LA JOLLA, Calif.—UC San Diego baseball will continue a stretch of back-to-back weekend road series when it travels to face CSU Bakersfield Friday-Sunday at Hardt Field.
 
The Tritons (13-22, 4-8 Big West) will face the Roadrunners on Friday and Saturday at 6 p.m. and on Sunday at 1 p.m. The games will be broadcast on ESPN+ and live statistics will be available via UCSDTritons.com.

DETAILS
Games 36-38
UC San Diego (13-22, 4-8) at CSU Bakersfield (14-20, 7-5 Big West)
Friday at 6 p.m. | Saturday at 6 p.m. | Sunday at 1 p.m.
Hardt Field | Bakersfield, Calif.
All-time series (D-I): 1-3
Watch on ESPN+ | Live Stats
 
PROBABLE STARTING ROTATION
Friday: UCSD RHP Ryan Forcucci vs CSUB RHP Jaykob Acosta
Saturday: UCSD RHP Noah Conlon vs CSUB LHP Kellen O'Connor
Sunday: UCSD RHP Zach Tonnerre vs CSUB TBD

ATTENDING GAMES
Masks covering nose and mouth are encouraged for all spectators attending outdoor events on the UC San Diego campus. For the latest spectator policies, click here. Outside food and drink are not permitted inside Triton Ballpark. Refillable water bottles may be brought inside the facility. Concessions are available for purchase on-site.
 
TRITON BOX OFFICE
Single game tickets to UC San Diego baseball home games are now on-sale. For more information or to purchase, visit UCSDTritons.com/tickets. Currently enrolled UC San Diego students are provided free admission by showing a valid campus ID at the ballpark entrance. The spectator attendance policy can be viewed on UCSDTritons.com. Parking permits are required seven days per week on the UC San Diego campus.
 
COVERING THE TRITONS
Media members wishing to cover a UC San Diego game in-person at Triton Ballpark must notify a member of the Athletics Communication staff no later than 24 hours prior to the game. 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 each home game, a video highlight melt will be made available for media members to download as well as video postgame interviews at the conclusion of each home series.
 
ABOUT THE TRITONS
Roster | Schedule | Stats
Overall: 13-22
Big West: 4-8
Home: 9-12
Away: 4-8
Neutral: 0-2
Vs. Ranked Opponents: 1-1
Streak: W1
 
ABOUT CSU BAKERSFIELD
Roster | Schedule | Stats
Overall: 14-20
Big West: 7-5
Home: 8-15
Away: 6-5
Neutral: 0-0
Vs. Ranked Opponents: 0-0
Streak: L4
 
UP NEXT
UC San Diego will return to Triton Ballpark for a three-game series with UC Riverside on April 29-May 1. All games will be broadcast on ESPN+ and live statistics will be available via UCSDTritons.com.
 
LAST TIME OUT
UC San Diego was swept for the first time in Big West play this season, dropping all three contests at conference-leader UC Santa Barbara. The Tritons fell in the Thursday contest, 10-6, and lost Friday, 10-5. In the Saturday finale, the Tritons kept it close but ultimately fell 8-7. 
 
Jalen Smith led the Tritons offensively in their series with the Gauchos, finishing the weekend 5-for-11 with five RBI and three runs scored, including a solo homerun. Austin Smith finished 3-for-10 with a double, a two-run homerun, three RBI and three runs scored and is currently working on a 31-game streak of reaching base.
 
UC San Diego bounced back in its Tuesday matchup with cross-town foe San Diego State, scoring three runs in the eighth to take game three of the season series, 4-2. Anthony Lucchetti and Crew Robinson tallied two RBI each, while Ryan McNally finished 3-for-5.
 
BIG WEST STANDINGS

School	Conf.	Conf. Pct.	Overall	Overall Pct.
UC Santa Barbara	13-2	.867	24-9	.727
Cal Poly	9-3	.750	22-14	.611
Cal State Fullerton	8-4	.667	14-20	.412
UC Irvine	9-6	.600	21-13	.618
Hawaii	9-6	.600	16-17	.485
CSU Bakersfield	7-5	.583	14-20	.412
CSUN	7-8	.467	18-16	.529
Long Beach State	5-7	.417	15-20	.429
UC San Diego	4-8	.333	13-22	.371
UC Riverside	2-13	.133	5-28	.152
UC Davis	2-13	.133	3-20	.130

 
MATCHING UP AGAINST THE BIG WEST
The Tritons currently rank seventh in the Big West in team batting average (.262) and ninth earned run average (5.73). 
 
Three Tritons rank among the top 25 hitters in the conference, including Austin Smith (18th, .315 avg), Blake FitzGerald (19th, .311 avg) and Jalen Smith (21st, .306 avg). Austin Smith ranks 11th in hits with 39 and Jalen Smith is tied for 14th with 38.
 
Marc Filia is tied for fourth in RBI with 28, while Austin Smith is tied for 11th with 25. Filia is also tied for third in the conference with seven homeruns. 
 
Among the conference's top pitchers, Noah Conlon is tied for 15th with 40 strikeouts, 25th in opponent batting average (.314) and 27th in ERA (6.86).
 
DOWN TO THE WIRE
The Tritons have had 16 of their 35 games decided by three runs or fewer and nine decided by one run. UC San Diego is 6-10 in those games and 3-6 in one-run decisions, including all three games against No. 25 UConn.
 
ERNISSE EARNS TRITON ATHLETE OF THE WEEK (APR. 4)
Freshman Zach Ernisse turned in two strong performances in relief to help the Tritons go 3-1 on the week. The lefthander tallied eight strikeouts in 4.2 innings of work, allowing just one run. Ernisse earned the win over San Diego State on Tuesday after retiring all six batters faced, including five consecutive strikeouts.

DALQUIST NAMED BIG WEST PITCHER OF THE WEEK (MAR. 7)
Matthew Dalquist turned in an exceptional performance in his third start for UC San Diego baseball to earn Big West Pitcher of the Week on March 7. The freshman righthander threw 7.0 innings at Santa Clara, allowing one run on five hits with a season-high 10 strikeouts and just one walk. Dalquist exited the game with a 4-1 lead, before the Broncos rallied late for the walk-off victory. His 10-strikeout performance on March 5 is the first double-figure punch-out statline for a UC San Diego pitcher in the Division I era.
 
FILIA EARNS TRITON ATHLETE OF THE WEEK (FEB. 28)
For the second week in a row, a Triton baseball player was named Triton Athlete of the week. Marc Filia hit .444 (8-for-18) over five games, including three home runs and two doubles, to help the Tritons go 3-2 on the week against Pac-12 opponents. Filia knocked in seven RBI and added four runs scored for a 1.056 slugging percentage as the Tritons defeated USC on Tuesday and split a four-game series with Washington over the weekend.
 
LUCCHETTI EARNS TRITON ATHLETE OF THE WEEK (FEB. 21)
Anthony Lucchetti hit .471 with eight hits and seven RBI to lead the Tritons on opening weekend. The graduate student tallied three doubles, a home run and six runs scored to earn UCSDTritons.com Athlete of the Week. Lucchetti recorded an on-base percentage of .550 and team-best .824 slugging percentage, also registering a walk and two hit-by-pitches.
 
BIG DEBUT FOR NEW TRITONS
UC San Diego's trio of freshmen starters (Gonzalez, Halbach, and A. Smith) combined for nearly half of the Tritons' offense through the first five games of the season, combining to go 18-for-56 (.321), totaling 15 runs scored, six doubles, three home runs and 20 of the Tritons' 40 RBI.
 
A trio of freshman (A. Smith, Forcucci, Dalquist) have also gotten starts on the mound, combining for 14 innings of work with 14 strikeouts through the first five games. Dalquist's three runs allowed in the season opener were the only runs given up by the group over the first week of the season.
 
EXPERIENCED ROSTER
The Tritons return 22 scholar-athletes from the 2021 roster, including five starters from a team that finished 21-19 in the Big West a season ago. UC San Diego's 2022 roster includes 2021 All-Big West second team honorees Michael Fuhrman and Michael Mitchell and transfer Jalen Smith, also a 2021 All-Big West second team selection.
 
FRESH FACES
UC San Diego will add 18 newcomers to its roster for the 2022 season, including 14 true freshmen, three junior college transfers and 2021 All-Big West second team honoree Jalen Smith from UC Davis. The Triton additions include 10 pitchers and eight position players. 
 
TRITONS PICKED 9TH IN PRESEASON POLL
UC San Diego was picked to finish ninth in the Big West Preseason Coaches Poll with 33 total points. Long Beach State earned the conference's top spot with 97 points and seven first-place votes. The defending Big West champions, UC Irvine, came in second in the preseason poll with 92 points and three first place votes, while UC Santa Barbara picked up the remaining first-place vote and 81 points to finish third in voting.
 
Cal Poly ranked fourth in the coaches poll with 75 points, followed by Cal State Fullerton (58 points), Hawai'i (51), CSUN (50), CSU Bakersfield (35), UC San Diego (33), UC Riverside (22) and UC Davis (11).
 
COACH NEWMAN LEADS THE WAY
Head coach Eric Newman enters his 11th season at the helm of Triton baseball in 2022—the second in Division I. During his tenure, Newman has compiled a 346-212 (.620) record at UC San Diego and earned ABCA/Diamond West Region Coach of the Year three times (2017, 2018, 2019).
 
TRITONS SIGN SEVEN TO NLIS
UC San Diego signed seven incoming freshmen who will join the Tritons for the 2022-23 season. The Tritons will welcome Donovan Chriss (Clayton, Calif.), Anthony Eyanson (Lakewood, Calif.), Xavier Franco (San Diego, Calif.), Brandon Larson (Rocklin, Calif.), Spencer Seid (San Marino, Calif.), Seth Sumner (Pomona, Calif.) and Ryson Ujimori (Aiea, Hawai'i) to the freshman class for the 2023 season. 
 
The 2022 signing class includes five pitchers and two infielders, with six scholar-athletes coming from the state of California and one from Hawai'i.
 
UC SAN DIEGO AND COVID-19
UC San Diego's nationally renowned Return to Learn program was created to return to in-person teaching, learning, conducting pioneering research and serving our communities in the safest way possible. The program has three adaptive pillars that are central to our strategy to resume on-campus activity: risk mitigation, viral detection, and intervention.

For the latest information on UC San Diego and COVID-19, please visit the University's Return to Learn site.

GAME DAY HAS A NEW LOOK
Triton fans now have a whole new way to access game day information, as game programs have gone digital! Fans can visit UCSDTritons.com from their smart phone or scan the QR code at the entrance to Triton Ballpark for everything they need to know about each home game, including updated rosters, schedules, and stats for each team, as well as links to watch on ESPN+.
 
ON THE MOVE
After 20 seasons playing as an NCAA Division II team, the entire athletics program is in its second year of 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.
 
WHY THE TRITONS
The Triton is described as the offspring of Poseidon and Amphitrite, a demigod of the sea with a lower part of the body like that of a fish. It is known as a mighty and fierce sea warrior. Given UC San Diego's close proximity to the Pacific Ocean and its connections with the world-famous Scripps Institution of Oceanography, the Triton became our mascot in 1964.
 
UC SAN DIEGO ON THE WORLDWIDE LEADER
Most UC San Diego home men's and women's basketball games, men's and women's soccer matches, men's and women's volleyball matches, baseball and softball games are broadcast live on ESPN+. 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.
 
GET SOCIAL WITH UC SAN DIEGO BASEBALL
Keep up with the Tritons all season long on social media through Twitter and Instagram. 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, click here.
 
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 has begun a new era 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 II and III 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 garnered 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. For more information on the Tritons, visit UCSDtritons.com or follow UC San Diego Athletics on social media @UCSDtritons.