Game No. 26-28
San Francisco Dons (9-16, 3-3 WCC) vs. Saint Mary's Gaels (17-8, 4-2 WCC)
March 27 | 3 p.m., 3 p.m., 1 p.m.
FRIDAY/SUNDAY: Benedetti Diamond | San Francisco, Calif.
SATURDAY: AT&T Park | San Francisco, Calif.
LIVE STATS | VIDEO
 
SAN FRANCISCO—The Dons will play their first home conference series of the season, beginning on Friday, when they take on Saint Mary's and will take part in the 10th annual Dante Benedetti Classic at AT&T Park on Saturday.
 
PROBABLE MATCHUPS

Friday	RHP Anthony Shew (1-3, 3.82)	RHP Corbin Hughes (4-1, 3.00)
Saturday	LHP Christian Cecilio (1-1, 2.48)	RHP Billy Oxford (1-2, 4.61)
Sunday	LHP Jeider Rincon (1-2, 5.64)	LHP Johnny York (4-1, 3.31)

 
FINDING THEIR GROOVE
The Dons are won three straight series and have won nine of their 14 game since beginning the season 0-10. That stretch includes two wins over No. 8 Oregon, a win over No. 24 California, taking two out of three against WCC rival Gonzaga, and a pair against UC Riverside.

10TH ANNUAL BENEDETTI CLASSIC
The Dons will be playing at AT&T Park on Saturday against Saint Mary's as part of the 10th annual Dante Benedetti Classic. AT&T Park is at the corner of Third and King streets in San Francisco and tickets will be available at the AT&T Park ticket windows on game day. Tickets are $15, children five years and under are free, and Little Leaguers in uniform will also be given free admission.

CECILIO TO MAKE HISTORY
Christian Cecilio has been a regular presence in the Dons' rotation since his freshman season. He enters his senior year in striking distance of a number of USF records. Cecilio comes in this week with 48 career starts (2nd all-time), 265 innings (eighth), and 200 strikeouts (sixth). With one more start, he will become the school's all-time leader in the category, passing Matt Lujan (49, 2008-11). With his next strikeout, he will pass the 2012 fifth overall pick Kyle Zimmer.
 
DUCK SEASON
The Dons have played their best baseball of the season over the last few days and it resulted in two wins over No. 8 Oregon at PK Park in Eugene, Ore. Sheldon Lee went 5.1 shutout innings in the opener to pick up the 4-1 win. In the second game, Brendan Hendriks and Derek Atkinson both drove in two and Sam Granoff kept the Ducks off balance as he went 6.1 innings and allowed two earned runs as part of the 8-2 victory.
 
CAGING THE GOLDEN BEARS
Sam Granoff was masterful against No. 24 California on Tuesday and he went 7+ innings, allowing one run on eight hits. Nico Giarratano had the game-winning hit with a two-run double in the eighth inning to put the Dons on top 3-1.
 
CECILIO ON FIRE
Christian Cecilio has been what many would expect from a senior starter. Over his last five starts, he has an ERA of 1.33 in 40.1 innings and struck out 36. This included a complete game shutout of Gonzaga on Saturday night. He scattered seven hits with nine strikeouts in the 2-0 victory. None of these outings have been shorter than seven innings. He is also fifth in the WCC in ERA, opponent batting average, and strikeouts.
 
INNINGS EATERS
Christian Cecilio and Anthony Shew have thrown more innings than anyone in the conference. Cecilio (45.0 IP) and Shew (43.2) are first and second respectively in innings pitched in the WCC.
 
SMILING SAM GRANOFF
Redshirt freshman Sam Granoff has been a welcomed surprise for the Dons so far this season. He has a team-best 1.75 ERA, has thrown 20.2 innings over his last three starts with a 1.74 ERA. Two of the starts have come against ranked teams (No. 8 Orgeon, No. 24 California).
 
HENDRIKS COMING ALIVE
Brendan Hendriks has turned it around since the beginning of West Coast Conference play. In the team's six WCC games, he is hitting .400 with a home run, five RBI, and an OPS of 1.048. He went 7-for-13 in the three games at Pacific over the weekend.
 
SHEW'S ENDURANCE
Anthony Shew has quickly established himself as one of the better and more durable pitchers in the conference and showed it against UC Riverside as he went eight shutout innings, scattered four hits, and struck out 10 in a 4-0 USF win. He has thrown at least eight innings in four of his six starts this season.
 
#DonsOTR
San Francisco has a grueling schedule that will have the team away from home for 36 of the team's 55 games, including a stretch of 12 straight and 19 of 23 to start the season. It will include trips to Texas Tech, New Mexico, Oregon, and Gonzaga.
 
TOUGH NON-CONFERENCE SLATE
The Dons may have one of the tougher non-conference schedules in the country. They play eight games against teams that are ranked in the top 35 in the country (Texas Tech, Oregon, Stanford), according to the NCBWA, and an additional five games against teams receiving votes. All the games against ranked teams will also be on the road.
 
HENDRIKS NAMED TOP 100 SENIOR
After a season where he was second on the team in slugging at .493, Brendan Hendriks has been named to Baseball America's Top 100 Seniors list and came in at 91. The senior from Alberta, Canada hit a career-high six home runs with 39 RBI in 2014, including a game-winner in the 19th inning at No. 2 Cal State Fullerton and a two-home run game against California.
 
ATKINSON NAMED TO ALL-WCC PRESEASON TEAM
Derek Atkinson was one of the team's more consistent hitters last season and his .330 average and 44 RBI earned him a spot on last year's All-West Coast Conference Team. That performance also has him on the All-WCC Preseason Team. He is one of only two seniors on the team.
 
NOW BATTING FOR THE DONS, MANNY RAMIREZ… JR.
It is the first season for Manny Ramirez, Jr. on the Hilltop after transferring from Central Arizona College. The son of the former MLB star Manny Ramirez, Manny Jr. had an impressive fall season and has gotten starts at DH and at first base. Entering the series, he is hitting .250 with a double and three RBI and had a critical two-run double against No. 8 Oregon.
 
GIARRATANO MOVING UP THE CHARTS
Head coach Nino Giarratano enters his 17th season at USF and has accumulated 466 wins over that time, which is the most in school history and is the third most in West Coast Conference history. He sits behind only John Cunningham (524, San Diego) and current San Diego and former USF coach Rich Hill (691).