Photo by: Christina Leung
USF Athletics Expands Bridge to Excellence Fund to Include Baseball
5/14/2026 12:16:00 PM | Baseball
Leadership gift ignites momentum for student-athlete support and competitive excellence
SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. – The University of San Francisco (USF) Athletics Department announced the expansion of its Bridge to Excellence Fund to include baseball, marking a significant step forward in the department's commitment to supporting student-athletes in a rapidly evolving collegiate athletics landscape.
The expansion is supported by a philanthropic commitment from a member of the Dons community, providing early momentum for baseball with their own Bridge to Excellence Fund, signaling strong confidence in the future of the program.
The Bridge to Excellence Funds are USF's institutionally administered funds designed to support student-athlete revenue share and overall competitive excellence. Originally launched with a primary emphasis on men's and women's basketball, the initiative now extends to baseball as part of a broader strategy to invest in recruitment, retention, and student-athlete development.
"This is an important moment for San Francisco baseball and our athletics program as a whole," said Interim Director of Athletics Stephanie Shrieve-Hawkins. "The expansion of the Bridge to Excellence initiative reflects both the changing landscape of college athletics and the strength of belief our community has in the future of the baseball program. The positive culture fostered under Head Coach Rob DiToma's leadership has inspired significant generosity, for which we are deeply grateful."
That belief is grounded in clear on-field progress. Under the current coaching staff, San Francisco has increased its overall win total in recent seasons by at least 2.6 wins each year while continuing to elevate its competitiveness within the West Coast Conference. The program has shown measurable improvement in conference play, as its 13 conference victories are the most for the program since 2022 (14). The Dons remain in position to secure the program's highest conference finish since 2013, when they went 15-9 in WCC play and finished tied for third in the final conference standings. In 2025, DiToma helped the program break the team single-season home run record with 66 total home runs, and since arriving on the Hilltop in June 2022, eight different players have earned All-WCC recognition, and five have earned All-Academic honors.
Along with the team's success on the Hilltop, the program under DiToma's leadership has also seen Blake Shepardson being drafted in the 11th Round by the Chicago White Sox in the 2024 Major League Baseball (MLB) Draft. Alumni Mattie Thomas, Aidan Risse, and Michael Campagna have also signed contracts with professional affiliated leagues.
This upward trajectory reflects meaningful gains in player development, roster depth, and overall program stability. San Francisco baseball continues to narrow the gap at the top of the conference and position itself for sustained success.
Recent changes in NCAA policy now permit institutions to directly support student-athletes through revenue sharing and expanded name, image, and likeness opportunities. In response, USF Athletics has transitioned these efforts fully in-house, with the University directly entering agreements with student-athletes to license and commercialize their name, image, and likeness as part of a comprehensive and compliant program.
The Baseball Bridge to Excellence Fund will provide critical resources to support student-athlete retention and recruitment, aligning with USF's mission-driven approach to developing student-athletes both on and off the field. Contributions to the fund are made directly to the University of San Francisco and are tax-deductible.
San Francisco Athletics invites alumni, supporters, and members of the Dons community to join in supporting the Baseball Bridge to Excellence Fund and contributing to the continued success of its student-athletes.
For updates and more information on the University of San Francisco baseball program, follow @SFDonsBaseball on X, @USFDonsBaseball on Instagram, and @University.of.San.Francisco.Baseball on Facebook.
For updates and more information on University of San Francisco Athletics, follow the Dons @DonsAthletics on X, @DonsAthletics on Instagram, @DonsAthletics on Facebook, @DonsAthletics on TikTok, and subscribe to our YouTube Channel @USFDonsAthletics.
The expansion is supported by a philanthropic commitment from a member of the Dons community, providing early momentum for baseball with their own Bridge to Excellence Fund, signaling strong confidence in the future of the program.
The Bridge to Excellence Funds are USF's institutionally administered funds designed to support student-athlete revenue share and overall competitive excellence. Originally launched with a primary emphasis on men's and women's basketball, the initiative now extends to baseball as part of a broader strategy to invest in recruitment, retention, and student-athlete development.
"This is an important moment for San Francisco baseball and our athletics program as a whole," said Interim Director of Athletics Stephanie Shrieve-Hawkins. "The expansion of the Bridge to Excellence initiative reflects both the changing landscape of college athletics and the strength of belief our community has in the future of the baseball program. The positive culture fostered under Head Coach Rob DiToma's leadership has inspired significant generosity, for which we are deeply grateful."
That belief is grounded in clear on-field progress. Under the current coaching staff, San Francisco has increased its overall win total in recent seasons by at least 2.6 wins each year while continuing to elevate its competitiveness within the West Coast Conference. The program has shown measurable improvement in conference play, as its 13 conference victories are the most for the program since 2022 (14). The Dons remain in position to secure the program's highest conference finish since 2013, when they went 15-9 in WCC play and finished tied for third in the final conference standings. In 2025, DiToma helped the program break the team single-season home run record with 66 total home runs, and since arriving on the Hilltop in June 2022, eight different players have earned All-WCC recognition, and five have earned All-Academic honors.
Along with the team's success on the Hilltop, the program under DiToma's leadership has also seen Blake Shepardson being drafted in the 11th Round by the Chicago White Sox in the 2024 Major League Baseball (MLB) Draft. Alumni Mattie Thomas, Aidan Risse, and Michael Campagna have also signed contracts with professional affiliated leagues.
This upward trajectory reflects meaningful gains in player development, roster depth, and overall program stability. San Francisco baseball continues to narrow the gap at the top of the conference and position itself for sustained success.
Recent changes in NCAA policy now permit institutions to directly support student-athletes through revenue sharing and expanded name, image, and likeness opportunities. In response, USF Athletics has transitioned these efforts fully in-house, with the University directly entering agreements with student-athletes to license and commercialize their name, image, and likeness as part of a comprehensive and compliant program.
The Baseball Bridge to Excellence Fund will provide critical resources to support student-athlete retention and recruitment, aligning with USF's mission-driven approach to developing student-athletes both on and off the field. Contributions to the fund are made directly to the University of San Francisco and are tax-deductible.
San Francisco Athletics invites alumni, supporters, and members of the Dons community to join in supporting the Baseball Bridge to Excellence Fund and contributing to the continued success of its student-athletes.
For updates and more information on the University of San Francisco baseball program, follow @SFDonsBaseball on X, @USFDonsBaseball on Instagram, and @University.of.San.Francisco.Baseball on Facebook.
For updates and more information on University of San Francisco Athletics, follow the Dons @DonsAthletics on X, @DonsAthletics on Instagram, @DonsAthletics on Facebook, @DonsAthletics on TikTok, and subscribe to our YouTube Channel @USFDonsAthletics.
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