First Pitch
USF (14-15, 2-7 WCC) wrapped up a season-long eight-game road stretch this past week and is looking to take advantage of back-to-back WCC series at home, starting this weekend when they host Saint Mary's (18-10, 3-3 WCC) in a three-game set. The Dons are hoping to rebound from a sweep at San Diego this past weekend and a 4-2 loss at San Diego State on Monday. Meanwhile, the Gaels suffered a sweep of their own at BYU before defeating Nevada, 6-1, on Wednesday.      
 
The Dons At a Glance...                                  
THIS PAST WEEK

• Suffered a 6-4 loss to San Diego in the series opener this past Friday, falling victim to a three-run home run in the bottom of the seventh off Thomas Ponticelli; Michael Perri and Harrison Bruce each went 3-for-4 in the opener
• In game two, Allen Smoot went 2-for-4 with two RBI, but the Dons committed four errors that resulted in four unearned runs en route to an 8-4 defeat
• Riley Helland went 3-for-4 and Dominic Miroglio and Michael Perri each collected two hits in the series finale, but USF fell behind 8-0 after six innings and wasn't able to recover in the 8-2 loss
• Against the Aztecs on Monday, Matt Sinatro connected for his second home run of the year, but the Dons were only able to muster two runs while leaving four runners in scoring position in the 4-2 loss

WHO'S HOT?
Riley Helland has made the most out of his recent opportunity to see his name in the starting lineup, going 9-for-16 with four runs scored over his last five games, which include four starts. Meanwhile, Allen Smoot continues to produce at the plate, hitting .405 (15-37) over his last 10 games, including a team-best seven RBI and seven runs scored. On the mound, right-hander Brendan Jenkins has stepped up big out of the bullpen, posting a 0.96 ERA while allowing just one earned run over his last eight appearances with 14 strikeouts and a save over 9.1 innings during that stretch.       
 
SMOOT BRINGS THE BAT
Allen Smoot has been as steady an offensive presence as the Dons have had this year, ranking in the top-10 in the WCC in hitting (.343), on base percentage (.426), and walks (16). Smoot has registered hits in 13 of the last 15 contests, seven of which have been multi-hit performances, highlighted by a season-best 4-for-5 day in the series finale at Gonzaga on Mar. 26. Altogether, Smoot leads the team in multi-hit performances (10) and is second in multi-RBI games (6).
 
SPEED KILLS
The Dons rank second in the conference with 41 stolen bases as a team. Individually, Tyler Villaroman (12), Matt Sinatro (10), and Harrison Bruce (8) each rank among the top-10 in the WCC this season. Sinatro is trying to match last season's total of 26 stolen bases, which was the eighth-most for a single season in USF history.
 
IF IT AIN'T BROKE
Left-hander Scott Parker leads the conference in appearances this year with 18. Parker is 2-1 with a 2.30 ERA working exclusively out of the bullpen, primarily in late-game situations where he boasts a 2.45 ERA in the seventh, eighth and ninth innings combined. He has thrown 11 innings in the seventh, eighth and ninth this season, allowing just three earned runs while striking out nine.  
 
 
Scouting Report
 
About Saint Mary's
At 3-3 in conference play, the Gaels enter the weekend tied (with Pepperdine) for fifth place in the WCC standings. After getting swept at BYU this past weekend, the Gaels bounced back with a 6-1 win at Nevada on Wednesday. Saint Mary's posted a series sweep of Portland at home during their first weekend of WCC play. The Gaels' nonconference schedule has featured some big names and some big wins that includes splitting a four-game set with then-No. 10 Washington in Moraga, a midweek win on the road over then-No. 23 UC Santa Barbara, a victory in game two of a three-game series at Vanderbilt, and suffering a ninth-inning come-from-behind 4-3 loss to No. 1 Oregon State in midweek action at home. As a team, the Gaels rank in the middle of the conference in most categories, but they have been the most difficult team to strikeout this season, tallying a WCC-low 164 strikeouts overall. Junior outfielder Joey Fiske leads the team at the plate with a .313 batting average and ranks sixth in the conference with 36 hits, while junior infielder Zach Kirtley leads the conference in walks (25) and ranks among the top-10 in on base percentage (.425). On the mound, sophomore righty Conner Loeprich (3-0, 1.74 ERA) will get the ball in Friday's series opener, while freshman right-hander Kevin Milam leads the WCC with nine saves.
 
Series Notes Against Saint Mary's
USF holds a 37-19 advantage over Saint Mary's in the series during Nino Giarratano's tenure (since 1999). The Gaels took two of three last season in Moraga, giving SMC their first series victory over the Dons since 2011, however the Dons have won seven of the last 11 meetings. Neither team has earned a sweep since USF swept the Gaels in three straight seasons from 2005-2007, which came in the middle of an 11-game winning streak over SMC that stands as the longest for either side while Giarratano has been at the helm. The last time Saint Mary's swept USF was in 2000.     
   
Last Time Out
The Dons hung around but were unable to overcome an early hole as their offense struggled to capitalize on scoring opportunities in a 4-2 loss to San Diego State on Monday afternoon at Tony Gwynn Stadium. Trailing 2-0 after the second frame, USF got a solo home run from Matt Sinatro in the third inning and an RBI single by Harrison Bruce in the fifth, but were unable to take the lead. Allen Smoot went 2-for-4 for the Dons and Riley Helland scored a run. After a 1-2-3 first inning, the Aztecs got to USF starter Sam Granoff with a pair of runs in the bottom of the second. Chase Calabuig drove in the first run with an RBI single, followed by an infield single from Dean Nevarez that pushed across the second run. Granoff was relieved by right-hander Joey Carney, who also enjoyed a flawless first inning before allowing an RBI double by Calabuig in the bottom of the fourth that put San Diego State up 3-1. In the Dons' half of the fifth, an error on a pickoff attempt by SDSU pitcher Harrison Pyatt helped put Helland in scoring position after he had singled, setting up Bruce's two-out run-scoring base hit three batters later that cut the deficit to one. However, that would be as close as USF would get as the Aztecs plated an insurance run in the eighth on Jordan Verdon's sacrifice fly that was setup by a pair of back-to-back bunt singles that put runners in scoring position.

On Deck
Following the weekend series with the Gaels, USF will head out to the Central Valley for a Tuesday matchup at Fresno State slated for a 6 p.m. first pitch. The Dons then return to Benedetti Diamond to host Portland in WCC action next weekend.    
 
Fan Guide
                                                         
Promotions
Every Sunday home game this season, the USF Dons are offering the Family 4-Pack. For just $44, fans get 4 reserved seating tickets, 4 Evergood hot dogs, and 4 sodas! Tickets for this Sunday's game can be purchased at USFDons.com.
 
This Sunday's series finale versus Saint Mary's will be Autism Awareness Day at USF as we promote awareness, inclusion, and acceptance of those with Autism both in the classroom, on the field, and beyond.  
 
Ticket Information
Individual game tickets for all USF home games at Benedetti Diamond are available online at USFDons.com or by calling (415) 422-2USF. General admission tickets are available for as low as $10, while reserved seats can be purchased for $15. All USFCA faculty, staff and students with a valid ID, and youth 12 and under enter free.
 
Parking Information
Parking on campus for baseball games requires a day-use permit that can be purchased at the parking kiosk in the Hayes-Healy parking lot (located along Golden Gate Ave. in between War Memorial at the Sobrato Center and the Hayes Healy dorms). This permit is also good at the Koret Health and Recreation Center lot (at the corner of Parker Ave. and Turk St.). Street parking is also available around campus, but visitors are reminded to take notice of signs displaying city parking restrictions for each street. Refer to the USF Department of Public Safety parking webpage for a map of parking on campus.