SAN DIEGO — Back inside the friendly confines of Fowler Park and Cunningham Field, the University of San Diego Baseball team felt right at home Friday night as it took on Utah to begin the Tony Gwynn Legacy Tournament. 

Coming off a winning series at Charlotte and a comeback victory at Long Beach State, the Toreros (4-1, 0-0 WCC) continued their strong start, defeating the Utes (2-2, 0-0 Big 12 Conference) by an 8-4 margin behind a quality start from Diego Gutierrez and back-to-back home runs from Jayden Lobliner and Aden Howard. 

In addition to celebrating their first home game of the season, the Toreros also honored their late former head coach, John "JC" Cunningham before the game. 

"That was awesome," head coach Brock Ungricht said. "The national anthem is always a great time to kind of have that time to think and and pray, and think about being able to wear this uniform, the San Diego across the chest, and obviously having the old school hat on, too. 

"And then to think about, 'Hey, we're able to be here because of him.' And a lot of credit goes to him for that. You know, showing respect for the people that have walked in these shoes before us and the players that have played in this program, it's great to see a great turnout tonight with former players that played for Coach Cunningham." 

"It shows that it's really a family here at University of San Diego and this baseball program."

Moments after the program honored Coach Cunningham and the national anthem was sung, Gutierrez was ready from the jump to make his first home start for the Toreros.

Gutierrez started off strong, retiring the first nine hitters, including five of the first six Utes by way of the strikeout, en route to a quality start, firing six innings, allowing two runs on four hits while striking out eight with no walks. 

"Outstanding to set the tone tonight, obviously, first night at Fowler (Park)," Ungricht said of the graduate student. "He continues to get better week in, week out. I think the biggest thing is establishing the fastball. Everything else plays off of that, and really having the confidence with the fastball, locating, the command of it."  

Despite allowing two runs in the fourth inning and the first two Utes he faced to get on in the fifth, Gutierrez got out of the jam. 

After giving up a sacrifice bunt to move both runners into scoring position, he induced a strikeout and popup in the infield to leave both runners stranded to cap off a quality start in his first home appearance.

"I think that's the expectation, going out there and giving six strong innings for my team no matter what happens. I think that's my job," Gutierrez said. 

Then to close out his outing, he was able to be on the positive end of an eight-pitch at-bat, winning the duel with his eighth strikeout.  

"I think I was more fired up about not walking him, and coming back from that (3-1) count," Gutierrez said. "That's what fired me up and just being able to execute and get that strikeout."

Offensively, all eight of the Toreros' runs came in the middle four innings, highlighted by Lobliner and Howard's homers. 

Following an offensive timeout called by Ungricht, the senior catcher was able to ensure the at-bat came to him, setting up his second blast of 2026. 

"This is (Ungricht's) fashion to slow the momentum down," Lobliner said. "We talked about life. We chatted about maybe, you know, classes and whatnot, and just had, like, a kind of calming, relaxing conversation. We slowed it down for us, but more for the momentum, and not letting a quick inning happen from Utah's defense." 

As Lobliner homered and Howard followed to cap off a three-run fifth inning, not only was the team fired up, but so was the crowd. 

Lobliner said that enthusiasm comes from the support every player has for one another. 

"We use the word 'mudita' a lot, and what that means is basically having a love and a passion for somebody else's success," he said. "We have that for each and every one of our teammates. That's why we have such a great culture and a great environment with really positive energy." 

In the third inning, Gage Mestas, batting in the No. 9 spot, manufactured a run to open the scoring Friday evening. After walking to leadoff the inning and moving to second on a passed ball, he got to third base ahead of the throw on a bunt by Connor Meidroth, before scoring on error from a pickoff attempt.
 
USD once again played San Diego Baseball in the fourth. Andrew Gauna and Jayton Greer logged RBI groundouts, scoring Howard and Tanner Kern to give the Toreros the lead for good.  

Then, USD's identity continued to shine in the fifth before Lobliner and Howard went back-to-back. A Meidroth double led to a CJ Moran sacrifice bunt. Meidroth then came around to score on an errant throw to extend the Toreros' lead to 4-2.

In the next frame, Mestas logged a sacrifice fly, scoring Gauna followed by Meidroth lining a single to centerfield, growing the lead to sixth.
 
"We really controlled the middle innings tonight," Ungricht said. "I think the things that don't go unnoticed is Gauna gets a two-strike jam shot ground ball to second to score the run, and then Greer follows up with the same thing in a green situation, ground ball and we get another run there by contact instead of striking out." 

In the seventh, Christian Garcia made his collegiate debut and fired a scoreless frame,  one that included some help from his defense. Although Vincent Venverloh, who pinch ran for Connor Meidroth in the bottom of the sixth, was unable to field a hot shot up the line, Moran recorded an assist by getting the runner out at second base to end the inning. 

Then, Logan Piper and Chaz McRoberts got the final five outs to secure USD's first home win of the season. 
 
San Diego continues play in the Tony Gwynn Legacy Tournament Saturday when it hosts Creighton at Fowler Park at 5 p.m. Braden Suprenant and Mike Gosling will have the call on ESPN+. As part of the Tony Gwynn Legacy, Omaha and Western Michigan will face off at 1 p.m. before the Toreros and Bluejays play.

NOTABLE

• In his first home appearance, Diego Gutierrez logged a quality start, going 6.0 innings, allowing four hits and two earned runs while striking out eight. In 84 total pitches, the Cal State Northridge transfer recorded 61 strikes for a 73% strike accuracy rate. 
• Christian Garcia, who attended nearby Clairemont High School, made his collegiate debut, firing a scoreless seventh and also worked into the eighth inning. Garcia worked 1.1 innings, giving up three hits and a run while striking out one. 
• Jayden Lobliner, who was named to the 2026 West Coast Conference Preseason Team, launched his second home run in as many games. 
• Aden Howard recorded his first home run of the season and first since his walk-off blast in extra-innings during the conference tournament last year against Saint Mary's (CA) (May 24)
• Connor Meidroth, who hit in the leadoff spot, joined Howard with a two-hit night for the Toreros. It marks Meidroth's second straight two-hit game.