Waves Host Broncos in Conference Series

MALIBU, Calif. – The Pepperdine baseball team welcomes the Santa Clara Broncos to Malibu for a three-game conference series this weekend.

GAME #29—BINGO AT THE BALLPARK— Pepperdine (6-21, 2-4) vs Santa Clara (12-13, 1-2) | Friday, April 4 | 3:00 p.m. | Eddy D. Field Stadium | Malibu, Calif. | Come out and play Bingo for a chance to win a Sharky's gift card

GAME #30—BARK IN THE PARK— Pepperdine vs Santa Clara | Saturday, April 5 | 2:00 p.m. | Eddy D. Field Stadium | Malibu, Calif. | Any and all dogs welcome! Bandanas will be available upon arrival at the ticket desk

GAME #31— Pepperdine vs Santa Clara | Sunday, April 6 | 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.

SERIES VS. SANTA CLARA: With 186 games between the two teams, Pepperdine leads the series 111-73-2 against Santa Clara. The Waves were swept on the road last year. The last win for the Waves game on the road in 2022, with the last series win coming in Malibu in 2021.

SCOUTING THE BRONCOS: Sitting at 12-13, Santa Clara was swept by #12 Texas earlier in the year, picking up a series win against Cal as well as a midweek win against Grand Canyon University. Most recently, the Broncos took Stanford to extra innings, losing the midweek battle 5-6 in 10 innings. Offensively, Santa Clara has three players hitting above .300 with their three weekend starters averaging an ERA of 3.49

PROJECTED STARTERS: For the Waves, it will be the routine rotation with Redshirt junior RHP Tommy Scavone getting the nod for Friday, followed by graduate RHP Matthew Boyer on Saturday and junior RHP Dylan Stewart Sunday. While the Broncos have not officially announced the projected starters for the squad, in line with previous series', Brandon Gomez will start on the mound Friday, followed by Max Bayles on Saturday and Victor Martinez on Sunday. Regardless of what days the Broncos will be pitching, the three combine for an ERA of 3.49 through 95.2 innings pitched. Comparatively, the Waves' three starters through 90.2 innings post a 5.42 ERA.

LAST TIME OUT: In a midweek against nationally-ranked #14 UCLA, the Waves fell 8-13. Staying even through two innings with two runs a piece, Pepperdine could not recover from the seven runs put up by UCLA in the third. Nick Upstill continued his hit streak and LHP Cade Barry had a career-tying high two strikeouts through 2.0 IP, but the Waves could not complete the comeback in the ninth, scoring three at the tail end of the game, dropping the contest 8-13.

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.

YARD SALE: So far this season, nine different Waves have notched a home run, with seniors Andrew Savage and Julian Nunez hitting multiple. All but three have been solo shots, accounting for just under 22 percent of total runs scored this season.

UP WITH UPSTILL: Going on nine consecutive games with a hit, graduate Nick Upstill leads the Waves with a .318 batting average, including a team-high seven 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 multiple 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. 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. Most recently, 2021 grad Billy Cook has 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: 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.

Players Mentioned

Cade Barry

Matthew Boyer

Julian Nunez

Andrew Savage

Tommy Scavone

Dylan Stewart

Nick Upstill

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