LOS ANGELES — San Diego baseball (3-17, 0-0 WCC) will begin West Coast Conference play on the road this weekend, traveling to Loyola Marymount for a three-game series against the Lions (12-9, 0-0 WCC) at Page Stadium.

First pitch in Friday's series opener is set for 6:00 p.m., and will be followed by a 3:00 p.m. start in game two on Saturday, and a 1:00 p.m. finale on Sunday.

All three games will be streamed live on ESPN+, and live statistics will be available on StatBroadcast.

LAST TIME OUT
• San Diego lost three of its four games against Columbia last weekend (March 14-17) at Fowler Park.

• USD won the series opener by a 12-6 margin before falling by scores of 9-8, 19-10, and 15-0 (seven innings) in games two, three, and four.

• The first game of the Toreros' series against the Lions last Friday (March 14) was postponed due to rain in the Linda Vista area, resulting in a Sunday doubleheader.

ALL-TIME SERIES VERSUS LOYOLA MARYMOUNT
• The Toreros are 98-109-1 against the Lions all-time, with the two teams' most recent meetings coming last season, when USD swept LMU in a three-game series from April 5-7 at Fowler Park. San Diego defeated Loyola Marymount 5-3 in game one, 6-1 in game two, and 15-12 in the finale.

• The Sunday finale marked USD's ninth consecutive victory in 2024, which at the time was the longest of the Brock Ungricht era. USD eventually extended that win streak to 11.

• The Toreros last traveled to Page Stadium in 2023, when San Diego won two of three games at LMU from April 28-30.

FOR STARTERS (PROBABLE)
FRIDAY: Senior left-hander Austin Smith (0-2, 6.87 ERA) will take the mound for USD in the series opener in what will mark his third start and sixth appearance of 2025, as well as the 18th start of his college career.

• Smith last pitched on March 15 against Columbia, throwing five frames in USD's series opener versus the Lions that saw him surrender three earned runs on six hits while striking out six and walking a pair.

• Before that, he last pitched on March 8 at No. 8 Oregon State, firing 2.2 no-hit innings out of the bullpen while striking out three before surrendering a walk-off two-run homer with two outs in the bottom of the ninth

• Smith has posted a 1.76 ERA and a save across 5.1 career innings on the mound versus LMU in 2023 and 2024, totaling four strikeouts and walking only one.

• A two-way player, Smith is batting .313 (25-for-80) so far in 2025 with 12 runs scored, 12 RBIs, three walks, three hit by pitches, and three stolen bases.

• Smith is coming off a historic 2024 season for USD that saw him earn an All-WCC First Team nod, a WCC All-Tournament Team selection, an ABCA/Rawlings/NCBWA NCAA Division I Third Team All-American selection, an ABCA All-West Region First Team selection, a Finalist designation for the John Olerud Two-Way Player of the Year Award, a Semifinalist honor for the Dick Howser Trophy, and recognition as a San Diego Sports Association Amateur Star of the Year.

• This offseason he was named to the 2025 Golden Spikes Award Preseason Watch List, a 2025 D1Baseball Preseason Second Team All-American, the 2025 D1Baseball Preseason WCC Player of the Year, and to the 2025 WCC Baseball Preseason Team.

• Smith was one of two USD pitchers to reach seven wins in 2024, as the San Diego native and Granite Hills High School alum went a perfect 7-0 with a 3.49 ERA and a 1.29 WHIP across 17 total appearances and nine starts.

• He recorded three saves in 56.2 total innings pitched (third most among USD players in 2024) while notching 49 strikeouts.

• Smith was one of two Toreros in 2024 to throw eight total innings in a single game without allowing a run (April 21 at Pepperdine).

• In addition to dominating on the mound, he also batted in every game of the 2024 season for the Toreros, slashing .314/.429/.471 with 11 doubles, seven home runs, 39 RBIs, 31 walks, 13 hit-by-pitches, and three stolen bases.

• On February 25, 2024 against Arizona, he recorded a go-ahead grand slam in the bottom of the seventh inning, before making his way to the mound from left field to earn a four-out save.

SATURDAY: The Toreros' starter for game two of their series with LMU has not yet been announced.

SUNDAY: Redshirt freshman righty Cal Scolari (1-2, 4.50 ERA) is scheduled to start for San Diego in game three at Page Stadium.
• Scolari last pitched on Sunday, March 16 in game one of USD's doubleheader against Columbia, when he threw a season-high 5.1 innings versus the Lions while surrendering five earned runs on four hits, striking out two, and walking three.

• Prior to the series against Columbia, he had started each of the Toreros' first four Friday games in 2025.

• He shined in his collegiate debut in USD's season opener vs No. 23 TCU on February 14, striking out nine through five one-hit shutout innings.

• Scolari was inactive for the entirety of his true freshman year at USD and his final year of high school while recovering from an arm injury.  He attended Bishop Manogue Catholic High School in Reno, Nevada, where he last pitched as a junior, posting a 2.50 ERA across 50.1 innings on the mound.

• As a high school sophomore, he earned Second Team All-Region honors, followed by First Team All-Region honors as a junior

• Scolari was ranked the No. 7 player in Nevada and was one of Collegiate Baseball Newspapers'  Top High-School Players list  in 2023

GUREVITCH STAYS HOT
• Junior infielder Jack Gurevitch batted .636 (7-for-11) versus Columbia last weekend, scoring five runs and driving in three more while doubling twice, stealing a base, and walking a remarkable eight times.

• He leads USD with a .384 (28-for-73) batting average in 2025 and is pacing the team with four home runs, 14 RBIs, and 48 total bases.

• In January, Gurevitch was selected to the 2025 WCC Preseason Team and was named the 2025 Perfect Game WCC Preseason Player of the Year.

LIFE IN THE FAST LANE
• Sophomore shortstop Isaiah Lane enters Friday night's action on a nine-game hit streak that dates back to March 4.

• Lane, who is batting .314 (22-for-70) so far this season with three home runs and eight RBIs, has recorded seven multi-hit games in 2025 and has hit safely in 15 of his first 19 games as a Torero.

• On March 1, he launched two solo homers against Cal State Bakersfield at Fowler Park. His three multi-RBI games this season are tied with Nico Libed for USD's team-high.

• A native of nearby Chula Vista, California and a graduate of Eastlake High School, Lane joined USD as a transfer after spending his freshman year at Oklahoma.

TRIPLE THREAT
• Six different Toreros (Isaiah Lane, Jack Gurevitch, Austin Smith, Nico Libed, Gabe D'Arcy, and Jayden Lobliner) have notched a triple in 2025.

• Lane (two) is the only USD player with more than one.

• San Diego's seven total triples this season are the second-most in the WCC (LMU, eight).

SMITH'S STREAK
• Senior left-handed pitcher/utility player Austin Smith has hit safely in each of his last 11 games, marking the longest hit streak by any USD player so far in 2025. His current 14-game reached-base streak is also a team-high.

• Smith's seven doubles this season lead San Diego, and his .313 (25-for-80) batting average ranks third among his teammates.

PATIENCE PAYS OFF
• Sophomore utility player Nico Libed's 14 walks this season are the most of any Torero, and rank seventh in the WCC.

• His three multi-RBI games in 2025 are tied with Isaiah Lane for the most on the USD roster.

A JACK OF ALL TRADES
• Libed has started 16 games this season at four different positions, including five at catcher, five at second base, five in left field, and one as USD's designated hitter.

REX WATSON NAMED WCC FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK
• Freshman outfielder Rex Watson has been named the Rawlings WCC Freshman of the Week for March 17, 2025, the West Coast Conference announced on Monday afternoon.

• Watson collected nine RBIs last week, batting 4-for-11 (.363) with a grand slam, a double, four runs scored, three walks and a stolen base across four games, including a midweek matchup at No. 16 Santa Barbara and three games vs. Columbia at Fowler Park.

• Watson went 1-for-2 with two runs and an RBI in game one against the Lions before hammering a go-ahead grand slam in game two, his first collegiate homer.

• He cleared the bases with a three-run double in game three to add to the trio of walks and stolen base he notched on Saturday and Sunday.

• This is USD's second Conference weekly award this season after sophomore right-hander Logan Reddemann was named the WCC Pitcher of the Week on March 10.

• Watson is the first USD player to be named WCC Freshman of the Week since Reddemann earned the honor on April 22, 2024.

OUCH!
• Watson has been hit by nine pitches across 18 games so far in 2025, which is the most of any Torero and the third-most HBPs among WCC players.

THEY LOVE PLAYING LMU
• Jack Gurevitch batted .462 (6-for-13) with four runs scored, a home run, four RBIs, a walk, and a stolen base during the Toreros' most recent previous meeting with Loyola Marymount, which came last season from April 5-7 at Fowler Park.

• In six career games against Loyola Marymount dating back to 2023, Austin Smith is batting .434 (10-for-23) with five runs scored, a double, a home run, seven RBIs, two walks, and a hit by pitch.

LIONS…AND LIONS…AND TOREROS, OH MY
• This weekend marks the second consecutive series in which San Diego has played against a team with a Lion mascot.

• USD hosted the Columbia Lions at Fowler Park from March 14-17 before traveling north to begin West Coast Conference play against the Loyola Marymount Lions.