THE SCHEDULE
Exhibitions
vs. San Diego Christian
Saturday, Jan. 23 • 11 a.m.
Triton Ballpark • La Jolla
Live Stats
vs. San Diego Christian
Tuesday, Jan. 26 • 6 p.m.
Triton Ballpark • La Jolla
Live Stats
The UC San Diego baseball program will finalize preparations for the 2016 campaign with a pair of exhibitions, both at home against local foe San Diego Christian College of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). The first matchup is set for an 11 a.m. first pitch this Saturday, Jan. 23. The latter meeting is in primetime on Tuesday night, Jan. 26, at 6 p.m. Admission into Triton Ballpark is free, though parking permits are required on the UCSD campus for the Tuesday contest. Live stats will be available. There will be no live video coverage until the regular season begins.
Of the four national polls in existence for NCAA Division II baseball, the preseason edition of just one of them has been unveiled, with fifth-year head coach Eric Newman's Tritons rated No. 26 by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper. The National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA), Perfect Game and D2BaseballNews.com have yet to announce their prognostications, with PG's slated for a Jan. 28 release. D2 Baseball News did on Monday, post its West rankings, with UCSD second only behind reigning conference and region champion Cal Poly Pomona.
San Diego Christian had a tough 2015 season at 11-41 overall and 10-32 in the Golden State Athletic Conference. The Hawks, based in Santee, were rated 22nd in the 2014 preseason when they last met UCSD, also in exhibition action. SDCC was blanked 4-0 at Triton Ballpark that night on Jan. 17, 2014, as four since-departed Triton pitchers combined on a two-hit shutout.
UCSD went 36-21 overall a year ago with a 27-13 mark in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA), finishing tied for second in the then-11-team league. The Tritons went on to play in the NCAA Division II Championship West Region title round for the second consecutive year. Six position starters and two starting pitchers return off of that squad. Included in that group are five standouts who earned postseason recognition from the CCAA in seniors Troy Cruz and Gradeigh Sanchez, juniors Tyler Howsley and Jack Larsen, and redshirt sophomore Justin Flatt. Larsen and Sanchez each made the All-CCAA First Team, with Cruz on the second. All three also garnered All-West Region distinction.
Following the two exhibition dates, the Triton Baseball Alumni Game is scheduled for primetime at 6 p.m. on Friday night, Jan. 29. The program's golf tournament fundraiser is the next day beginning with a shotgun start at 12:30 p.m. in Coronado. More information and registration can be accessed here.
The Tritons will then host The Master's College of Santa Clarita in a doubleheader on Opening Day on Saturday, Feb. 6. The Mustangs are ranked No. 10 in the NAIA preseason poll. First pitch at Triton Ballpark is set for 2 p.m.
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