THE SCHEDULE
at 2016 CCAA Championship
Banner Island Ballpark • Stockton

Game 50
vs. Cal State Monterey Bay (32-17, 21-16 CCAA)
Wednesday, May 11 • 7 p.m.
Live Audio • Live Stats

Game 51
vs. TBD
Thursday, May 12 • 3 p.m. or 7 p.m.
Live Stats

Game 52
vs. TBD
Friday, May 13 • TBD
Live Stats

Game 53 - Final
vs. TBD
Saturday, May 14 • 12 p.m. (4 p.m. if necessary)
Live Stats

The UC San Diego baseball program is in Stockton for the 2016 California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Championship. The six-team, double-elimination event runs Wednesday through Saturday, May 11-14, at Banner Island Ballpark, home of the minor-league Stockton Ports. The Tritons (30-19, 20-17 CCAA) take on Cal State Monterey Bay (32-17, 21-16 CCAA) to begin the tournament, in primetime at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, May 11. UCSD placed second in the CCAA South Division. CSUMB tied for first in the North, but lost out to Cal State East Bay for seeding purposes by virtue of the head-to-head tiebreaker (1-3). Similarly, in determining the No. 3 and No. 4 seeds, the Tritons lost that head-to-head tiebreaker (1-2) with the Otters.

UCSD is making a third straight CCAA Championship appearance. If the Tritons win on Wednesday night, they would play again at 7 p.m. on Thursday. If they lose their opener, they would face an elimination game on Thursday at 3 p.m. Saturday's final is set for a 12 p.m. start, with an if-necessary second meeting slated for 4 p.m. The CCAA tournament champion once again earns the league's automatic berth into the NCAA Championship. The Tritons and Otters also began the 2015 CCAA Championship against one another, with UCSD coming out a 5-2 victor behind eight shutout frames from former ace Justin Donatella, now excelling in the Arizona Diamondbacks organization. The Tritons withstood a two-run Otter rally in the ninth in that one, as CSUMB even still had the bases loaded with just one out, before Troy Cruz shut the door. It was the teams' first-ever CCAA tournament matchup.

The Tritons are second in the CCAA in team ERA (3.63) and fielding percentage (.970), and ninth in batting (.270). They are second in both walks drawn (212) and double plays turned (47). UCSD has led the league in walks the past two years, with a Division II-best 310 in 2015. CSUMB is fifth in ERA (4.04), sixth in average (.281) and fourth in fielding (.958). The Otters pace the league with 100 doubles and 45 home runs, and have scored 74 more runs this season (336) than the Tritons (262).

TICKET PRICES
General admission tickets for the 2016 CCAA Baseball Championship at Stockton's Banner Island Ballpark are $9. Students with identification and seniors (65 and over) can gain entry for $5, and children (3-12) for $3. Tickets are good for an all-day pass (three games, with two at the most on Saturday, May 14), and will be available on game days at Banner Island Ballpark. The ballpark was built in 2005 with a capacity of 5,200. Details here.

LIVE COVERAGE
For UCSD's opener at the 2016 CCAA Championship on Wednesday night at 7 p.m., Corey Neal will call the action online for Cal State Monterey Bay. Cal Poly Pomona will have video of its contests (links here), with Greg Salvage describing the action. Veteran Chico State play-by-play voice Michael Baca will also be on hand for the Wildcats' activity (click here). All games in Stockton will have live stats. Fans can access all live coverage from the UCSD Schedule/Results page. Starting lineups, live updates and other gameday news and notes can be found by following Triton Baseball on the UCSD Athletics Twitter handle (@UCSDtritons).

CCAA CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY
UCSD is making its 12th appearance at the CCAA Championship in its 16th season as a league member. The Tritons are record six-time champions, having most recently earned the banner the previous time the tournament was held at Banner Island Ballpark in 2014. They also won titles for four straight years from 2009-12, after an initial success in 2005. They have posted a record of 24-14 (.632) at the event. Reigning and one-time champion Cal Poly Pomona (10-7, .588) is making its sixth appearance, and like the Tritons, third in a row. Cal State Monterey Bay (1-4, .200) has earned just its third berth, the others coming in 2013 and 2015. Chico State is a three-time champion (2000, 2004 and 2006), and Cal State San Bernardino the 2002 winner. The first of 17 previous editions of the event took place in 1999. This week will mark the sixth time the city of Stockton has hosted it, and third at Banner Island Ballpark. The 2010, 2011 and 2015 installments were at the University of the Pacific's Klein Family Field, with UCSD the champion in 2010 and 2011. The Tritons went 6-2 over those two title runs, and are 10-4 (.714) at the event in Stockton, including a perfect 3-0 at Banner Island Ballpark. Three of the four times that the Tritons qualified for a CCAA tourney in Stockton, they have returned to La Jolla with the banner.

UCSD AGAINST THE CCAA CHAMPIONSHIP FIELD

OUT OF SECOND NCAA REGIONAL LISTING
The second release of the all-important NCAA regional rankings occurred on Wednesday, May 4, with UCSD falling out of the listing after appearing in eighth in the initial one. The top eight in the West are California Baptist, Dixie State, Cal State Monterey Bay, Cal Poly Pomona, Chico State, Northwest Nazarene, MSU Billings and Cal State East Bay. The third edition will come on Wednesday, May 11. The top six teams in the final version on May 15, make up the NCAA Division II Championship West Regional. The winner of the 2016 CCAA Championship, May 11-14, earns an automatic berth into the West Regional, as does the regular-season champion of the Pacific West Conference. CBU (27-7) needs one win over Azusa Pacific (25-9) in Monday's doubleheader in Azusa, to clinch that spot. The expanded (from 48) 56-team field for the 2016 NCAA Division II Championship will be unveiled at 7 p.m. PT on Sunday, May 15, and will be streamed live on NCAA.com. With UCSD out of the last poll, and coming off the weekend split against Cal State San Marcos, it needs a deep run in the CCAA tourney this week, if not the championship and subsequent automatic berth, to extend its season into the NCAA West Regional for a third straight year. The Tritons were West finalists in 2014 and 2015.

RANKINGS REPORT
UCSD dropped out of the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper (CBN) top-30 poll for the first time this season back on March 28. The Tritons' No. 5 CBN position on Feb. 29 was their highest under fifth-year head coach Eric Newman, and best since they were No. 3 on March 7, 2011. UCSD was ranked as high as fourth by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) on March 1. Regionally speaking, the Tritons were rated No. 1 in the West for four weeks in a row by both the NCBWA and D2 Baseball News.

QUICK STATS

LAST TIME OUT
UCSD split a four-game, split-venue series with crosstown foe Cal State San Marcos. The Tritons bookended a pair of four-run frames and rolled to an 11-2 triumph in San Marcos on Friday afternoon, before the sides split the Saturday twin bill on Senior Day at Triton Ballpark. Hayden Weir tossed a five-hit shutout as the Cougars took game one, 4-0, before UCSD won the seven-inning nightcap, 7-2, behind Alon Leichman's complete-game gem. Back in San Marcos on Sunday, the hosts pulled away late for an 8-2 victory. It was the first-ever CCAA series between the city foes, with CSUSM a first-year league member.

FIVE SENIORS
Last Saturday was Senior Day at Triton Ballpark, and Triton Baseball and UCSD Athletics recognized five outstanding seniors in between games of the doubleheader. The five Triton seniors are Gradeigh Sanchez, Alon Leichman, Eric Moersen, Zach Friedman and Trey Ferketic.

THREE IS THE MAGIC NUMBER
UCSD was a perfect 16-0 when scoring three or more runs in a game in 2016, before finally suffering a 9-8 extra-inning defeat against Cal State Dominguez Hills in a contest that began in La Jolla on March 11 and ended in Carson on March 13. The Tritons are now 29-4 in such games. Conversely, they won their first game when managing fewer than three runs after six straight defeats, in come-from-behind, walk-off fashion, 2-1, at home vs. CPP on March 20. UCSD is 1-15 with two runs or less.

STAT STUFF
UCSD is second in the CCAA in both team ERA (3.63) and fielding percentage (.970), and ninth in batting (.270) ... Freshman right-hander Kyle Mora is first in the CCAA and the West and sixth nationally in hits allowed per nine innings (5.21), 32nd in Division II in WHIP (1.04), and 49th in ERA (2.37) ... Tim Nelson, like Mora a true freshman right-hander is fifth in the CCAA in wins with seven, all in relief as he also paces the Tritons with 22 appearances ... Nelson is tied for 89th in Division II ... Alon Leichman is second in the league and West Region in strikeout-to-walk ratio at 4.80 (48-10), and is 39th nationally, and is also 27th in walks allowed per nine innings with his CCAA-best mark of 1.36.

STREAK STUFF
The Tritons have produced win streaks of five straight to begin the year, and a season-best seven straight from Feb. 20-28 ... UCSD's four-game losing skid from March 21-26 was its longest since dropping five in a row early in the 2012 campaign (Feb. 4-11) ... Tyler Howsley and Tim White share UCSD's best current hit (four), while JD Hearn (nine) and White (eight) have the longest reached base streaks ... Justin Flatt's career-best 12-game hit streak, which ended April 24 at CSUMB, is the team's longest ... Jack Larsen and Gradeigh Sanchez (season-opening) have each had a 10-game hit streak in 2016 ... Larsen earlier had a hit in each of the first seven contests, giving him a career-best 11-gamer going back to the end of 2015, with the same holding true for Sanchez, who notched three hits in the 2015 finale ... Tyler Plantier (17) and Steven Coe (16) have had the longest reached base streaks of 2016.

ODDS AND ENDS
Jack Larsen leads UCSD with eight outfield assists, with three on plays at the plate ... Catcher Steven Coe has cut down 19 would-be base-stealers on 37 tries to rank second in the CCAA in that category ... Coe threw out a pair of runners at Cal State San Marcos on May 8, getting him to 19, a new program record for the NCAA Division II era (since 2001), eclipsing the 18 by former Triton backstops David Morehead (2007) and Michael Benton (2008) ... A pair of true freshmen, left-hander Preston Mott (6.0 IP, 7 H, 2 BB, K) and right-hander Kyle Mora (3.0, 0 H, 2 BB), combined on UCSD's first shutout of 2016 (3-0), at home against Cal Poly Pomona on March 20, after the Tritons posted a program-record 13 to rank No. 3 nationally in that category a season ago.

LARSEN LEADING ON OFFENSE
Jack Larsen has started all 49 games and continues to lead the team with a .320 batting average, 32 runs (tied), 62 hits, 10 doubles, four (tied) triples, four home runs, 92 total bases and a .474 slugging percentage. He is second with 30 RBI, of which 20 came in a pair of 10-RBI weeks over the first four. His first three home runs were hammered out to right, with the fourth one to right center. Larsen has at least one hit in 36 of 49 games. He is 10th in the CCAA in hits, tied for third in triples, and eighth in at-bats (194).

SINGLE-SEASON TRIPLES RECORD
Through 49 games, UCSD has 22 triples, tied for first in the CCAA with Chico State, and tied for 12th nationally. Tyler Plantier's pinch-hit triple in the sixth inning of the May 7 doubleheader nightcap at home against Cal State San Marcos, was the 22nd, equalling the single-season program record from 1984 and 2010. The Tritons had 10 three-baggers in all for 57 contests a season ago. They hit three triples in the opener of the Feb. 20 doubleheader against Concordia, marking the first time UCSD had hit that many triples in a single game since an 11-6 home win over Sonoma State on April 5, 2012. The Tritons had four triples in all in that twin bill. JD Hearn, Jack Larsen and Brandon Shirley each have a career-high four.

GET ON AND GET AROUND, GRADEIGH
Fourth-year leftfielder Gradeigh Sanchez is the lone senior in the Tritons' everyday lineup, typically at the top of the order. The Mission Viejo product is hitting .280 and is tied for seventh in the CCAA with his team-best 28 walks. He is tied for first on the squad in runs (32), second in hits (44) and doubles (eight), and third in hit-by-pitches (tied-five) and on-base percentage (.403). Sanchez missed his only three games of the season against SF State. A remarkable 12 runs came in the four-game series with CSUSB. Sanchez reached base on four occasions in the finale on Feb. 28 and crossed the plate each time. He had a career-high 33 runs in 51 games played in 2015.

THE WIZARD OF LA JOLLA
Tyler Howsley has been magical with the glove in 2016. The junior shortstop earned All-CCAA honorable mention for the first time a year ago, and handled his first 52 defensive chances cleanly (10 games) this season. He now has 12 errors in 262 chances, for a fielding percentage of .954. Howsley and Jack Larsen, teammates throughout their days at Mission Viejo's Capistrano Valley High School, are the only two Tritons to start or even appear in all 49 games. In fact, Howsley has drawn 106 consecutive starts, all at shortstop, going back to the 2015 opener. His 100th straight start came in game one of the April 30 home doubleheader against Cal State East Bay. He had zero errors in 11 straight contests (64 chances), before one on March 19. Offensively, Howsley is batting a career-best .255, and produced a pair of game-winning RBI, including his first collegiate walk-off hit, against rival Cal Poly Pomona. He leads the team (tied ninth CCAA) in sacrifice hits for a second straight year, with seven after producing 10 in 2015. His 21 career sacrifices put him in a tie for fourth for the program's Division II era (since 2001).

PLANT GROWING
Sophomore Tyler Plantier leads the team with 34 RBI while second in home runs (three), both ahead of his freshman output. He batted a team-best .440 (11-for-25) through eight games. His first home run of 2016, the first of his career at Triton Ballpark after one long ball on the road as a rookie, was a game-tying, two-run shot hammered out to left against UT-Permian Basin on Feb. 11. The Poway product's second home run came on Feb. 27 in San Bernardino, a three-run blast to left in the first inning of a 20-4 rout. His solo blast to left to lead off the eighth tied the April 2 series opener with Stanislaus State at 10-10, before Plantier himself scored the walk-off winner in the 10th. His two-run double in a five-run first at Cal State LA on March 6 spurred a 6-5 victory to earn the series split, with another two-run double in a four-run first igniting a 7-1 triumph at CSUMB (4/24). Plantier is tied for sixth in the league and tied for 47th in Division II with his five sacrifice flies.

PITCHER NOTES
Freshman left-hander Preston Mott (2-3, 3.49) has drawn a team-best 13 starts, as the only Triton with zero relief appearances and double-digit starts ... Mott and right-hander Kyle Mora (4-0, 2.37), a fellow true freshman, took the ball in five straight doubleheaders, all to begin a CCAA series, with UCSD going 6-4 ... Senior right-hander Alon Leichman (3-4, 3.53) pitched at least five full innings in his first seven outings, and went seven, his long for the program, in three consecutive starts from Feb. 12-26 ... Leichman has tossed the only two complete games by a Triton, both wins, in the seven-inning doubleheader nightcaps vs. UTPB (2/12) and CSUSM (5/7) ... Against CUI (2/19), Leichman scattered two hits while striking out a UCSD-best six, retiring the first 14 batters he faced before a two-out hit-by-pitch in the fifth, and had a no-hitter through 5.1 ahead of a bunt single ... Sophomore right-hander Jack Rupe, Jr. (3-4, 4.25 ERA) has turned in four strong outings ... In his second start of the year and third of his career, Rupe went a career-long 7.0 shutout innings in a 14-4 win at Cal State Dominguez Hills (3/13), scattering three singles and a walk while striking out five ... Rupe's other two wins came in lengthy relief stints, the first after a then-career-long 5.2 innings of shutout baseball in a 6-2 home decision over Concordia (2/21), with two singles and an intentional walk against him and three strikeouts ... Followed that with another 5.1 frames at CSUSB (2/27), fanning a career-high eight (2 H, R, 0 BB) ... Retired 14 straight from the third to the eighth, and struck out the side in the seventh.

#FRESHMANINVASION
UCSD has started 32 of its 49 games with a true freshman on the mound, and is 21-11 after winning the first 10. During the marathon six-game weekend Feb. 11-14, right-handers Kyle Mora and Kyle Lucke and left-handers Brent Bell and Preston Mott led the Tritons to four victories. Mott took the hill against 10th-ranked defending conference and region champion Cal Poly Pomona, and tossed five shutout frames. The quartet combined to allow just three earned runs over 19.0 innings pitched, for a 1.42 ERA. Lucke (3-2), Bell (2-0) and Mott (2-3) made up the rotation around senior Alon Leichman for the following three weeks. Six true freshmen have combined for a 20-8 record overall and 3.27 ERA (89 ER) over 245.0 innings pitched. Lucke started his first series opener March 3 at Cal State LA, with Mott firing a season-long (tied) 7.0 shutout frames in a 9-1 home loss to CSULA on March 5, both taking no-decisions. Mott (6.0) then combined with Mora (3.0) on UCSD's first shutout on March 20, also vs. CPP. Alongside three redshirt freshmen who have seen action, the numbers are 23-11 and a 3.40 ERA (104 ER) in 275.2 frames, with eight saves.

HEARN NETS CCAA AND WEST REGION WEEKLY AWARDS
JD Hearn became a first-time CCAA and NCBWA West Region Player of the Week on April 19 for his efforts in producing a trio of three-hit games in UCSD's sweep over SF State. The junior infielder hit .643 (9-for-14) with five runs, two doubles, one triple, four RBI, 13 total bases for a .929 slugging percentage, a .667 on-base percentage, and two steals on two attempts. All totals led the Tritons. He also fielded all 14 of his defensive chances cleanly at second and third base.

WALK-OFF WINNERS
UCSD has five walk-off victories in 2016. Steven Coe scored the run in the first two, and drove in the decider in the third. The first three came on singles from Jack Larsen, Tyler Howsley and Coe, in that order, before an infield error and most recently, a bases-loaded walk to Tim White. Larsen has two walk-off hits for his career, the first 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 are Justin Flatt (RBI single in 11th; 4/2/15 vs. CPP) and Gradeigh Sanchez (PH RBI single in ninth; 3/16/14 vs. CSUMB). The final score of all but this year's four most recent walk-offs (2-1, 11-10, 6-5 and 7-6), was 4-3.
• Feb. 6: UCSD 4, TMC 3 (10) (Watch)
Larsen walked off The Master's College on Opening Day, his two-out RBI single through the right side chasing Coe home from second in the 10th inning of the doubleheader nightcap for a 4-3 Triton win. Coe was hit by a pitch to lead off and moved to second on Howsley's sacrifice.
• March 20: UCSD 2, CPP 1 (Watch)
Howsley provided his first collegiate walk-off, also a two-out RBI single, to right center, to complete a late rally in the seven-inning nightcap with the Broncos. Coe scored from third after reaching on an infield error with two gone.
• April 2: UCSD 11, STAN 10 (10) (Watch)
Coe looped a one-out, opposite-field RBI single just inside the right field line to send Tyler Plantier home from third after the Warriors had walked the bases full in the 10th.
• April 16: UCSD 6, SFSU 5 (11) (Watch)
With Tritons at first and second and one away in the 11th, Larsen's grounder was picked up by the Gator third baseman and thrown past the first baseman, allowing Howsley to score the winner.
• April 30: UCSD 7, CSUEB 6 (Watch)
Pinch-hitter Zach Friedman and White drew back-to-back one-out, bases-loaded walks to force pinch-runner Brandon Shirley in with the tying run and Plantier with the winner, in the ninth.

OVERTURNING FIRST-INNING DEFICITS
UCSD is 8-5 when allowing a first-inning run to the opposition in 2016. The losses came at home against Cal State Dominguez Hills on March 10 (9-2), at Chico State on March 25 (7-0), vs. Stan State on April 3 (11-8), at CSUMB on April 23 (8-2), and at CSUSM on May 8 (8-2). The Tritons had a string of four such games, all wins, from Feb. 20-27.

LARSEN A TWO-TIME CCAA PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Jack Larsen on March 22 was named for the second time this season as the CCAA Player of the Week, for his performance over the first three games of the Cal Poly Pomona series, all Triton wins. He hit a team-best .455 with a team-leading four RBI, and added two key defensive plays on a catch in center and an assist at the plate from right. Larsen is a three-time honoree for his career.

START NOTES
UCSD got out to a 5-0 start for the first time in its NCAA Division II history (since 2001) ... The Tritons' 14-2 overall start was also their best in Division II ... The Tritons were 6-2 in CCAA play for the second straight year, and had gone 7-1 to start league play in 2003, 2008 and 2009.

SAN BERN SWEEP SUPERLATIVES
UCSD's 9-4 victory on Feb. 26 marked CCAA win No. 100 for fifth-year head coach Eric Newman ... The Tritons are 4-1 in CCAA openers under Newman, with four straight wins after a 4-1 loss to Chico State in La Jolla on Feb. 17, 2012 ... UCSD is 9-7 in CCAA openers all-time (since 2001), and 9-1 with six splits in sets to begin the league season ... The Tritons out-scored the Coyotes over four games, 50-16, with Gradeigh Sanchez crossing the plate 12 times by himself ... UCSD improved its team batting average 30 points, from .283 to .313, and almost doubled its season scoring output, from 60 runs over its first 12 games, to 110 ... Unofficially, the Tritons saw 772 pitches over 32 innings of offense, topping out at an incredible 244 in the 20-4 contest to begin Saturday's twin bill in San Bernardino ... The last known instance of 200 pitches seen by UCSD hitters, was 219 against Azusa Pacific on the first day of the 2015 NCAA West Regional ... The Tritons' 20 runs on Feb. 27 were their most since a 20-5 home win over Cal Poly Pomona during the 2014 NCAA West Regional on May 16, 2014, and also was the top run total by any CCAA team in 2016 until CSUMB scored 23 at CPP on April 3 ... The 21 hits from that same game were UCSD's most since collecting 23 in an 18-1 home win over CSUSB on April 21, 2015 ... Upon first glance, it appears the last time UCSD tallied 50 runs in a four-game series, was 52 in a non-conference home set with Grand Canyon, Feb. 12-13, 2010 ... UCSD's previous four-game CCAA sweep was at home over rival Chico State, March 6-8, 2015 ... The Tritons last swept their first CCAA set of the year back in 2009 at Cal State Monterey Bay.

LARSEN WINS PAIR OF WEEKLY HONORS
Jack Larsen was named both the NCBWA West Region and CCAA Player of the Week on March 1, after batting a team-best .563 (9-for-16) with team highs of nine hits, 10 RBI and 16 total bases against CSUSB. He slugged 1.000 with two doubles, one triple and a home run, and handled all nine defensive chances cleanly, including a pair of clutch catches Sunday. Larsen had multiple hits in three of the four games, and at least two RBI in all four. It marked his first career NCBWA honor.

#BASEBALLGEDDON
UCSD went 5-1 during an incredible stretch of six games in four days, amounting to 72 hours, Feb. 11-14. The sequence began with a three-game sweep of UT-Permian Basin as the Tritons reached a perfect 5-0 for the first time in their NCAA Division II history (since 2001). They then split the Feb. 13 doubleheader with Cal State San Bernardino, before posting a big 6-2 win over then-10th-ranked preseason CCAA favorite Cal Poly Pomona on Feb. 14. That last result snapped a five-game losing streak for UCSD against CPP dating back to the 2015 series opener between the division rivals. The meetings with the Coyotes and Broncos were of the non-conference variety. Jack Larsen powered three home runs deep to right field and knocked in 10 runs over the six games, while Tyler Plantier continued his hot start to his sophomore campaign, going 10-for-21 (.476) with a double, home run and six RBI.

DEBUT DETAILS
Tritons to make their debut for the club this season have been transfers JD Hearn (UC Santa Barbara), Vince Mori (Palomar College) and Trey Ferketic (Long Beach State), redshirt freshmen Erik Amundson, Cameron Kurz, Michael Palos and Zach Wallace, and true freshmen Brent Bell, Jonah Dipoto, Tyler Durna, Andres Kim, Kyle Lucke, Kyle Mora, Preston Mott and Tim Nelson ... Mori's first home run as a Triton was UCSD's first long ball of 2016, giving his side a 3-1 edge in the nightcap of the Opening Day doubleheader on Feb. 6 ... Ferketic missed the first 28 games recovering from injury before working around a one-out walk in the ninth at Chico State (3/25).

LENGTHY HOMESTAND
UCSD's 13-game homestand from Feb. 6-26 was 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. It was 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 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) is a 2014 All-American and three-time All-CCAA selection in a 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) was the only one of four catchers on the roster with collegiate playing experience heading in. 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) among a stable of young arms.

SCHEDULE BREAKDOWN
UCSD's 2016 schedule consists of 49 regular-season games (one rainout), including 31 at home within the friendlier-than-ever confines of Triton Ballpark. A season-opening 13-game homestand ran through almost the entire month of February. The Tritons began league play on Feb. 26. They beat reigning conference and region champion and unanimous CCAA favorite Cal Poly Pomona in a split-venue, four-game series, 3-1, March 19-21. UCSD then traveled to Chico for the first time since 2013 and dropped all three games to the rival Wildcats of Chico State, picked to win the CCAA North. 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 49 games in 2016, the Tritons' ERA stands at 3.63, second in the league and 22nd nationally.

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 49 games in 2016, the Tritons' fielding percentage is .970 (1272-581-58), second in the CCAA and 21st in the nation. Their 47 double plays are second in the league (one behind CSUSM) and tied for 11th nationally. UCSD is tied for 13th at 0.96 double plays per game.

TRITON NOTES
UCSD is 12-6 in one-run games, including 4-2 over six consecutive one-run contests from April 10-23 ... The Tritons began the year a perfect 16-0 when out-hitting their opponent, until a 4-3 loss at CSUMB (4/23), and are now 20-2 in such games ... The Tritons are 3-2 in extra innings, with a long of 11 in losses at Cal State LA (3/3) and vs. CSUDH (3/11), and a win vs. SF State (4/16) ... UCSD's largest offensive inning has been of seven runs, in the first frame of the nightcap vs. Stanislaus State (4/2) ... The biggest inning against the Tritons has been of nine runs, in the eighth vs. CSULA on March 5 ... Prior to Feb. 14 (6-2 vs. No. 10 Cal Poly Pomona), UCSD's previous victory over a top-10-ranked Division II opponent was May 10, 2014, over No. 9 Chico State (10-7) in the final of the CCAA Championship in Stockton ... The Tritons are 4-1 in season openers under Eric Newman and 13-3 since moving to Division II status for 2001 ... 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. Of the five teams in the South with UCSD, CSUSM was not eligible for the 2016 CCAA Championship.

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 ... True freshmen Tyler Durna and Tim Nelson were teammates at Chino Hills' Ayala High School.

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 163-104 record (119-74 CCAA) in charge of the Tritons and 258-176 overall in his seven-plus seasons as a head coach. He won his 100th CCAA contest at home against Cal State San Bernardino, 9-4, on Feb. 26. 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 five years, including back-to-back appearances in West Region finals, as well as five plus-.500 and four 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. Avila predominantly handles mound visits, with Bloodworth coaching third base and Calhoon first.

ABOUT THE OTTERS
Cal State Monterey Bay (32-17, 21-16 CCAA) is coming off of a 3-1 loss in a split-venue series with Cal State East Bay, leaving the two sides in a tie atop the CCAA North. The Otters lost out in terms of CCAA tournament seeding, by virtue of that head-to-head tiebreaker. It's been all or nothing lately on offense for CSUMB. Over the last two weekends, the Otters are 4-3, with at least nine runs scored in those four wins, and three or less in the three defeats. Kevin Davidson (.313), a senior first baseman from UC Riverside (2012-13), leads the league with 17 doubles and is second in home runs (10), only behind teammate Hayden Duer's single-season program-record 11. Walt White, the 2013 CCAA Coach of the Year, is in his sixth season in charge at CSUMB.

SERIES HISTORY
UCSD leads the all-time series with CSUMB, 31-16, since the first meetings in 2006, including 29-14 in conference matchups. The Otters won the first two matchups this season at home, 4-3 and 8-2, before the Tritons salvaged the series finale, 7-1. The teams split their four-game sets the previous two seasons in La Jolla. The Tritons topped the Otters 5-2 to open the 2015 CCAA Championship in Stockton. Earlier that year, UCSD blanked the Otters 8-0 and 5-0 before CSUMB came back to even things up, 10-4 in seven innings behind four home runs, and 7-6. In 2014, the Otters swept the Saturday doubleheader, 10-5 and 6-2, in between a pair of Triton wins, 10-2 and 4-3. Monterey Bay will be glad to not see former UCSD ace Justin Donatella on Wednesday night. He tossed 20.0 shutout frames with 28 strikeouts in three wins against the Otters the past two seasons, including last year's CCAA tourney meeting. CSUMB took three out of four in Seaside to conclude the 2013 regular season. UCSD won the 2012 set in La Jolla, three games to one. The Tritons split four games in their 2011 visit to Seaside as the nation's top-ranked team.

TRITONS IN THE PROS
Former Triton standouts Guido Knudson (2008-11) and Justin Donatella (2013-15) are off to stellar starts to their 2016 campaigns. Knudson has made 11 relief appearances for the Indianapolis Indians, the Triple-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates, and is 1-1 with a 1.04 ERA over 17.1 frames (6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 8 BB, 13 SO). Donatella made his debut for the Kane County Cougars, the Class A affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks located in Geneva, Ill., as the starter on April 11 and went six strong innings in a combined shutout (9-0) with two teammates. He scattered two singles and a hit-by-pitch, while striking out four. Donatella then threw six more shutout frames in his second start for another winning decision (5 H, 0 BB, 6 SO) on April 16. The duo combined for 20.0 shutout innings to begin the season (3-0, 6 G, 2 GS, 8 H, 3 BB, 18 SO) before Donatella (4-0, 1.01, 6 GS, 35.2 IP, 24 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 3 BB, 24 SO) finally surrendered one in the second frame of his third start on April 21. Donatella was named on May 2 as the D-backs' organizational Minor League Pitcher of the Month for April. He was also the Cougars' Pitcher of the Month, having been selected the Midwest League Pitcher of the Week after his initial week with the club (April 11-17). A third right-handed pitcher, Tim Shibuya (2008-11), was released by the Minnesota Twins, the organization that drafted him in 2011, on March 28, before being signed by the Los Angeles Dodgers on April 22. He was assigned to the Triple-A Oklahoma City Dodgers, and made his debut the next day (3.0 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 3 SO). As of May 3, Shibuya is with the Double-A Tulsa Drillers. Richard Seigel (2012-13) begins his third season with the Gateway Grizzlies (Sauget, Ill.) of the independent Frontier League, on May 13.

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 has 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)
• Plantier (2/18/16)
• Larsen (3/3/16)
• Coach Newman (3/24/16)

TRENDING NOW
Head coach Eric Newman made his debut as a guest on The Mighty 1090's Trending Now with Kevin Acee on Monday night, April 18. Have a listen and get an insider's view of the team as it progresses through the stretch run.
• 4/18/16

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 (UCSanDiegoTritons)
UCSD Athletics on Instagram (@UCSDtritons)
UCSD Athletics on Twitter (@UCSDtritons)
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 likely needs to win this week's CCAA Championship and earn the league's automatic berth into the 2016 NCAA Championship, to extend its season. The 56-team NCAA field will be unveiled on Sunday evening, May 15, live at 7 p.m. PT on NCAA.com.

#TritonsRising