PRIYA COOPER / SPORTS EDITOR

USD baseball started its season this past weekend with the Tony Gwynn Legacy tournament on Friday, Feb. 20, where   they  hosted  the University of Utah before taking on Creighton on Saturday, Feb. 21.    

Tony Gwynn is considered a San Diego baseball legend. His full name was Anthony Keith Gwynn Sr. and he was nicknamed “Mr. Padre.” Gwynn  was an American professional baseball right fielder who played 20 seasons in Major League Baseball for the San Diego Padres and while he passed away in 2014 at 54 years old, is still considered the face of the Padres. A tournament is held in San Diego every spring in Gwynn’s honor, featuring multiple collegiate baseball teams. 

The Toreros concluded the weekend of games on Sunday, Feb. 22, with a crosstown showdown at San Diego State. The  first two games were played at home at Fowler Park on  Cunningham Field, while the final game against SDSU was played at Tony Gwynn Stadium.

The Toreros dominated the game against the University of Utah, winning 8-4. USD senior and infielder Connor Meidroth shared his goals going into the weekend. 

“I’d say it’s more team-oriented with us,” Meidroth said. “Everything’s about the team, kind of, just go 3 and 0. And to just try and win every game and be the best you can for each other  and all the guys out there.”

Meidroth, who hit in the leadoff spot Friday night, had a two-hit night for the Toreros, which marked his second straight two-hit game. 

“I think we easily can make it very far this season, but right now we’re just focused on one game at a time,” Meidroth said. “I think the key to success is not looking at the future, just kind of focusing on the present and seeing where it takes you.”

USD senior and right-handed pitcher Drake Frize also discussed the Toreros hopes for the opening campaign. 

“Our main goals are to stay present and play clean, San Diego baseball,” Frize said. “For us, that means attacking each pitch with intent, trusting our prior work and preparation, and playing for each other. We talk a lot about focusing on one pitch at a time, and when you do that well, it turns into winning innings and eventually, winning games. So the focus is really on executing the little things consistently. This would be throwing strikes, playing  solid  defense,  stringing together quality at-bats, and staying locked in together from the first pitch to the last.”

USD sophomore right-handed pitcher Fernando Palencia emphasized the team’s focus on growth and consistency as the season continues.

“No matter the result of this weekend, we’ll build off what we did well and tune up what we could do better to prepare for the rest of spring,” Palencia said.

On Feb. 21, the Toreros played Creighton University and got ahead early, with a 7–0 advantage through the first two innings. The momentum only continued to increase, and the Toreros powered past the Creighton Bluejays 15–5 in the Tony Gwynn Legacy to secure their fourth consecutive win. After Creighton plated five runs in the fifth to trim San Diego’s lead to 8–5, the Toreros went on to score three in the bottom of the inning and added four more in the sixth to put the game out of reach.

Frize explained how the games this past weekend will set the  tone  for  the rest of the season, and getting these wins early on in the season is imperative. 

“I personally feel like all games are really important for us,” Frize said. “But these first few are important because they’re our first opportunity to show who we are and what we’re about as a team.”

Frize also described how the team will move forward after the opening weekend and use it as a chance to start making improvements early. 

“Early in the season, the biggest thing is establishing our identity in how we prepare, how we compete, and how we respond to adversity together,” Frize said. “If we can come out focused on the things we can control that naturally sets the tone for the rest of the year.”

Sunday, the Toreros played SDSU and were victorious once again, winning 15-4 over SDSU in the 11 Tony Gwynn Legacy Tournament ever held. The Toreros had 10 walks and eight stolen bases throughout the game and dominated every inning. The game marked their fifth consecutive win out of the seven games played so far. 

Following the conclusion of the Tony Gwynn legacy games, the Toreros looked at how they can use the momentum to keep the team motivated and on track to keep winning. 

Palencia explained what he is most excited for this season following the recent victories. 

“I’m most excited about competing with this group of guys and seeing how much we can grow,” Palencia said. “The energy and chemistry this group has is special. We all share the same goal of winning the WCC and more and having that in common pushes us to hold each other accountable all the time”

Frize stressed that the team’s mindset and preparation are the foundation for getting results and claimed their energy and ability to work as a team are key factors moving forward for the rest of the season as they look past the most recent tournament.

“Success for us starts with how we prepare and how we compete together,” Frize said. “If we play with energy, stay connected in the dugout, and keep our focus on what we can control, that’s when we’re at our best. Obviously winning is what we want, but more than anything we want to come out of the weekend knowing we played our style of baseball, one pitch at a time, one game at a time, and staying fully committed to each other. When we do that, the results usually take care of themselves.”

The Toreros are set to play the University of Michigan starting this Friday, Feb. 27 back at home at Fowler Park. There will be a three game series over the course of the weekend with one event each day from until Sunday, March 1. 

USD baseball celebrates after a win over University of Utah.  Photo courtesy of @usdbaseball/Instagram