THE SCHEDULE
Game 36
vs. No. 20 Azusa Pacific (24-9, 14-6 PacWest)
Tuesday, April 7 • 6 p.m.
Triton Ballpark • La Jolla
Live Audio/Video • Live Stats
The UC San Diego baseball team begins a five-game home week this Tuesday night, April 7, hosting No. 20 Azusa Pacific (24-9, 14-6 PacWest) in a key non-conference tilt with postseason implications. First pitch at Triton Ballpark is set for 6 p.m. The Tritons (23-12, 19-8 CCAA) are now in third place in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) by mere percentage points. APU, in fourth in the Pacific West Conference (PacWest), earned a 6-2 decision in Azusa when the sides previously met back on Feb. 24. UCSD is 14-6 at home, and will welcome fourth-place Cal State Monterey Bay to Triton Ballpark for a four-game CCAA set this Friday through Sunday.
TICKET PRICES AND NEW ADMISSION POLICIES
General admission tickets to all regular-season home games at Triton Ballpark are $5. UCSD students are admitted FREE with valid identification. New admission policies are in place at the facility following off-season renovation. Dogs and other pets are no longer allowed at Triton Ballpark, nor are coolers. University food truck, Flavors of the World, will be on site for all remaining home contests, serving a selection of sliders, sides and beverages, and accepting Triton Cash and Dining Dollars, in addition to Visa and MasterCard.
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. 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 (2007-08) Tim Strombel (@Timmy2Sides). The next full broadcasts (of 10) are the primetime home dates with No. 20 Azusa Pacific this Tuesday and Cal State Monterey Bay on Friday. The audio/video is free, but does require registration and a login. Some road contests will also have video and/or audio. 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).
FREE POSTERS!
Free Triton Baseball team posters will be available at Triton Ballpark for all remaining home contests during this 2015 season. The posters are sponsored by UCSD Dining Services and Pepsi.
THE MATCH-UP BY THE NUMBERS
UCSD is tied for fourth in the CCAA in team batting average (.283), first in ERA (2.96) and third in fielding percentage (.969). Azusa Pacific is first in the PacWest in hitting (.323), fifth in ERA (3.76) and sixth in fielding (.957).
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 at 5:45 p.m. 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
Following a 3-1 series defeat to Cal Poly Pomona, UCSD fell out of the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper national poll on Monday, and is now receiving votes just outside of the top 30. Azusa Pacific is No. 20. The Tritons also moved down from No. 1 to No. 3 in the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) West Region poll, with APU tied for fifth with Cal State L.A. The remaining national and regional polls will be released later in the week.
LAST TIME OUT
UCSD dropped its first CCAA series of the season, 3-1, against Cal Poly Pomona last weekend. The teams split a pair of close games in La Jolla, with the Tritons taking an 11-inning thriller, 4-3, on Thursday night on a two-out, two-strike, walk-off single by Justin Flatt to score Gradeigh Sanchez from third. The Broncos came out on top on Friday night, 5-2, before sweeping a doubleheader at Scolinos Field in Pomona on Saturday, by scores of 8-3 and 11-7 in seven innings. UCSD had gone 15 straight CCAA sets without a series defeat, going back to 2013.
AROUND THE CCAA
At 19-8 (.704) in league play, UCSD is now in third place in the 11-team CCAA standings, just percentage points behind Cal Poly Pomona and Cal State L.A., both at 17-7 (.708). This weekend's opponent, Cal State Monterey Bay (22-14, 18-10 CCAA), is right behind the Tritons by a game and a half. UCSD is 5.5 games clear of fifth-place Sonoma State. Another full league slate is on tap this week, beginning Friday afternoon. Follow all of the action through the CCAA baseball scoreboard. Bookmark it here.
LEAGUE-LEADING PITCHING
UCSD continues to top the CCAA in team ERA at 2.96. The Tritons also have a league-leading 290 strikeouts. The starting rotation of Justin Donatella (6-1, 0.70), Alon Leichman (5-1, 2.77), Trevor Scott (4-5, 2.77) and Troy Cruz (5-3, 3.02) all have an ERA of under 3.10 and at least four wins. Donatella paces the CCAA in wins (tied), ERA and strikeouts (70), and is first on the staff with 51.1 innings. The Tritons as a team have issued only 77 walks, the fewest in the league.
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 were tied for second nationally with Virginia State, behind only Franklin Pierce (9), heading into last weekend. 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 28 walks this season, still first in the CCAA. UCSD comfortably leads the CCAA in walks as a team (177). Tritons take up five of the top seven spots in the conference, with Jack Larsen (24), Erik Lewis (24), Justin Flatt (21) and Michael Mann (20) following Cruz. A year ago, it was Nick La Face (47), Lewis (42) and Justin Rahn (35) all ahead of the CCAA pack.
YOUNG OUTFIELD
All but two of the 105 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 play has earned him eight 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' 12 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 reached base safely in each of the first 12 games, now each of the last 19, and in 32 of the 34 games he has played in. Larsen, who has batted either third or fourth in the lineup, leads the team in average (.368), RBI (31), and multi-hit (11) and multi-RBI (9) games. He is tied for second in the CCAA in RBI, and fourth in hitting.
VETERAN INFIELD
Over the first 35 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 eight games when Cruz has been on the mound, and six starts at first between Zach Friedman and Justin Flatt. Brett Levy has been behind the plate for 20 of the 35 games, with fellow fourth-year senior Brian Choi drawing three starts.
STREAKS SNAPPED
UCSD had gone 15 straight CCAA sets without suffering a series loss, going back to a road trip to Cal State Monterey Bay to end the 2013 campaign, before this past weekend's 3-1 loss to Cal Poly Pomona ... The Tritons had in fact won six straight completed CCAA sets, including all five this year (but not including in-progress CSUSB series), going back to a 3-1 win over CSUSB to conclude the 2014 regular season ... The Tritons had played error-free baseball over a six-game road stretch from March 22-29 prior to the April 2 home date vs. CPP, with their Division II-era best still standing at seven straight (March 27-April 9, 2010) ... Gradeigh Sanchez had his career-best 10-game hit streak and 15-game reached-base streak end at CPP on April 4 ... Justin Donatella had won his first six CCAA starts this year prior to taking a no-decision against CPP on April 2 ... Justin Donatella strung together a career-best streak of 34.1 innings of shutout baseball (first 31.2 frames of CCAA play) between Feb. 6-March 21 ... Erik Lewis had his lengthy reached-base streak going back to last season snapped at 40 games on Feb. 28.
STATISTICAL ODDS AND ENDS
Gradeigh Sanchez has produced the longest hit streak by a Triton in 2015, with his career-best 10-gamer going through April 3 ... UCSD is 5-6 against nationally-ranked opponents in 2015 ... The Tritons never trailed during their four-game home sweep over then-20th-ranked archrival Chico State, March 6-8 ... Redshirt freshman catcher Steven Coe has thrown out six out of 13 (.462) would-be base-stealers this season ... UCSD is 20-5 when scoring first (with three such losses vs. CPP), and 6-0 when scoring in the first inning ... The Tritons are 19-1 when out-hitting their opponent, and 21-3 when tallying at least four 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 12 through 35 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
Troy Cruz went a perfect 4-0 in his four starts in March, with a 2.10 ERA, 24 strikeouts and a single walk in 25.2 innings, earning him the third San Diego Hall of Champions Star of the Month award of his Triton career ... 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 120-76 record (91-52 CCAA) in charge of the Tritons and 215-148 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 COUGARS
No. 20 Azusa Pacific (24-9, 14-6 PacWest) has been idle since last Tuesday, just like it was the previous time these two teams met on Feb. 24. The Cougars dropped a 4-3 home decision to Cal State Dominguez Hills on March 31. APU has completed a three-year transition period from the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) into the NCAA Division II, and is eligible for the first time in 2015 for the NCAA Championship. The Cougars sit fourth in the nine-team Pacific West Conference, with a four-game set at Holy Names this weekend. They were picked to place fourth (one first-place vote) in the league's preseason coaches' poll. APU is 7-3 against CCAA opposition in 2015, with Tuesday's return date with UCSD its last such contest. Junior right-hander Josh Staumont, who spent his freshman season at Biola, is a legitimate Major League Baseball prospect from the Division II ranks with a fastball touching 98-99 mph. He is currently 4-1 with a 3.23 ERA and team-best 63 strikeouts over 39.0 innings pitched for his first seven starts. With the benefit of an idle weekend prior, he threw 102 pitches for his first winning decision on Feb. 24 against the Tritons. As a staff, the Cougars have a 3.76 ERA. Azusa Pacific is batting .323 with 30 home runs, led by junior second baseman Daniel Martin (Escondido/La Costa Canyon HS) with 11. The Cougars are coached by Paul Svagdis, in his 13th season.
SERIES HISTORY
Azusa Pacific leads the all-time series, 21-10, including a 6-2 decision back on Feb. 24 in Azusa. The Tritons took a four-game split-venue set a season ago, 3-1, outscoring the Cougars, 38-16, in the process. That series concluded with a resounding doubleheader sweep in La Jolla of 11-7 and 16-0 on April 26. Tuesday will mark just the ninth time the teams have played in the 15 years since UCSD moved up to Division II. They split a pair in Azusa earlier last year on March 24-25, with the Cougars winning 3-1 the first night and UCSD taking a 10-6 decision the next. APU was a 7-5 victor in 11 innings at Triton Ballpark on April 13, 2013. Azusa trailed 5-1 after four frames that day before rallying, tying the game with a three-run eighth before winning in extras. The 2003 campaign saw UCSD come out on top 19-6 at home and then 7-5 in Azusa.
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 MEDIA - #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 (@UCSDbsb)
Coach Newman on Twitter (@CoachEricNewman)
Coach Avila on Twitter (@CoachAvi)
Coach Bloodworth on Twitter (@CoachBlood_)
Coach Burleson Twitter (@CoachB_UCSD)
UP NEXT
Third-place UCSD welcomes in fourth-place Cal State Monterey Bay for an important four-game CCAA set this Friday through Sunday, April 10-12. The Friday night opener will feature the official dedication of the new Marye Anne Fox Clubhouse at Triton Ballpark at 5:45 p.m., with first pitch pushed back to 6:15 p.m.
#TritonsRising
