LA JOLLA, Calif. – The UC San Diego baseball will host fellow Big West newcomer CSU Bakersfield at Triton Ballpark from April 23-25. This will be the first ever meeting between the two programs.
DETAILS
Games 29-32
UC San Diego (9-19, 6-10 BW) vs CSU Bakersfield (11-8, 8-4 BW)
Friday, April 23 at 3:00 pm
Saturday, April 24 at 12:00 pm (DH)
Sunday, April 25 at 1:00 pm
Triton Ballpark, La Jolla, Calif.
Live Stats|
ESPN3
PROBABLE STARTING ROTATION
Friday: UCSD RHP
Cameron Leonard vs CSU Bakersfield LHP Art Joven
Saturday game 1: UCSD RHP
Noah Conlon vs CSU Bakersfield RHP Aaron Charles
Saturday game 2: UCSD RHP
Aren Alvarez vs CSU Bakersfield RHP Ethan Skuija
Sunday: UCSD RHP
Brandon Weed vs CSU Bakersfield RHP Roman Angelo
ATTENDING THE GAMES
Per current COVID-19 safety guidelines and protocols implemented by UC San Diego, spectators are not permitted to attend home games at Triton Ballpark at this time. Each active UC San Diego scholar-athlete is permitted to admit two guests per contest. Scholar-athlete guests must be pre-registered and follow all campus safety guidelines including – but not limited to – health screening surveys, wearing masks that cover nose and mouth at all times, and proper physical distancing. UC San Diego reserves the right to deny entry to, or remove, guests who are not in compliance, and may amend this policy at any time. Due to current campus policy, student-athlete guests for visiting teams are not permitted.
COVERING THE TRITONS
Media members wishing to cover a UC San Diego game in-person at Triton Ballpark this season must notify a member of the Athletics Communication staff no later than 24 hours before the first pitch. All media members will need to complete a UC San Diego symptom screening form on the day of game prior to arriving on campus.
Following the conclusion of home events, a video highlight melt and video postgame interviews will be made available for media members to download.
LAST TIME OUT
UC San Diego went 1-3 in their series against #22 UCSB. Throughout the weekend, the Tritons showed promise at the plate, but could not keep up with the hot bats from the Gauchos. UC San Diego put together its most complete performance in the final game of the series, when the Triton won 9-5. The Tritons used a five-run rally in the seventh to fuel a comeback and take their first ever victory over the Gauchos.
USE CREDIT UNION ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
Blake Baumgartner was named the Triton Student-Athlete of the Week on April 19. Previously,
Michael Mitchell was named the Triton Student-Athlete of the Week on April 12,
Ryan McNally was named Triton Student-Athlete of the Week on March 22 and
Anthony Lucchetti earned the honor on March 1.
BIG WEST WEEKLY AWARDS
Senior
Cameron Leonard became the first Triton to earn Big West weekly recognition when he was named the Big West Pitcher of the Week on March 15. The Triton ace pitched 5.1 scoreless innings and did not give up a walk or run in his first D1 win. He allowed two hits and his six strikeouts were one shy of his career high.
PATIENCE IS A VIRTUE
The Tritons have shown good patience at the plate and have been walked 120 times. Baumgartner and
Michael Fuhrman each have 15 walks to lead the Tritons. The Tritons were highly successful with this in 2020 and finished 3
rd in the nation in Division II with 146 walks.
FINDING A GROOVE AT THE PLATE
While Baumgartner struggled early in the season, He has started to find his grove at the plate in Big West action. He is currently on an eight-game hit streak and is hitting .333 in conference action.
Michael Fuhrman has also found a lot of success in conference games and has it for .348 and is tied with Lucchetti for the second longest active hit streak at six games.
SCOUTING CAL STATE BAKERSFIELD
The Roadrunners are 11-8 on the season and currently tied for third in the Big West Conference. They are coming off a 3-1 series victory over Hawaii. CSUB, who started their baseball program in 2009, had success in the WAC before moving to the Big West. This includes an appearance in NCAA Regionals in 2015. Evan Berkey and Tyler Jorgensen are hitting at .400 and .397 respectively to lead the Roadrunners at the plate. Jorgensen has a team high 31 hits and 18 RBIs. RHP Aaron Charles has an ERA of 2.45 and leads a pitching staff with an ERA of 5.39.
ON THE MOVE
After 20 seasons playing as an NCAA Division II team, the entire athletics program has begun a four-year transition to NCAA Division I, culminating in full DI status as a member of the
Big West Conference for the 2024-25 academic year. At that time, all sports will be eligible for conference and NCAA postseason play.
RECORD WATCH
Several Tritons will look to break into the career top ten or improve upon their standings in the record book. Here's a rundown:
- Blake Baumgartner is in sole possession of ninth in career home runs with 24. He will need one more to be in a tie for seventh all time.
- Baumgartner also has 103 career walks, which puts him in seventh all time.
- Aaron Kim has 17 career home runs and will need four more to crack the top ten.
- Brandon Stewart has 32 stolen bases and will need 10 to crack the top ten. He had 14 in 2020.
- Michael Mitchell has been one of the best closers for the Tritons. With seven career saves, he will need three more to break into the top ten.
HITTING MILESTONES
Baumgartner reached 150 career hits last weekend and currently has 156.
Brandon Stewart will need three more hits to reach 100 career hits. The only other play on the Triton's current roster that has more than 100 hits is
Jackson Kritsch, who previously played for SF State for four years.
100 STRIKEOUT CLUB
Brandon Weed is the only current Triton with over 100 career strikeouts, but other Tritons look to join the ranks this season.
Luke Mattson currently sits at 99 while
Cameron Leonard is at 92.
HISTORY OF SUCCESS
During UC San Diego's Division II era, the Tritons were consistently one of the top teams in the nation. In their 20 year history of Division II baseball, the Tritons played post season baseball 11 times and made the World Series five times. They were back-to-back-to-back NCAA West Regional Champions from 2017-19 and finished runner-up at the World Series in 2010 and 2017.
TRITONS IN THE PROS
In the 2020 MLB draft, the Tritons were one of three Division II teams with a player drafted when
Shay Whitcomb was selected by the Houston Astros in the fifth round and 160th. The Tritons have had 23 former players drafted by the MLB and five sign free agent contracts.
BIG WEST PRESEASON COACHES POLL
1. UC Santa Barbara – 119 (10)
2. Long Beach State – 96
3. UC Irvine – 95
4. Cal Poly – 94
5. Cal State Fullerton – 78
6. CSUN – 64 (1)
7. Hawai'i – 61
8. UC Davis – 39
9. UC San Diego – 33
10. UC Riverside – 29
11. CSU Bakersfield – 18
() First place votes
UC SAN DIEGO ON THE WORLDWIDE LEADER
Most UC San Diego home baseball, softball, men's and women's basketball games and men's and women's volleyball matches are broadcast live on ESPN3. For more information on where to watch UC San Diego baseball, visit
UCSDTritons.com/live.
UC SAN DIEGO ATHLETICS LAUNCHES WEEKLY PODCAST
As part of UC San Diego's transition to Division I, the Athletics Department launched a weekly podcast,
Tritoncast. Produced by UC San Diego Athletics Communications, Tritoncast features in-depth interviews with UC San Diego personalities including scholar-athletes, alums, coaches, and administrators. Triton fans will get an inside look at the UC San Diego Athletics Department as the program transitions to NCAA Division I and the Big West Conference. New episodes of Tritoncast are available each week on the most popular podcasting apps, including Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts, Audible, iHeartRadio, Pandora, Spotify, Stitcher, TuneIn, and Vurbl. In addition, each episode can be heard and downloaded on UCSDTritons.com. For individual show information and listen links, follow Tritoncast on Twitter
@Tritoncast.
FOLLOW ON SOCIAL
You can follow the Tritons on Facebook, Twitter and Instragram. The team's handle is UCSDbsb.
FOR THE YOUNGER CROWD
Got some young Triton fans in your family? If they are eighth grade or under, check out the
Junior Triton Club. Membership includes a free t-shirt, admission to over 100 UC San Diego home athletic events, and much more!
GEAR
For the latest Triton apparel and accessories, visit the official team store of the Tritons
here.
UP NEXT
The Tritons will travel to UC Riverside to play a four game series April 30 - May 2.
About UC San Diego Athletics
After two decades as one of the most successful programs in NCAA Division II, the UC San Diego intercollegiate athletics program began a new era in 2020 as a member of the Big West Conference in NCAA Division I. The 23-sport Tritons earned 30 team and nearly 150 individual national championships during its time in Divisions III and II and helped guide 1,400 scholar-athletes to All-America honors. A total of 83 Tritons have earned Academic All-America honors, while 38 have earned prestigious NCAA Post Graduate Scholarships. UC San Diego scholar-athletes exemplify the academic ideals of one of the world's preeminent institutions, graduating at an average rate of 91 percent, one of the highest rates among institutions at all divisions.
Return To Sport… Safely
In order for UC San Diego scholar-athletes to be permitted to return to training and competition safely and within federal, state, local, and university guidelines, the athletic department implemented a number of measures designed to complement and enhance the university's highly-successful Return To Learn program. Notable actions include being physically distanced when practical, including during out-of-season training sessions; wearing masks, except when undergoing physically strenuous exercise; and maintaining proper hygiene. Athletes, coaches, and staff are testing at a higher frequency than the campus population, teams adhere to CDC, NCAA, and Big West Conference guidelines, and department officials participate in regular meetings with conference and university-affiliated physicians and the UC San Diego emergency operations staff.
