THE SCHEDULE
Game 3
vs. UT-Permian Basin (4-0, 0-0 HC)
Thursday, Feb. 11 • 6 p.m.
Triton Ballpark • La Jolla
Live Video • Live Stats

Games 4-5
vs. UT-Permian Basin (4-0, 0-0 HC)
Friday, Feb. 12 • 2 p.m. (DH)
Triton Ballpark • La Jolla
Live Stats

Games 6-7
vs. Cal State San Bernardino (2-5, 2-1 CCAA)
Saturday, Feb. 13 • 2 p.m. (DH)
Triton Ballpark • La Jolla
Live Stats

Game 8
vs. No. 10 Cal Poly Pomona (3-1, 0-0 CCAA)
Sunday, Feb. 14 • 2 p.m.
Triton Ballpark • La Jolla
Live Video • Live Stats

The 26th-ranked UC San Diego baseball program continues a 13-game season-opening homestand with a stretch of six contests in four days at Triton Ballpark. The Tritons (2-0) begin their busy week in primetime against UT-Permian Basin (4-0) on Thursday night, Feb. 11, at 6 p.m. UCSD and UTPB then meet again in doubleheader action at 2 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 12. The Tritons take on California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) foe Cal State San Bernardino (2-5, 2-1 CCAA) in another twin bill on Saturday, Feb. 13, also starting at 2 p.m. Both doubleheaders will feature shortened seven-inning nightcaps. On Sunday, Feb. 14, UTPB and CSUSB face off in a neutral-site affair at 11 a.m. with admission free for that one. The weekend on East Campus concludes with a marquee showdown as UCSD and No. 10 Cal Poly Pomona (3-1) stage a rematch of the 2015 West Region final that went 7-4 in favor of the Broncos at Mt. SAC in Walnut last May. First pitch is slated for 2 p.m., but is likely to be delayed based on the finish of the first game that day. CPP is the defending CCAA regular-season, tournament and West Region champion, as well as the unanimous 2016 league favorite. None of this week's games against the Coyotes or Broncos will figure in the CCAA standings.

ADMISSION POLICIES FOR TRITON BALLPARK
General admission for all regular-season home games at Triton Ballpark is $5. UCSD students are admitted FREE with valid identification. Dogs and other pets are not allowed, nor are coolers. University food truck, Flavors of the World, is on site for all home contests, with a more ballpark-oriented menu featuring the Triton Dog, sliders, nachos, pizza, sunflower seeds, peanuts and popcorn. Also new this year for those chilly primetime affairs are hot beverages like coffee, tea and hot cocoa. The food truck accepts Visa, MasterCard, Triton Cash and Dining Dollars.

PARKING INFO
Parking on the UCSD campus is free on weekends, but a permit is required 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 to your vehicle when parking. Overflow parking is available in the lots beyond the right field wall, still along Voigt Drive.

LIVE COVERAGE
A selection of UCSD home games at Triton Ballpark feature live online video at our new streaming portal, UCSDtritons.tv. Audio commentary is provided again this year by former Triton pitcher (2007-08) Tim Strombel (@Timmy2Sides). This week, the single games against UTPB and CPP on Thursday and Sunday will be broadcast. Some road contests also have video and/or audio. All games have live stats. Fans can access live coverage from the Schedule/Results page, or by clicking on the links above. Starting lineups, live between-inning updates and other in-game news and notes can be found by following Triton Baseball all season long on the UCSD Athletics Twitter handle (@UCSDtritons). Also be sure to follow the team @UCSDbsb. Finally, check out the new and improved CCAA live scoreboard here to keep up on results around the league.

UCSD, VIASAT LAUNCH ONLINE STREAMING PARTNERSHIP
UC San Diego Athletics has partnered with local broadband services and technology giant ViaSat to create UCSDtritons.tv, an online streaming platform. The channel will carry all Triton home basketball and volleyball contests, a selection of baseball, softball and water polo games, and a variety of home events featuring virtually every one of UCSD's 23 intercollegiate sports at least once. All broadcasts are live, in high definition, and can be viewed for the first time from smartphones and tablets alongside desktop and laptop computers. UCSD alum and former pitcher (2007-08) Tim Strombel (@Timmy2Sides) is back for another season as the play-by-play voice of Triton Baseball. Viewing is subscription-based, though it will remain free from UCSD campus IP addresses. A package that gives viewers access to all streamed events through the 2015-16 academic year is available for $29.99. A single-day pay-per-view option can be purchased for $5.99, meaning doubleheaders are two-for-one. Most events are archived.

MIGHTY 1090 INTERVIEWS
Mighty 1090 AM talent Jordan Carruth is conducting flavorful interviews with UC San Diego student-athletes and coaches on a weekly basis, and they are definitely worth a listen. The station recently launched a page dedicated to UCSD athletics, where you can find all of the archived interviews. Here are the links to baseball interviews:
• Coach Newman (2/3/16)

RANKINGS REPORT
UCSD appeared at No. 26 in the preseason edition of Collegiate Baseball Newspaper's NCAA Division II top-40 poll (Dec. 22). The Tritons were also rated 16th in the preseason by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) (Jan. 27) and 19th by D2 Baseball News (Jan. 29). They were not ranked by Perfect Game (Jan. 28). Regionally speaking, the Tritons are listed No. 2 in the West, behind only Cal Poly Pomona, by both D2 Baseball News and the NCBWA.

LAST/FIRST TIME OUT
UCSD began the 2016 campaign with a pair of narrow one-run wins and a doubleheader sweep on Opening Day last Saturday over visiting The Master's College, ranked No. 10 in the NAIA and a perfect 5-0 heading in. Scores were 3-2 and 4-3 in 10 innings. John Erhardt took the ball in the opener and tossed five effective innings in just his second career start, notching his first collegiate win. Jack Larsen ended the nightcap with a walk-off RBI single through the right side of the infield with two away in the 10th, as Steven Coe sped around third and slid under the tag. That made a winner out of true freshman left-hander Brent Bell (1.1 IP, 2 SO) in his debut, after Alon Leichman had, like Erhardt, provided five solid frames in his starting assignment.

DOUBLE DIP DETAILS
Vince Mori's first home run as a Triton was UCSD's first long ball of 2016, giving his side a 3-1 edge in Saturday's nightcap ... Mori and fellow junior transfer JD Hearn both made their Triton debuts as starters, at second and third base, respectively, in the opener ... Three redshirt freshmen (Erik Amundson, Cameron Kurz and Michael Palos) and two true freshmen (Brent Bell, Kyle Mora) made their college debuts on Opening Day ... Kurz earned his first college save in throwing the ninth inning of the first game, after Mora had provided three no-hit frames, with Bell picking up the win in the nightcap.

WALK-OFF WINNERS
Jack Larsen accounted for UCSD's first walk-off victory of 2016 in the nightcap of Saturday's doubleheader on Opening Day. His two-out RBI single through the right side, seen here, chased Steven Coe home from second for the 4-3 Triton win. Coe was hit by a pitch to lead off and moved to second on Tyler Howsley's sacrifice. Larsen now has two walk-off hits for his career, having produced a two-run single up the middle in the ninth inning against Cal State LA as a freshman in 2014 (4/4). Other current Tritons with walk-off hits in their career are Justin Flatt (RBI single in 11th; 4/2 vs. CPP) in 2015 and Gradeigh Sanchez (PH RBI single in ninth; 3/16 vs. CSUMB) in 2014. Ironically, the final score of all four contests was 4-3.

LENGTHY HOMESTAND
UCSD's current 13-game homestand, if completed without weather problems, would be its third-longest of the Division II era (since 2001), behind two other season-opening stretches of 18 over the entire month of February in the 2010 campaign that ended in Cary, N.C., and a 14-gamer in 2008. This would be the eighth homestand of double digits in the Tritons' Division II history. They previously had a trio of 12-gamers in 2004, 2005 and 2011 (season-opening), an 11-gamer to begin 2015, and a 10-gamer to end 2003.

THE NEW TRITON BALLPARK
Triton Ballpark on East Campus at UCSD was given a brand-new look outside the foul lines in 2015. Some of the main features of the extensive renovation 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. Perhaps most significant is the addition of the Marye Anne Fox Clubhouse down the right field line, which was introduced to the players on March 17. The official Triton Ballpark re-opening and clubhouse dedication took place on April 10. View photo galleries from the ballpark construction, Opening Day and dedication.

BACK-TO-BACK WEST REGION FINALISTS
UCSD finished in a tie for second in the CCAA with Cal State Monterey Bay in 2015 with a league record of 27-13, qualifying for a second consecutive CCAA Championship before advancing to the final round of the NCAA West Regional for the second year in succession as well. The fifth-seeded Tritons had a 36-21 overall record following a 7-4 loss to CCAA regular-season and tournament champion, top-seeded Cal Poly Pomona, in a riveting West Region final at Mt. SAC in Walnut.

ROSTER REVIEW
UCSD's 40-player 2016 roster features 17 letterwinners, five returning redshirts and 18 newcomers. The Tritons have retained six out of nine regular position players and two of four starting pitchers. They lost ace Justin Donatella to professional baseball, and fellow starter Trevor Scott, second baseman Erik Lewis, first baseman Michael Mann, catchers Brian Choi and Brett Levy, and bullpen stalwarts Javier Carrillo, Jr., Dan Kolodin and Chad Rieser to graduation.

Troy Cruz (Chula Vista/Bonita Vista HS), a 2014 All-American and three-time All-CCAA selection, reprises his utility role. Senior Gradeigh Sanchez, juniors Jack Larsen, Brandon Shirley and Christian Leung, and redshirt sophomore Justin Flatt should divvy up a bulk of the outfield starts. Junior Tyler Howsley started all 57 games at shortstop a season ago. Redshirt sophomore Steven Coe (Valley Center/Valley Center HS) is the only one of four catchers on the roster with collegiate playing experience. On the mound, senior right-hander Alon Leichman and Cruz made up half of UCSD's 2015 rotation, with the likes of redshirt sophomore John Erhardt and sophomore Jack Rupe, Jr. (San Marcos/Mission Hills HS) still among a stable of young arms.

SCHEDULE BREAKDOWN
UCSD's 2016 schedule consists of 50 regular-season games, including 31 at home within the friendlier-than-ever confines of Triton Ballpark. It all begins with a season-long 13-game homestand that runs through almost the entire month of February. The Tritons start league play with a split-venue, four-game set against Cal State San Bernardino in La Jolla on Friday night, Feb. 26. They face reigning conference and region champion and unanimous CCAA favorite Cal Poly Pomona in another split-venue, four-game series, March 19-21. UCSD then travels to Chico for the first time since 2013 to take on the archrival Wildcats of Chico State, picked to win the CCAA North, in a three-gamer March 25-26. The CCAA Championship will be held in the neutral-site city of Stockton for the fourth year in a row, returning to Banner Island Ballpark of the minor-league Stockton Ports after being contested at Klein Family Field on the campus of the University of the Pacific last May. The Tritons won their record sixth CCAA tourney title at Banner Island Ballpark when the event was last there in 2014.

RECORD-SETTING PITCHING IN 2015
A stellar 2015 season for the Triton pitching staff saw UCSD break program records for earned-run average (2.84), shutouts (13), strikeouts (469) and strikeouts per nine innings (8.72), while finishing second in ERA in the CCAA and sixth nationally in Division II. The shutout mark ranked third in the country. UCSD has placed among the top three in the CCAA in ERA in three of the past four years. Through two games in 2016, the Tritons' ERA stands at 2.37, seventh in the league.

STRONG FIELDING
UCSD continues a tradition of being strong defensively. The Tritons posted a .970 (1453-577-63) fielding percentage a season ago, rallying after a slow start to rank second in the CCAA, just behind Cal Poly Pomona (.971), and 21st in Division II. They have been in the top 30 nationally and top three in the conference in fielding for each of the past six seasons. In 2014, UCSD was second in the CCAA (behind Chico State) with a .974 clip, and fifth in the country. In 2013, the Tritons were second in the league behind Chico State and 11th nationally (.972). They were 29th in Division II in 2012 (.966) and third in the conference. UCSD led the nation with a Division II- and school-record mark of .984 (1611-673-38) in 2010 and was fifth in 2011 (.972), pacing the CCAA both years. No program in the country has even fielded at a .980 rate since 2010. Through two games in 2016, the Tritons' fielding percentage stands at a gaudy .988 (57-25-1), easily tops in the CCAA.

TRITON NOTES
UCSD is 4-1 in season openers under Eric Newman and 13-3 since moving to Division II status for 2001 ... UCSD is 3-1 in CCAA openers with Newman in charge, with three straight wins after a 4-1 loss to Chico State in La Jolla on Feb. 17, 2012 ... The Tritons are 8-7 in CCAA openers all-time (since 2001), and 8-1 with six splits in sets to begin the league season ... Jack Larsen (first team), Troy Cruz (second) and Gradeigh Sanchez (second) were each named on Jan. 25 to NCBWA Preseason All-West Region teams ... UCSD was picked to place second overall and in the South in the 2016 CCAA race by the league's head coaches, as announced on Jan. 28, with reigning regular-season, tournament and West Region champion Cal Poly Pomona the unanimous favorite.

CCAA FORMAT CHANGES
There are several significant changes to the CCAA baseball landscape in 2016. Cal State San Marcos has joined the conference as a 13th member. The addition of the crosstown foe Cougars means 12 league teams in baseball, as Humboldt State does not sponsor the sport. With an even geographical balance of six programs in the north and six in the south, the CCAA has gone to a divisional alignment. As such, the 38-game league slate, down from 40 in 2015, consists of a four-game series within the division, and three-gamers across divisions. That is a departure from all four-game matchups in recent seasons. There is also a change to the CCAA Championship. The conference champion and automatic qualifier into the NCAA Championship will still come from that tournament, and it remains a double-elimination event. It has expanded, however, from four teams to six, with the top three squads in both the North and South divisions gaining the right to participate.

ROSTER NOTES
UCSD returns five all-conference performers from a year ago in senior All-American and three-time All-CCAA selection Troy Cruz (second team), junior Jack Larsen (first), senior Gradeigh Sanchez (first), redshirt sophomore Justin Flatt (honorable mention) and junior Tyler Howsley (HM) ... Cruz, Larsen and Sanchez also picked up All-West Region accolades in 2015 ... Howsley, Larsen and Sanchez played together at Mission Viejo's Capistrano Valley High School ... All but three players on the 40-man 2016 roster, senior pitcher Alon Leichman (Kibbutz Gezer, Israel), redshirt sophomore Tim White (Stratford, CT) and freshman Nick Balley (Austin, TX), are California natives ... Besides Cruz (Chula Vista/Bonita Vista HS), the six other San Diego products are redshirt sophomore Steven Coe (Valley Center/Valley Center HS), sophomores Tyler Plantier (Poway/Del Norte HS) and Jack Rupe, Jr. (San Marcos/Mission Hills HS), redshirt freshman Cameron Kurz (Encinitas/La Costa Canyon HS), and newcomers Vince Mori (Oceanside/Palomar College/Westview HS) and Griffen Case (Poway/Cathedral Catholic 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 ... Freshman right-hander Jonah Dipoto is the son of Jerry Dipoto, who pitched eight seasons for three organizations, and is the general manager of the Seattle Mariners.

HEAD COACH ERIC NEWMAN
Eric Newman is in his fifth season as the UCSD head coach. The 2012 CCAA Coach of the Year has a 135-85 record (99-57 CCAA) in charge of the Tritons and 230-157 overall in his seven-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 in May of 2014 in Stockton, to again nab the CCAA's automatic bid into the NCAA Championship. With UCSD earning the region's top seed, Triton Ballpark played host to the 2014 NCAA West Regional. Newman has led the Tritons to three CCAA banners and three NCAA postseason berths in his four years, including back-to-back appearances in West Region finals, as well as four plus-.500 and three 30-win campaigns. He previously went 95-72 in three seasons at the helm of Dallas Baptist University from 2005-07. Newman was the fifth-round draft choice of the San Diego Padres out of Texas Tech in 1994, pitching professionally for eight years with four different organizations.

TRITON STAFF
Eric Newman promoted Rob Avila to associate head coach this past off-season, with the Tritons' pitching guru also now in his fifth year at UCSD. J.T. Bloodworth is in his fourth season in the Triton dugout, now in his second year as the program's recruiting coordinator. Newman added Jeff Calhoon and former Triton Tony York to his staff. Calhoon spent the last two years at Westmont College in Santa Barbara, having completed his playing career as the starting catcher at New York's Niagara University. York was a relief pitcher at UCSD from 2011-12, compiling 10 saves. Calhoon will coach third base, while York takes over in the first-base box.

ABOUT THE FALCONS
UT-Permian Basin (4-0) is located in Odessa, Texas, and is a member of the NCAA Division II and the Heartland Conference (HC). The Falcons went 30-15 overall and 19-8 in league play a year ago, losing both their games at the Heartland tournament in San Antonio, Texas. They are off to a perfect start to the new campaign following a home sweep of Southern Nazarene last Friday and Saturday by scores of 5-0, 6-5, 6-2 and 5-1. Like UCSD, UTPB will play a total of six games in California this week, with a doubleheader at Cal Poly Pomona on Saturday and a neutral-site date with Cal State San Bernardino back at Triton Ballpark on Sunday at 11 a.m. The Falcons have four California natives on their roster. Brian Reinke is the UT-Permian Basin head coach. UCSD baseball head coach Eric Newman's younger brother, Andy, is the men's basketball head coach at UTPB.

SERIES HISTORY
UCSD and UTPB have never met in baseball.

ABOUT THE COYOTES
Cal State San Bernardino (2-5, 2-1 CCAA) is one of just two teams to have already begun their CCAA slate. The Coyotes opened by taking two of three at Sonoma State, before getting swept in a four-game non-conference set at Dixie State this past weekend. In fact, they have dropped five straight since winning their first two of 2016. They play at No. 10 Cal Poly Pomona on Friday night prior to heading south to La Jolla, with junior ace Tyler Wells (0-0, 0.00, 12.0 IP, 4 H, 3 BB, 20 SO) expected to start that matchup with the Broncos. Dave Martinez is in his first season at the helm of his alma mater, and all in all, his tenure will have begun with 16 straight games away from home before CSUSB finally hosts UCSD in a CCAA doubleheader at Fiscalini Field on Saturday, Feb. 27. That series will also feature single contests in La Jolla on Friday night, Feb. 26 (6 p.m.), and Sunday, Feb. 28. The Coyotes currently rank last in the league in both batting average (.192) and ERA (7.45).

SERIES HISTORY
UCSD holds a commanding 53-25 advantage over Cal State San Bernardino in the all-time series, and is 44-19 against the Coyotes since 2001, when the Tritons moved up to the NCAA Division II and joined the CCAA. This includes a 24-8 edge over the last 32 meetings since 2007. UCSD has won the CCAA series 3-1 in each of the last three seasons. The 2015 finale went 18-1 in favor of the Tritons in La Jolla on April 21. The prior scores were 11-5, 1-2 and 10-1 in seven innings. Tyler Wells was behind the lone Coyote success, fanning 11 over 6.1 frames to open the doubleheader in San Bernardino on March 22. In 2014, UCSD took the first three games by scores of 9-2 and 9-6 on the road, and then 6-4 at home. Needing to complete the sweep with the seven-inning doubleheader nightcap in La Jolla, in order to earn what proved to be a share of the CCAA regular-season title, the Tritons dropped a 4-3 decision as the Coyotes rallied from a 3-0 deficit late. In 2013, the teams split two games in La Jolla before the Tritons pounded out 27 runs on 24 hits in a doubleheader sweep in San Bernardino, 11-4 and 16-5 in seven innings. The sides split the four-game set in 2012, each winning twice on its home diamond.

ABOUT THE BRONCOS
No. 10 Cal Poly Pomona (3-1) secured its first CCAA regular-season title (28-12) since 1991 last year, ahead of its first-ever tournament banner. The Broncos then earned the top seed in the West, and thus the right to host the West Regional for the first time since 1985, at Mt. SAC in nearby Walnut. CPP won that tourney as well and ultimately was one of the last three teams left standing (46-17) in Cary, N.C. This year, the Broncos have started out with a 3-1 split-venue series victory over Concordia last weekend. They have a top professional prospect for the second straight year, this time in junior right-hander Ryan Olson (1-0, 0.00 ERA), an Upland native and second-year transfer out of the University of San Diego. The Tritons won't see him on Sunday, however, as he is expected to start Friday night's home date with CSUSB. CPP also hosts UT-Permian Basin in a doubleheader Saturday before its fourth game of the weekend Sunday in La Jolla. The CCAA weekly awards were swept by infielder Chris Stratton (.286, 6 R, 3B, HR, 7 RBI, 4 SB) and reliever Peter Bayer (SV, 3.2, 0 H, 9 SO), both first-year transfers. Stratton is out of nearby Palomar College and was teammates there with Triton newcomer Vince Mori, with Stratton the second baseman and Mori primarily at third. Stratton bats leadoff for the Broncos. Randy Betten, the 2015 NCBWA West Region and CCAA Coach of the Year, is in his sixth season in charge at Cal Poly Pomona. The Tritons and Broncos will contest their regular four-game, split-venue CCAA series March 19-21.

SERIES HISTORY
UCSD leads the all-time series between these teams, 39-29, and holds a 21-15 advantage over the last 36 meetings since 2009. CPP went 5-1 against the Tritons in 2015, winning the regular-season set, 3-1, with UCSD only procuring the opener, 4-3, in walk-off fashion in 11. The Broncos then were narrow 2-1 victors in the winner's bracket at the CCAA Championship in Stockton, and 7-4 in a riveting West Region final in Walnut. The two teams played each other six times in 2014 as well, splitting their regular-season series before the Tritons took a pair of postseason matchups at the CCAA tourney and the West Regional. Four of those showdowns were decided in the final inning. Three were of the walk-off variety, with one apiece in Pomona and La Jolla before UCSD earned a 5-4 victory on an RBI double by Nick La Face with two outs in the 11th inning into the left field corner on the second night of the CCAA tournament in Stockton. Of these last 12 meetings in 2014 and 2015, five have had one-run margins, with UCSD 3-2 in those games, with three extra-inning affairs and four walk-offs. Prior to 2014, the sides split their four-game sets in 2012 and 2013 as well, with both 3-3 at home and 3-3 on the road. CPP ended UCSD's 2011 season at the West Regional in La Jolla, and the Tritons returned the favor on May 16, 2014, through a 22-hit, 20-5 thumping that saw 2015 second-round draft pick Cody Ponce allow the first eight runs.

GEAR UP
For the latest in Triton athletic gear, make sure to visit ucsdtritonsgear.com. Run by UCSD Athletics' online partner, Advanced-Online, the site provides an on-demand option for Triton athletic apparel and merchandise. Fans have access to over 600 products that can be processed and shipped within 24 hours.

FOR THE YOUNGER CROWD
Got some young Triton fans in your family? If they are in eighth grade or under, check out the Junior Triton Club. Membership includes a free t-shirt, admission to over 100 UCSD home athletic events, and much more!

SOCIAL MEDIA (#TritonsRising)
UCSD Athletics on Facebook (UCSDtritons)
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UCSD Athletics on YouTube (UCSDathletics)
Triton Baseball on Facebook (Tritonsbaseball)
Triton Baseball on Instagram (@ucsdbaseball)
Triton Baseball on Twitter (@UCSDbsb)
Coach Newman on Twitter (@CoachEricNewman)
Coach Avila on Twitter (@CoachAvi)
Coach Bloodworth on Twitter (@CoachBlood_)
Coach Calhoon Twitter (@CoachCalhoon)

UP NEXT
UCSD continues a season-long 13-game homestand to begin the 2016 campaign with a four-game non-conference series against Concordia Irvine next week, beginning with a primetime opener on Friday night, Feb. 19. First pitch at Triton Ballpark is set for 6 p.m.

#TritonsRising