MALIBU, Calif. – The Pepperdine baseball team is back in Malibu for the first time in 10 days to host the Gaels of Saint Mary's for a three-day series beginning Thursday.
 
GAME #37— JERSEY GIVEAWAY— Pepperdine (9-27, 5-7) vs Saint Mary's College (16-19, 2-7) | Thursday, April 16 | 3:00 p.m. | Eddy D. Field Stadium | Malibu, Calif. | First 50 students in attendance get a replica baseball jersey
 
GAME #38— BINGO AT THE BALLPARK—  Pepperdine vs SMC | Friday, April 17 | 3:00 p.m. | Eddy D. Field Stadium | Malibu, Calif.
 
GAME #39—BARK AT THE PARK— Pepperdine vs SMC | Saturday, April 18 | 1:00 p.m. | Eddy D. Field Stadium | Malibu, Calif.
 
COVERAGE: The games will be streamed on ESPN+ (subscription required). Links to the broadcasts as well as live stats will be available at pepperdinewaves.com.
 
PROBABLE STARTERS: For the Waves, left-handed pitcher sophomore Collin Valentine gets his first nod of the season with the start Thursday. Friday and Saturday will be the regular starters for the Waves with right-handed pitcher Tommy Scavone starting on Friday and right-handed pitcher Matthew Boyer closing the series out on Saturday.
 
SERIES VS. SMC: Dating back to 1968, the Waves are 131-45 all-time against the Gales. In the last 10, Saint Mary's holds the advantage 7-3. The last series win came in Malibu two seasons ago in 2023. Pepperdine dropped all three last year in Moraga, hoping to extend the lopsided all-time win trend this weekend.
 
SCOUTING THE GAELS:  With an overall record of 16-19, the Gaels have picked up a top-25 win over #21 UCSB in February as well as a sweep of San Diego State. Just 2-7 in West Coast Conference play, SMC took one from Portland as well as San Francisco in the two series losses. With three guys hitting above .300, the Gaels are led on the offensive side by redshirt junior Eddie Madrigal, sophomore Diego Castellanos (brother of Phillies outfielder Diego Castellanos), and redshirt sophomore Aiden Taurek. On the mound, the three projected starters for the Gaels have pitched a total of 79.5 innings for an average ERA of 5.42
 
LAST TIME OUT: The Waves traveled to Fullerton to take on the Titans of California State, Fullerton in the Tuesday midweek, losing 13-3. Freshman Joey Damelio had his third home run of the season, accounting for two of the RBIs while eight different Waves made an appearance on the mound.

WCC PRESEASON: Identical to last season, Pepperdine is predicted to finish seventh in the West Coast Conference this year. The whole list is as follows:
1. San Diego 2. Portland T-3. Gonzaga T-3. Saint Mary's 5. Santa Clara 6. LMU 7. Pepperdine 8. San Francisco; 9. Pacific.
 
COOKIN' WITH DANNY: Freshman second baseman Danny Cook has been a consistent starter for the Waves since midseason. Actively, the Colorado native has a nine-game hitting streak dating back to April 1 against  #14 UCLA. Cook is tied with senior Julian Nunez with a team-leading 13 RBIs on the season.
 
UP WITH UPSTILL: Graduate Nick Upstill leads the Waves with a .333 batting average, including a team-high 10 extra base hits. With a perfect stolen base percentage, the Huntington Beach native is intentional when he is on base, reflected by his statistics as he leads Pepperdine in nearly all offensive categories.
 
WAVES IN THE DRAFT: In the 2019 MLB Draft, Easton Lucas was drafted by the Miami Marlins in the 14th round with the 411th overall pick. He made his big league debut with the Oakland Athletics on 9/8/23 as a relieving pitcher against the Texas Rangers. Lucas has transitioned into a starter role with the Toronto Bluejays and through two starts this season, has pitched 10.1 scoreless innings.
 
In 2023, middle infielders Ryan Johnson and John Peck were both selected in the MLB Draft. Peck was the Waves' highest drafted player since 2016, having been selected in the seventh round by the Detroit Tigers. Johnson was drafted in the eighth round by the Houston Astros. This is the first time since 2010 that Pepperdine had two picks in the first eight rounds. Left handed pitcher Shane Telfer also signed with the Arizona Diamondbacks on 7/17/23.
 
Last season, Billy Cook premiered in the majors with the Pittsburgh Pirates, originally drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in the 10th round of the 2021 MLB Draft. 
 
POSTSEASON HISTORY:  Pepperdine won its only College World Series title in 1992 and also played in the 1979 CWS. The Waves made their 30th and most recent 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.
 
TICKETS: For 30 percent off tickets this weekend, use "GOWAVES" at check out.   Season tickets are now available for just $99! Any group inquiries for discounted rates can contact alrick.drummond@pepperdine.edu. All tickets can be purchased at tickets.pepperdinewaves.com. Register your youngster today to get exclusive perks like a JR WAVES t shirt and access to home events. Email joey.swett@pepperdine.edu for all interests.
 
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 20 schools to have accomplished this feat — and 10 overall. Of this elite group, Pepperdine has the smallest undergraduate enrollment, is the only school without football and is the only university that has not been affiliated with a "major" conference. The Waves have won a total of 26 team or individual national championships in their history. Pepperdine has also earned the Division I-AAA All-Sports Trophy, an award based on postseason success that's given to the top non-football school, five times (most recently in back-to-back years during the 2022-23 and 2021-22). Located in scenic Malibu, California, 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 #76 overall on U.S. News and World Report's list of America's best colleges.