San Diego Toreros (1-2, 0-0 WCC)  •  UC San Diego Tritons (3-0, 0-0 Big West)

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

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SAN DIEGO — After opening up its 2024 season by earning an impressive win at No. 16 Texas, San Diego baseball (1-2, 0-0 WCC) returns home this week to take on crosstown opponent UC San Diego, hosting the Tritons (3-0, 0-0 Big West) for a midweek non-conference matchup at Fowler Park in what will mark the Toreros' first home contest of the year.

First pitch on Wednesday night is set for 6:05 p.m. A free, live radio broadcast of the action with Braden Surprenant on the call will be available alongside live statistics on USDToreros.com.

USD's Tuesday night game at UC Irvine this week was canceled due to inclement weather.

ALL-TIME SERIES AGAINST UC SAN DIEGO
• The Toreros are 57-7-2 against the Tritons all-time, with the two teams' most recent meeting coming on April 4, 2023, when San Diego scored three in the top of the ninth at Triton Ballpark to take home a 5-2 win.

• Led by future MLB draft pick Kevin Sim, graduate student James Arakawa, and then-junior Jack Costello, San Diego outhit UC San Diego by a 13-3 margin that night, with five Toreros recording multiple hits.

• The Toreros last hosted the Tritons on March 8, 2022, when then-redshirt sophomore Conner Thurman headlined a dominant night for Torero pitching by striking out seven batters across three perfect innings out of the bullpen to help USD secure a 2-0 victory at Fowler Park.

• San Diego has won each of its last eight games against UC San Diego dating back to March 2, 2004.

• Wednesday night marks the first of three meetings between the Toreros and Tritons this season, with a matchup at Triton Ballpark scheduled for Tuesday, April 9 and one more crosstown clash at Fowler Park set for Tuesday, May 7 in San Diego's final non-conference game of 2024.

FOR STARTERS (PROBABLE)
• Sophomore right-hander Aídan Gonzalez is set to make his second career start on Wednesday night in what will mark the second appearance of his 2024 season.

• Gonzalez last took the mound on Sunday at No. 16 Texas, allowing three earned runs in a third of an inning (24 total pitches) on a hit, a walk, and two hit by pitches.

• As a freshman in 2023 he posted a 1-0 record, a save, and a 5.09 ERA across 23 innings and 22 appearances, striking out 21 while walking 12 and holding opposing hitters to a .253 batting average.

• His lone college start prior to Wednesday night came last season on March 28, 2023, when he allowed three unearned runs on three hits across two innings at CSUN while striking out one and walking one.

• Gonzalez's two innings that afternoon were tied for a season-high in his freshman campaign, and his 41 pitches at Matador Field were the second-most he threw in a single game all year, behind only his 42-pitch, two-inning outing in San Diego's regular-season finale at Saint Mary's (May 14, 2023).

PLAYERS TO WATCH
Dustin Allen / Senior  / Center fielder / Arcadia, California / Arcadia High School
• Led USD by batting .467 (7-for-15) at No. 16 Texas last weekend with four runs scored

• Went 5-for-6 with four runs scored from the plate in USD's Saturday evening win over the Longhorns

Ryan Ward / Sophomore / Infielder / Coronado, California / Coronado High School
• Hammered a go-ahead pitch-hit home run on Saturday at No. 16 Texas, sending a two-run shot over UFCU Disch-Falk Field's right field wall to give San Diego a 5-3 lead in the 11th

Jack Gurevitch / Sophomore / Infielder / Pacific Palisades, California / Notre Dame High School
• Was one of two Toreros with a hit in all three games at No. 16 Texas on opening weekend

• Leads San Diego with a 1.063 OPS and ranks second amongst his teammates with a .417 batting average through three games in 2024

• Drew four walks in the Toreros' season-opening series against the Longhorns

Austin Smith / Junior / LHP/OF / El Cajon, California / UC San Diego / Granite Hills High School
• Went 5-for-12 with an RBI and a walk at No. 16 Texas last weekend and completed a highlight-reel diving catch in left field in game two

• Threw two innings in relief against the Longhorns last Saturday, striking out a pair enroute to earning the Toreros' first win of the season

Calvin Schapira / Graduate Student / LHP / Scottsdale, Arizona / USC / Central AZ / Purdue / Pinnacle HS
• Threw three scoreless innings out of the bullpen on Saturday at No. 16 Texas, allowing only one hit while striking out three to help lead the Toreros to a 6-5 extra-innings win

TWO TOREROS NAMED TO ALL-WCC PRESEASON TEAM
• Junior utility player Angelo Peraza and sophomore infielder Jack Gurevitch were selected to the 2024 WCC Baseball Preseason Team, the West Coast Conference announced on February 8.

• Peraza, a native of nearby Chula Vista, California (Saint Augustine High School), earns his first career WCC Preseason honor after a dynamic 2023 campaign that saw him bat .330 (61-for-185) with 55 runs scored, 11 doubles, three triples, seven home runs, 33 RBIs, 33 walks, 12 hit by pitches, and 10 stolen bases across all 50 of USD's games before being named to the All-WCC First Team and All-WCC Academic Team.

• Last season he recorded 18 multi-hit games, including 14 with two hits and four with three hits, notched a nine-game hit streak before finishing the season on a 30-game reached-base streak, and ultimately led the Toreros in 10 offensive categories (batting average, at-bats, hits, runs scored, doubles, triples, total bases, walks, hit by pitches, and on-base percentage).

• On defense, Peraza posted a .992 fielding percentage and committed just one error in 130 chances alongside a team-high 11 outfield assists. 

• Gurevitch, a Pacific Palisades, California native, shined in his college debut a year ago, appearing in 49 of San Diego's 50 games while starting 34 at first base and 10 as the Toreros' designated hitter before being named to the All-WCC Freshman Team.

• He batted .265 (43-for-162) with 22 runs scored, seven doubles, three triples, six home runs, 28 RBIs, 26 walks, and three stolen bases, and had 12 multi-hit games and nine multi-RBI games, which were the second-most on the USD roster.

• On defense, Gurevitch posted a .992 fielding percentage, committing just two errors in 229 chances. This year's selection is his first career preseason conference honor.