MALIBU, Calif. – After winning the first West Coast Conference series of the year, the Waves return home for two non-conference matchups this week with Minnesota and CSUN.
 
SCHEDULE:
Tuesday, March 19 - Pepperdine (8-7) vs.  Minnesota (5-12) at 3 p.m.
Wednesday, March 14 - Pepperdine vs. CSUN at 2 p.m.
 
COVERAGE
Links to live stats and live streams for the game can be found on peppperdinewaves.com
 
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LAST TIME OUT: The Waves had their first WCC series of the year, as they traveled down to San Diego to take on the Toreros. San Diego took the first game, but the Waves responded with 18 runs over the final two games of the weekend to take the series, 2-1.
 
LAST YEAR: The Waves went 29-22 overall last year, winning the program's 18th overall title. As the #1 overall seed in the West Coast Conference Tournament, the Waves took second place, falling to champion Gonzaga.
 
SERIES VS. MINNESOTA: The Waves and Golden Gophers are tied in the all time series, 4-4. The last time the two teams met, Minnesota defeated the Waves 5-2 at the Minnesota Dairy Queen Classic in 2008.
 
SERIES VS. CSUN: The Waves have the edge in the overall series 47-43-2. Last year, the two teams split a four game series.
 
THE STAFF: The Waves' rotation has been stellar to start the year, especially the duo of Jonathan Pendergast and Cooper Chandler. The reigning WCC Pitcher of the Year (Pendergast) leads the team in strikeouts early on in the season with 24, and has the second-best ERA among starting pitchers, with a 3.00 ERA. The reigning WCC Freshman of the Year (Chandler) already has a complete-game shutout under his belt, allowing just five hits over nine innings against UC Davis. He leads starters with a 2.90 ERA.
 
TOP RETURNERS:
Pitchers
RHP Jonathan Pendergast (7-4, 2.69 ERA, 67 K, 11 BB), WCC Pitcher of the Year
LHP Easton Lucas (2-3, 4.11 ERA, 35 IP, 29 K, 16 BB)
RHP Cooper Chandler (6-3, 2.99 ERA, 44 K, 28 BB) WCC Freshman of the Year.
 
Hitters
OF Matt Kanfer (.315 BA, 70 H, 35 RBI, 7 HR, 12 2B)
IF Brandt Belk (.318 BA, 54 H, 20 RBI, 1 HR, 12 2B)
IF Quincy McAfee (.269 BA, 47 H, 18 RBI, 18 2B)
 
ROSTER BREAKDOWN
Letterwinners Returning/Lost: 28/7
 
Starters Returning/Lost (lineup): 7/2
 
Starters Returning/Lost (pitchers): 4/0
 
Newcomers and Returning Redshirts: 11
 
Class: SR-4 (1-RS), JR-11 (6-RS), SO-13 (3-RS), FR-11 (1-RS)
 
2019 COACHES POLL: The Waves were picked to finish second in the WCC coaches poll behind 2018 WCC Tournament champion Gonzaga. The full order is : Gonzaga, Pepperdine, Saint Mary's, San Diego, San Francisco, BYU, Loyola Marymount, Portland, Santa Clara, Pacific.
 
2018 ALL-WCC: Pepperdine swept the postseason awards in 2018, as Jordan Qsar was named WCC Player of the Year, Jonathan Pendergast was named WCC Pitcher of the Year, Cooper Chandler was named WCC Freshman of the Year and head coach Rick Hirtensteiner was named WCC Coach of the Year.
 
COACHING STAFF: 2019 marks the fourth 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 Rolando Garza to fill the team's role as pitching coach. Garza served as the pitching coach at Riverside City College before coming to Malibu. Hirtensteiner hired Pepperdine baseball legend Danny Worth in the summer of 2018. Worth played for the Waves from 2005-2007, becoming one of the best shortstops in Pepperdine history. He hit .320 over his career, with seven home runs and 108 RBI. After being drafted in the second round by the Detroit Tigers in 2007, Worth made his Major League Baseball debut in May 2010 with the Tigers. Over his six-year MLB career, he had a .223 batting average with two home runs in 149 games played.
 
POSTSEASON HISTORY:  Pepperdine won its only College World Series title in 1992.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.
 
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 18 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 #46 overall on U.S. News and World Report's list of America's best colleges.