San Diego (12-14-1, 5-4 WCC)  •  Gonzaga (11-14, 7-2 WCC)

Patterson Baseball Complex (2,000) • Spokane, Washington

Television • ESPNU  |  Live Statistics  • GoZags.com

Social  •  Twitter.com/USDBaseball  •  Instagram.com/USDBaseball

SPOKANE, WA — After taking two of three from Pepperdine and notching an impressive win at UC San Diego on Tuesday, San Diego baseball (12-14-1, 5-4 WCC) is set to renew the West Coast Conference's fiercest baseball rivalry this weekend against Gonzaga (11-14, 7-2 WCC) at the Patterson Baseball Complex.

The three-game set between the Toreros and Bulldogs is slated to get underway at 8:00 p.m. on Thursday night, followed by a 6:00 p.m. start on Friday and a 12:00 p.m. first pitch on Saturday in the series finale.

Thursday night's matchup will be televised nationally on ESPNU with Roxy Bernstein (play-by-play) and Wes Clements (analyst) on the call. Friday and Saturday's games will be streamed live on the WCC Network, and live statistics for all three contests will be available on GoZags.com.

LAST TIME OUT
• An impressive team effort on the mound, outstanding defense, and some timely late-game hitting powered San Diego baseball to a 5-2 midweek win at UC San Diego on Tuesday, earning the Toreros their third consecutive victory as they began a five-game road stint.

• USD got on the board first with a pair of early runs before UCSD tied the score at 2-2 in the fourth, where it remained until the Toreros plated three in the top of the ninth to secure the win.

ALL-TIME SERIES VERSUS GONZAGA
• The Toreros are 54-43-1 against the Bulldogs all-time, with the two teams' most recent meeting coming in last year's West Coast Conference Tournament Championship in Stockton, California at Banner Island Ballpark (May 28, 2022).

• San Diego defeated the Zags 15-12 in 11 innings that afternoon to secure their second West Coast Conference Tournament title in program history, advancing USD to its ninth-ever NCAA Regional appearance.

• The historic win came after a hard-fought, back-and-fought affair that was punctuated by a pair of clutch USD home runs in the top of the 11th inning — one from then-sophomore utility player Jack Costello that broke a 10-10 tie and put the Toreros back on top at 11-10, and one from then-junior shortstop Cody Jefferis that gave San Diego a 15-12 lead they would not relinquish.

• Junior Jack Costello turned on a 2-2 fastball in the top of the 11th for a go-ahead solo shot to make it 11-10, then junior shortstop Cody Jefferis picked an opportune time for his first home run of 2022, hammering the first pitch he saw atop Banner Island Ballpark's right-field porch for a pair of invaluable insurance runs to give the Toreros a 15-12 lead they would not relinquish.

• USD last played at the Patterson Baseball Complex in May of 2021 in what marked both San Diego and Gonzaga's final regular-season series of the year.

• The Toreros began that three-game set in Spokane with a tough 10-0 loss on Friday but bounced back to take two of three from the Zags with a 9-0 win on Saturday and a 10-2 win on Sunday.

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 11-14-1 totals so far in 2023, the Toreros are a conference-best 127-72-1 (.638) in that 200-game span.

• Next best within that timeframe are Gonzaga (119-86, .580), BYU (108-90, .545) and BYU (108-90, .545).

BIG BATS
• Through 27 total games and three conference series, San Diego's offense has been among the most productive in the WCC, ranking…

• First in home runs (28)
• First in walks (130)
• First in hit by pitches (54)
• Second in runs scored (185)
• Second in RBIs (171)
• Second in on-base percentage (.386)
• Second in stolen bases (29 in 43 attempts)
• Third in hits (231)
• Third in total bases (366)

• 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.

NEVER OUT OF THE FIGHT
• April 1 marked the fourth time this season that San Diego earned a comeback win after trailing by three runs or more.

USD's comeback wins in 2023 have included...

• February 19 vs. Nebraska - Trailed 8-2, won 10-9 on Angelo Peraza's walk-off single
• February 26 vs. UNLV - Trailed 3-0, won 6-5 on Jack Costello's walk-off single
• March 18 vs. Pacific -  Trailed 6-1, won 16-6 after 10-run eighth inning
• April 1 vs. Pepperdine - Trailed 4-0, won 8-4 after Austin Smith's go-ahead grand slam

• February 20 vs. Nebraska - Trailed 16-10 entering predetermined final inning (travel restrictions), scored six runs to earn 16-16 tie after Jack Costello sent a game-tying three-run homer to left field.

• USD has been ahead at some point in 22 of its 27 games so far this season and has held a lead in nine of its 14 losses.

FOR STARTERS (PROBABLE):
Thursday: Sophomore left-handed two-way player Austin Smith will make his second start and seventh overall pitching appearance for San Diego when he takes the mound in Thursday's nationally televised series opener.

• Smith, an El Cajon, California native (Granite Hills High School) has emerged as one of the Toreros' most dominant pitchers in 2023, posting a 1.46 ERA with 16 strikeouts, one walk, a win, and a save across 12.1 total innings (six appearances, one start).

• His most recent outing last Saturday (April 1) against Pepperdine at Fowler Park saw him fire a season-high 3.2 scoreless and hitless frames after beginning the game as San Diego's designated hitter, entering out of the bullpen in the top of the sixth to strand a pair of runners before closing out the game with five consecutive strikeouts to secure his first win as a Torero and move to 1-0 on the year.

• Smith's most recent start came on March 2 at Oregon, when he held the Ducks scoreless across three two-hit innings at PK Park while striking out two and walking none.

• He has also shined at the plate this season, batting .271 (26-for-96) with six doubles, three home runs, 26 RBIs, a tied-for-team-high 18 walks, six hit by pitches, and two stolen bases.

• Smith's bat came up big last weekend against Pepperdine when San Diego needed it most, as he hammered a go-ahead grand slam on Saturday (April 1) and a bases-loaded double for a pair of key insurance runs on Sunday (April 2) to lead San Diego to a series win over the Waves.

• He 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.

Friday: Redshirt junior righty James Sashin is set to make his eighth start of the season and the ninth of his career when he takes the mound against the Bulldogs on Friday night.

• Sashin, a Oak Bluffs, Massachusetts native who spent time with both USD's football and club baseball programs before joining USD's Division I baseball team as a walk-on, has posted a 4.04 ERA through 35.2 total frames so far in 2023, striking out 36 batters while working around 16 walks. His innings pitched total is just 2.1 frames shy of Garrett Rennie's team-high mark of 38.0.

• He most recently appeared on March 31 at Santa Clara, surrendering five runs (four earned) on eight hits in 5.2 innings of work while walking two and striking out five.

• Sashin has started each of San Diego's seven Friday night contests so far in 2023.

Saturday: Graduate right-hander Garrett Rennie will begin Saturday's game on the mound for the Toreros in what marks his eighth start of 2023 and the 19th of his career.

• Rennie's most recent appearance on April 1 saw him surrender four Pepperdine runs in the top of the first on an RBI double, an RBI groundout, and a pair of RBI singles but settle in to allow nothing else across 5.1 innings of work.
 
• His final line that afternoon: 5.1 IP, 7 H, 4 R (3 ER), 1 BB, 3 K)

• Four of his seven outings in 2023 have spanned six innings or more and have seen him allow two runs or less.

• He 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.

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

• He 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.

• Rennie set a new career high in strikeouts on February 26 at Fowler Park, fanning nine Hustlin' Rebels across six innings of work while holding UNLV to three runs (zero earned) on a walk and five hits.

DECRISCIO STAYS HOT
• Sophomore shortstop Justin DeCriscio's third and fourth-inning singles on Sunday versus Pepperdine bolstered his team-high .354 (34-for-96) batting average and pushed his hit streak to a team-long 12 games.

• He has now hit safely in 23 of San Diego's 27 games so far this season, including nine multi-hit performances.

SIM SUNDAY
• A two-home run performance on March 25 at Santa Clara kickstarted what is now a seven-game hit streak for junior infielder Kevin Sim, giving him a team-high nine longballs through 27 games so far in 2023.

• His 29 RBIs, 31 runs scored, and 61 total bases are the most on the USD roster, and his .610 slugging percentage leads the team.

• Within the WCC, he ranks second in RBIs and runs scored while placing tied for second in home runs.

• Sim, who is a San Diego California native and attended nearby Torrey Pines High School, homered in three consecutive games at Fowler Park to begin the 2023 season (February 17-19 versus Nebraska).

• He has gone yard in consecutive games twice this season and has done so in back-to-back at-bats once.

• Last Sunday (April 1), he powered USD to a series win over Pepperdine with a commanding, wire-to-wire effort on both sides of the ball, giving USD an early 3-0 lead with a towering two-run homer in the bottom of the first before closing out the contest in the top of the ninth with a diving stop at first base, taking away a game-tying single from Pepperdine as he recorded Sunday's final out.

• Sim is a two-time WCC Player of the Week (February 20, 2023 and March 14, 2022) and was one of two Toreros named to 2023 All-WCC Preseason Team (Jack Costello) in February.

• His father, Chong Soo Shim, played 15 years in the KBO League (OB Bears, Hyundai Unicorns and Samsung Lions).

A FLAIR FOR THE DRAMATIC
• Junior utility player Angelo Peraza (St. Augustine High School) continued his strong 2023 campaign on Sunday and Tuesday with a pair of two-hit games, going a combined 4-for-10 (.400) against Pepperdine (April 2) and UC San Diego).

• As a whole he has recorded 29 runs scored, a team-high nine doubles, four home runs, 19 RBIs, 16 walks, seven hit by pitches, and four stolen bases in five attempts so far this season. His .433 on-base percentage is the highest of any USD player.

• Peraza's 10 total multi-hit games in 2023 are tied with DeCriscio for the USD lead, and his six multi-RBI performances rank third.

• He has recorded three go-ahead hits in the ninth inning or later so far this season:

• A go-ahead RBI double in the top of the ninth inning on Tuesday night (April 4) at UC San Diego, breaking a 2-2 tie when he drove home James Arakawa from third.

• A go-ahead RBI double in San Diego's series finale at Santa Clara last Sunday (March 26), giving USD a 7-6 lead in the top of the 11th inning when he plated Justin DeCriscio from second base.

• A walk-off RBI single on February 19 against Nebraska at Fowler Park that scored Sim from second to give USD a 10-9 comeback win over the Cornhuskers.

• The Chula Vista, California native — who also notched a walk-off single on April 15, 2021 against Loyola Marymount — has  scored the winning run on a walk-off hit on three occasions: March 4, 2022 against Dallas Baptist, April 15, 2022 against Loyola Marymount, and February 26, 2023 against UNLV.

• So far this season Peraza has started one game at catcher (March 17 versus Pacific), one game in center field (March 5 at Oregon) and 25 in right field.

A STEADY PRESENCE UP THE MIDDLE
• Graduate infielder James Arakawa enters Thursday night's action on a three-game hit streak while batting .302 (29-for-96) in 2023, which ranks third among qualified USD batters. He has compiled 17 runs scored, six doubles, one triple, 11 RBIs, 11 walks, and a team-high nine hit by pitches in 2023.

• He went 2-for-5 on Tuesday night at UC San Diego with two runs scored, including the go-ahead run in the top of the ninth on Peraza's RBI double.

• Arakawa transferred to USD last fall from West Coast Conference foe Pacific, at which he spent four seasons (2019-2022) and earned All-WCC Honorable Mention recognition in 2021.

• He drove in four runs and scored two more against his former team at Fowler Park from March 17-19 while also drawing two walks, stealing two bases, and notching an outfield assist in left.

• The Walnut, California native batted a team-high .500 (5-for-10) at No. 10 TCU from March 10-12 with two runs scored, three doubles, two RBIs, eight total bases, and a walk.

• Arakawa attended Walnut High School, where he is a member of the Walnut High School Hall of Fame

NATIONALLY RECOGNIZED POWER
• Junior third baseman/outfielder Jack Costello ranks second on the USD roster with seven home runs and 22 RBIs in 2023.

• On Tuesday at UC San Diego he hammered a solo shot and drove in a pair of runs as part of a 2-for-5 performance.

• Costello hit five home runs across three games at Fowler Park from February 20th - February 26, including two homers in back-to-back contests against both Nebraska (February 20) and Hawaii (February 24) and one more on February 26 opposite UNLV.

Costello's homers so far this season have included:      

• A go-ahead grand slam (February 20 vs. Nebraska)
• A game-tying three-run shot (February 20 vs. Nebraska)
• A go-ahead two-run shot (February 26 vs. UNLV)
• Two go-ahead solo shots (March 2 at Oregon and April 4 at UC San Diego)

• He also notched a walk-off single against UNLV on February 26.

• Costello was named both the NCAA National and the West Coast Conference Player of the Week on February 27 and earned his second consecutive All-WCC Preseason Team selection last month.

• He earned WCC All-Tournament Team honors and was an WCC All-Academic Honorable Mention in 2022 after powering San Diego to the WCC Tournament Championship with a go-ahead two-RBI single and a go-ahead solo home run in San Diego's 15-12 extra-innings win over Gonzaga at Banner Island Ballpark.

• The Simi Valley, California native was named a Collegiate Baseball Freshman All-American, an All-WCC Freshman Team selection, and an All-WCC Honorable Mention after his college debut in 2021.