied for third best in the WCC and is first among all qualified first-year players in the conference.

• On March 25, Costello was one of ten players named to Baseball America's Freshman of the Year award watch list.

SIM SHINING
• Since returning to the USD starting lineup on March 30 after an 11-game hiatus, true freshman Kevin Sim has made the most of his playing time, going 10-for-36 (.277) after starting 10 of the Toreros' last 11 games.

• The Torrey Pines High School product added two singles and came in to score two runs last weekend against the Broncos, and has started games at four different positions so far this season (DH, 3B 1B, and RF).

LOPEZ SET TO RETURN
• Despite missing the Toreros' last five games with an injury, senior third baseman Adam Lopez (Grossmont High School) remains on top of the WCC's batting average leaderboard, posting a conference-best .374 average (39-for-91) with three home runs, seven doubles, 32 RBIs, and 50 total bases in 27 games so far in 2021.

• Lopez, who is in his third season at USD after transferring from local Southwestern College, has also driven in the third most runs in the WCC.

• Barring a setback, the San Diego, California native is set to return to the USD lineup at some point this weekend versus Pepperdine.

REMARKABLE START FOR ROMERO
• True freshman Ivran Romero (Poway High School) has allowed just four earned runs in 31 innings pitched so far this season, giving him a stingy 1.16 ERA in 14 appearances out of the bullpen.

• Nearly all of the young right-hander's outings have come in high-leverage situations, and the San Diego native has pitched three innings or more in seven of his 13 relief appearances so far this season.

• In his most recent outing at Santa Clara on Saturday (4/24), Romero struck out six batters in three innings of work, surrendering a run on two hits in USD's 9-4 win to collect his third save of 2021.

ROBINSON STRONG OUT OF BULLPEN
• Redshirt sophomore righty Ryan Robinson has been as trustworthy as they come out of the bullpen for the Toreros, allowing just one earned run in 12 relief appearances (17.0 innings pitched), good for a minuscule 0.53 ERA.

• Last weekend at Santa Clara, the Ohlone College (Fremont, CA) transfer turned in 3.1 total scoreless frames across two appearances (Friday, 4/23 and Saturday, 4/25) while allowing three hits and recording three strikeouts.

SHAW SHUTTING IT DOWN LATE
• Graduate student Kieran Shaw has surrendered just three runs in his last 25 innings pitched, and has recorded saves in his last three outings for a team-leading total of seven on the year so far that ranks second in the conference.

• Shaw, a transfer from Harvard who set the Ivy League record for most saves in a season (13), has struck out 35 batters in 2021, good for third-best on the USD roster behind two starting pitchers (J. Miller and Thurman).

• On April 29, Shaw was named to the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association's 2021 Stopper of the Year Award Midseason Watch List.

• He has not allowed a run in his last four outings and boasts a 2.93 ERA as of Friday.

RBI MACHINES
• San Diego's explosive start at the plate in 2021 has helped vault four Toreros to the top 15 of the WCC's offensive leaderboards.

• Graduate student Thomas Luevano (first, 48 RBIs), senior Adam Lopez (tied for third, 32 RBIs), junior Shane McGuire (tied for seventh, 26 RBIs) and sophomore Cody Jefferis (tied for 12th, 24 RBIs) each own a spot on the conference's list of top RBI producers.

QUALITY AT-BATS
• Similarly, three Toreros have found themselves ranked in the NCAA's top 25 list of "Toughest players to Strike Out."

• Adam Lopez leads the way with a ranking of No. 4, Jack Costello came in at No. 20, and Shane McGuire checked in at No. 25.

TORERO BATS LEAD THE WAY
• San Diego's offense as a whole is also either first or second in three categories within the conference.

Those categories include:
• Batting average (.299), First in the WCC
• On-base percentage (.385), Second in the WCC by a one-point margin to Gonzaga
• Slugging percentage (.448), First in the WCC

BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE
• USD's team batting average (.299) ranks 22nd in the nation, and the Toreros' hot start at the plate has propelled the team into the top 25 of multiple offensive categories within all of NCAA Division I.

Those categories include:
•Batting average (.299), 22nd in the NCAA
•Doubles (83), 9th in the NCAA
•Doubles per game (2.52) 1st in the NCAA
•Hit by Pitch (66), 8th in the NCAA
•Sacrifice Flies (26), 1st in the NCAA

• Additionally, San Diego's 149 total strikeouts at the plate are the fewest in the WCC by a 91-strikeout margin.

BEST IN THE WEST (COAST CONFERENCE)
• From the beginning of the 2019 season until now, no team in the West Coast Conference has had a better record than San Diego baseball. Combining their 2019 record (32-21), their abbreviated 2020 totals (12-4), and their 25-8 mark so far this year, the Toreros are a conference-best 69-33 (.676) in that 102-game span.

• Next best within that timeframe are Gonzaga (64-47, .576) and Saint Mary's (63-47, .572).