Baseball Game Preview: University Trojans vs. Tustin Tillers

University is 0-3 against Tustin since March of 2015 but things could change on Saturday. University will take on Tustin at 11:15 a.m. Tustin took a loss in their last game and will be looking to turn the tables on University, who comes in off a win.

University took a loss when they played away from home on Tuesday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Thursday. They had just enough and edged out Irvine 3-2. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory the Trojans have posted against the Vaqueros since April 11, 2023.

Andrew Shean

Earned Runs

03/27/25 vs Irvine	1
02/17/25 vs Pacifica Christian	1

University got a great performance from Andrew Shean as he pitched six innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off three hits. Shean has become a key player for University: the team is 5-1 when he allows at most one earned run, but 2-3 otherwise.

On the hitting side, University's win was truly a team effort as six different players contributed at least one hit. One of them was Chase Nguyen, who went 1-for-2 with one double and one RBI.

Meanwhile, Tustin was not able to break out of their rough patch on Tuesday as the team picked up their fifth straight defeat. They came up short against Fullerton, falling 8-1.

Tustin also got a good showing from Nathan Saltzer, who pitched one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. Saltzer has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two hits in five consecutive appearances.

At the plate, Daniel Benally made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and went 1-for-3 with one home run.

University has been performing well recently as they've won four of their last five matchups. That's provided a nice bump to their 7-4 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.0 runs on average over those games. Tustin's loss dropped their record down to 2-8-1.

University suffered a grim 11-1 defeat to Tustin in their previous meeting back in April of 2018. Can University avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.