Baseball Hits the Road for Four Games This Week
5/1/2017 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
THIS WEEK FOR THE WAVES: The Pepperdine baseball team hits the road for the first time in two weeks, heading to Cal Poly on Tuesday for a non-conference matchup and then traveling to San Francisco for a West Coast Conference series.
SCHEDULE
Tuesday, May 2 - 6 p.m. (San Luis Obispo, Calif.)
Friday, May 5 - 3 p.m. (San Francisco, Calif.)
Saturday, May 6 - 1 p.m. (San Francisco, Calif.)
Sunday, May 7 - 1 p.m. (San Francisco, Calif.)
COVERAGE: Tuesday's game will be streamed live by Cal Poly through BigWest.org. All three games at San Francisco will be streamed live through TheW.tv. Links to the broadcasts and live stats will be available on the Pepperdine baseball schedule page at 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.
BARNETT HEATING UP: Since the 16-4 win at CSUN on April 4th, Aaron Barnett has proven to be an offensive spark for the Waves. Barnett went 4-for-6 that game, and batted a team-high .462 in the 11 games that followed. He also raised his overall average almost 100 points, from .202 to a team-leading .301 in an 11-game span. Barnett has a team-leading 43 hits, current .293 average and is second on the squad with 21 RBI.
IN IT FOR THE LONG HAUL: Junior Ryan Wilson and Freshman Wil Jensen have each started 1 games for the Waves this year. Each of them has gone at least 6.0 innings in all but four of their starts, helping the Waves save their bullpen arms. Wilson has six quality starts (at least 6.0 IP and no more than 3 ER), as does Jensen. Both pitchers are also within one hundredth of a point of each other in ERA, Wilson with a 3.62 ERA, and Jensen with a 3.63.
OFFENSIVE LEADERS: Barnett leads the Waves with a .293 batting average and he and Quincy McAfee are tied with 43 hits. Ben Rodriguez leads the Waves with 29 RBI. McAfee leads the team with 25 runs scored.
NOTABLE WINS:
- Pepperdine picked up a victory at then No. 20 Texas A&M on 2/25, behind 6.2 strong innings from Max Gamboa in which he struck out 10 batters, walked two, and gave up just five hits and one run. Aaron Barnett drove in the game-winning run in the seventh, and Jordan Qsar picked up the save and drove in a run in the 2-1 victory
- The Waves had a comeback win over Rice in a seven inning game on 3/4, scoring all five runs in the seventh inning to beat the Owls 5-2 on the road.
- Pepperdine swept its opening series with Saint Joseph's by a combined score of 24-10.
- The Waves won their postponed game against Fresno State in dramatic fashion, scoring twice in the bottom of the 12th after the Bulldogs had taken a one-run lead in the top half of the inning.
- Pepperdine won its WCC opener thanks to some clutch hitting in the eighth inning, getting a pinch-hit double from Brandon Caruso and then Jordan Qsar drove in the go-ahead run with a single.
- Waves took two of three from Gonzaga. Ben Rodriguez hit a grand slam to power the Waves to a win in the second game. Joe Caparis hit a walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth to win the finale for Pepperdine.
- Pepperdine scored a season-high 16 runs on 17 hits in a 16-4 road win over CSUN on April 4.
- The Waves put up a season-high 18 hits in both a 12-6 win over Portland (4/7) and an 11-7 win at BYU (4/13).
STAT RANKINGS:
Team:
Double Plays: 35 - 2nd WCC, 60th NCAA
Doubles: 74 - 3rd WCC
Fielding Percentage: .973 - 3rd WCC
HBP: 42 - 3rd WCC, 52nd NCAA
Sac Flies: 14 - 2nd WCC
Individual:
Complete Games: Ryan Wilson/Wil Jensen 1 - 3rd WCC
Games Started: Ryan Wilson, Wil Jensen 12 - 2nd WCC, 28 NCAA
Doubles: Quincy McAfee 10 - 7th WCC
Sac Bunts: McAfee 6 - 5th WCC
Sac Flies: Ben Rodriguez 4 - 1st WC
Strikeouts: Jonathan Pendergast 52 - 8th WCC
K/9 innings: Pendergast 10.19 - 4th WCC
AB/K: Aaron Barnett 17 - 2nd WCC, 14th NCAA
Victories: Garcia/Pendergast 4 - 7th WCC
HISTORY VS. CAL POLY: Waves lead the all-time series 30-17 ... teams first played in 1954 ... have split the season series each of the last two years ... Waves won 2014 NCAA Regional at Cal Poly, beating the Mustangs twice to advance.
HISTORY VS. USF: Waves lead the all-time series 117-48 ... Waves have taken two of three from Dons each of the last three seasons.
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.
