San Diego (15-19-1, 8-7 WCC)  •  San Francisco (14-18, 5-10 WCC)

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

Live Stream • WCC Network  |  Live Statistics  • USDToreros.com

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SAN DIEGO — After closing out its last conference contest with a wild walk-off win, San Diego baseball (15-19-1, 8-7 WCC) is set to resume WCC play this weekend against San Francisco (14-18, 5-10 WCC) at Fowler Park.

The three-game set between the Toreros and Dons is set to get underway at 6:00 p.m. on Friday, followed by a 5:00 p.m. start on Saturday and a 1:00 p.m. first pitch in the series finale on Sunday.

All three contests will be streamed live on the WCC Network, with Jack Cronin on the call for game one before Braden Surprenant enters the booth for games two and three. Live statistics will be available on USDToreros.com.

LAST TIME OUT: A PITCHERS' DUEL AT TONY GWYNN STADIUM
• A first-inning home run was the difference in a crosstown rivalry matchup on Tuesday night at Tony Gwynn Stadium, dealing San Diego a 1-0 loss to San Diego State. The Aztecs plated a run in the bottom of the first on a solo home run before the USD bullpen held them scoreless for the game's final seven innings while allowing just two other hits.

OVER THE WEEKEND: GUREVITCH AND SIM BRING FOWLER MAGIC
• USD last Sunday afternoon scored three times in the bottom of the ninth to secure a thrilling walk-off win over Portland at Fowler Park, beating the Pilots 7-6 in come-from-behind fashion after Kevin Sim and Jack Gurevitch delivered with the game on the line.

• With one out in the bottom of the ninth and the Toreros chasing by a pair of runs, Sim hammered a line-drive double deep into the left-center field gap, plating Angelo Peraza and Justin DeCriscio to knot the score at 6-6.

• Gurevitch followed with an opposite-field RBI single, bringing home Sim from second to complete the comeback and earn USD a resilient 7-6 victory in which they led only once.

ALL-TIME SERIES VERSUS SAN FRANCISCO
• The Toreros are 90-62 against the Dons all-time, with the two programs' most recent meeting coming on May 25, 2022 in the WCC Tournament at Banner Island Ballpark.

• The matchup marked San Diego's first WCC Tournament game since 2013, and it saw San Diego beat the Dons 10-5 behind clutch home runs from Caleb Ricketts and Dustin Allen.

• USD dropped two of the three regular-season meetings between the two teams last season at Bennedetti Diamond (April 1-3), winning a 8-3 decision in game one before falling by a 6-5 margin in game two and losing game three by a score of 3-2 following a walk-off home run.

• San Diego last hosted San Francisco at Fowler Park from April 16-18, 2021 and took two of three from the Dons, rebounding from a tough 12-1 loss on Friday night to secure 7-5 and 8-1 wins on Saturday and Sunday.

FOR STARTERS (PROBABLE):
Friday: Sophomore left-handed two-way player Austin Smith will make his fourth start and ninth overall pitching appearance for San Diego when he takes the mound in the first game of USD's series against the Dons.

• Smith, an El Cajon, California native (Granite Hills High School) has emerged as one of the Toreros' most dominant pitchers in 2023, posting a 2.79 ERA with 26 strikeouts, five walks, and a save to go with his 2-1 record through 19.1 total innings.

• He most recently pitched last Friday (April 14) against Portland, allowing seven runs on eight hits in two innings while walking none and striking out two.

• He dominated on national television (ESPNU) on April 6 at Gonzaga, dazzling across a career-high five scoreless innings as he worked around four walks and two hits with a career-high nine strikeouts to lead San Diego to an 8-1 win.

• The lefty has also been a factor at the plate this season, batting .234 (29-for-124) with six doubles, three home runs, 28 RBIs, a team-high 22 walks, six hit by pitches, and two stolen bases across all 35 of the Toreros' games.

• Smith transferred to USD after spending his freshman season at nearby UC San Diego, where he batted .261 (46-for-176) with four home runs and ranked third on the team with a 3.18 ERA and 20 strikeouts in 17 innings pitched.

Saturday: San Diego's Saturday starter is TBA.

Sunday: San Diego's Sunday starter is TBA.

BIG BATS
• Through 35 total games and five conference series, San Diego's offense has been among the most productive in the WCC, ranking…

- First in on-base percentage (.376)
- First in walks (158)
- First in hit by pitches (60)
- Second in home runs (38)
- Second in runs scored (225)
- Second in RBIs (207)
- Third in stolen bases (39 in 57 attempts)

• On March 25 at Santa Clara, the Toreros hammered back-to-back-to-back home runs (Smith, Peraza, and Sim), marking the first time USD had left the yard in consecutive at-bats in 2023.

BULLPEN STEPS UP
• Seven different San Diego pitchers set forth scoreless innings on Tuesday night at San Diego State, holding the Aztecs to just two hits across the game's final 7.2 innings.

• Chase Minor was first out of the bullpen and paced the USD staff with a pair of strikeouts.

• He was followed by Tristan LaMaison, Mason Schmidt, Ryan Robinson, Mikiah Negrete, Nick Suspenzi, and Aídan Gonzalez.

• The lights-out collective performance included six total strikeouts and only one walk.

TOP PERFORMERS LAST WEEKEND (APRIL 14-16 VS. PORTLAND):
Jack Gurevitch | FR | INF/DH | Pacific Palisades, CA | Notre Dame High School
• Team-best 4-for-9 (.444) against Portland with a run scored, a double, and a team-high five RBIs

• Slugged .556 and got on base at a team-best .615 mark while walking three times and being hit by a pitch

• Recorded two multi-hit games, the latter of which was completed with a walk-off RBI single on April 16

• 2023: .276 (27-for-98), four doubles, two triples, one home run, 14 RBIs, 15 runs scored

• 21 walks so far this season are tied for second on USD roster

• Has started 19 games at first base in 2023 and has served as the Toreros' designated hitter for 10 games

Angelo Peraza | JR | UTIL | Chula Vista, CA | St. Augustine High School
• 4-for-10 (.400), two runs scored, two RBIs, tied-for-team-high three walks last weekend against Portland

• Has team-high 42 hits so far in 2023, three of which have driven in a go-ahead run in the ninth inning or later

• Leads USD in doubles (9), ranks second on roster in batting average (.318) and runs scored (36), is tied for second in walks (21) and third in home runs (6)

• His 13 multi-hit games in 2023 are the most of any San Diego player

Ariel Armas | SO | C | Chula Vista, CA | St. Augustine High School
• 4-for-11 (.364) against Portland with three runs, scored, a double, an RBI, a walk, and his first college home run

• Enters Friday night's action on a four-game hit streak that has seen him notch two multi-hit games

Kevin Sim | JR | UTIL | San Diego, CA | Torrey Pines High School
• Ripped game-tying two-RBI double in bottom of the ninth inning on Sunday afternoon against Portland

• Was named WCC Player of the Week on February 20 and was 2023 All-WCC Preseason
Team Selection

• Leads USD with 11 home runs, 37 RBIs, 39 runs scored, .595 slugging percentage, nine stolen bases in 2023

• Home run total is tied for second in the WCC, RBI total is one off the conference lead and his runs scored total trails by two runs.

• Has put together a 12-game hit streak and 14-game on-base streak in 2023

• Has started 16 games at first base, 13 in left field, five at third base, and one at second base so far this season.

Justin DeCriscio | SO | INF | Orange, CA | Orange Lutheran High School
• Tied his season-high with three hits on Sunday afternoon against Portland, one of which was his second career homer

• Leads USD with a .320 (41-for-128) batting average so far in 2023, has scored 32 runs and driven in 14

• Seven stolen bases in 2023 ranks second on USD roster

• Has started 30 games at shortstop and four games at second base this season.

HOME SWEET HOME
• USD is 10-5-1 while playing at Fowler Park in 2023 and is 304-205-2 (.598) at the venue since it opened in 2013.

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, their 37-20 record in 2022, and their 15-19-1 totals so far in 2023, the Toreros are a conference-best 130-77-1 (.627) in that 208-game span.

• Next best within that timeframe are Gonzaga (121-92, .568), BYU (113-94, .545) and Portland (96-89, .518).