San Diego Toreros (11-8, 0-0 WCC)  •  Saint Mary's Gaels (10-8, 0-0 WCC)

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

Live Streaming • ESPN+  |  Radio  • USDToreros.com  |  Live Statistics • USDToreros.com

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SAN DIEGO — After cruising its way to a dominant midweek win at Cal State Fullerton on Tuesday, San Diego baseball (11-8, 0-0 WCC) is back home this weekend to begin West Coast Conference play, hosting Saint Mary's (10-8, 0-0 WCC) at Fowler Park in what will mark the Toreros' first WCC series of 2024.

USD's three-game set against the Gaels was originally slated to take place this Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, before San Diego announced changes to its schedule this week due to inclement weather.

First pitch at Fowler Park in game one on Friday is now set for 2:05 p.m., with the second game starting 40 minutes after the conclusion of the first game as part of a single-admission doubleheader. The series finale against the Gaels will now take place on Saturday, though the start time is currently TBA.

Each of USD's games against SMC this weekend will be streamed live on both ESPN+ (video) and USDToreros.com (audio) with Braden Surprenant on the calls. Live statistics will be provided on USDToreros.com.

LAST TIME OUT - Power, 'Pen Lead Toreros to Midweek Win Over Titans
A pair of fourth-inning home runs and another shut-down performance from the Torero bullpen on Tuesday night powered San Diego baseball to a 7-2 road win over Cal State Fullerton at Goodwin Field.

Notable:
• Ariel Armas had a game-high three hits, drove in a run, and scored a run while steering the Torero pitching staff to a strong evening behind the plate.

• Jack Costello was 2-for-4 with a walk and a game-high three RBIs.

• Dallin Harrison and Aidan Gonzalez were both perfect in their single innings of relief, and the lone blemish on Suspenzi's ninth-inning appearance was a leadoff walk.

• Ivran Romero picked up the win on Tuesday to move to 3-1 in 2024.

ALL-TIME SERIES AGAINST SAINT MARY'S
• The Toreros are 91-57-1 against the Gaels all-time, with the two teams' most recent meeting coming on May 24, 2023, when USD dropped a tough 17-8 decision in the first round of the WCC Tournament in Las Vegas.

• Gabe D'Arcy paced the USD offense in that matchup last May with a three-hit performance that saw him rip a double and score a run. Angelo Peraza had two hits and scored a team-high three runs, Armas also had two hits and drove in a run, and relief pitcher Conner Thurman led the game with five strikeouts.

• Prior to USD and SMC's clash in the 2023 WCC Tournament, San Diego took two of three in the teams' regular season series that year, bookending a 6-0 loss with 4-3 and 10-8 wins in Moraga.

FOR STARTERS (PROBABLE)
GAME ONE: Left-hander Austin Smith will make his seventh pitching appearance and second start of the season when he takes the mound for the Toreros in the series opener on Friday.

• Smith, an El Cajon, California native who attended nearby Granite Hills High School and transferred to USD from UC San Diego, has posted a 1-0 record and a 6.55 ERA across 11 innings so far in 2024 while striking out 14 and walking nine.

• He most recently pitched last Sunday at Michigan, surrendering one run on four hits across 4.1 innings with four strikeouts and zero walks.

• Smith — a 2023 All-WCC Second Team selection ­— has shined out of the San Diego bullpen this season, notching a team and conference-high two saves.

GAME TWO: Right-hander Josh Randall (0-2, 1.86 ERA) is set to make his return to the Torero rotation in game two after not appearing on the mound last weekend at Michigan.

• He most recently pitched on March 8 at No. 17 Dallas Baptist, when he surrendered two runs on three hits while walking two and striking out four.

• Across 19.1 innings and four starts in 2024 he has struck out a team-high 25 batters, walked only eight, and held opposing hitters to a .213 average.

• Randall, a 6-foot-4, 240-pound junior from San Juan Capistrano, California, transferred to USD from Arizona, where he spent his freshman and sophomore seasons

• He made 14 relief appearances during his true freshman campaign in 2022, compiling a 1-0 record and 15 strikeouts while limiting opposing hitters to a .231 batting average.

• As a sophomore in 2023, he was limited to just one pitching appearance due to injury.

• Randall brings postseason experience to the Torero rotation, having thrown three innings for the Wildcats in the 2022 NCAA Coral Gables Regional against Ole Miss.

• On January 26, he was tabbed as the 2024 Perfect Game Preseason WCC Pitcher of the Year.

GAME THREE: Calvin Schapira will start for a third consecutive weekend when he toes the rubber for USD in the series finale.

• Schapira, who attended USC (2019), Central Arizona College (2020), and Purdue (2021-2023) before transferring to USD as a graduate student this year, has compiled 2-0 record and a 3.37 ERA across six appearances (two starts) and 18.2 innings pitched in 2024.

• He has struck out 22 batters and walked only five this season while holding opposing hitters to a .236 average.

• Schapira most recently pitched last Saturday at Michigan, allowing just two runs (one earned) on six hits across a season-high five innings while walking two and striking out four.

JACK GUREVITCH NAMED WCC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
• Sophomore first baseman Jack Gurevitch has been named the WCC Player of the Week for March 18, 2024, the West Coast Conference announced on Monday afternoon.

• Gurevitch batted .500 (7-for-14) while drawing five walks, scoring three runs, doubling three times, driving in three runs, and stealing a base during San Diego's home win vs. CSUN and series victory at Michigan.

• He got on base at a .632 clip across the four-game stretch and boasted a .714 slugging percentage.

• On Friday against the Wolverines, Gurevitch went 2-for-3 with a run scored, a double, two RBIs, and a walk.

• He parlayed that performance into a 4-for-5 afternoon on Saturday, scoring a pair of runs, doubling twice, driving in a run, and drawing a walk as USD won, 16-7, to secure the series win.

• This is the first weekly conference honor for Gurevitch, who was named to the 2024 WCC Preseason Team and the 2023 All-WCC Freshman Team.

A GREAT YEAR FOR GURV
• Entering Friday afternoon's action, Gurevitch leads the WCC in both batting average (.392, 29-for-74), and total hits (29).

CLUTCH COSTELLO
• Jack Costello's 29 RBIs and 1.37 RBIs per game as of Friday afternoon lead the WCC.

PATIENCE IS A VIRTUE
• The Toreros' 91 total walks in 2024 rank second in the WCC as of March 22.

MAKING SACRIFICES
• USD leads the WCC in both sacrifice bunts (15) and sacrifice flies (12) this season (through Friday).

• Ariel Armas' five sacrifice bunts and 0.28 sacrifice bunts per game also lead the league.

TOP TORERO HITTERS AT MICHIGAN AND CSUF (March 15-17 and 19)
• Jack Gurevitch | .438 AVG (7-for-16), 4 R, 3 2B, 3 RBI, 4 BB, .625 SLG, .550 OBP

• Angelo Peraza |  .412 AVG (7-for-17), 5 R, 2 2B, 3B, RBI, 2 BB, 2 HBP, .647 SLG, .545 OBP

• Austin Smith | .357 AVG (5-for-14), 5 R, 2B, 2 HR, 4 RBI, 2 BB, 2 HBP, .857 SLG, .474 OBP

• Ariel Armas | .313 AVG (5-for-16), 3 R, HR, 2B, 4 RBI, .563 SLG, .313 OBP

• Jakob Christian | .308 AVG (4-for-13), 7 R, 3 HR, 6 RBI, 4 BB, 1 HBP, 1.000 SLG, .500 OBP

BEST IN THE WEST (COAST CONFERENCE)
• From the beginning of the 2019 season until now, no baseball team in the West Coast Conference has compiled a better overall win/loss record than San Diego.

• Combining their 2019 record (32-21), their abbreviated 2020 totals (12-4), their 33-12 mark in 2021, their 37-20 record in 2022, their 24-25-1 totals in 2023, and their 11-8 record so far in 2024, the Toreros are a conference-best 150-91-1 (.620) in that 242-game span.

•  Next best within that timeframe are Portland (117-104, .530), Gonzaga (129-120, .518), and Saint Mary's (126-122 .508).