San Diego Toreros (34-13, 17-4 WCC)  •  San Francisco (20-28, 3-15 WCC)

Benedetti Diamond (2,000) • San Francisco, California

Live Streaming • ESPN+  | Live Statistics • USFDons.com

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SAN FRANCISCO — Winners of four games in a row and 23 of its last 26 contests, San Diego baseball (34-13, 17-4 WCC) is set to conclude its 2024 regular-season schedule this weekend, taking on San Francisco (20-28, 3-15 WCC) in a trio of West Coast Conference matchups at Benedetti Diamond.

First pitch in the series opener on Friday afternoon against the Dons is set for 2:00 p.m., followed by a 1:00 p.m. start in game two on Saturday afternoon, and a 12:00 p.m. finale on Sunday afternoon.

All three games will be streamed live on ESPN+. Live statistics will be available on USFDons.com.

SETTING THE STAGE
• San Diego (17-4) enters the weekend alone in first place in the WCC, with a 2.5-game lead over both Saint Mary's and Portland, which are both tied for second at 13-5 in league play.

The following scenarios are in play this weekend, which marks the end of USD's 2024 regular-season campaign…

• San Diego will earn at least a share of the 2024 WCC Regular-Season Championship with two wins.

• San Diego will earn at least a share of the title with one win and one loss by both Portland and Saint Mary's

• San Diego will win the title outright with two wins and one loss by both Portland and Saint Mary's.

• San Diego will win the title outright with a sweep.

• San Diego could earn at least a share of the title as early as Friday with a win and a loss by both Portland and Saint Mary's.

LAST TIME OUT - Toreros Rally for Walk-Off Win Over UC San Diego
• Three scoreless frames on the mound in extra innings from redshirt senior Conner Thurman set the scene for fellow senior and team captain Will Worthington's  walk-off single in the bottom of the 13th, giving San Diego baseball a thrilling 9-8 victory over crosstown rival UC San Diego in its final home game of 2024.

• The Toreros jumped out to an early 7-0 lead after the first two frames of play, but UC San Diego scored in the third, fourth, fifth, and sixth innings, before plating four more in the top of the ninth to take an 8-7 lead.

• But after Jack Gurevitch hammered a game-tying solo shot on the fourth pitch of the bottom of the ninth, San Diego was headed to extra innings at Fowler Park for the second time in less than a week.

• Chase Minor pitched a scoreless tenth inning for the Toreros before handing things over to Thurman, who pitched three memorable scoreless frames in extras, working his way out of a bases-loaded jam in both the twelfth and thirteenth frames — including an inning-ending double-play in the twelfth — to give the San Diego bats the chance they needed to secure the win in the bottom of the thirteenth.

• After Gurevitch drew a clutch walk in the top of the thirteenth and was able to advance to third base on a wild pitch and a ground-out, team-captain Will Worthington stepped up to the plate in his final at-bat in Fowler Park and delivered the game's finishing blow by slapping a bouncing RBI single back up the middle into center field, past the mound and through the Tritons' drawn-in infield to earn his team an unforgettable 9-8 win.

Notable:
• Thurman picked up his fourth win of the season after his unrelenting extra-innings performance, moving his record to 4-0 in 2024.

• Including his game-tying homer in the bottom of the ninth, Gurevitch was 3-for-4 from the plate, with two runs scored and a pair of RBIs.

• Christian drew three total walks in Tuesday night's win.

• Costello recorded a team-high three RBIs.

• With the victory, USD has now won four in a row and 23 of its last 26 contests.

TOP TORERO HITTERS VS SANTA CLARA AND UC SAN DIEGO (FOUR GAMES - MAY 3-5, 7)
Will Worthington | .500 AVG (9-for-18), 2 R, HR, 7 RBI, BB, .667 SLG, .526 OBP
Justin DeCriscio | .429 AVG (6-for-14), 2 R, 2B, 2 RBI, .500 SLG, .429 OBP
Dustin Allen | .412 AVG (7-for-17), 7 R, 2B, BB, HBP, .471 SLG, .474 OBP
Ariel Armas | .353 AVG (6-for-17), 3 R, 2B, 2 HR, 6 RBI, 2 BB, .765 SLG, .400 OBP

TOP TORERO HITTERS IN WCC PLAY (21 GAMES)
Will Worthington | .408 AVG (29-for-71), 18 R, 4 2B, HR, 15 RBI, 4 BB, 3 HBP, .507 SLG, .462 OBP
Jakob Christian | .384 AVG (33-for-86), 24 R, 6 2B, 13 HR, 36 RBI, 9 BB, 4 HBP, .907 SLG, .460 OBP
Ariel Armas | .365 AVG (27-for-74), 18 R, 3 2B, 4 HR, 16 RBI, 14 BB, 2 HBP, .568 SLG, .473 OBP
Austin Smith | .333 AVG (26-for-78), 19 R, 4 2B, 2 HR, 13 RBI, 12 BB, 7 HBP, .462 SLG, .464 OBP
Justin DeCriscio | .322 AVG (28-for-87), 17 R, 4 2B, HR, 20 RBI, 3 BB, 3 HBP, .402 SLG, .362 OBP
Jack Gurevitch | .306 AVG (26-for-85), 18 R, 3 2B, 4 HR, 16 RBI, 14 BB, 4 HBP, .482 SLG, .427 OBP
Dustin Allen | .301 AVG (25-for-83), 16 R, 4 2B, 2 3B, 13 RBI, 11 BB, 3 HBP, .389 SLG, .402 OBP

TOP TORERO HITTERS IN 2024 (47 GAMES)
Jack Gurevitch | .355 AVG (66-for-186), 44 R, 10 2B, 3B, 8 HR, 34 RBI, 32 BB, 8 HBP, .548 SLG, .467 OBP
Jakob Christian | .338 AVG (54-for-160), 46 R, 10 2B, 20 HR, 53 RBI, 22 BB, 7 HBP, .775 SLG, .437 OBP
Justin DeCriscio | .315 AVG (51-for-162), 31 R, 10 2B, 2 HR, 37 RBI, 9 BB, 6 HBP, .414 SLG, .367 OBP
Austin Smith | .314 AVG (53-for-169), 38 R, 10 2B, 7 HR, 34 RBI, 25 BB, 12 HBP, .497 SLG, .429 OBP
Will Worthington | .312 AVG (48-for-154), 29 R, 6 2B, HR, 33 RBI, 14 BB, 3 HBP, .370 SLG, .380 OBP
Dustin Allen | .299 AVG (55-for-184), 36 R, 10 2B, 4 3B, HR, 23 RBI, 28 BB, 4 HBP, .413 SLG, .397 OBP
Ariel Armas | .296 AVG (47-for-159), 31 R, 6 2B, 6 HR, 25 RBI, 22 BB, 6 HBP, .447 SLG, .399 OBP
Angelo Peraza | .294 AVG (57-for-194), 51 R, 15 2B, 3B, 4 HR, 28 RBI, 25 BB, 11 HBP, .443 SLG, .401 OBP
Jack Costello | .294 AVG (57-for-194), 39 R, 14 2B, 3B, 7 HR, 53 RBI, 17 BB, 9 HBP, .485 SLG, .372 OBP

ALL-TIME SERIES AGAINST SAN FRANCISCO
• The Toreros are 93-62 against the Dons all-time, with the two teams' most recent meeting coming last season from April 21-23, 2023, when San Diego swept USF at home. USD dominated in game one at Fowler Park 17-3 that weekend, won a close 6-5 decision in game two, and took a 9-7 victory in the series finale.

• San Diego last traveled to San Francisco to play at Benedetti Diamond on April 1, 2, and 3, 2022, when it lost two of three to the Dons. USD won the first game of the series 8-3, but dropped games two and three by 6-5 and 3-2 decisions that weekend.

• USD also faced USF in the first round of the 2022 WCC Tournament and took down the Dons by a 10-5 margin in an opening-round matchup behind big performances from former USD catcher Caleb Ricketts and then-sophomore center fielder Dustin Allen.

FOR STARTERS (PROBABLE)
FRIDAY: Right-hander Josh Randall (3-2, 3.73 ERA) is set to start game one for the Toreros against the Dons at Benedetti Diamond.

• He most recently pitched San Diego's series opener against Santa Clara last weekend, and allowed five hits through 4.1 total innings on the hill. He finished his night surrendering three earned runs, with five strikeouts and just one walk.

• Across 55 innings and 11 starts in 2024 he has struck out a team-high 68 batters, walked 21, and held opposing hitters to a .222 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.

SATURDAY: Logan Reddemann, the two-time WCC Freshman of the Week, will make his eleventh start of the season and thirteenth overall pitching appearance of 2024 when he takes the mound for USD on Saturday afternoon.

• Reddemann (6-3, 3.82 ERA) most recently pitched last Saturday in game two of San Diego's series against Santa Clara, when he threw eight masterful scoreless innings, allowing only four hits while striking out nine and walking three.

• So far in 2024 he has struck out 52 and walked 16 across a team-high 61.1 innings pitched.

• A 6-foot-2, 185-pound righty from Palmdale, California, Reddemann attended Quartz Hill High School in Lancaster, California, where he batted .420 across his prep career and compiled a 1.62 ERA.

• He earned First Team All-CIF Southern Selection honors in 2022 and 2023 and threw a perfect game during his senior season that included 11 strikeouts while going 3-for-4 at the plate with two doubles.

• Reddemann is a switch-hitting two-way player who could also play middle infield.

SUNDAY: After starting on the mound for the Toreros' last three series finales, Austin Smith (4-0, 3.07 ERA) is set to remain in the rotation for Sunday's matchup against San Francisco, where he will make his seventh start, and fifteenth overall pitching appearance of 2024.

• He last pitched in the Toreros' series finale against Santa Clara on May 5, when he threw six strong innings that saw him allow just two earned runs on three hits, walk three, and strike out five.

•  Smith is one save behind Conner Thurman for the USD lead with three total saves, and has given up just fourteen total runs across 41 total innings, and has struck out 41 total batters while walking 21.

• In addition to dominating on the mound, Smith has also batted in all 47 games so far for USD, primarily as a designated hitter, but has also seen time in left field.

• At the plate he has put together a .314/.429/.497 slash line with 34 RBIs and seven home runs, which is tied with Jack Costello for the third-most on the Torero roster.

A GREAT YEAR FOR GURV
• Jack Gurevitch, who was named the WCC Player of the Week on March 18, leads the WCC with 66 hits, and ranks second with a .355 batting average, and 1.40 hits per game entering Friday night's action.

• Gurevitch's 12-game hit streak earlier this season is the longest by a Torero in 2024.

CHRISTIAN IS CRUSHING IT
• Jakob Christian, who was named the WCC Player of the Week on April 4, ranks second within the league in total home runs (20), total RBIs (49), home runs per game (0.48), total RBIs (53), RBIs per game (1.26), Runs scored per game (1.10), slugging percentage (.775), and total bases (124).

• He also ranks Top 30 nationally in three of those categories: Home Runs (18th), and Home Runs Per Game (12th), and Slugging Percentage (29th)

• He has totaled five multi-homer games this season, and has put together 17 different multi-hit performances.

• With his homer against Santa Clara last Sunday, he now has 20 total home runs in 2024, which keeps him in second place for San Diego's all-time single season home run record, behind Kris Bryant's 2013 total of 31.

SELFLESS SEV
• Will Worthington leads the nation with 15 total sacrifice bunts, and ranks second  in the nation with 0.32 sacrifice bunts per-game.

CLUTCH COSTELLO
• Jack Costello is tied for first amongst his teammates with 53 RBIs in 2024, which is the second-most among WCC players.

The senior utility player's career college accolades include:

• NCAA National Player of the Week (February 27, 2023)
• WCC Player of the Week (February 27, 2023)
• WCC All-Tournament Team (2022)
• All-WCC Preseason Team (2022)
• Collegiate Baseball Freshman All-American (2021)
• All-WCC Freshman Team (2021)
• All-WCC Honorable Mention (2021)
•WCC All-Academic Honorable Mention (2022 and 2023)

POWERED BY PERAZA
• Angelo Peraza's 51 runs scored and 1.11 runs scored per game this season leads the WCC.

• He also ranks second amongst the conference in total doubles with 15.

WATCH ME WHIP…NOW WATCH THIS STRIKEOUT
• Through 47 games this season the San Diego pitching staff leads the WCC with a 1.31 WHIP

USD is also pacing the conference in the following categories:

• Average ERA (4.31), 20th nationally
• Hits allowed per nine innings (7.98), 17th nationally
• Shutouts (3)
• Strikeout-to-walk ratio (2.72), 16th nationally
• Strikeouts per nine innings (10.4), 19th nationally
• Walks allowed per nine innings (3.81)

GOLD GLOVES
• The Toreros' .981 team fielding percentage in 2024 leads the WCC and ranks 6th nationally.

• The national leader in that category (Notre Dame) currently holds a .984 mark.

A STRONG NON-CONFERENCE RESUME
• San Diego is 16-9 in non-conference play so far this season, and has secured wins over #16 Texas, Arizona (twice), #17 Dallas Baptist, Michigan (three times), and USC (twice).

• As of Thursday afternoon, the Toreros are at #25 in overall NCAA RPI and #17 in non-conference RPI

• USD ranks 93rd in overall strength of schedule, and 15th in non-conference strength of schedule.

• As a whole, USD is 9-6 again Power Five opponents in 2024, and is 4-1 against teams from the Pac-12.

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 34-13 record so far in 2024, the Toreros are a conference-best 173-96-1 (.643) in that 270-game span.

•  Next best within that time frame are Portland (135-113, .544), Gonzaga (145-132, .523), and Saint Mary's (146-130, .529).