LA JOLLA, Calif.—UC San Diego celebrated its 2023 Big West Baseball Championship on Wednesday afternoon in front of the Price Center Plaza on UC San Diego's main campus. The Tritons finished the season atop the conference standings with a 21-9 record to earn the University's first Big West title in just the third season of membership.
 
The Tritons were joined on campus by UC San Diego Chancellor Pradeep Khosla, Director of Athletics Earl Edwards and Head Coach Eric Newman.
 
"What a great day to be a Triton," said Edwards. "After a long history of national success at the Division II and III levels, we knew it was the right time to challenge ourselves at the highest level of college athletics. Even though we had every confidence that we could achieve greatness, we thought it might take a little time to get used to our new level of competition. I'm so proud to say that we are ahead of schedule and our Triton baseball team is the undisputed Big West Champion. 
 
"With the support of Chancellor Khosla and the entire Triton Community, including the University Administration, Student Leadership and of course the leadership of our outstanding Triton Baseball Coaching Staff, this early success was made possible."
 

Trophy secured! ??#GoTritons pic.twitter.com/mXj5skFHva

— UC San Diego Baseball (@UCSDbsb) May 31, 2023

After being picked to finish eighth in the Big West Preseason Coaches' Poll, the Tritons went 34-18 overall in their 2023 campaign, winning six of their 10 conference series—all via 3-0 sweeps. UC San Diego closed out the season in impressive fashion, winning 12 of their final 14 contests, including a sweep at NCAA Regional-bound Cal State Fullerton.
 
Relief pitcher Izaak Martinez was named a Collegiate Baseball All-America Third Team honoree and the Tritons are expected to take home several All-Big West accolades when the awards are announced on June 1. 
 
UC San Diego was led by a veteran group, including fifth-year seniors Michael Fuhrman and Michael Mitchell. Fuhrman led the team in runs (44) and steals (10), batting .287 with 11 doubles, three triples and eight home runs. Mitchell posted a 4-1 win-loss record and finished with a 1.42 ERA over 44.1 innings with 42 strikeouts and just seven walks. Martinez was instrumental in the Tritons success out of the bullpen, collecting nine saves—good enough for second in the Big West—including twice saving all three games in a weekend series. The lefthander finished with a 6-1 record and a 2.84 ERA which ranked fifth overall in the conference. Newcomer Doyle Kane hit .327 with 14 doubles and 39 RBI, and true freshman Brandon Larson slugged .537 with team bests of nine home runs and 45 RBI.

Currently in year three of the NCAA-mandated four-year Division I reclassification period, the Tritons are not eligible for NCAA postseason competition. While UC San Diego does hold the tiebreaker over Cal State Fullerton, the Tritons did not receive the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. UC San Diego Athletics will be fully eligible for NCAA postseason competition in the 2024-25 academic year—the 2025 season for Triton baseball.
 
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 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 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.