MALIBU, CALIF. – In the final series of the season, the Pepperdine baseball team hosts the LMU Lions for a three-game series beginning Thursday.
 
GAME #52—CEREMONIAL FIRST PITCH — Pepperdine (12-39, 7-14) vs. LMU (24-27, 11-10) | 3:00 p.m. | Thursday, May 14 | Eddy D. Field Stadium | Malibu, Calif. | Adam McKaig will be throwing the first pitch prior to the game in place of Vance Robinson to bring awareness to Myositis Awareness Month.
 
GAME #53— Pepperdine vs. LMU | 3:00 p.m. | Friday, May 15 | Eddy D. Field Stadium | Malibu, Calif.
 
GAME #54— Pepperdine vs. LMU | 1:00 p.m. | Saturday, May 16 | Eddy D. Field Stadium | Malibu, Calif.
 
COVERAGE: The games will all be streamed on ESPN+ (subscription required). Links to the broadcasts as well as live stats will be available at pepperdinewaves.com.
 
PARKING: Due to outside circumstances beyond our control, the main entrance down the ramp will be the only accessible entry point into Eddy D. Field Stadium. To access, please park in the lot off of John Tyler Drive, below Tari Frahm Rokus Field.
 
SERIES VS. LMU:  In 253 games played between the two teams, Pepperdine leads the all-time series 159-94. Despite a 2-1 series win in Los Angeles last year, the last time the Waves took a series from the Lions in Malibu dates back to 2019. To make the WCC tournament next week, Pepperdine will need to sweep LMU, a feat they have not done since 2007.
 
SCOUTING THE LIONS: Sitting at 11-10 in conference play, LMU secured series wins over San Diego, Santa Clara, and San Francisco. Most recently, the Lions were swept in a non-conference weekend series against UC Santa Barbara. With five players hitting over .300 for the Lions, Beau Ankeney leads the way for his squad, starting every game with a .333 batting average and 14 home runs. On the mound, the two go-to Lions pitchers have a combined average ERA of 5.89. 
 
LAST TIME OUT: Last weekend, the Waves were on the road in Stockton for the final road series of the season. Dropping the series, Pepperdine picked up a Sunday afternoon win against Pacific 9-5 to stay alive in the postseason hunt.

WCC STANDINGS: With the top six teams headed to the conference tournament in Las Vegas, Nev., the Waves have some climbing to do. Five teams have already clinched a postseason berth and four remain battling for the final one. With a sweep against LMU, Pepperdine will still need help from Pacific, who must lose two of three to San Diego this weekend.
UP WITH UPSTILL: Sitting at second in the conference, graduate Nick Upstill leads the Waves with a .371 batting average, including a team-high 15 extra base hits. With a .833 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 Blue Jays 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.
 
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.