THE SCHEDULE
Games 5-6
vs. No. 5 Colorado Mesa (0-0, 0-0 RMAC)
Friday, Feb. 6 • 6 p.m.
Triton Ballpark • La Jolla
Live Audio/Video • Live Stats
Saturday, Feb. 7 • 1 p.m.
Triton Ballpark • La Jolla
Live Video • Live Stats
The 15th-ranked UC San Diego baseball team continues a season-opening, season-long 11-game homestand with a marquee two-game series this weekend against No. 5 Colorado Mesa University, the 2014 national runner-up. First pitch in primetime on Friday night, Feb. 6, is scheduled for 6 p.m. at Triton Ballpark. The second and final game of the shortened set is on Saturday, Feb. 7, at 1 p.m.
UCSD is off to a 4-0 start to a season for just the second time in the NCAA Division II era, having also reeled off four straight wins to kick things off in 2004, after moving up for the 2001 campaign. Colorado Mesa, out of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) and Grand Junction, Colo., will be contesting its 2015 opener on Friday in La Jolla.
TICKET PRICES AND NEW ADMISSION POLICIES
General admission tickets to all regular-season home games at Triton Ballpark are $5, and are available for purchase beginning one hour prior to first pitch. All UCSD students are admitted FREE with valid identification. New admission policies are in place at the facility following the renovation. Dogs and other pets are no longer allowed at Triton Ballpark, nor are coolers. An array of food trucks will be present for home games. This Friday and Saturday, we welcome one of the University's food trucks, Flavors of the World, serving sliders with french fries and accepting Visa, Mastercard, and TritonCash and Dining Dollars.
PARKING INFO
Parking on the UCSD campus is free on weekends, but a permit is required and strongly recommended for weeknight contests. They can be purchased at the machine near the entrance to the Triton Ballpark parking lot. Please be aware of the danger of foul balls when parking vehicles, and also that parking is slightly limited by ongoing construction. Overflow parking is available in the lots beyond the right field wall, still along Voigt Drive.
LIVE COVERAGE
All UCSD home games at Triton Ballpark feature a live online video stream and live stats. Select games will additionally have audio commentary, provided again this year by former Triton pitcher Tim Strombel (2007-08), beginning with this Friday night's first showdown with Colorado Mesa. The next several (of nine anticipated) full broadcasts are Feb. 13, Feb. 17 and March 6. The audio/video is free, but does require registration and a login. Some road contests will also have video. All have live stats. Fans can access live coverage for home and away dates from the UCSD Schedule/Results page. Starting lineups, live between-inning updates and other gameday news and notes can be found by following Triton Baseball on the UCSD Athletics Twitter handle (@UCSDtritons).
NEW TRITON BALLPARK
Triton Ballpark on East Campus at UCSD has a brand-new look outside of the foul lines in 2015. The extensive renovation was completed enough for competition to take place as scheduled with an Opening Day doubleheader on Sunday, Feb. 1. Some of the main features include a permanent grandstand to seat just over 500, a press box, new sunken dugouts, an area for food trucks, and restrooms, among several other amenities. Arguably the crown jewel of the project, a brand-new clubhouse down the right field line, is expected to be completed by April. The first pitch at the new Triton Ballpark came from Trevor Scott, the first hit and RBI by Brandon Shirley, the first run by Tyler Howsley, and the first home run in the form of a grand slam by Brian Choi. View photo galleries from the ballpark construction here and Opening Day here.
TRITON BASEBALL IS ON TWITTER!
As of Feb. 1, Triton Baseball is now on Twitter @BaseballUCSD! Be sure to give them a follow. Gameday info and updates will still predominantly come from the official UCSD Athletics Twitter handle @UCSDtritons. The majority of the Triton coaching staff, including head coach Eric Newman (@CoachEricNewman), are also on Twitter. That info can be found at the bottom.
PROBABLE PITCHING MATCH-UPS
Subject to change.
Fri: RHP Justin Donatella (8-2, 2.59 ERA in 2014) vs. RHP Matt Delay (9-0, 3.57 ERA in 2014)
Sat: LHP Trevor Scott (1-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. LHP Ryan Reno (3-2, 4.50 ERA in 2014)
RANKINGS REPORT
UCSD appeared at No. 15 in the preseason edition of Collegiate Baseball Newspaper's NCAA Division II top-40 poll released back on Dec. 23. The Tritons are up to 14th (from 16th) in the D2 Baseball News poll, and were 19th in Perfect Game's preseason edition (Jan. 28). UCSD was at No. 12 in the preseason National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) poll (Jan. 28). UCSD got as high as No. 15 in any national poll a year ago. Regionally speaking, the Tritons are rated No. 2 in the West, behind only Chico State, by both D2 Baseball News and the NCBWA.
LOOK BACK AT LAST WEEK
UCSD swept visiting West Region contender Western Oregon in a four-game series this past Sunday through Tuesday. The Tritons swept Sunday's doubleheader, 4-0 and 8-3 in seven innings. Trevor Scott (6.0 IP, 7 K), Chad Rieser (2.0, 3 K) and John Erhardt (1.0, 1 K) combined on the four-hit shutout in the opener, with three home runs powering the nightcap success. Senior catcher Brian Choi provided a second-inning grand slam, with Justin Flatt and Jack Larsen adding solo shots. For their efforts on Sunday, Scott and Larsen swept the season's first weekly conference awards. UCSD then cruised in Monday night's meeting, 12-5, after a pair of five-run frames in the first and third bookended a two-run second for an early 12-0 bulge. Michael Mann's three-run triple in the first got things rolling. The Tritons wrapped up the sweep with a 5-1 decision Tuesday night behind six innings on the mound from Troy Cruz and home runs by Flatt and Brandon Shirley.
POWERFUL START
The Tritons already have five home runs this season through four games. In 2014, it took them 38 contests to reach that total. They had 11 all year. Prior to Sunday's 8-3 victory in the nightcap with Western Oregon, the previous time that UCSD hit three home runs in a single game was a 10-5 loss at Cal Poly Pomona on Feb. 23, 2012. Brian Choi's grand slam was the first by a Triton since Justin Rahn's against Cal Poly Pomona in the third inning of a 20-5 triumph during the 2014 NCAA Division II West Regional in La Jolla on May 16, 2014.
CRUZ OVER TO FIRST BASE
Junior All-American Troy Cruz has already drawn eight walks in just four games this season. He would be on pace for 98. Cruz hit .714 (5-for-7) in the Western Oregon series, and combined with the eight walks, boasts an early-season on-base percentage of .867. UCSD players held the top three spots in the conference in walks a year ago, led by a single-season program-record 47 by current first-year assistant coach Nick La Face. Senior second baseman Erik Lewis was next with 42, and Justin Rahn third (35).
YOUNG OUTFIELD
In each of the four games against Western Oregon, UCSD started the same outfield, in the top three spots in its lineup, left to right in order with redshirt freshman Justin Flatt, redshirt sophomore Brandon Shirley and true sophomore Jack Larsen. The trio combined for four of the Tritons' five home runs in the series, with Flatt producing a pair over the first four games of his college career.
VETERAN INFIELD
Over the same four-game series with WOU, the Tritons also started the exact same veteran infield, with the exception of Tuesday's finale as Andrew Hobson began the game at third in place of Troy Cruz, who started on the mound. Otherwise, just like in 2014, it was Cruz at third, Erik Lewis at second and Michael Mann at first, with Tyler Howsley, a part-time starter at shortstop as a freshman in 2014, taking over that spot for good.
STELLAR PITCHING
UCSD pitching allowed just nine runs in the four-game set against Western Oregon, with only six of them earned, for a current team ERA of 1.59. Trevor Scott, Alon Leichman and Chad Rieser all tossed at least 4.0 innings without allowing an earned run, with Scott and Leichman in starting roles. Leichman's start marked his UCSD debut in Sunday's doubleheader nightcap. Rieser has six strikeouts in relief already in his 4.0 frames of near-flawless work. The Tritons are yet to allow a run over the first three innings of a game in 2015. All that was without junior ace Justin Donatella, who is slated to make his debut as Friday night's starter against Colorado Mesa.
LAST SEASON
UCSD is coming off of a successful campaign in which it went 38-16 overall and 26-10 in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA), good for a third-place finish in the 11-team league after being picked to finish sixth in the preseason poll. The Tritons were 18-9 at home, and concluded the year a remarkable 24-6 (.800) over their last 30, earning a record sixth CCAA tournament banner in Stockton and then the right to host the NCAA Division II Championship West Regional as the No. 1 seed. UCSD's incredible run was ended in the West Region finals.
ROSTER BREAKDOWN
UCSD's 36-player 2015 roster features 17 letterwinners, six returning redshirts and 13 newcomers. The Tritons have retained six out of nine regular position players and three of four starting pitchers, having lost leftfielder Justin Rahn, shortstop Garrett Tuck, designated hitter Nick La Face and right-hander Blake Fassler to graduation, in addition to closer Scott Zeman, set-up man David Hart, and utility infielder Spencer Frazier. La Face has stayed on as the only new addition to the coaching staff.
Back is junior All-American and two-time All-CCAA First Team selection Troy Cruz (Chula Vista/Bonita Vista HS), who has excelled as both an infielder and right-handed pitcher for the Tritons in his first two seasons of college baseball. Senior Erik Lewis will take his starting place on the UCSD infield, primarily still at second base, with right-handed junior ace Justin Donatella and senior first baseman Michael Mann returning as well. Donatella and Lewis were both All-West Region and first-team All-CCAA picks in 2014, with Mann chosen to the All-CCAA Third Team.
Three fourth-year senior pitchers return with southpaws Trevor Scott and Chad Rieser into the rotation and bullpen, respectively, alongside Dan Kolodin. Senior Brett Levy is back behind the plate, while junior Gradeigh Sanchez and sophomores Jack Larsen and Brandon Shirley could make up the starting outfield. Sophomore Tyler Howsley appears set to take over for Tuck at shortstop. Howsley, Larsen and Sanchez all played together at Mission Viejo's Capistrano Valley High School.
SCHEDULE BREAKDOWN
UCSD's 2015 schedule consists of 49 regular-season games, including 28 at home within the friendly confines of Triton Ballpark. The Tritons face projected favorite Chico State at home for the second year in a row, with that four-game set between arch rivals set for March 6-8. UCSD opens with a season-long 11-game homestand. The Tritons and SF State are the first teams to begin CCAA play, contesting a four-game series, Feb. 13-15. The CCAA Championship will be held in the neutral-site city of Stockton for the third year in a row, but after the previous two editions took place at Banner Island Ballpark, the four-team tournament is headed back to Klein Family Field on the campus of the University of the Pacific, May 7-10. It would be a familiar locale for the Tritons, who won their third and fourth CCAA tourney titles back-to-back at Klein Family Field when the event was held there previously in 2010 and 2011.
2014 SUPERLATIVES
UCSD completed the 2014 CCAA slate without suffering a league series loss, with three sweeps, two 3-1 wins, and four splits. The Tritons were easily the No. 1 offensive team in the CCAA, leading the league in hitting (.294), on-base percentage (.406), runs (376), RBI (335), triples (16) and walks (278), among several other categories. They scored 79 runs more than their nearest opponent, and averaged 6.96 runs per game over 54 contests. On the mound, UCSD's seven shutouts were its most in the Division II era (since 2001). The Triton pitching staff finished with the second-best ERA in the CCAA at 3.23, and was first in strikeouts (312).
STRONG FIELDING
UCSD continues a tradition of being strong defensively. The Tritons posted a .974 fielding percentage (1395-581-52) a season ago to rank second in the CCAA, behind only Chico State (.977), and fifth in the entire country in Division II. In 2013, UCSD was 11th nationally with a .972 fielding percentage (1271-500-51).
CRUZ A STAR OF THE YEAR
UCSD junior Troy Cruz was named on Jan. 14 as one of eight San Diego Hall of Champions Amateur Stars of the Year for 2014. A local product out of Chula Vista and Bonita Vista High School, Cruz was a two-time SDHOC Star of the Month during the 2014 calendar year, hitting .326 for the Tritons with 33 runs, 11 doubles, three triples, 39 RBI and a team-best nine steals. On the mound, he posted an 8-3 record with a 2.90 ERA over a team-best 87.0 innings pitched. Read a Triton Q&A with Cruz here.
TRITON NOTES
UCSD is 3-1 in season openers under Eric Newman and 12-3 since moving to Division II status for 2001 ... UCSD is 2-1 in CCAA openers with Newman in charge, with back-to-back wins after a 4-1 loss to Chico State in La Jolla on Feb. 17, 2012 ... The Tritons are an even 7-7 in CCAA openers all-time (since 2001), and 7-1 with six splits in sets to begin the league season ... Troy Cruz (first team), Justin Donatella (second) and Erik Lewis (second) were each named on Jan. 23 to NCBWA Preseason All-West Region teams ... UCSD was picked to place third in the 2015 CCAA regular-season race by the league's 11 head coaches, as announced on Jan. 27, with reigning West Region champion Chico State favored ... All but two players on the 36-man 2015 roster, junior pitcher Alon Leichman (Kibbutz Gezer, Israel) and redshirt freshman Tim White (Stratford, CT), are California natives ... Besides Cruz (Chula Vista/Bonita Vista HS), the five other San Diego products are redshirt freshman catcher Steven Coe (Valley Center/Valley Center HS), and newcomers Troy Forester (Carlsbad/Palomar College/Carlsbad HS), Cameron Kurz (Encinitas/La Costa Canyon HS), Tyler Plantier (Poway/Del Norte HS), and Jack Rupe, Jr. (San Marcos/Mission Hills HS).
HEAD COACH ERIC NEWMAN
Eric Newman is in his fourth season as the UCSD head coach. The 2012 CCAA Coach of the Year has a 101-64 record (72-44 CCAA) in charge of the Tritons and 196-136 overall in his six-plus seasons as a head coach. Newman guided UCSD to the 2012 CCAA regular-season and tournament titles in his first go-around in La Jolla, and a subsequent berth in the NCAA Division II West Regional. His Tritons won a record sixth conference tourney banner last May in Stockton, to again nab the CCAA's automatic berth into the NCAA Championship. Newman has now led the Tritons to two CCAA banners and two NCAA Championship appearances in his three years, as well as two 30-win campaigns. He previously spent three years at the helm of Dallas Baptist University from 2004-07.
ABOUT THE MAVERICKS
Colorado Mesa (0-0), formerly known as Mesa State College, is located in Grand Junction, Colo., and is the defending champion of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (GNAC). The Mavericks finished 47-13 overall and 31-7 in conference play in 2014, falling to Southern Indiana, 3-2, in their first-ever appearance in a national title game in Cary, N.C. They are the favorites to defend their RMAC title, having received all seven first-place votes in the coaches' poll. CMU was rated No. 5 nationally in the preseason by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper and is currently at No. 4 in the D2 Baseball News poll. The Mavs are ranked first in the South Central Region by D2 Baseball News and the NCBWA as the reigning champs. They lost arguably the best position player in all of Division II a year ago in outfielder Austin Kaiser, the ABCA Division II National Player of the Year, Tino Martinez Award winner and All-American who hit .478 and had 71 runs scored, 111 hits, 24 doubles, five triples, 11 home runs and 61 RBI in 2014. Friday night's projected starter on the mound, senior right-hander Matt Delay, is the preseason RMAC Pitcher of the Year. He was joined on the preseason All-RMAC team by sophomore shortstop Kevan Elcock, Matt Allen, and Ryan Reno, Saturday's likely pitching starter. The Mavericks won an exhibition game at Cal State San Marcos on Thursday afternoon, 5-2. As of Friday, they will have opened three of their last five campaigns in La Jolla. Chris Hanks is in his 17th season as the head coach at his alma mater.
SERIES HISTORY
UCSD holds a slim edge in the all-time series history between these teams, 7-5, and is 6-1 at home. The Tritons won a three-game set, 2-1, as both teams opened the 2013 campaign, with UCSD No. 23 and CMU No. 20 in preseason polls. They met four times in 2012 in Grand Junction, Colo., with the then-29th-ranked host Mavericks taking a 3-1 series victory. The Tritons salvaged the final game of the set, 11-7, after dropping the Friday opener, 14-4, and getting swept in a doubleheader the following day, 6-4 and 3-2. UCSD previously posted a four-game series sweep of the Mavericks, then named Mesa State, at Triton Ballpark, Feb. 11-13, 2011. The first-ever meeting came in 2007 when the Mavericks knocked off the Tritons, 5-4, at the NCAA Division II West Regional in Los Angeles.
GEAR HERE
UCSD Athletics has partnered with Advanced-Online to provide a web-based, on-demand option for UCSD apparel and merchandise. Fans have access to over 600 products that can be processed and shipped within 24 hours. Visit the site at UCSDTritonsGear.com.
SOCIAL SERVICES - #TritonsRising
UCSD Athletics on Facebook (UCSDtritons)
UCSD Athletics on Instagram (@UCSDtritons)
UCSD Athletics on Twitter (@UCSDtritons)
UCSD Athletics on YouTube (UCSDathletics)
Triton Baseball on Twitter (@BaseballUCSD)
Coach Newman on Twitter (@CoachEricNewman)
Coach Avila on Twitter (@CoachAvi)
Coach Bloodworth on Twitter (@CoachBlood_)
Coach Burleson Twitter (@CoachB_UCSD)
UP NEXT
UCSD continues a season-long 11-game homestand while opening the CCAA portion of its 2015 schedule next weekend, hosting SF State for four, beginning in primetime on Friday, Feb. 13. First pitch is set for 6 p.m. at Triton Ballpark.
#TritonsRising
