A turning point in the Toreros season started three weeks ago. It represented a return to the winning ways that have become expected from the USD baseball program. On this day, they won a thriller in the 10th inning against the No. 14 Rice Owls. While it is always nice to get a win, the game was also the start of something the Toreros desperately needed to kick their offense into high gear. It was on this day that Mike Ferraro's hitting streak began.
Ferraro's source of inspiration comes from his teammates. "My hitting alone had nothing to do with our team's recent success. We have an unbelievable group of offensive players as a whole," Ferraro said.
On Monday, Ferraro entered the series against No. 1 Arizona State on a six-game hitting streak, during which he hit .500 with nine hits while driving in one RBI and scoring four runs. The streak boosted his batting average on the season to a team-high .413 while also sending his on-base percentage to a staggering .457.
The Toreros won four of the six games in which Ferraro recorded a hit. But, more importantly, the streak helped keep the team in close games against talented opponents, something they were unable to achieve earlier in the season.
Staying focused and competetive with these top tier programs has only helped Ferraro and the Toreros feel that they can make a run to Omaha.
"There's no doubt in my mind that this will end up as a successful season. We have an unreal pitching staff and a great group of hitters who all work extremely hard," Ferraro said.
Though the streak is an accomplishment that deserves recognition, so too is the long journey that Ferraro has taken to reach this point.
Ferraro originally came to USD straight out of high school to play baseball, but he was told he would have to redshirt. He decided to transfer to Orange Coast Community College in Costa Mesa, Calif., where he played two seasons with the Pirates, a team he led to two consecutive Southern California Super Regional appearances.
It was at Orange Coast that Ferraro hit a solid .331 with 44 RBI en route to earning an All-Orange Empire Conference selection. And it was at Orange Coast that bigger Division 1 programs began to take note of the 6'2'' lefty with a sweet swing.
USD was one of those programs, and they offered Ferraro a spot back on the Toreros roster. Unfortunately, in his first year back at USD he broke a bone in his hand, partially tore his hamstring and broke his thumb. This forced him to redshirt the entire 2009 season.
"Athletes know what it's like to have season-ending injuries. They also could probably agree that the main thing to help get past it are your teammates," Ferraro said.
Finally, Ferraro entered the 2010 season hoping to make an early impact and prove he belongs among the Division 1 ranks.
Following the victory over the Owls, Ferraro recorded a hit in the 9-8 loss to the Rice Owls the next day. But it was the game against UC Riverside that was Ferraro's official coming out party. He went 3-4 with an RBI in a 15-8 rout of the Highlanders, as the streak extended to three games.
It was a much needed victory for the Toreros before they had to travel across the country to take on the 10th-ranked team in the country, the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers. Ferraro did not play in the series opener until he was subbed in as a defensive replacement for James Meador in the seventh inning.
He did not record an at-bat and therefore his streak was not affected, but the team dropped a lopsided game 10-2 without the benefit of Ferraro's bat.
In the second game, with Ferraro back in the lineup, USD battled to a 5-3 victory behind another gem from sophomore Sammy Solis. Ferraro recorded a single in the eighth inning to extend the streak to four.
The rubber match between the Chanticleers and Toreros was a textbook pitchers' duel. But with the game tied 1-1 in the top of the ninth inning and both teams struggling to get anything going offensively, it was Ferraro who stepped up with a lead-off double, extending his hitting streak to five games and setting the table for a win. He eventually scored on a two-out double by Austin Green, giving the Toreros the lead heading into the bottom of the ninth. Matt Hauser closed the door in the bottom half giving USD a well-deserved 2-1 victory.
While the Toreros dropped an 8-6 contest the next day to the Hawaii Warriors, it was still Ferraro who shined for the offense. He went 3-5 with a run scored, and his hitting streak was extended to six games.
That is where things stood entering Monday, when the Toreros traveled to Tempe to take on the No. 1 team in the country, the Arizona State Sun Devils, for a brief two-game series.
The first game was one to forget, as the team was absolutely pummeled by a score of 15-0. Still, it's the little things that keep fans excited, and Ferraro's hitting streak could not be stopped despite seemingly everything else going against the Toreros. He recorded one of just five Toreros' hits to extend the streak to seven games.
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