San Diego (0-0, 0-0 WCC)  •  Nebraska (0-0, 0-0 Big Ten)

Fowler Park (1,700) • San Diego, California

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SAN DIEGO — After completing its most successful season in nearly a decade last spring, San Diego baseball is set to begin its 2023 campaign on Friday night, hosting Nebraska for a season-opening four-game set at Fowler Park.

First pitch on Opening Night is slated for 6:00 p.m., followed by a 5:00 p.m. start on Saturday, a 1:00 p.m. start on Sunday, and a 12:00 p.m. series finale on Monday afternoon.

All four games will be streamed live on the WCC Network with Braden Surprenant on the call. Live statistics will be available on USDToreros.com.

ALL-TIME SERIES VERSUS NEBRASKA
• The Toreros are 2-2 against the Cornhuskers all-time, with the two teams' most recent meeting coming in February of 2020, a 12-11 San Diego win at Fowler Park.

• USD has won each of its last two matchups with Nebraska dating back to a 17-5 Torero win in February of 2016, also at Fowler Park.

• Prior to that, San Diego lost each of its first two contests against the Cornhuskers, falling by a 5-4 margin in 2004 and a 16-9 margin in 1980, both at Cunningham Stadium.

FOR STARTERS (PROBABLE)
FRIDAY: Redshirt junior right-hander James Sashin is set to make his first career start at Fowler Park for the Toreros in Friday night's season opener.

• The Oak Bluffs, Massachusetts native, who joined the team as a walk-on in 2020 after a brief stint with USD's club baseball team, appeared in 19 of San Diego's games on the mound in 2022, going 2-0 with a 5.26 ERA, 16 strikeouts, and 16 walks in 25.2 innings pitched.

• His lone previous start came on April 26, 2022 at Cal State Fullerton, an outing that saw him surrender three earned runs on three hits in two innings alongside a walk and two strikeouts.

SATURDAY: Graduate righty Garrett Rennie will take the mound for USD on Saturday evening in what will mark his 12th career start.

• Rennie appeared in 15 of San Diego's games last season (11 starts), going 2-4 with a 4.01 ERA, 50 strikeouts, and 25 walks in 67.1 total innings pitched, which was the second-most on the USD roster.

• He started each of the Toreros' first eight Friday night games in 2022 and threw five or more innings on seven occasions.

• The Los Alamitos, California native will look to reprise his early season success from a year ago, when he allowed just one earned run across 13.1 innings to begin his 2022 campaign, including a win over Oregon on Opening Night at Fowler Park.

• Rennie joined USD in 2020 from Long Beach City College, where he earned 2018 First Team All-South Coast Conference honors and was named both the 2019 LBCC Pitcher of the Year and the 2019 South Coast Conference Pitcher/Athlete of the Year.

SUNDAY: Junior right-hander Ivran Romero is scheduled to start for USD on Sunday afternoon in what will mark his fifth career start and his second at Fowler Park.

• The San Diego, California native (Poway High School) appeared in 23 of San Diego's games on the mound in 2022 (three starts), going 4-4 with a 2.53 ERA, 44 strikeouts, 16 walks, and three saves in 46.1 total innings pitched.

• He most recently started in San Diego's second matchup with Vanderbilt at the 2023 NCAA Corvallis Regional (June 5), which marked the Toreros' last game of the season.

• Romero tossed a single inning that day against the Commodores at Goss Stadium, surrendering three earned runs on three hits and two walks alongside a single strikeout.

• His most recent start at Fowler Park came on May 21, 2022 against Gonzaga in what marked the Toreros' final game of the regular season. He turned in 4.0 solid innings that afternoon, allowing just one run on six hits as he walked one and struck out three.

• Romero earned 2022 WCC All-Tournament Team honors after posting a 2.70 ERA in 6.2 innings pitched (three appearances) at Banner Island Ballpark, surrendering just five hits, two earned runs, and three walks against six strikeouts

• Like Rennie, Romero will look to continue a trend of early season success on the mound. He began his college career in 2021 with 20 consecutive scoreless innings, then kicked off his sophomore year in 2022 with five straight scoreless outings against Oregon, UNLV, Dallas Baptist, and UC San Diego.

MONDAY: Sophomore righty Morgan Lunceford is set to start for San Diego in its series finale on Monday in what will mark his second career start.

• His lone previous start came on March 8, 2022 against crosstown opponent UC San Diego. The Edmond, Oklahoma native tossed 1.2 scoreless innings that evening at Fowler Park, surrendering a pair of hits and a walk alongside two strikeouts.

• Overall, Lunceford appeared in 12 games last season, posting a 14.73 ERA with eight strikeouts and nine walks in 11 innings pitched.

• He saw action in San Diego's 2022 postseason run, throwing two thirds of an inning in both the WCC Tournament Championship game against Gonzaga (May 28) and USD's matchup with No. 4 Oregon State at the NCAA Corvallis Regional (June 4).

TWO TOREROS NAMED TO ALL-WCC PRESEASON TEAM
• Juniors Kevin Sim (infielder) and Jack Costello (3B/OF) were named to the 2023 All-WCC Preseason Team the West Coast Conference announced on Tuesday morning (February 14).

• It's Costello's second consecutive All-WCC Preseason Team honor, coming after the Simi Valley, California native earned a selection to the All-WCC Tournament Team and a WCC All-Academic Honorable Mention nod last spring.

• He appeared in all 57 of San Diego's games in 2022, starting 30 at third base, 19 in left field, five in right field, and three at first base while batting .307 (73-for-238) with 40 runs scored, 15 doubles, two triples, eight home runs, 42 RBIs, 12 walks, 12 hit by pitches, and two stolen bases.

• His big sophomore year at the plate included 21 multi-hit games, 12 multi-RBI games, a 10-game hit streak, and a team-high 29-game on-base streak. Costello finished 2022 with a pair of clutch performances in the postseason, ripping a go-ahead two-RBI single and a go-ahead solo home run in San Diego's 15-12 extra-innings win over Gonzaga in the WCC Tournament Championship (May 28) before recording three hits and a run scored in two matchups with Vanderbilt at the NCAA Corvallis Regional (June 3 and 5).

• It's the first-ever preseason conference honor for Sim, who was both an All-WCC First Team selection and a WCC Player of the Week (March 14) in 2022.

• The San Diego, California native (Torrey Pines High School) put together a fearsome campaign at the plate last year, batting .292 (66-for-226) with 52 runs scored, 13 doubles, two triples, 12 home runs, 57 RBIs, 35 walks, three hit by pitches, and eight stolen bases, numbers that culminated in 19 multi-hit games, 14 multi-RBI games, a 22-game on-base streak, and a seven-game hit streak.

• He appeared in all 57 of San Diego's games a year ago (49 at first base and eight as the team's designated hitter), finishing second in the WCC for home runs (12), runs scored (52), and runs batted in (57), fifth in walks (35), and sixth in total hits (66).

• Sim joined Costello in putting together a standout postseason performance last spring, batting .267 (4-for-15) in the WCC Tournament with six runs scored, a double, eight RBIs, and five walks before he drove in a pair of runs in San Diego's matchup with Vanderbilt at the NCAA Corvallis Regional (June 5) with a single and a towering solo home run.

SAN DIEGO PICKED SECOND IN 2023 WCC PRESEASON POLL
• With 73 points and four first-place votes, USD was picked to finish second in the 2023 WCC Preseason Poll, the West Coast Conference announced on Tuesday morning (February 17).

• San Diego (37-20, 17-10 WCC) finished the 2022 regular season tied for second in the WCC standings before completing a rousing run through the WCC Tournament bracket at Banner Island Ballpark to take home the team's second-ever WCC Tournament Championship. The victory advanced USD to the 2022 NCAA Corvallis Regional, where the Toreros opened the event with a signature win over perennial powerhouse Vanderbilt.

• The Toreros are set to return 17 letterwinners from that squad, including 2022 All-WCC Honorable Mention Ryan Robinson, 2022 All-WCC Freshman Team selection Ryan Kysar, and 2022 All-WCC Tournament Team selection Ivran Romero. Nineteen newcomers (12 freshmen and seven transfers) are set to join the team this spring.

2023 WCC Baseball Preseason Poll
1. Gonzaga - 78 points (6)
2. San Diego - 73 points (4)
3. BYU - 62
4. Portland - 58
5. LMU - 48
6. Pepperdine - 38
7. Santa Clara - 35
8. Saint Mary's - 27
9. San Francisco - 20
10. Pacific - 11

FOWLER PARK TURNS 10
• Wednesday marked the 10-year anniversary of the first-ever game at Fowler Park and Cunningham Field, played on February 15, 2013 against crosstown rival San Diego State before a sold-out crowd of 2,015.

• Lead donors and local philanthropists Ron and Alexis Fowler cut the ribbon to officially welcome fans to the venue that evening, marking the beginning of a new era for San Diego baseball. The duo were joined by more than 100 other donors in supporting the project.

• Led by architecture firm Populous and Turner Construction, the $13.8 million project was constructed in just 38 weeks between the 2012 and 2013 seasons and featured the following additions to the existing Cunningham Stadium site:

• 1,700 permanent seat-backs
• A grand entry archway detailed in 16th century Spanish Renaissance architecture
• A Musco lighting system with eight light standards 
• A video board
• New dugouts and a new locker room, player study lounge, coaches' offices, athletic training room, conference room, soft-toss area, and mud room
• A new press box and two hospitality suites

• Additions for the 2023 season include a state-of-the-art 25' x 16' Daktronics video board, a new outfield wall, and a new batter's eye.

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), their 33-12 mark in 2021, and their 37-20 record in 2022, the Toreros are a conference-best 115-58 (.664) in that 173-game span.

• Next best within that timeframe are Gonzaga (108-72, .600), BYU (99-73, .575) and Saint Mary's (96-86, .519).

YEAR TWO UNDER UNGRICHT
• Friday night's season opener versus Nebraska will mark the beginning of head coach Brock Ungricht's second season at the helm in San Diego after being promoted on July 3, 2021.

• Ungricht was elevated to head coach after spending the previous three seasons (2019-2021) as USD's assistant coach (hitting) and recruiting coordinator, helping the Toreros to a West Coast Conference-best 77-37 (.675) record in that span.

• A San Diego native, Ungricht was a Southern California Area Scout for the Saint Louis Cardinals organization in 2017 and 2018.  Prior to that, he spent six seasons at Stanford University; the final two as a full-time assistant coach under longtime Cardinal skipper Mark Marquess. 

In his first year as head coach (2022), the Toreros achieved:

• USD's most wins since 2013 (37)
• USD's first WCC Tournament Championship since 2013
• USD's first NCAA Regional Appearance since 2013
• USD's first NCAA Regional win since 2013
• USD's first NCAA Regional win since 2013

HOME SWEET HOME
• The Toreros will begin their 2023 season with seven consecutive home games: four against Nebraska and one apiece against Hawaii, UC Irvine, and North Dakota State as part of the Tony Gwynn Legacy tournament.

ROAD WARRIORS
• Following their season-opening homestand, San Diego will embark on an 11-day, nine-game, four-city, three-state, 3,691-mile road trip that will comprise the majority of their 2023 non-conference schedule.

• The Toreros will play their first road games of the season at Oregon (Eugene) from March 2 to March 5 (four games), then continue north for a midweek matchup with Oregon State in Corvallis on March 7.

• Both the series against the Ducks and the game against the Beavers will represent a rematch from last season for USD. San Diego took three games out of four from Oregon at Fowler Park to open their 2022 schedule (February 18-21), and fell to then-No.4 Oregon State at Goss Stadium by a 12-3 margin as part of the 2022 NCAA Corvallis Regional (June 4).

• After their stint in Oregon, USD will head south for three games in Fort Worth, Texas against TCU at Lupton Stadium.

• One last away contest will await the Toreros when they finally return to California on March 14 — a Tuesday night matchup at UCLA.

MIDWEEK ACTION
• Other non-conference tilts for USD include midweek home-and-home series with CSUN (March 28 on the road, April 25 at home), and UC Irvine (April 11 on the road, May 9 at home).

• San Diego will host crosstown rival San Diego State on Tuesday, March 21, and will visit nearby UC San Diego at Triton Ballpark on Tuesday, April 4 before making a trip to Tony Gwynn Stadium to play the Aztecs on April 18.

WEST COAST BEST COAST
• West Coast Conference play is set to begin for USD on March 17, when the Toreros host Pacific for a three-game set at Fowler Park.

• Home conference series for USD include Pacific (March 17-19), Pepperdine (March 31-April 2), Portland (April 14-16), San Francisco (April 21-23), and BYU (May 4-6). 

• Away WCC series include trips to Santa Clara (March 24-26), Gonzaga (April 6-8), Loyola Marymount (April 28-30), and Saint Mary's (May 12-14).

2023 Schedule Notes:
• 50 games
• 25 home games
• 25 away games
• 27 WCC games
• 23 non-conference games
• 15 home WCC games
• 12 away WCC games
• 10 home non-conference games
• 12 away non-conference games
• 39 games in California
• 30 games in San Diego
• 5 games in Oregon
• 3 games in Texas
• 3 games in Washington

TOREROS IN THE PROS
• Four Toreros from last year's WCC Tournament-winning squad were selected in the 2022 MLB Draft:

• LHP Brycen Mautz | Second Round | 59th Overall Pick | St. Louis Cardinals
• INF Chase Meidroth | Fourth Round | 129th Overall Pick | Boston Red Sox
• C Caleb Ricketts | Seventh Round | 212th Overall Pick | Philadelphia Phillies
• LHP Ian Churchill | 10th Round | 308th Overall Pick | Toronto Blue Jays

• Their selections marked the 33rd consecutive year that at least one Torero was drafted by a big league club.

• Since 1966, 131 Toreros have been selected in the MLB Draft.

HOMETOWN HEROES
• Eleven players on the 2023 USD roster hail from the San Diego area, and 10 attended local high schools.

Those players are:

• INF Chris Esquivel | San Diego, CA | La Jolla Country Day School
• 3B Kevin Sim | San Diego, CA | Torrey Pines High School
• RHP Ivran Romero | San Diego, CA | Poway High School
• UTIL Angelo Peraza | Chula Vista, CA | St. Augustine High School
• C Ariel Armas | Chula Vista, CA | St. Augustine High School
• RHP Jack Hyde | La Mesa, CA | Grossmont High School
• UTIL Ben Haar | La Mesa, CA | Helix High School
• INF Ryan Ward | Coronado, CA | Coronado High School
• C Andrew Semo | Coronado, CA | The Bishop's School
• LHP/OF Austin Smith | El Cajon, CA | Granite Hills High School
• LHP Mikiah Negrete | Oceanside, CA | Servite High School

THE GOLDEN STATE
• In total, 29 players on the 2023 USD roster hail from California. Another five are from Arizona (two from Mesa, two from Scottsdale, and one from Paradise Valley), one (Morgan Lunceford) is from Edmond, Oklahoma, and one (James Sashin) is from Oak Bluffs, Massachusetts.

WORKING THE PORTAL
In addition to the 12 freshmen entering USD's program this spring, eight players joined the Toreros from the transfer portal.

Those players include:

• INF James Arakawa (Pacific)
• INF Ryan Ward (Arkansas)
• C Andrew Semo (Fordham)
• OF Gabe D'Arcy (Arkansas)
• LHP/OF Austin Smith (UC San Diego)
• 1B Max McGwire (Oklahoma)
• RHP Jack Bunnell (Washington)
• RHP Chase Minor (San Francisco/Merced College)

BIG LEAGUE DREAMS
• This year's USD roster features three players with fathers who played Major League Baseball.

• Mark McGwire, father of sophomore first baseman Max McGwire, played 16 MLB seasons and was a 12-time All-Star.

• Jason Schmidt, father of freshman right-handed pitcher Mason Schmidt, played 14 MLB seasons, was a three-time All-Star, and won the 2003 ERA title with the San Francisco Giants.

• The late Kevin Ward, father of freshman infielder Ryan Ward, played nine years of professional baseball as an outfielder, including two seasons at the major league level with the San Diego Padres. Ward died in 2019 after a battle with cancer.

WHAT'S IN A NAME?
• Including coaches and support staff, this year's USD roster includes:

• Five Ryans (Ward, Welch, Ferron, Robinson, and Kysar)
• Five Jacks (Costello, Frankovich, Gurevitch, Hyde, and Bunnell)
• Two James (Arakawa and Sashin)