By Kirk Kenney | kirk.kenney@sduniontribune.com | The San Diego Union-Tribune
UPDATED: February 14, 2025 at 8:19 PM PST
Editor’s note: All week long, the Union-Tribune is previewing San Diego’s college baseball teams. Up next: USD.
The glory years for the University of San Diego baseball program came during a 12-year stretch from 2002-13 when the Toreros reached the NCAA Tournament eight times.
Might USD be on the cusp of a second such era of success?
The Toreros have played in the NCAA Regionals in two of the past three years, and fourth-year coach Brock Ungricht has them poised to play in the postseason again this year.
USD was picked to finish first in the West Coast Conference’s preseason poll. The Toreros will be well-tested by the time conference play begins. They open the season this weekend with a four-game home series against No. 23 TCU.
Three-game road series against highly-regarded Arizona and Oregon State follow before the season is a month old.
There also is a weekday home game against UC Irvine and one on the road against UC Santa Barbara, where the Toreros saw the 2024 season conclude in the NCAA Regionals.
“We look forward to the start of our 2025 season with a very strong nonconference schedule,” Ungricht said. “Our goal year in and year out is to win the WCC and advance to the NCAA Tournament. I feel strongly about the experience we have had as of late to push us further past our goal.”
Regionals aren’t routine for USD, but they aren’t out of the ordinary, either. The next step to take is winning one and advancing for the first time in school history to a Super Regional, one step from the College World Series.
The Toreros return more than a dozen players from last year’s team, led by pitchers/outfielders Logan Reddemann and Austin Smith (Granite Hills High School) and first baseman Jack Gurevitch. The three were preseason all-WCC selections.
“Having two returning All-American starting pitchers, two-way guys, is a step in the right direction for the season ahead,” Ungricht said. “Our staff does a tremendous job developing our players and we are excited about the talent we’ve brought in on the offensive side.”
Redshirt freshman right-hander Cal Scolari, who missed last season with an arm injury, started Friday night’s opener against TCU. He allowed one hit over five shutout innings with nine strikeouts.
2024 record: 41-15 overall; 20-4 West Coast Conference
Top returners: OF/LHP Austin Smith (.314, 7 HR, 39 RBIs / 7-0, 3.49 ERA), RHP/OF Logan Reddemann (7-4, 4.01 ERA), 1B Jack Gurevitch (.324, 9 HR, 36 RBIs), RHP Drake Frize (3-1, 2.38 ERA), RHP, Cal Scolari, C Nico Libed, 3B Ryan Ward, OF Gabe D’Arcy.
Key additions: The Toreros brought in 11 players from the transfer portal. Graduate RHP Andrew Mosiello will get a chance to start Monday against the TCU team he played for last season. Infielder Isaiah Lane (Eastlake High School) returns from Oklahoma, where he batted .321 over 26 games. RHP David Horn Jr. pitched two years at Vanderbilt. C Jayden Jobliner batted .252 across two seasons at Kansas State.
Outlook: The Toreros lost seven of their top nine hitters, including leading hitter Jakob Christian (.364, 26 HR, 67 RBIs), so reassembling an offense that averaged 7 1/2 runs a game has been a priority. Ungricht is confident the pieces are there, but it could take some time to find its footing. There is more experience returning on the mound and some key additions, so the pitching could carry the club early on. The biggest question is at the back of the bullpen, where the Toreros must replace veteran Conner Thurman (4-0, 1.40 ERA, 5 SV).
Preseason prediction: West Coast Conference coaches poll: 1. USD (8 first-place votes), 2. Portland (1), T3. Gonzaga, T3. Saint Mary’s, 5. Santa Clara, 6. Loyola Marymount, 7. Pepperdine, 8. San Francisco, 9. Pacific.
WCC Tournament: The 2025 WCC Tournament is May 21-24 at Las Vegas Ballpark. ESPNU will broadcast the championship game. ESPN+ will show other tournament games and regular conference home games.
