Last Tuesday marked the end of a very difficult non-conference schedule for the Toreros. The team entered the season as a favorite to contend for a spot in the NCAA Tournament in Omaha. They were such favorites, in fact, that they were ranked as high as 14th in the country, according to one preseason poll.
But as is the case with most things in life, not all has gone according to plan for the Toreros baseball team.
"I feel like we definitely could have played better, but we did have some really solid wins against some of the better teams in the country, which is important. We're just taking it one game at a times," senior pitcher Matt Hauser said of the slow start.
As far as good teams go, USD entered a two-game series with the absolute best in college baseball, the No. 1 Arizona State Sun Devils. While sporting a disappointing 14-12 record, the Toreros came in to the series hoping to steal a victory and build their confidence heading in to conference play.
But the team was unable to overcome the talented Sun Devils. They dropped the first game in embarrassing fashion by the score of 15-0, and squandered a five run lead in the second game, ultimately falling by a score of 11-6.
To make matters even worse, the game snapped Mike Ferraro's seven-game hitting streak that had brought so much life into the Toreros clubhouse.
The loss also brought an end to the rough non-conference schedule. Though not much went the way the Toreros would have hoped, they still came out of it with a .500 record (14-14). While that alone would not be enough to get the team to Omaha, with a full schedule of WCC opponents left to play, the Toreros still have the opportunity.
"I expect us to take it one game at a time and give it 100 percent every game and whatever happens, happens. That's all I can ask of myself and my teammates," Hauser said of his expectations for conference play.
Friday marked the beginning of this second chance when WCC foe Loyola Marymount came to town for a three game weekend series. The Lions entered the series sporting a 15-12 record.
USD came to the stadium ready to announce to every other team in the WCC that they were still the team to beat in the conference. In the first game, Zack Kometani led an offensive outburst by going 4-4 with three RBI and three runs scored, highlighted by towering 410-foot home run. The Toreros matched their season high in runs scored in one game as they routed the Lions 15-2.
Game two featured yet another gem by sophomore Sammy Solis, who continues to be the staple of consistency on the Toreros pitching staff. The lefty tossed 7.2 masterful innings, allowing just one run. Hauser recorded the final four outs as the Toreros cruised to a 6-1 victory.
The win improved Solis' record on the season to a team-best 5-1, which has teammates raving about his dominating start. "He has been unreal for us this year," Hauser said. "He is definitely one of the best pitchers in college baseball and he has really started to show it his past couple of starts."
The Toreros looked to complete the sweep on Sunday. With the score tied 2-2, Hauser came on and continued to prove himself as the most effective pitcher out of the Toreros' bullpen this season. He threw just one pitch to record the final out in the top of the ninth, setting up the Toreros for a chance at a walk off win.
With the bases loaded and two outs in the bottom of the ninth, senior Chris Engel stepped up to the plate with a golden opportunity to play the hero. He took one the opposite way and singled to right field, completing the sweep of the Lions with a 3-2 victory.
"I feel really good after [this] series. We showed that we can perform to a very high level in every aspect of the game," Hauser said of the sweep of the Lions, and improving his record to 3-1 on the season,
The game put the Toreros' record at 17-14 on the season; but more importantly it put their conference record at 3-0.
In order to advance to Omaha, the Toreros will need to continue to dominate other conference foes the way they did against LMU, and Hauser likes their chances
"There is no other team I'd rather be a part of, and I love our chances against anyone in the country," Hauser said. "If we play to the best of our abilities we will be fine for the rest of the year."
The Toreros open up another important three-game series against conference rival the Santa Clara Broncos on Friday at 3 p.m. at Cunningham Stadium. The Toreros will look to extend their undefeated conference play.
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