LA JOLLA, Calif. - On the verge of opening its regular season, the UC San Diego baseball team will host Point Loma Nazarene in an exhibition game Monday night at Triton Ballpark.
First pitch is slated for 6 p.m. in La Jolla and admission is free.
The two squads met in an exhibition in late January of 2011, with UCSD taking a 5-0 victory. It was the first ever night game played at Triton Stadium.
UCSD is heading into the season ranked 30th in the country. The Tritons, who will be looking for their fourth consecutive league regular season and tournament titles, were picked to finish third in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) standings in a preseason poll of the league's head coaches.
In addition, UC San Diego was selected by the coaches as one of the four teams that will advance to this season's CCAA Tournament, which will be hosted by UCSD May 10-12 at Triton Ballpark. Chico State, Sonoma State and Cal Poly Pomona were the other three squads chosen to make the tourney.
The Tritons finished their 2011 campaign with a 42-15 overall record and topped the CCAA with a 29-11 mark. After winning the CCAA Tournament, UCSD advanced to the NCAA Division II West Regional at Triton Ballpark. The Tritons dropped their opening game against Sonoma State, defeated Western Oregon and were then eliminated from the postseason with a loss versus Cal Poly Pomona.
This year's version of the Tritons features a lot of new faces, not just on the player side, but also on the coaching side. First year head coach Eric Newman took over the program in late August of 2011 after Dan O'Brien resigned to take the top coaching spot at Division I Santa Clara.
The 2012 Tritons feature several top returning position players, including catcher/utility Nick La Face, outfielder Danny Susdorf and infielder Garrett Tuck. Susdorf and La Face were ABCA All-West Region peformers last season.
Susdorf, a centerfielder, led the Tritons in batting average (.385), at bats (226), runs (48), hits (87), total bases (111), sacrifice flies (5) and stolen bases (18). He struck out just 14 times in 226 at bats and was the only Triton to play in all 57 games, let alone start all of them.
La Face, primarily a designated hitter last season, batted .328 over 44 games. Tuck, a shortstop, hit .308 while playing in 56 games.
On the mound, UCSD will be looking to replace the innings, wins and strikeouts of starters Tim Shibuya and Guido Knudson. Both seniors in 2011, they were each drafted by Major League teams as All-American Shibuya went to the Minnesota Twins in the 23rd round and Knudson was chosen by the Detroit Tigers in the 28th round.
Returning to the roster are starting pitchers Greg Selarz and Jeff Rauh. Selarz went 4-1 with a 4.88 ERA over 51.2 innings in 14 appearances. Rauh was 2-2 and carried a 4.67 ERA with one combined shutout in 34.2 innings of work.
Closer Elias Tuma returns for his senior season after being named ABCA All-West Region in 2011. Tuma, also a First Team Academic All-American, was 6-0 with a stellar 1.23 ERA last season. He threw 44 innings in a team-high 29 appearances, recording seven saves and combining for two shutouts. Opponents batted just .226 against Tuma.
Justin Burns, a relief hurler, returns after posting a 2-1 record and 3.83 ERA in 25 outings totaling 42.1 innings. He also recorded three saves in 2011.
Point Loma is in its final year as a member of the NAIA and will be moving up to NCAA Division II status in 2013. The Sea Lions finished the 2011 season with an overall record of 28-22 and placed fifth in the Golden State Athletic Conference (GSAC) with a 19-17 mark.
Monday night's game will be the first of two exhibitions at Triton Ballpark as Vanguard, also from the GSAC, comes in on Tuesday, Jan. 31. for a 6 p.m. game under the lights. UCSD opens its regular season with a four game home series against non-conference opponent Western Oregon Feb. 3-5.
