TONIGHT
Game #5
USF (0-4) at #12 Cal (1-2)
Evans Diamond, Berkeley, Calif. | Tuesday, Feb. 23 7 p.m.
Coverage: Live stats
PROBABLE PITCHING STARTERS
Cal: RHP Joey Matulovich (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
USF: RHP Benji Post (0-1, 13.50 ERA)
QUICK HITS
• USF was swept in four games at UC Santa Barbara this past weekend
• Had four newcomers in the Opening Day starting lineup - 3B Dan James, 2B Riley Helland, RF Brady Bate and starting RHP Thomas Ponticelli
• Started three freshman pitchers this past weekend at UC Santa Barbara - RHP Thomas Ponticelli, LHP Chase Gardner, RHP Benji Post
• OF/DH Blake Valley led the Dons offensively in the opening weekend, hitting .444 (4-for-9) with a triple and 5 RBI... RF Brady Bate also hit at a .444 clip with scoring a run and hitting a double
• Committed eight errors as a team on the weekend
• USF went 23-31 overall in 2015 and 15-12 in WCC play, finishing in 5th place
• Was 9-10 at home last year, 13-20 on the road and 1-1 in neutral contests
• Ranked 7th in the WCC last year in team batting average (.267) and 5th in team ERA (4.33)
• Were picked to finish 8th in the 2016 WCC preseason poll
• 2015 second-team All-WCC senior RHP Anthony Shew (7-5, 3.64) is the only returning All-WCC performer
• Junior catcher Dominic Miroglio was ranked No. 225 on D1Baseball.com's top-300 MLB Prospects for the 2016 draft
• Miroglio (.340, 3 HR, 38 RBI) is the Dons' leading returning hitter
• Senior catcher Ryan Matranga has the most career games played on the team coming into the year (113)...junior shortstop Nico Giarratano has the most career starts (106) among returners
• Over his 18-year career on the Hilltop, Nino Giarratano has the most wins in USF history (480)...he has averaged 27 wins per season during his tenure...his 2006 squad won 39 games, the most in program history
DOUBLE DUTY: Freshman Riley Helland played both ways for USF in the opening weekend at UCSB. Helland started two games at second base - going 2-for-8 with two runs scored at the plate - and came in to pitch 0.1 innings of relief in Saturday's game one loss.
SOMETIMES YOU WIN, SOMETIMES YOU LOSE: USF was plagued by inconsistency in 2015 - they opened the season by losing 10 games in a row, before winning 11 of 12 between Apr. 2-19, but finished the year by losing 11 of their last 12. The Dons were 14-4 in WCC action following a three-game sweep of eventual regular season champion San Diego on Apr. 19, but proceeded to get swept in their final three WCC series against BYU, Pepperdine and LMU.
ROAD WARRIORS: Coming into the season, the Dons are 70-82 on the road over the last five seasons. Since 2006, USF has only had one season (2014) when they played more home games than road contests, while opening their season at home just once during that span (2013). Over the last 10 years, the only season-opening road victory USF has posted came in 2007 with a 6-2 win over Fresno State.
VS. RANKED OPPONENTS: USF went 3-6 against top-25 opponents last season. Their wins came against No. 8 Oregon (twice) and No. 19 Nevada, all on the road, with losses to No. 12 Texas Tech and No. 15 Dallas Baptist.
STINGY STAFF: The USF pitching staff ranked third in the WCC with team ERA of 3.53 in 2015. Don pitchers proved to be the most durable, leading the conference with six complete games on the year, including four shutouts. The Dons also helped their cause by not allowing many free passes as they led the WCC with only 70 walks in 2015.
ACE OF THE STAFF: Senior RHP Anthony Shew is USF's only returning all-conference selection from last year after taking home second-team honors. In his first year on the Hilltop in 2015, he led the team in wins (7), was third in ERA (3.64) and second in innings pitched (94.0).
WITH RISP: The Dons hit .303 as a team with runners in scoring position in 2015. Dominic Miroglio led the team with a scalding .437 average with RISP (31-for-71).
WHO'S WHO: USF welcomes a total of 17 newcomers to this year's squad. That group is made up of 10 freshmen and 7 transfers.
FLASHING LEATHER: The Dons ranked fourth in the WCC in fielding percentage (.971) in 2015.
DONS SIGN SIX IN EARLY PERIOD: Six student-athletes signed NLIs to play at USF during the early signing period in November - RHP Jon Mullis (Milton, GA / Cambridge HS), OF Tyler Villaroman (San Mateo, Calif. / Serra HS), C Kevin Hwang (Mission Viejo, Calif. / Capistrano Valley HS), RHP Brendan Jenkins (Pleasanton, Calif. / Cuesta College), INF Matt Campos (Honolulu, HI / Iolani HS) and LHP Grant Young (Lafayette, Calif. / Acalanes HS).
THE NEW BENEDETTI DIAMOND: Later this spring the Dons will take the field on their renovated home ballpark, which will still be called Benedetti Diamond, but will have undergone a major facelift. Some notable features of the new ballpark include: a reoriented diamond that has home plate located where left field used to be; a playing surface that has been dropped 18 inches to create a "sunken" viewing experience; brand new FieldTurf playing surface throughout the entire field. Future plans call for a new team clubhouse/office complex adjacent to the ballpark and new indoor hitting area.
BENEDETTI CLASSIC TRADITION: Since 2006, the Dons have hosted a regular season game at AT&T Park, home of the San Francisco Giants, in the annual Dante Benedetti Classic. Benedetti played for the Dons from 1937-1940 before becoming a legendary fixture on the Hilltop in reviving and building the USF baseball program as the Dons' head coach from 1962-1980. Benedetti passed away on Nov. 16, 2005. This year's game will be played on Thursday, Mar. 24 when the Dons host Pacific in the first game of a three-game WCC set.
WCC PRESEASON POLL: San Diego was picked to win the WCC this year in the annual preseason poll, voted on by the WCC's 10 coaches. The Toreros received 6 first-place votes, followed by Pepperdine (3) and LMU (1). Saint Mary's, BYU and Gonzaga slotted in at 4th, 5th and 6th, respectively. Santa Clara, San Francisco, Pacific and Portland rounded out the rest of the preseason predictions.
