San Diego Toreros Final '07 Rank: 19 43-18

San Diego was a popular dark horse choice to make it Omaha for the first time in team history in 2007, and for good reason. With one of the best weekend rotations in the nation and a stacked, gritty top to bottom lineup, it appeared the Toreros were Omaha bound as they headed into the NCAAs. However despite earning a top eight national seed and the advantage of playing host during the postseason, USD was toppled out of contention in the first round. Nonetheless, the season was still a success as the Toreros finished the season with a new school record for wins (43-18) and established a new program high for national rankings, peaking in the top five for the first time.

The Toreros weekend rotation of Brian Matusz, Josh Romanski and Matt Couch will all be back in ’08. Matusz was a consensus All American selection after finishing his sophomore season with an overall record of 10-3 and a 2.85 ERA. The lefty also impressively struck out 163 batters in just 123 innings pitched. Matusz was a member of Team USA in the off season, as was Saturday starter and fellow southpaw Romanski. Romanski was an invaluable asset for the Toreros as one of the premier two-way players in the nation. He had a 9-1 record on the mound with a 3.16 ERA while also batting .335 as a DH and centerfielder. Couch went 9-2 hurling from the right side, with a 3.60 ERA. A fourth arm challenging Torero opposition in ’08 will be freshman Kyle Blair. In high school Blair had three no-hitters and a perfect game to his name. He was drafted in the fifth round by the Los Angeles Dodgers, but chose to attend USD instead as a part of what Baseball America regarded the nation’s best recruiting class. Sophomore AJ Griffin will be in the bullpen again after receiving countless accolades for his freshman pitching feats. Griffin went 6-2 with a 2.70 ERA and led the team with 11 saves while holding opposition to a .212 batting average. A final talented Torero worth mentioning is transfer Matt Thompson. Thompson, who pitched for Santa Rosa Community College in ’07, was named the number one prospect out of the summer Alaska League after he went 4-4, with an ERA of 2.37 and had only seven walks with 33 strikeouts in 42 innings.

While pitching most certainly shouldn’t be a question mark, the offense for San Diego has some holes to fill as USD lost their three best run producers in Shane Buschini (.348, 13, 58), Jordan Abruzzo (.332, 8, 59) and Justin Snyder (.352, 4, 36). The before mentioned Romanski is back in the outfield, as well as a trio of experienced veterans who will need to elevate their game if the Toreros are to go deep into the postseason. Junior shortstop Sean Nicol had the most homeruns of returning players, circling the bases five times in ’07, with a .300 batting average. He was also second on the team in stolen bases with nine. Seniors Logan Gelbrich and the Kevin Hansen each contributed a .316 batting average during San Diego’s record breaking season. Gelbrich, who has split time between catcher and DH, added twenty extra base hits and Hansen, a versatile infielder or outfielder, started in all 61 games for the Toreros. Incoming freshman Victor Sanchez was tabbed as owning one of the finest young swings in college baseball. A member of the USA Baseball Junior Nation Team, Sanchez earned praise for his ability to hit the ball and his smooth, powerful swing. Over the summer he launched 93 mph fastball for a home run against future USD teammate Kyle Blair in a game.