Game Notes

THIS WEEK FOR THE WAVES: The Pepperdine baseball team stays home for four games this week, hosting Stony Brook on Tuesday and then Grand Canyon and Long Beach State over the weekend. The Waves will play Grand Canyon on Friday and Sunday, and Long Beach State on Saturday morning. The Antelopes and Dirtbags will play each other at Eddy D. Field Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

SCHEDULE
Tuesday, March 14 - 3 p.m. (Eddy D. Field Stadium)
Friday, March 17 - 3 p.m. (Eddy D. Field Stadium)
Saturday, March 18 - 11 a.m. (Eddy D. Field Stadium)
Sunday, March 19 - 1 p.m. (Eddy D. Field Stadium)

COVERAGE: All four games will be broadcast live on TheW.tv, with live stats also available on PepperdineWaves.com.

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).

COMPETING WITH PURPOSE BLOG: Pepperdine is providing more insider content to its fans this season via the Competing With Purpose blog, which can be accessed at www.pepperdinewaves.com.

LAST WEEK: The Waves dropped three tough games to Cal last weekend. The Waves got stellar starts from Max Gamboa and Wil Jensen in the final two games, but couldn't come up with enough offense. Gamboa went 8.2 innings and struck out 13, Jensen went 8.0 and gave up just two earned runs.

PITCHING PROBABLES
Tues: (PEP) RHP Jonathan Pendergast vs. (SBU) RHP Brian Hermann
Fri: (PEP) LHP Ryan Wilson vs. (GCU) TBA
Sat: (PEP) RHP Max Gamboa vs. (LBSU) TBA
Sun: (PEP) RHP Wil Jensen vs. (GCU) TBA

CAREER DAYS: The Waves got career days on the mound from Max Gamboa and Wil Jensen last weekend despite dropping both games. Gamboa tossed a career-high 8.2 innings and struck out a career-best 13 batters, while giving up just three runs on six hits and two walks. Jensen tossed a career-best 8.0 innings on Sunday, giving up just two earned runs, while striking out four and walking three.

OFFENSIVE LEADERS: Quincy McAfee and Matt Gelalich have been Pepperdine's offensive leaders at the top of the lineup. Gelalich leads the team with a .333 average and .457 on-base percentage, and is secong on the team with a .528 slugging percentage. McAfee leads the team with a .529 slugging percentage and nine RBI and is second on the team with a .314 average.

COMEBACK VS. RICE: The Waves took two of three games at Rice, winning the opener and finale. Pepperdine got the win in the opener behind a solid start from Ryan Wilson (6.0 IP, 2 ER, 7 K, 6 H, 2 BB) and three relief innings from Max Green. Aharon Modlin got his first career hit with a triple in the eighth inning that ended up driving in the game-winning run. In the finale, a seven-inning game as the second contest of a doubleheader, Pepperdine scored all five runs in the seventh inning to steal a come-from-behind victory. Wil Jensen tossed all seven innings for Pepperdine, allowing five hits and two earned runs, while walking two and striking out three.

BEATING THE AGGIES: The Waves won their Satuurday game 2-1 at then-No. 20 Texas A&M behind a career day on the mound from Max Gamboa. The right-hander tossed 6.2 innings, scattering five hits and giving up just one earned run. He struck out a career-high 10 batters and walked just two. Max Green finished the seventh on the mound and then tossed a scoreless eighth, before Jordan Qsar picked up the save with a scoreless ninth. Aaron Barnett drove in the game-winning run with a two-out RBI double in the seventh inning. Qsar also drove in the first run of the game with a double in the first.

POSTPONED: The Waves have now had the finish of two home games postponded due to darkness. Pepperdine's game against CSUN on February 21 was postponed after the seventh inning, with the final two innings of the game scheduled to be made up on April 4 at CSUN, when the teams were already scheduled for another contest. CSUN is leading 12-7 heading to the eighth. The Waves' game against Fresno State on March 7 was tied 6-6 heading to the 12th inning when the game was stopped due to darkness. The teams will finish that game on March 22 when Pepperdine heads to Fresno.

OPENING WEEKEND: The Waves opened the season with a three-game sweep of Saint Joseph's at home this past weekend. Pepperdine outscored the Hawks 24-10 to move to 3-0 on the season.

HISTORY VS. STONY BROOK: Waves lead all-time series 2-1 ... Teams played one three-game series in 2010 in Malibu.

HISTORY VS. GRAND CANYON: Waves lead all-time series 2-1 ... Teams played one game at the 1977 "Best of the West Tournament" in Tempe, Ariz. and then split two games in Malibu in 1984.

HISTORY VS. LONG BEACH STATE: Long Beach State leads the all-time series 66-59-2 ... The teams first played in 1954 and have only not faced each other in six of the next 63 seasons ... Pepperdine lost the lone games the teams played in Long Beach in 2015.

TOP RETURNERS:
Pitchers
LHP Ryan Wilson (2-0, 6 SV, 0.63 ERA, 46 K, 14 BB)
RHP Max Gamboa (2-9, 3.74 ERA, 1 SV, 52 K, 22 BB)
RHP Chandler Blanchard (3-2, 1 SV, 3.19 ERA, 31 K, 7 BB)
Hitters
C Aaron Barnett (.292 BA, 22 RBI, 15 2B, 3 HR)
OF Matthew Kanfer (.291 BA, 26 RBI, 4 2B, 2 3B, 2 HR)
1B Ben Rodriguez (.289 BA, 29 RBI, 9 HR, 6 2B)

ROSTER BREAKDOWN
Letterwinners Returning/Lost: 21/7
Starters Returning/Lost (lineup): 7/2
Starters Returning/Lost (pitchers): 3/1
Newcomers, Off Redshirts: 14
Class: SR-7 (1-RS), JR-11 (2-RS), SO-8 (1-RS), FR-9 (1-RS)

2017 COACHES POLL: The Waves were tabbed third in the 2017 WCC Coaches Poll, receiving two first-place votes. San Diego was picked first with five first-place votes and Gonzaga was second with three first-place votes. The Waves were selected by Perfect Game to win the conference and were picked by D1Baseball to finish third.

PRESEASON ALL-WCC: Ryan Wilson was named to the WCC's Preseason All-Conference team earlier this month. Wilson was one of five pitchers named to the team. The junior lefty compiled a 0.63 ERA in 42.2 innings pitched last year. Splitting time between the bullpen and starting rotation, Wilson had six saves and a 2-0 record. He held opponents to a .128 batting average, striking out 46 while walking just 14. He is expected to start the season as Pepperdine's Friday starter.

LAST YEAR: The Waves went 29-24 overall last year and finished two games out of first place in the WCC, with a 16-11 conference record. Pepperdine made its third straight WCC Tournament, but went 1-2, losing two extra-inning games, to exit the postseason.

2016 ALL-WCC: Pepperdine had four players honored on last year's All-WCC and All-Freshman teams. A.J. Puckett took home WCC Pitcher of the Year honors and was named to the conference's first team. Ryan Wilson and Manny Jefferson were named to the All-WCC second team, and Matthew Kanfer was named to the All-Freshman team.

COACHING STAFF: 2017 marks the second season of Head Coach Rick Hirtensteiner's tenure at the helm for Pepperdine. Hirtensteiner served as an assistant on the Waves' staff for 17 years prior to taking over for Steve Rodriguez, who left for Baylor in 2015. Hirtensteiner hired Cooper Fouts, who previously served as a volunteer assistant with the Waves from 2011-12, to serve as the team's recruiting coordinator and hitting coach. Hirtensteiner then tabbed Rolando Garza to fill the team's role as pitching coach, after former pitching instructor Jon Strauss also left to fill the same role with Rodriguez at Baylor. Fouts was previously an assistant at Utah Valley, while Garza served as the pitching coach at Riverside City College.

POSTSEASON HISTORY: The Waves made their 30th appearance in NCAA postseason play in 2015, advancing to the NCAA Fullerton Regional final. In 2014 Pepperdine made its first ever NCAA Super Regional after winning the San Luis Obispo Regional Tournament. 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 (1979, 1992).

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.