LOS ANGELES, Calif. - The Pepperdine baseball team is preparing for a trip to Jackie Robinson Stadium to face off against the No. 1-ranked UCLA Bruins.
 
Tuesday, March 17 | 6:00 pm PT | B1G+ | Live Stats | Tickets

• Probable starting pitchers: RHP Arnold Wu (0-0, 10.57 ERA) vs. RHP Angel Cervantes (1-0, 5.25 ERA)

Wu will open for the Waves and make his first career start, joining a litany of other Waves to do this season. He'll match up against a freshman counterpart in Cervantes, who was the 50th overall selection (Pittsburgh Pirates) in last year's MLB Draft.
 
Pepperdine is 42-69-4 all-time against the Bruins and has had some success when visiting UCLA, recording a 15-34-2 record on the road.
 
Nick Koop (play-by-play) and Sid Iyer (analyst) will be on the call.
 
TUESDAY'S GAME
It is the first and only game against the Bruins this regular season.
 
UP NEXT
The Waves will start conference play on Friday in the first of a three-game series at Saint Mary's.
 
RODRIGUEZ REJOINS WAVES
Pepperdine Athletics Hall of Famer Steve Rodriguez was named the Special Assistant to the Head Coach on Tuesday, March 10 as announced by Head Coach Tyler LaTorre. Rodriguez was a member of the Pepperdine baseball 1992 National Championship team and later served as head coach of the Waves from 2004-15. Rodriguez's first stint back in Malibu began in 2000, where he served as an assistant coach for four seasons before being named head coach prior to the 2004 campaign.
 
REAPING A REWARD
James Dell'Amico earned Pepperdine's first weekly conference award on Monday, being named Freshman of the Week by the West Coast Conference. The Los Angeles native was unstoppable in three games against UMass Lowell over the weekend, going 7-for-13 while scoring five runs and driving in three more. The Loyola High School graduate put on a show in game two of the doubleheader against UML on Saturday, racking up four hits in five at-bats, hammering his first collegiate home run in the seventh inning. His OPS of 1.340 in the series helped skyrocket his season OPS by over 200 points to .759. 

Thanks to the @TheMalibuTimes for coming to the ballpark on Saturday!

Stay tuned for a story on @JamesDellamico and his family's championship history here at Pepperdine 📰#MakeWaves | @PepperdineWaves pic.twitter.com/fUzdKi3YhD

— Pepperdine Baseball (@PepperdineBASE) March 16, 2026

USING THE FORCE
Dell'Amico has been a consistent force in Head Coach Tyler LaTorre's lineup card all season, leading the Waves with a blistering .327 average, which ranks among the top-10 in the WCC (minimum 2.5 plate per game and at least 75% of games played). James has tallied five multi-hit games in just 16 contests this season (14 starts). He is also tied with Daniel Patterson for the team lead in RBI with nine, despite having 16 fewer at-bats than Patterson.
 
DAN IS THE MAN
Graduate infielder Daniel Patterson blasted his team-leading fourth home run of the season last Friday against UMass Lowell and currently is third on the team with a .282 batting average. He has scored 13 runs, racked up a team-high 71 at-bats, .535 slugging percentage, and is tied with James Dell'Amico for the team lead in RBI (9). 
 
LET HIM COOK
Sophomore Danny Cook crushed two home runs last Friday against Michigan, marking a new season-high and his first multi-home run game of his career. He is currently tied with Kai Laxa, Max Aude, Trey Dunn, and Joshua Woodworth for the second-most home runs on the team (2). Cook is one of two Waves this season (along with Woodworth, 3/14 vs. UMass Lowell) to record both his first collegiate home run and first multi-homer game in the same contest.
 
WECHSBERG FOR THE WIN
Graduate pitcher Lucien Wechsberg has been one of the most reliable Waves' arms this season. In 10.1 innings, Lucien has recorded a 1.74 ERA along with a 0.97 WHIP. He has given up just seven hits while striking out 12 and walking three. Opponents are hitting .194 off of Wechsberg, who has recorded one of Pepperdine's two saves and tallied two of the Waves' four wins.
 
A DIFFERENT JAMES IN LA
Freshman first baseman/outfielder James Dell'Amico, a Los Angeles, California native, is hitting .327 (highest on the team) in 55 at-bats, cracking 18 hits (all 17 singles) while scoring 10 runs and driving in nine more.
 
KEEPING IT IN THE FAMILY
Dell'Amico's father, Keven, was part of Pepperdine's 1992 National Championship baseball squad, the only Waves team to win it all in program history. James' uncle, Steven, also played for Pepperdine and is among the former Waves that have gone pro, having been drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies. James' sister Megan is also a Pepperdine graduate.
 
EUPER EXCITING
Casey Euper has also been tremendous on the hill for the Waves, boasting a 2.00 ERA, only trailing Lucien Wechsberg, to pair with a 1.06 WHIP across 18.0 innings of work (five appearances, two starts). He gave up just one earned run in his first collegiate start on Sunday 3/1 versus Yale.

ABOUT PEPPERDINE BASEBALL
Pepperdine baseball has one of the richest traditions and success stories among mid-major baseball programs in the country. The Waves won the NCAA National Championship in 1992 and have made 28 NCAA Tournament appearances in total. Located in scenic Malibu, California, Eddy D. Field Stadium boasts one of the most remarkable views in college baseball and has seen 35 former Waves reach the MLB while seeing 41 All-American selections.
 
TICKETS
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FOLLOW
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