Game Notes

THIS WEEK FOR THE WAVES: The Pepperdine baseball team comes home for a midweek game against Cal Poly before hitting the road again for a three-game series at Pacific. Tuesday's game will be at 3 p.m. in Malibu.

COVERAGE: Tuesday's game will be broadcast on WaveCasts and all three games over the weekend will be shown live on TheW.tv. Check PepperdineSports.com for links to live stats and broadcasts.

FOLLOW AND LIKE WAVES BASEBALL: Be sure and join Pepperdine's growing communities on Facebook and Twitter today. Follow and like Waves baseball on Facebook (Pepperdine Baseball) or Twitter (@PEPPBASEBALL).

LAST WEEK FOR THE WAVES: The Waves played four road games last week, finishing the week 3-1. Pepperdine's only loss was at No. 8 USC, 5-2. The Waves then went to Portland and scored a three-game sweep of the Pilots. Jackson McClelland opened the weekend with a complete-game win and then the Waves exploded for 16 hits and nine runs on Saturday. Pepperdine finished the sweep with an extra-inning win on Sunday, thanks to two runs in the 11th.

SCHEDULE
Tuesday, March 31 - 3 p.m. (PT) Malibu
Thursday, April 2 - 6 p.m. (PT) Stockton
Friday, April 3 - 6 p.m. (PT) Stockton
Saturday, April 4 - 2 p.m. (PT) Stockton

WCC PLAY: Since starting WCC play, the Waves have raised their team batting average over 50 points, from .248 in non-conference action to .303 in WCC play, and are scoring more than a full run more per game (5.8 WCC, 4.5 non-conference). Manny Jefferson leads the team with a .383 average and is second on the team with eight RBI in WCC play. Matt Gelalich went from hitting .188 in non-conference games to .375 vs. WCC foes and has five of his six extra-base hits in WCC games. Jordan Qsar leads the team with nine RBI in conference play and Hutton Moyer has a team-high 14 hits, six of which have gone for extra bases. Pepperdine has nine players hitting over .300 in WCC action.

FRESHMAN HURLER: Freshman starter Ryan Wilson has been a key contributor in his role as a weekend starter, moving to 5-0 with a win this past week. Wilson has tossed at least 6.0 innings in six of his seven starts this year and has given up more than two earned runs only twice. He is second on the team with a 2.53 ERA and has just 16 walks to 35 strikeouts in his 46.1 innings pitched.

ACE IN THE HOLE: Jackson McClelland has proved himself a true ace since moving into the Friday role this season, leading the team with 1.41 ERA in 51.0 innings pitched. He has yet to throw less than six innings in a start this year and has only given up multiple runs three times in seven appearances, allowing three runs only once. McClelland has 36 strikeouts on the year and has given up just eight extra-base hits. McClelland tossed his second complete game this past weeken, allowing just one unearned run in the effort to move to 4-2.

GEMS VS HAWAII: The Waves took three of four from Hawaii at home, getting three solid pitching performances and some big offense in the wins. Jackson McClelland gave up just one run and three hits in 8.0 innings, and was backed by 16 runs on 17 hits from the offense as the Waves bounced back from a series opening loss to the Rainbow Warriors. A.J. Puckett then highlighted the weekend with a complete-game, three-hit shutout of the Warriors in a 2-0 pitcher's duel to win game three. The Waves finished with a 10-5 win, getting 7.0 solid innings from Ryan Wilson, and a four-RBI day from Brad Anderson.

WALK-OFF WIN: The Waves scored a dramatic victory to cap its series against Tulane, getting a walk-off, two-run homer from Jordan Qsar. Qsar's long ball was one of two hits on the day for Pepperdine. It was the first career home run for the freshman.

HOME SWEET HOME: In 41 years of baseball at Eddy D. Field Stadium, the Waves own an 887-359-13 (.710) record. Last year the Waves went 22-7 in Malibu, matching the lowest home loss total since 2008 and marking the 27th time in program history the team has notched at least 20 home victories. The program record for home wins was set back in 1985 when the Waves went 31-4 at Eddy D. Field Stadium and the record for home winning percentage was set in 1992 (.942, 24-1-1).

COACHES POLL: With the release of the 2015 WCC Preseason Coaches Poll, Pepperdine was picked to finish second in the conference. The Waves tallied 72 total points in the coaches poll, with three first-place votes, to sit behind cross-town rival LMU (77 points, 6 first place). San Diego received the remaining first-place vote. The defending champion Waves were picked second in the preseason poll last year as well. Pepperdine also placed one player on the preseason all-conference team with Hutton Moyer making the list as an infielder.

WAVES ROSTER BREAKDOWN: This year's Waves squad features a good balance of veterans and young talent, with 18 returners and 15 newcomers on the roster. The Waves have two seniors, six juniors, 12 sophomores and 15 freshmen. Two of the four Waves' probable starting pitchers are returners and six of the probable starting position players were with the team last season as well.

ABOUT PEPPERDINE UNIVERSITY: Pepperdine boasts a one-of-a-kind athletic department with unprecedented success for a school of its size. The Waves have won NCAA Division I championships in five different men's sports - one of just 16 schools to have accomplished this feat - and nine overall. Of this elite group, Pepperdine has the smallest undergraduate enrollment and is the only school not affiliated with a BCS-level conference. The Waves have earned the Division I-AAA All-Sports Trophy, an award based on postseason success that's given to the top non-football school, three times (most recently in 2011-12). Located in scenic Malibu, Calif., the university overlooks the Pacific Ocean and its campus and athletic facilities are regularly voted among the nation's most beautiful. Pepperdine, which is affiliated with the Church of Christ, ranks #57 overall on U.S. News and World Report's list of America's best colleges.