THE SCHEDULE
Games 28-31
at Sonoma State (16-13, 10-10 CCAA)
Friday, March 27 • 2 p.m.
Seawolf Diamond • Rohnert Park
Live Audio/Video • Live Stats • Tickets

Saturday, March 28 • 11 a.m. (DH)
Seawolf Diamond • Rohnert Park
Live Audio/Video • Live Stats • Tickets

Sunday, March 29 • 11 a.m.
Seawolf Diamond • Rohnert Park
Live Audio/Video • Live Stats • Tickets

The 16th-ranked UC San Diego baseball team will spend the end of its Spring Break in Rohnert Park, flying north on Thursday for a four-game California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) series at rival Sonoma State's (16-13, 10-10 CCAA) Seawolf Diamond. The Tritons (19-8, 15-4 CCAA) head into the weekend alone in first place atop the 11-team standings by a game and a half. First pitch for the opener on Friday afternoon, March 27, is set for 2 p.m., with junior ace Justin Donatella (5-1, 0.70 ERA) slated as UCSD's starter. The teams will then contest a doubleheader on Saturday, March 28, beginning at 11 a.m. A seven-inning nightcap will follow approximately 30-40 minutes after a regulation nine-inning game. Sunday's getaway-day finale also begins at 11 a.m. UCSD is 6-3 on the road.

TICKETS
Tickets for the four-game series at Sonoma State this weekend are $3 each day, and can be purchased here or at Seawolf Diamond.

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 (2007-08) Tim Strombel (@Timmy2Sides). The next full broadcasts (of 10) are the primetime home dates with No. 18 Cal Poly Pomona next Thursday, April 2, and Friday, April 3, both at 6 p.m. The audio/video is free, but does require registration and a login. Some road contests will also have video, including all four this weekend in Rohnert Park here, free with audio courtesy of Tim Davidson on Friday and Saturday, and Jon Carrozzo on Sunday. 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).

THE MATCH-UP BY THE NUMBERS
UCSD is third in the CCAA in team batting average (.297), first in ERA (2.33) and sixth in fielding percentage (.964). Sonoma State is seventh in hitting (.267), fourth in ERA (3.58) and first in fielding (.973).

THE NEW TRITON BALLPARK
Triton Ballpark on East Campus at UCSD has a brand-new look outside 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. Read details here. Arguably the crown jewel of the project, the Marye Anne Fox Clubhouse down the right field line, was introduced to the players on March 17. Watch a clip here. The official dedication will take place on April 10. 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 BACK ON TWITTER
After a hiatus, Triton Baseball has returned to Twitter @UCSDbsb! 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. Those links can be found at the bottom.

RANKINGS REPORT
In the four national polls for the NCAA Division II, UCSD is currently rated No. 16 by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper, No. 23 by D2 Baseball News, No. 10 by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA), and No. 14 by Perfect Game. The Tritons appeared at No. 15 in CBN's preseason edition. They moved up to a high of No. 10 in the publication's first in-season listing on Feb. 16. Other preseason prognostications were No. 12 by the NCBWA (Jan. 28), No. 16 by D2 Baseball News, and No. 19 by PG (Jan. 29). UCSD's highest ranking in 2015 has been No. 8 by the NCBWA on Feb. 17. Regionally speaking, the Tritons are rated No. 1 in the West by the NCBWA and No. 2 by D2 Baseball News.

LAST TIME OUT
UCSD won two out of three games against Cal State San Bernardino last weekend. The Tritons took an 11-5 home decision on Saturday night, March 21, behind six solid innings from Justin Donatella (4 H, 2 R, BB, 8 K), who saw his lengthy shutout streaks end, but still picked up a fifth straight winning decision. Brandon Shirley provided a three-run double during a four-run first, and added a solo blast in the fifth. The teams then split a Sunday doubleheader in San Bernardino. UCSD struck out a season-high 15 times in suffering a 2-1 defeat in the opener, before bouncing back to cruise to a 10-1 victory in the seven-inning nightcap. Troy Cruz (5.0 IP, 3 H, R, 5 K) and Chad Rieser (2.0, 2 H, 4 K) combined on the mound while Gradeigh Sanchez and Jack Larsen provided three hits apiece offensively. UCSD and CSUSB will conclude their four-game series back in La Jolla on April 21.

AROUND THE CCAA
At 15-4 in league play, UCSD is alone in first in the 11-team CCAA standings. Cal State Monterey Bay (18-10, 14-6 CCAA) is second, behind the Tritons by a game and a half. Sonoma State (16-13, 10-10), the reigning CCAA regular-season champion, sits in a two-way tie for sixth. Another full league slate is on tap this week, beginning Thursday afternoon as Cal Poly Pomona plays at Cal State Dominguez Hills. Chico State welcomes CSUMB for another key four-game set starting Friday night. Follow all of the action through the CCAA baseball scoreboard. Bookmark it here.

DONNY'S ERA STREAK OVER, BUT WIN STREAK CONTINUES
Justin Donatella threw 34.1 straight shutout innings prior to seeing a blooped RBI single drop in to center field with one away in the fourth inning of UCSD's 11-5 home win over Cal State San Bernardino on March 20. The incredible stretch dated back to his second frame of the season during a 2-0 home loss to top-ranked 2014 national runner-up Colorado Mesa in his 2015 debut back on Feb. 6. He had yet to allow a run in 31.2 frames over his first four-plus CCAA starts prior to that fourth-inning single. Donatella (5-1) has won each of his five CCAA starts. Of the four runs he has given up, three were earned, for a still-league-best ERA of 0.70. He also leads the league with his 50 strikeouts. Donatella is 18th nationally in the NCAA Division II in ERA and WHIP (0.78), and tied for 22nd in strikeouts. Batters are hitting just .162 against him, with no home runs.

LEAGUE-LEADING PITCHING
UCSD continues to boast the best team ERA in the CCAA, and is up to fifth in Division II, at 2.33. The Tritons also have 219 strikeouts, the most in the league by six over this week's opponent, Sonoma State. The starting rotation of Justin Donatella (5-1, 0.70), Trevor Scott (4-3, 1.96), Alon Leichman (4-0, 2.20) and Troy Cruz (4-2, 2.36) all have an ERA of under 2.50 and at least four wins. Donatella paces the CCAA in ERA and strikeouts (50), and is first on the staff with 38.1 innings. The Tritons as a team have issued only 55 walks, the fewest in the league.

TWO-HEADED MONSTER OUT OF BULLPEN
Fourth-year seniors Chad Rieser and Dan Kolodin have three saves apiece. Rieser (0-0, 1.71 ERA), a left-hander, has made a team-best 13 appearances and given up just four runs with 28 strikeouts over 21.0 frames. He struck out the side in order in both the sixth and seventh on Feb. 21 against Cal State Dominguez Hills. Kolodin (2-1, 3.03), a right-hander, is second with 11 appearances, nine in relief, and is tied for second in strikeouts (33) while fourth in innings (29.2). On March 7, Rieser saved both ends of a doubleheader sweep at home over rival Chico State, becoming the first Triton to achieve the feat since Kolodin in another home sweep against SF State on April 6, 2013.

MANN ALIVE
Senior first baseman Michael Mann has been on a tear after a slow start to his final collegiate campaign. He held a .200 batting average following the 6-2 loss at Azusa Pacific on Feb. 24. Since then, Mann is hitting .488 (21-for-43), with six multi-hit efforts in 11 games, to increase his average to .341, third on the team. During this stretch, the Orinda native produced a 5-for-5 showing in the series finale at Cal State East Bay on March 1. Over the course of the 2013, 2014 and 2015 seasons, there have only been two five-hit efforts by a Triton, both from Mann. The Division II-era single-game program record is six hits. Mann also went 4-for-5 on Feb. 28 at East Bay.

SHUTOUTS ON SHUTOUTS
With a 6-0 victory to open its series with Chico State on March 6, UCSD has seven shutouts in 2015 through 27 games, having produced seven a year ago in 54. Seven is the program's most in the NCAA Division II era since 2001. The Tritons are tied for second nationally in Division II with Virginia State, behind only Franklin Pierce (9). In completing back-to-back-to-back shutouts to begin its series with Cal State Dominguez Hills, Feb. 19-21, UCSD achieved the feat of three straight shutouts for the first time in program history, dating back through the 1980 season. The Tritons on five previous occasions had posted two successive shutouts, most recently at home to start off the 2014 series with the Toros, on March 6 (1-0) and March 7 (7-0).

CRUZ OVER TO FIRST BASE
Junior All-American Troy Cruz has drawn 23 walks in 27 games this season, tied for ninth nationally in the NCAA Division II and still first in the CCAA. He now trails the pace to reach former Triton standout and current first-year assistant coach Nick La Face's single-season program record of 47 bases on balls, set last year. UCSD players take up three of the top four spots in the conference in walks, as Erik Lewis (21) and Jack Larsen (19) follow Cruz. Lewis is 18th nationally. UCSD as a team is third in the country and first in the CCAA with 146 walks, 27 more than the No. 2 squad in the league. A year ago, it was La Face, Lewis (42) and Justin Rahn (35) ahead of the CCAA pack.

FOURTEEN CCAA SETS WITHOUT A LOSS
UCSD's 10-1 win in the doubleheader nightcap at Cal State San Bernardino on March 22 assured that it would not lose the four-game series with the Coyotes. The Tritons lead it, 2-1, with a finale back at La Jolla on April 21. UCSD has thus gone 14 straight league sets without defeat. A sweep of Chico State followed a trio of three-games-to-one victories over SF State, Cal State Dominguez Hills and Cal State East Bay to begin the 2015 CCAA schedule. The Tritons completed the 2014 CCAA slate without suffering a series loss, with three sweeps, two 3-1 wins, and four splits. They were last bested 3-1 at Cal State Monterey Bay to end the 2013 campaign. UCSD has still not lost its regular-season four-game set with Chico State since 2007, when it dropped three of four in Chico.

DONNY DONS AWARDS FOR DOMINANT STARTS
Justin Donatella's one-hit shutout at Cal State East Bay on Feb. 27, with a season-high 11 strikeouts on just 98 pitches, earned the junior right-hander both the NCBWA West Region and CCAA Pitcher of the Week nods, each for the first time in his career. Donatella retired the first 14 Pioneers he faced that afternoon, with the home side managing just a two-out single through the left side in the fifth inning, and a leadoff hit-by-pitch in the seventh. Donatella registered eight more outs on grounders, and the other eight on fly balls, also handling all four of his defensive chances cleanly with three assists on comebackers and one putout. Read more here. Donatella's next outing of 7.1 shutout frames with nine strikeouts against Chico State, garnered him a spot among 10 Collegiate Baseball Newspaper National Players of the Week from all levels of college baseball.

PROGRAM FIRST FOR DONATELLA
Justin Donatella's remarkable performance at Cal State East Bay on Feb. 27 marked the first one-hit, nine-inning shutout by an individual Triton pitcher in the Division II era, since 2001. Former standouts Tim Shibuya (7.0 IP) and Elias Tuma (2.0) previously combined on a one-hit, nine-inning shutout in another defeat of Cal State East Bay, 1-0, on Feb. 19, 2011. Five Triton arms teamed up on a nine-inning one-hitter on Feb. 5, 2002, in a 3-1 victory at crosstown rival Point Loma. The only no-hitter for UCSD's Division II days came from Trevor Decker against then-top-ranked Cal State Stanislaus, a 6-0 home triumph in seven innings back on March 14, 2009.

YOUNG OUTFIELD
All but one of the 81 combined starts in the UCSD outfield in 2015 have come from redshirt freshman Justin Flatt, redshirt sophomore Brandon Shirley, and true sophomores Jack Larsen and Christian Leung. Flatt, Shirley and Larsen started left to right in each of the first 17 games this season. Leung's strong play has earned him four starts in right field since, with Larsen moving back over to center, where he made all 44 of his starts as a freshman in 2014. The outfielders have combined for eight of the Tritons' 11 home runs, with Flatt and Larsen blasting three apiece. Flatt served as the leadoff hitter for the first six contests, with Shirley taking over at the top of the order for the next 11. Flatt has generated the two longest hit streaks by a Triton in 2015, beginning the year with an eight-gamer, and following that up with a recent run of nine. He reached base safely in each of the first 12 games. Larsen, who has batted either third or fourth in the lineup, leads the team in average (.398), RBI (29) and multi-hit efforts (10). He is second in the CCAA in RBI and third in hitting.

VETERAN INFIELD
Over the first 27 games, the Tritons have generally started the same veteran infield. Just like in 2014, it's been Troy Cruz at third base, Erik Lewis at second and Michael Mann at first, with Tyler Howsley, a part-time starter at shortstop as a freshman a year ago, taking over that spot for good. The only exceptions have been at third for the six games when Cruz has been on the mound, and a pair of starts at first for Pierce College transfer Zach Friedman. Brett Levy has been behind the plate for 16 of the 27 games, with fellow fourth-year senior Brian Choi drawing three starts.

STATISTICAL ODDS AND ENDS
Erik Lewis had his lengthy reached-base streak going back to last season snapped at 40 games on Feb. 28 ... Redshirt freshman catcher Steven Coe has thrown out five out of eight (.625) would-be base-stealers this season ... Freshman Tyler Plantier has 15 RBI, tied for third on the team, over just 23 at-bats ... UCSD is 17-1 when scoring first, suffering its first such defeat at CSUSB on March 22 ... The Tritons are 6-0 when scoring in the first inning and 16-1 when out-hitting their opponent ... UCSD is 17-2 when tallying at least three runs in a contest.

POWER UP
The Tritons hit five home runs during their season-opening four-game series with Western Oregon, having needed 38 contests to achieve that total in 2014. Prior to the 8-3 victory in the nightcap with Western Oregon on Feb. 1, 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. The Tritons have done it twice in 2015, launching three more long balls to open the doubleheader at Cal State East Bay on March 1. Brian Choi's grand slam in that Western Oregon contest was the first by a Triton since Justin Rahn's against CPP in the third inning of a 20-5 triumph during the NCAA West Regional in La Jolla on May 16, 2014. Having finished 2014 with 11 home runs in 54 games, UCSD has reached that total through 27 games this season.

HIT-BY-PITCH RECORD
Cal State Dominguez Hills pitchers hit UCSD batters a total of nine times during a 19-0 drubbing in game one of the Feb. 21 doubleheader in La Jolla. That constituted a Triton program record at least for the Division II era (since 2001), and likely all-time. UCSD was plunked seven times in a single game four times prior, in 2007, 2005, 2004 and 2003.

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. The local product out of Chula Vista (Bonita Vista HS) was a two-time SDHOC Star of the Month during the 2014 calendar year. He helped guide UCSD to a record sixth CCAA tournament title and into the NCAA postseason, excelling as both an infielder and pitcher. Cruz was recognized at the 69th Annual Salute to the Champions on Feb. 23 at the Town and Country Convention Center. Both he and Triton head coach Eric Newman were in attendance, with Cruz addressing the crowd. Read a Triton Q&A with Cruz here.

TRITON NOTES
UCSD is 4-3 against nationally-ranked opponents in 2015, with four straight victories coming in the sweep of then-20th-ranked Chico State, after three successive losses against Colorado Mesa (5) and Azusa Pacific (22) ... The Tritons never trailed during their four-game home sweep over then-20th-ranked archrival Chico State, March 6-8 ... Justin Donatella's incredible February (3-1, 0.36 ERA, 33 strikeouts) with a shutout streak of 23.2 innings, earned him a first career San Diego Hall of Champions Star of the Month selection ... Trevor Scott and Jack Larsen were named on Feb. 3 as the 2015 season's first CCAA Baseball Pitcher and Player of the Week, respectively ... Troy Cruz was chosen to the NCBWA Preseason All-America Third Team at the utility spot, with Cruz (first team), Justin Donatella (second) and Erik Lewis (second) each named to NCBWA Preseason All-West Region teams (Jan. 23) ... 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.

ROSTER NOTES
UCSD's 36-player 2015 roster features 17 letterwinners, seven returning redshirts and 12 newcomers ... The Tritons have retained six out of nine regular position players and three of four starting pitchers ... UCSD returns a quartet of all-conference performers from a year ago in junior All-American and two-time All-CCAA First Team selection Troy Cruz, senior Erik Lewis (first team), junior Justin Donatella (first) and senior Michael Mann (third) ... All but two players on the 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) ... Plantier is the son of Phil Plantier, who played eight seasons in Major League Baseball for five franchises, and served as the hitting coach of the hometown San Diego Padres from 2011-14 ... Tyler Howsley, Jack Larsen and Gradeigh 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 faced CCAA favorite Chico State at home for the second year in a row, sweeping that four-game series between archrivals, March 6-8. UCSD wrapped up a season-opening, season-long 11-game homestand on Feb. 17. 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 the venue when the event was held there previously in 2010 and 2011.

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 116-72 record (87-48 CCAA) in charge of the Tritons and 211-144 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 trip to the NCAA Division II West Regional. His Tritons won a record sixth conference tourney crown last May in Stockton, to again nab the CCAA's automatic berth into the NCAA Championship. With UCSD earning the region's top seed, Triton Ballpark played host to the 2014 NCAA West Regional. Newman has now led the Tritons to two CCAA banners and two NCAA postseason appearances in his three years, as well as two 30-win campaigns. He previously went 95-72 in three seasons at the helm of Dallas Baptist University from 2005-07.

ABOUT THE SEAWOLVES
Sonoma State (16-13, 10-10 CCAA) is coming off of a 3-1 split-venue series win against Cal State Stanislaus last weekend. The Seawolves swept a home doubleheader on Friday, March 20, by scores of 7-5 and 7-0 in seven innings. After dropping a 2-1 decision in game one of another twin bill in Turlock on Saturday, they posted a 15-5 beating in the nine-inning second game. UCSD will be facing both the CCAA Player of the Week in senior Alex Crosby, as well as the CCAA Pitcher of the Week in Ryan Luna this weekend. Luna (3-2, 2.23), in fact, is the NCBWA West Region and National Pitcher of the Week, having tossed a seven-inning no-hitter in the second meeting with the Warriors at home last Friday. The junior right-hander out of Corcoran, a first-year transfer from Fresno City College, walked two and struck out nine, throwing 89 pitches. It was the first no-hitter by a Seawolf pitcher since another seven-inning effort by Aaron Damm, at home against UCSD on April 30, 2005. Sonoma State is 13-5 at home in 2015, and is the top defensive team in the league with a .973 fielding percentage. John Goelz is in his 30th season in charge at Sonoma State, and is closing in on 1,000 career wins, now with 994.

SERIES HISTORY
UCSD leads the all-time series, 32-29. Last year's four-game set in La Jolla was entirely and uncharacteristically (for San Diego) wiped out by rain, even after Sonoma State had made the trip south. The Seawolves won three of four at home in 2013, with UCSD only salvaging the Sunday finale, 11-3. The 2012 season saw the Tritons take six out of a total of seven head-to-head match-ups, all in La Jolla. After sweeping the four-game regular-season set, UCSD faced off with Sonoma State three more times at home in the CCAA Championship, and ultimately retained its tournament trophy. UCSD's last series defeat to SSU prior to 2013 came in its 2009 visit to Rohnert Park, also by a 3-1 count. That set featured some remarkable pitching and great drama as all four contests were decided by a single run (1-2, 2-3, 2-3, 3-2).

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.

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UP NEXT
After this weekend's trip north, UCSD returns to home action on Thursday night, April 2, kicking off a big four-game, split-venue series with nationally-ranked CCAA rival Cal Poly Pomona. First pitch at Triton Ballpark is set for 6 p.m., with another primetime meeting in La Jolla following on Friday, prior to a doubleheader in Pomona on Saturday, April 5.

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