SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – The Pepperdine baseball team goes up the road to Santa Barbara for a Tuesday midweek game against the Gauchos of UCSB.
 
GAME #32— Pepperdine (8-23, 5-4) vs UCSB (20-10, 7-8) | Tuesday, April 8 | 4:30 p.m. | Caesar Uyesaka Stadium | Santa Barbara, Calif.
 
COVERAGE: The game will be streamed on ESPN+ (subscription required). Links to the broadcasts as well as live stats will be available at pepperdinewaves.com.
 
SERIES VS. UCSB: Overall, the Waves are 77-73-3 against the Gauchos, including a 2-13 loss earlier this season. In the first month of the season, UCSB was ranked #20 at the time they came to Malibu in a game where freshman Joey Damelio and senior Luke Pemberton scored in the bottom of the eighth inning.
 
SCOUTING THE GAUCHOS:  Since playing them in February, Santa Barbara has posted a 13-9 record, including an 8-4 win over San Diego and a series sweep at the hands of UC Irivine, currently slotted at #13 in the nation. With two players batting over .300, LeTrey McCollum and Xavier Esquer lead the way for the Gauchos offensively. Frank Camarillo, the projected starter for Tuesday,, has just pitched one inning all season with the midweek slotted to be a bullpen game.
 
LAST TIME OUT: The Waves took their first conference series of the season this past weekend. A 6-5 win and 13-8 win secured the series Friday and Saturday, while a 3-4 loss Sunday prevented the sweep of the Santa Clara Broncos. Going 4-for-5 on Saturday and raking in four RBIs over the weekend, freshman Joey Damelio secured the first conference award for Pepperdine this season with a freshman of the week honor. 

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 freshman Joey Damelio and seniors Andrew Savage and Julian Nunez hitting multiple. All but four have been solo shots, accounting for just under 22 percent of total runs scored this season.
UP WITH UPSTILL: Graduate Nick Upstill leads the Waves with a .321 batting average, including a team-high eight 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. 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.