TOREROS BULLISH ON CHANCES AT REGIONAL
In NCAAs for first time since ’13, USD heading to Corvallis
It had been nine years since the University of San Diego baseball team gathered in the school’s Warren Hospitality Suite for the NCAA Division I Tournament Selection Show.
USD renewed the tradition on Monday morning, with Toreros players and coaches crowded into the suite with a couple dozen family members and friends.
It was a festive atmosphere, USD secure in the knowledge that it was included in the 64-team field by virtue of Saturday’s 11-inning, 15-12 victory over Gonzaga for the West Coast Conference Tournament championship.
The automatic regionals berth eliminated a lot of anxiety.
Had USD been among those teams sweating it out for an at-large entry, the Toreros would have been on pins and needles waiting to see “San Diego” flashed on the television screen.
USD was the 63rd team named. The Toreros (36-18) were assigned to the fourteam Corvallis Regional. The only team that had to wait longer than USD to learn its fate was Vanderbilt, the Toreros’ opponent in Friday’s 1 p.m. (ESPNU) opener.
Regional host Oregon State (44-15), the No. 1 seed in the regional and No. 3 national seed, will open against No. 4 New Mexico State (2432) on Friday at 7 p.m.
“I couldn’t be more proud of my guys to see them embrace the moment and take it all in today,” first-year USD head coach Brock Ungricht said. “It hasn’t happened in nine years. It’s about making it (back), but to see them fired up to play, to get ready to get back on the road and get back out there, that’s special.”
The winner of the Corvallis Regional advances to next week’s best-of-three Super Regionals against the winner of the Auburn Regional that includes host Auburn, UCLA, Florida State and Southeastern Louisiana.
The eight Super Regional winners advance to the 75th College World Series, which will be played June 16-27 in Omaha, Neb.
This is the ninth NCAA Tournament appearance for the Toreros. It is the first trip since the Kris Bryant-led 2013 team qualified, when most of these Toreros were in middle school.
“It’s a really cool feeling,” said USD catcher Caleb Ricketts, who was named WCC tournament MVP after
batting .647 with five home runs and 12 RBIs in four games. “I’m super excited. The environment at Oregon State, obviously, is going to be very cool. They represent very well up there, so it will be a really fun regional.”
One of the rallying cries for USD this season was “win one more.”
It referenced finishing a game behind Gonzaga for last year’s WCC title. It left the Toreros hoping for an atlarge berth that never came.
They left nothing to chance this season, making the moment more special by beating the Bulldogs to clinch the WCC tournament title. Gonzaga also made the tournament and will play at Virginia Tech.
No. 3 regional seed USD is expected to start sophomore left-hander Brycen Mautz (9-2, 4.09 ERA, 124 SO/21 BB in 832⁄3 IP) against No. 2 seed Vanderbilt.
“It really feels good to go in, sweep the (WCC) tournament and really solidify ourselves this year,” said Mautz, a Westview High graduate. “It’s really fun, awesome to hear, and I’m glad I get to do it on a bigger stage with this team that definitely deserves it.”
Vanderbilt (36-21) finished fourth in the SEC East this season. This is the 16th straight regionals appearance for the Commodores, who won national championships in 2014 and 2019 and finished runner-up to Mississippi
State for last year’s title.
The Vanderbilt lineup includes one local player, former La Costa Canyon High standout Spencer Jones, a junior outfielder who batted a team-high .367 with nine home runs, nine RBIs and 12 stolen bases.
Oregon State is making its 15th regionals appearance in 16 years.
The Beavers have made six College World Series appearances
during that span, winning national championships in 2006, 2007 and 2018.
New Mexico State (24-32) reached the tournament by virtue of winning the Western Athletic Conference Tournament. This is the Aggies’ second NCAA Tournament appearance in the past 10 years.