LA JOLLA, Calif.—UC San Diego baseball will return to action in Triton Ballpark this weekend, co-hosting the Tony Gwynn Legacy event with San Diego State. The Tritons (3-1) will face Utah (3-1) on Friday at 6 p.m. to open the weekend.
 
UC San Diego will face Missouri (2-1) for a double-header on Saturday at 1 and 4:30 p.m. and wrap up the weekend on Sunday against Loyola Marymount (3-1) at 4 p.m. The Tritons will also host a neutral game on Sunday between Utah and Cal State Bakersfield at 12 p.m.
 
Saturday and Sunday's games will be broadcast on ESPN+ and live statistics will be available for all games via UCSDTritons.com.
 
DETAILS
Game 5
UC San Diego (3-1) vs Utah (3-1)
Friday at 6 p.m.
Triton Ballpark (500) | La Jolla, Calif.
All-time series: 1-3
Live Stats
 
Games 6 & 7
UC San Diego vs Missouri (2-1) 
Saturday (DH) at 1 p.m. and 4:30 p.m.
Triton Ballpark (500) | La Jolla, Calif.
All-time series: First meeting
Game 1 on ESPN+ | Game 2 on ESPN+ | Live Stats
 
Game 8
UC San Diego vs Loyola Marymount (3-1)
Sunday at 4 p.m.
Triton Ballpark (500) | La Jolla, Calif.
All-time series: First meeting
Watch on ESPN+ | Live Stats
 
ABOUT THE TRITONS
Roster | Schedule | Stats
Overall: 3-1
2023 Big West: 21-9
Home: 3-0
Away: 0-1
Neutral: 0-0
vs. Ranked Opponents: 0-0
Streak: L1
 

ABOUT UTAH	ABOUT MISSOURI	ABOUT LOYOLA MARYMOUNT
Roster | Schedule | Stats	Roster | Schedule | Stats	Roster | Schedule | Stats
Overall: 3-1	Overall: 2-1	Overall: 3-1
2023 Pac-12: 9-20-1	2023 SEC: 10-20	2023 WCC: 21-6
Home: 0-0	Home: 0-0	Home: 1-0
Away: 2-1	Away: 2-1	Away: 2-1
Neutral: 1-0	Neutral: 0-0	Neutral: 0-0
vs. Ranked Opponents: 0-0	vs. Ranked Opponents: 0-0	vs. Ranked Opponents: 0-0
Streak: W3	Streak: W2	Streak: W1

 
LAST TIME OUT
UC San Diego was impressive out of the gate, sweeping the defending Mountain West champions San Jose State, 3-0, to open the season. The Tritons earned a 3-1 victory on Friday night, with Ryan Forcucci and Izaak Martinez combining for 19 strikeouts and just one hit in the contest—which ranked third nationally in single game marks over the weekend. UC San Diego dominated game two on Saturday, 15-0, allowing just two hits and striking out 11—highlighted by eight for Anthony Eyanson who earned the win. On Sunday the Tritons fell behind 11-0 early before rallying to take the contest, 12-11.

The Tritons scored three runs in the ninth to push their midweek matchup at USD to extra innings but came up short, falling to the Toreros, 8-7, in ten innings on Wednesday evening.
 
Weekend Top Performers
Michael Crossland: 4-for-9 (.444), 5 r, 1 rbi, 1 2b, .556 slg%, 2 bb, 1 hp, .583 ob%, 1-1 sb-att
Doyle Kane: 4-for-10 (.400), 4 r, 1 rbi, 1 2b, .500 slg%, 1 bb, 2 hp, 0 so, .538 ob%
Brock Kleszcz: 4-for-11 (.364), 3 r, 5 rbi, 1 hr, .636 slg%, 1 bb, .417 ob%
Benjamin Rosengard: 4-for-11 (.364), 1 r, 3 rbi, .364 slg%, 1 bb, .385 ob%
 
Izaak Martinez: 0.00 era, 0-0, 2 app, 2 sv, 5.0 ip, 0 h, 1 r, 0 er, 1 bb, 9 so
Ryan Forcucci: 0.00 era, 1-0, 1 gs, 5.0 ip, 1 h, 0 r, 0 bb, 11 so
Anthony Eyanson: 0.00 era, 1-0, 1 app, 0/1 sho, 4.0 ip, 0 h, 0 r, 1 bb, 8 so
Ryan Rissas: 0.00 era, 1-0, 1 app, 3.0 ip, 3 h, 0 r, 0 bb, 3 so
 
FORCUCCI SETS DIVISION I RECORD
Junior right-hander Ryan Forcucci set the program's Division I single game record with 11 strikeouts in his season debut against San Jose State on Feb. 16. The San Marcos, Calif. native pitched a perfect game through 4.0 innings, facing just one batter over the minimum in his 5.0 innings of shutout baseball. Of his 64 pitches, 48 were thrown for strikes and he finished the night with 11 strikeouts, one hit, no walks and no runs. For his efforts, Forcucci was named Big West Pitcher of the Week—the first conference weekly honor of his career—as well as UCU Athlete of the Week.
 
WELCOME BACK, COACH LEBLANC
The Tritons will welcome Missouri assistant coach Bryson LeBlanc back to Triton Ballpark on Saturday afternoon. LeBlanc was on the UC San Diego coaching staff for five seasons from 2019 to 2023. LeBlanc helped guide the Tritons into the Division I era as the primary hitting coach, recruiting coordinator and third base coach during his tenure in La Jolla.
 
TRITON PITCHING STAFF IMPRESSIVE ON OPENING WEEKEND
UC San Diego pitchers were impressive on the opening weekend, collecting 36 total strikeouts over the three-games and holding San Jose State to a .183 team batting average. The Tritons are averaging 11.5 strikeouts per nine innings which is tied for 33rd in the nation.
 
FORCUCCI, HALBACH AMONG TOP PROSPECTS
Junior right-hander Ryan Forcucci is among the top draft prospects in the nation, ranking No. 46 on D1 Baseball's list of the top 200 college prospects and No. 55 in the MLB's similar rankings. In 2023, Forcucci led the team with 68 strikeouts which ranked 12th in the Big West. Forcucci made 14 appearances and nine starts, holding opponents to a .206 batting average which was third among all Big West pitchers. He pitched 53.2 innings for the Tritons and finished the season with a 3.86 earned run average which ranked 12th.
 
Third baseman Matt Halbach has also drawn attention from MLB scouts, ranking 124th on D1 Baseball's top 200 prospects list. Halbach finished his sophomore season with a .306 batting average, good enough for third on the team and tallied 63 total hits which ranked 14th in the Big West. Halbach started 51 of the Tritons' 52 games—the most on the team—and recorded 15 doubles and five home runs, while leading the conference with five triples. His 41 runs scored tied for 16th in the conference and his .500 slugging percentage ranked 19th in the Big West.
 
EXPERIENCED ROSTER
The Tritons return 26 scholar-athletes from their 2023 roster, including six starting position players and two starting pitchers from the Big West championship team that finished 21-9 in conference play last season. UC San Diego's 2024 roster includes 2023 All-Big West first team members Matt Halbach and Izaak Martinez, second team honoree Ryan Forcucci and honorable mention Patrick Hackworth.
 
FRESH FACES
UC San Diego will add 13 newcomers to its roster for the 2024 season, including 10 true freshmen and three junior college/college transfers. The Triton additions include five pitchers and eight position players. 
 
TRIO OF TRITONS LAND ON PRESEASON COACHES' TEAM
Ryan Forcucci, Matt Halbach and Izaak Martinez were all named to the 2024 All-Big West Preseason Coaches' Team. Halbach and Martinez were All-Big West first team honorees last spring, while Forcucci earned a spot on second team in 2023. The Tritons were one of three teams with three players on the preseason team, including UC Santa Barbara and UC Irvine.

TRITONS PICKED 3RD IN PRESEASON POLL
UC San Diego was picked to finish third in the Big West Preseason Coaches Poll with 78 total points. UC Santa Barbara was picked to finish first with 99 points and nine of the first-place votes, while UC Irvine received the other two first-place votes and 89 points to rank second.
 
Just behind the Tritons in fourth place was Hawai'i (70 points), followed by CSUN (65), Cal State Fullerton (59), Cal Poly (46), Long Beach State (42), UC Davis (25), Cal State Bakersfield (21) and UC Riverside (11).
 
NEWMAN LEADING THE WAY
Head coach Eric Newman enters his 13th season at the helm of the Triton baseball program, compiling a 394-241 (.620) record at UC San Diego and earning 2023 Big West Coach of the Year. Newman has also been named ABCA/Diamond West Region Coach of the Year three times (2017, 2018, 2019) during his tenure in La Jolla.
 
HOME SWEET HOME
The Tritons will play 18 of their first 20 games inside Triton Ballpark. UC San Diego will open the season against San Jose State (Feb. 16-18) and remain home for its weekend series through the first week of conference play against Cal State Fullerton (Mar. 15-17). The Tritons two road trips during that span will be to USC on Feb. 20 and across town to San Diego State on Mar. 6.
 
ON THE MOVE
After 20 seasons playing as an NCAA Division II team, the entire athletics program is in its final 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.

A TRADITION OF EXCELLENCE
While at the Division II level, UC San Diego baseball experienced great success for 20 years as a member of the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA). The Tritons amassed six regular season titles in arguably the toughest conference nationally in the NCAA Division II. UC San Diego made five appearances in the NCAA D-II World Series, and most recently appeared in the NCAA Tournament in 2019. 
 
During his nine seasons coaching the Tritons at Division II, Eric Newman was named ABCA/Diamond West Region Coach of the Year for three consecutive seasons (2017-2019) and also twice recognized as CCAA Coach of the Year (2012, 2019).

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.

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 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 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.