LA JOLLA, Calif.— UC San Diego baseball is set for its first ever Big West Championship appearance as the 3-seed, taking on No. 2-seeded Cal Poly in game three of the weekend bracket. It is the first postseason appearance for the Tritons after completing their mandatory four-year reclassification period to Division I in 2023-24. 
 
The Tritons (24-26, 18-12 Big West) will face the Mustangs (33-21, 22-8 Big West) on Thursday at 6 p.m. at Anteater Ballpark in Irvine, Calif. A full tournament schedule can be found here.
 
The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ and live statistics will be available via UCSDTritons.com. 
 
DETAILS 
Game 51
UC San Diego (24-26, 18-12) vs Cal Poly (33-21, 22-8)
Thursday at 6 p.m.
Anteater Ballpark (3,408) | Irvine, Calif.
All-time series: 10-9
Last meeting: Cal Poly took the season series, 2-1 (April 17-19)
Last UCSD win: 16-15 (April 19)
Last CP win: 5-3 (April 18)
Streak: W1
Watch on ESPN+ | Live Stats
 
UP NEXT
The winner of Thursday's contest will face the winner of game two (No. 1 UC Santa Barbara vs No.4 Hawai'i/No. 5 Cal State Fullerton) on Friday at 1 p.m. The loser will play an elimination game against the loser of game two on Friday at 6 p.m. 
 
All tournament games will be broadcast on ESPN+ and live statistics will be available via UCSDTritons.com.
 

ABOUT THE TRITONS	ABOUT CAL POLY
Roster | Schedule | Stats	Roster | Schedule | Stats
Overall: 24-26	Overall: 33-28
Big West: 18-12	Big West: 22-8
Home: 13-10	Home: 18-10
Away: 11-16	Away: 15-11
Neutral: 0-0	Neutral: 0-0
vs. Ranked Opponents: 1-4	vs. Ranked Opponents: 0-7
Streak: L1	Streak: W6

 
THURSDAY STARTERS
RHP Steele Murdock (UCSD) vs RHP Griffin Naess (CP)
 
LAST TIME OUT
The Tritons wrapped up their regular season at home in Triton Ballpark, taking two out of three against Cal State Fullerton. After an early deficit, UC San Diego secured the series opener, 10-6, behind two home runs and four doubles. The Tritons took game two in walk-off fashion, 10-9, to lock up the series win with an RBI double by Nathaniel Widelski in the 10th. The Tritons celebrated 10 seniors before Saturday's finale, but came up short to the Titans, 10-5. For his performance, Anthony Potestio was named UCU Athlete of the Week.
 
Weekend Top Performers:
Anthony Potestio: 7-for-14 (.500), 4 r, 2 2b, 1 hr, 5 rbi, 12 tb, .857 slg%, 0 k, .500 ob%, 2-2 sb-att
Alex Leopard: 5-for-11 (.455), 3 r, 1 2b, .545 slg%, 3 bb, 0 k, .571 ob%
Nick Costello: 4-for-9 (.444), 4 r, 1 3b, 1 hr, 4 rbi, 9 tb, 1.000 slg%, 1 bb, .500 ob%
Gabe Camacho: 4-for-16 (.250), 3 r, 2 hr, 4 rbi, 10 tb, .625 slg%, .250 ob%
 
Jake Villar: 4.15 era, 1-0, 2 app, 4.1 ip, 6 h, 2r, 2 er, 1 bb, 6 k, 1.62 whip, .333 avg
Nic Gregson: 0.00 era, 0-0, 1 app, 2.0 ip, 2 h, 0 r, 1 bb, 3 k, 1.50 whip, .250 avg
Chapman Weber: 0.00 era, 0-0, 1 app, 1.2 ip, 0 h, 0 r, 1 bb, 3 k, 0.60 whip, .000 avg
 
PROGRAM RECORD NINE TRITONS EARN ALL-BIG WEST HONORS
Nine members of the UC San Diego baseball program received All-Big West honors, as announced Tuesday by the conference. Two Tritons earned First Team accolades and two were named to the Second Team, highlighting a group set to make their Big West Championship debut on Thursday as the No. 3 seed in the conference tournament.
 
Gabe Camacho and Anthony Potestio were named to the All-Big West First Team, while J.C. Allen and Michael Crossland earned All-Big West Second Team recognition. Nick Costello, Alex Leopard, Steele Murdock, Nathan Huy and Jake Villar received All-Big West Honorable Mention.
 
UC San Diego's nine honors are the most for the Tritons since joining the Big West in 2021. The Tritons had seven players recognized last season and in 2023 after securing the conference title. It is the first all-conference award Huy, Murdock and Villar and second for the remaining six Tritons.
 
POTESTIO NAMED UCU ATHLETE OF THE WEEK (MAY 18)
Anthony Potestio capped the regular season with an outstanding series, going 7-for-14 (.500) with two doubles and a home run against Cal State Fullerton. The Tritons' shortstop led the team with five RBI and four runs scored with an .857 slugging percentage. He tallied a team-best 12 total bases, going 2-for-2 in stolen bases and did not strike out once, with a .500 on base percentage.
 
TRITONS SECURE FIRST BID TO BIG WEST CHAMPIONSHIP
With UC San Diego's win on May 10, the Tritons punched their ticket to the Big West Championship, taking place May 20-24 in Irvine, Calif. It is the first Division I postseason berth for the Tritons after missing out on the conference tournament by one win last year in their first season of D-I postseason eligibility. UC San Diego won the 2023 Big West regular season title—before the implementation of a conference tournament—but were not eligible to receive the automatic bid to the NCAA tournament due to the reclassification period.
 
CAMACHO SETS PROGRAM HOME RUN RECORD
First baseman Gabe Camacho leads the Tritons in most statistical categories in his junior season, appearing in all 50 games with 49 starts during the regular season. Camacho set the Tritons Division I single season home run record with 16 knocks this season and currently has a .259 batting average, team-best .580 slugging percentage and .394 on base percentage. 
 
At the conclusion of the regular season, Camacho leads the Big West in home runs (16), RBI per game (1.02) and hit by pitch (26), ranking second in RBI (51), fourth in runs scored (46), fifth in slugging percentage (.580) and total bases (112), and seventh in OPS (.974). In addition to his 16 homers, Camacho has 10 doubles and two triples to lead the team in extra base hits this season (28).
 
POTESTIO IN THE LEADOFF SPOT
Shortstop Anthony Potestio has started 44 games for the Tritons and currently leads the team in batting average (.308) and on base percentage (.442). The junior also has a .450 slugging percentage with 20 RBI and 43 runs scored as the Tritons' leadoff man. 
 
Potestio ranks third in the Big West in walks (33), fourth in stolen bases (12), fifth in on base percentage (.442), seventh in runs scored (43) and 15th in batting average (.308). He is second on the team with 52 hits, including 10 doubles, a triple and four home runs. 
 
TRITONS IN THE RANKINGS
J.C. Allen ranks seventh in the Big West in doubles (14), 11th in slugging percentage (.503) and RBI (38), 14th in OPS (.882), 16th in hits (55) and home runs (7). Allen leads the team with 55 hits this season, including a team-best 14 doubles.
 
Michael Crossland was sidelined with an injury in early May but still ranks seventh in the conference with 10 home runs and ranks 15th in slugging percentage (.484). It is his second consecutive season with double-figure home runs.
 
Alex Leopard leads the Big West with 37 walks and ranks eighth in on base percentage (.429), 13th in runs scored (39) and 15th in hit-by-pitch (12). Nick Costello ranks fourth in walks (32) and 13th in home runs (8).
 
Steele Murdock currently ranks fourth in the Big West with 93 total strikeouts and ranks first in the conference and 18th nationally in strikeouts per nine innings (12.68). He also leads the conference and ranks 11th nationally with 14 games started. Nic Gregson ranks fourth in strikeout to walk ratio (4.00) and fifth in walks allowed per nine innings (1.94).
 
TRITON TEAM STATS
As a team, the Tritons lead the Big West in on base percentage (.382), base on balls (265) and hit by pitch (117, 14th nationally). They rank second in home runs (58 total, 1.16 per game) and in scoring (6.5 runs per game) and fourth in slugging percentage (.415) and total runs (323).
 
In conference-only stats, UC San Diego ranks fifth in batting average (.277), second in slugging percentage (.474) and first in on-base percentage (.410). The Tritons are first in home runs (41), RBI (217), runs scored (229), walks (173) and hit by pitch (70). UC San Diego's conference ERA sits at 5.88 which ranks 10th and the Tritons are fifth in fewest walks allowed (107), while collecting 255 strikeouts in conference play.
 
CHALLENGING SCHEDULE
UC San Diego had one of the most challenging non-conference schedules in the country, facing four teams currently ranked in the top 40 in RPI. The Tritons played series against UCLA (No. 1), Oregon (16), Cincinnati (22) and Louisiana (40), ranking as high as No. 19 in RPI after the completion of their preseason slate. UC San Diego also faced conference opponent UC Santa Barbara, currently ranked No. 35.
 
According the D1Baseball, the Tritons strength of schedule ranked seventh in the country in non-conference play with three quad one wins (3-12 in Q1).
 
The Bruins are currently ranked No. 1 in D1Baseball's top 25, with only six losses this season—one coming against the Tritons (Feb. 15)—while Oregon is ranked No. 14 and Cincinnati is No. 22. Six of the Tritons opponents this season competed in the 2025 NCAA Baseball Championship, including Regional participants Cal Poly, Cincinnati, Creighton, UC Irvine and Oregon, as well as the Bruins who advanced to the CWS in Omaha.
 
NEWMAN BECOMES WINNINGEST COACH FOR TRITON BASEBALL
With a 12-6 victory over UC Riverside (March 20), UC San Diego head coach Eric Newman became the winningest coach in program history, surpassing Dan O'Brien (1998-2010) with his 455th victory. Newman currently holds a 471-314 career record with the Tritons.

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).
 
CAMACHO NAMED UCU ATHLETE OF THE WEEK (MAY 11)
First baseman Gabe Camacho was a standout in a 3-1 week for the Tritons, recording six hits, including two doubles, a triple and a home run. The junior finished with six RBI and six runs scored with a .765 slugging percentage. He also drew three walks and one hit-by-pitch for a .476 on base percentage with 13 total bases.
 
TRIO NAMED UCU ATHLETES OF THE WEEK (MAY 4)
A trio of Tritons combined to record UC San Diego's first Division I no-hitter on April 28 with a seven-inning 10-0 victory over Loyola Marymount. Connor Etnire, Nathan Ries and Cal Elvis combined on the mound to allow just one base runner, leading UC San Diego to its second no-no in program history—the other coming in 2009, also in seven innings. Etnire, a true freshman, allowed just one base runner over 3.0 innings in a pre-determined shortened start to earn the victory, striking out three batters. Ries, a sophomore, pitched a perfect 3.0 innings in relief, recording five strikeouts without allowing a base runner. Elvis, a junior, contributed a clean inning, retiring all three batters face in the final inning on just nine pitches. Drake Bicknell completed the battery for the Tritons, doing the catching behind the plate for the trio.
 
MURDOCK EARNS CONFERENCE AND NATIONAL WEEKLY HONORS (APR. 14)
Right hander Steele Murdock was named Big West Pitcher of the Week and earned a place on Baseball America's Week 9 National Team of the Week after a record-setting performance at UC Santa Barbara. Murdock set the Tritons' all-time single game record with 17 strikeouts in 8.0 innings against the Gauchos, surpassing the previous record of 13. At the time, it was the most strikeouts in a single game for a pitcher in NCAA Division I this season. 
 
He allowed just four base runners and faced three over the minimum, throwing 76 of his 106 pitches for strikes with no walks. He gave up three hits and just one run for the Friday night road win. Murdock (Herriman, Utah) retired 10 of the final 11 batters he faced via strikeout, including striking out the side in the sixth and eighth innings and recorded all but one of his 17 K's via swinging strikeout.
 
BOWKER NAMED UCU ATHLETE OF THE WEEK (APR. 6)
Right hander Austin Bowker turned in a strong performance in the Saturday series finale, pitching 5.2 scoreless innings against Hawai'i to help the Tritons secure their first shutout of the season and the series over UH. Bowker limited the Rainbow Warriors to three hits with two walks and two strikeouts. He forced six fly-outs and seven groundouts, recording a 0.88 WHIP and .167 opponent batting average for the 8-0 victory.
 
ALLEN NAMED BIG WEST FIELD PLAYER OF THE WEEK (MAR. 16)
Senior J.C. Allen led the Tritons to their first series sweep of the season, taking all three at CSUN and earning his first career Big West Field Player of the Week honor. Allen finished 10-for-17 (.588) with 10 RBI and three runs scored, recording a 1.176 slugging percentage. He knocked four doubles and two home runs, tallying a .588 on base percentage. In Friday's 17-16 slugfest, he went 4-for-7 with four RBI and two runs scored via two doubles and a home run. On Saturday in a 6-4 ballgame, he finished 3-for-4 with two RBI, including a double and a home run. In the Sunday finale, Allen went 3-for-6 with four RBI and a double to lead UC San Diego to the 12-4 victory.
 
ALLEN, CROSSLAND LAND ON PRESEASON COACHES' TEAM
Third baseman J.C. Allen and center fielder Michael Crossland were named to the 2026 Big West Baseball Preseason Coaches' Team after the duo earned All-Big West First Team accolades a season ago. Eleven scholar-athletes were recognized by the conference's 11 head coaches, with six pitchers, three infielders and two outfielders earning a spot on the preseason team. The Tritons were one of four teams with multiple honorees, including Hawai'i (3), Cal Poly (2) and UC Irvine (2).
 
A junior college transfer, Allen was a standout in his first season in La Jolla, starting 48 of the Tritons' 51 games and finishing second on the team with 14 home runs. Allen led the team in runs batted in (53) and doubles (16), with both numbers ranking fourth in the Big West at the end of the regular season. The rising senior recorded a .304 batting average and .394 on base percentage, with a .620 slugging percentage good enough for fourth in the conference as well. Allen was red hot down the final stretch of the regular season, collecting 21 RBI in the last 10 games and knocking six homers in the last six games, including the final long ball of the season to set the UC San Diego single season team record with 80 home runs.
 
Crossland had a record-setting sophomore season, leading the team in most statistical categories. The rising junior was tops on the team in batting average (.341), slugging percentage (.644), hits (70), home runs (15), runs scored (49), total bases (132) and games started (50) and second in doubles (15), RBI (44) and stolen bases (6). At the conclusion of the regular season, Crossland ranked first in the Big West in slugging percentage and home runs. He set the Tritons' Division I record with 15 homers, which is tied for second all-time in the UC San Diego single season record book.
 
TRITONS PICKED SIXTH IN PRESEASON POLL
UC San Diego was picked to finish sixth in the Big West Preseason Coaches' Poll with 60 total points. UC Santa Barbara was picked to finish first with 95 points and five of the 11 first-place votes, followed by Cal Poly with 89 points and five first-place votes as well. UC Irvine rounded out the top three with 86 points and the remaining first-place vote.
 
Cal State Fullerton and Hawai'i were tied in fourth with 67 points apiece, followed by UC San Diego (60 points), Long Beach State (41), UC Davis (40), CSUN (25), Cal State Bakersfield (22) and UC Riverside (13).
 
EXPERIENCED ROSTER
The Tritons return 23 scholar-athletes from their 2025 roster, including five starting position players and two starting pitchers from a team that finished 15-15 in conference play last season. UC San Diego's roster includes five 2025 All-Big West honorees, including first-teamers J.C. Allen, Gabe Camacho and Michael Crossland and honorable mentions Alex Leopard and Anthony Potestio. The Tritons also get back 2024 All-Big West Honorable Mention Nick Costello, who sat out all of 2025 due to injury.
 
Right-hander Steele Murdock will lead a talented Triton pitching staff after being recognized as a 2025 Cape Cod League All-Star—along with Potestio. Veteran right-hander Nic Gregson, lefty Jake Villar and right-hander Nathan Ries also highlight a stacked staff for UC San Diego.
 
FRESH FACES
The Tritons add 17 talented newcomers to their roster in 2026, including four junior college transfers, two Division I transfers and one Division II transfer as well as 10 true freshmen.
 
DALQUIST SELECTED IN 2025 MLB DRAFT
Right-hander Matthew Dalquist was selected on day two of the 2025 MLB Draft, taken in the 18th round (539 overall) by the Minnesota Twins. Dalquist was an All-Big West Second Team selection as the Tritons' Friday starter in 2025, making 14 starts with a record of 6-5 and a 4.43 ERA. He collected 67 strikeouts compared to just 13 walks in 81.1 innings of work. 
 
The Redondo Beach native ranked first in the Big West and 16th nationally in walks allowed per nine innings (1.44), third in the conference (24th nationally) in strikeout-to-walk ratio (5.15) and third in the Big West (11th nationally) in games started (14).
 
Dalquist becomes the fourth Triton to be selected in the MLB Draft in the program's Division I era, joining the trio of Ryan Forcucci, Matt Halbach and Izaak Martinez who were all selected in 2024. The UC San Diego baseball program has had 27 scholar-athletes selected in the MLB Draft since 1974, with Forcucci as the highest pick after being taken by the Houston Astros in the third round (101 overall).
 
NEWMAN LEADING THE WAY
Head coach Eric Newman enters his 15th season at the helm of the Triton baseball program, compiling a 471-314 (.608) 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.

UC SAN DIEGO HEADED TO THE WCC
On Sept. 3, 2025, UC San Diego accepted a formal invitation to join the West Coast Conference (WCC) beginning July 1, 2027. UC San Diego will compete in 14 of the West Coast Conference's 16 sponsored sports, including men's and women's basketball, men's and women's soccer, women's volleyball, men's and women's cross country, men's water polo, baseball, softball, men's and women's tennis, men's golf and women's rowing. The university remains committed to finding a conference affiliation for its sports that will not compete in the West Coast Conference.
 
Beginning in 2027-28, the WCC membership will consist of: University of California San Diego, Loyola Marymount University, University of the Pacific, Pepperdine University, University of Portland, Saint Mary's College, University of San Diego, University of San Francisco, Santa Clara University, and Seattle University. UC San Diego will become the first public institution in the West Coast Conference since the departure of the University of Nevada-Reno in 1979.
 
ANDY FEE NAMED ATHLETIC DIRECTOR AT UC SAN DIEGO 
On Sept. 10, 2025, UC San Diego Chancellor Pradeep K. Khosla announced the hiring of college sports veteran Andy Fee as the Tritons' new Director of Athletics. Fee will become just the fourth Director of Athletics at UC San Diego since 1966. Fee joins the Tritons after spending the 2024-25 season as Deputy AD at Seattle University. Prior to Seattle U, Fee spent two years at Washington as Deputy AD and Chief of Staff. 
 
Before relocating to Seattle, Fee spent five years as Director of Athletics at Long Beach State from 2017 to 2022. During this time, Long Beach State's athletic programs found great success as the school advanced to the postseason in 18 of its 19 sports programs in his five-year tenure. The Beach won a pair of national championships in men's volleyball and claimed The Big West Commissioner's Cup three times. 
 
No stranger to conference transition, Fee will help guide the Tritons into the West Coast Conference in 2027-28. He also helped guide Washington into the Big Ten and Seattle U into the WCC in July.
 
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.
 
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 in NCAA Division I. The 24-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 84 Tritons have earned Academic All-America honors, while 39 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 90 percent, the highest rate among institutions in NCAA Division I or II.