Game Notes

THIS WEEK FOR THE WAVES: The Pepperdine baseball team heads to Fullerton for NCAA Regional play this weekend, running May 29-31. The Waves open the regional against host and top seed Cal State Fullerton. Pepperdine comes in as the No. 4 seed.

COVERAGE: All games of the Fullerton Regional will be broadcast on either ESPNU, ESPN3 or on the WatchESPN app. The Waves first game against Cal State Fullerton will be on ESPN3/WatchESPN.

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).

TICKET INFO: To order tickets online visit FullertonTitans.com. All-tournament or single game tickets are available.

SCHEDULE
Friday
Game 1: #2 Arizona State vs. #3 Clemson, 3 p.m.
Game 2: #1 CS Fullerton vs. #4 Pepperdine, 7 p.m.
Saturday
Game 3: G1 loser vs. G2 loser, 4 p.m.
Game 4: G1 winner vs. G2 winner, 8 p.m.
Sunday
Game 5: G3 winner vs. G4 loser, 4 p.m.
Game 6: G4 winner vs. G5 winner, 8 p.m.
Monday - (if necessary, 8 p.m.)

LAST WEEK FOR THE WAVES: The Waves clinched their 30th NCAA postseason appearance last weekend, winning the WCC Tournament title for the sixth time since the playoff was instituted in 1999. After winning its opening game, Pepperdine dropped into the loser's bracket with a 4-2 loss to LMU. The Waves battled back to beat San Diego 4-2 and then took down LMU in the title game, also with a score of 4-2. It was the second straight year the Waves and Lions had met in the final and the second straight win for Pepperdine.

WCC ALL-TOURNAMENT: Four Waves were named to the WCC All-Tournament team with Brad Anderson taking Most Outstanding Player. Matt Gelalich, Chandler Blanchard and Ryan Wilson also earned all-tournament honors.

WALK-OFF WINs:

• In the team's third contest of the year, Jordan Qsar hit a walk-off homer in the bottom of the ninth, helping the Waves comeback from a 1-0 deficit with the two-run shot. It was just the second hit of the day for Pepperdine.
• The Waves came away with a dramatic win against Cal Poly two weeks ago, getting a walk-off homer from Chris Fornaci in the 10th inning to steal a 9-8 victory at home from the Mustangs. The final score was the only time the Waves led in the ballgame, coming back from a 6-0 deficit to grab the victory.
• The Waves opened their sweep of Santa Clara with a walk-off win, getting the game-winning single from Aaron Barnett in the bottom of the ninth. The Waves had tied the game at 2-2 in the sixth inning before Barnett drove in the game-winning run.
• Pepperdine closed the regular season with a ninth-inning win over Gonzaga, getting a walk-off home run from Hutton Moyer for a 4-3 victory. It was Moyer's second homer of the day, with his first tying it in the bottom of the sixth.
• The Waves opened the WCC Tournament in dramatic fashion, beating BYU 8-7 in the bottom of the ninth. After trailing 5-0 in the game, the Waves scored five runs in the eighth inning and then responded to a two-run ninth for BYU with three runs in the bottom of the inning. Barnett provided the walk-off dramatics, hitting a two-run single to win the game.

ALL-WCC: The WCC released its postseason awards and seven Waves were honored, with Hutton Moyer and Brandon Caruso taking home All-WCC first team accolades. Jackson McClelland was named to the All-WCC second team, and Jordan Qsar and Ryan Wilson grabbed All-Freshman Team honors. Aaron Barnett and Matt Gelalich received honorable mention for the Waves.

POWER SURGE: The Waves lead the WCC with 49 home runs this season, which is 17 more than the next closest team (32, LMU). The 49 long balls hit by the Waves matches the highest total for the team since 2009. 25% of the team's runs (67) have been generated by way of home run this season. Pepperdine hit six home runs at the WCC Tournament this past week.

WEEKLY HONORS: A.J. Puckett picked up WCC Pitcher of the Week honors after he won the opening game of the Waves' series against Saint Mary's, tossing a complete-game, five-hit shutout to down the Gaels 7-0 on Friday. Hutton Moyer scored two WCC Player of the Week honors this season, the first of which came after Moyer hit .529 and drove in five runs against Pacific and Cal Poly. Moyer then grabbed the last weekly honor of the regular season when he hit two home runs, including a walk-off bomb in the bottom of the ninth to beat Gonzaga in the Waves' regular-season finale.

vs. CAL STATE FULLERTON: The Titans come into the regional as the No. 1 seed after winning a Big West title this year. The Waves have a 47-68 record against Cal State Fullerton and have played them seven times in NCAA Postseason play, with the Titans holding a 4-3 edge overall. The teams played once this season, with Cal State Fullerton winning 3-0. Pepperdine last played in a regional at Cal State Fullerton in 2004. The Titans beat the Waves to move on to the Super Regional. Pepperdine's lone NCAA Championship in 1992 came thanks to a win over the Titans in the championship game at the College World Series.

vs. ARIZONA STATE: The Sun Devils come into the regional as the No. 2 seed after finishing fifth in the Pac 12 standings. The Waves have a 10-12-1 record against Arizona State, with five of those games coming in the postseason. Pepperdine holds a 3-2 edge against the Sun Devils in the postseason. The Waves beat Arizona State last season at the NCAA Regional in San Luis Obispo and also took down the Sun Devils at the 2004 Fullerton Regional.

vs. CLEMSON: The Tigers come into regional play as the No. 3 seed after finishing fourth in the ACC's Atlantic division. The Waves and Tigers have never played.

STAT RANKINGS:

• Puckett 2nd WCC (3) McClelland 5th WCC (2) in complete games
• Caruso 3rd WCC in doubles (19)
• McClelland 5th WCC in ERA (2.42)
• McClelland 6th WCC in hits/9 (7.65)
• Moyer 1st WCC (13) Anderson 3rd WCC (10) in home runs
• Moyer 1st WCC in runs scored (47)
• Jefferson 19th NCAA, 1st WCC in sacrifice flies (7)
• Barnett 6th NCAA, 1st WCC toughest to strikeout (21.2 AB/K)
• Moyer/Gelalich 3rd WCC in triples (4)
• Wilson 2nd WCC (8), Puckett 4th WCC (7) in wins

• Waves 1st WCC in walks (214)
• Waves 1st WCC in double plays (52)
• Waves 28th NCAA, 1st WCC in home runs (49)
• Waves 1st WCC in sacrifice flies (27)
• Waves 2nd WCC in slugging percentage (.408)
• Waves 3rd WCC in triples (13)

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.

2014 WCC CHAMPS: The Waves won the regular-season WCC Championship last year, making it the program's 17th regular-season title and second in the past three years after winning the 2012 title. Pepperdine also grabbed the conference tournament title, going 3-0 in Stockton to lock up the WCC's automatic bid.

POSTSEASON HISTORY: The Waves made their 29th appearance in NCAA postseason play last season, advancing to the first ever NCAA Super Regional since the round was instated in 1999. Pepperdine advanced by winning the Cal Poly San Luis Obispo Regional, defeating Cal Poly and Arizona State to move on. The Waves eventually fell to TCU, two games to one in the best of three series. Pepperdine won a College World Series title in 1992 and has appeared in the College World Series twice (`79, `92). The Waves have made 24 NCAA Regionals and six District/Division playoffs (1955-1974).

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.