VILLANOVA, Pa. – Villanova (1-6) heads west for a total of seven games over spring break. The 'Cats kicks off their California tour with a weekend series against the University of San Francisco (3-2) starting on Friday, March 3 with first pitch at 1:00 p.m. PST/4:00 p.m. EST. Game two of the series will start at 1:00 p.m. PST/4:00 p.m. EST on Saturday and the series will conclude Sunday with a 12:00 p.m. PST/3:00 p.m. EST first pitch. Fans can watch all three games on the WCC Network.
Projected Starters:
Friday, March 3 | 1:00 p.m. PST/4:00 p.m. EST | Live Stats | Watch
Villanova:
Sal Fusco
San Francisco: TBA
Saturday, March 4 | 1:00 p.m. PST/4:00 p.m. EST | Live Stats | Watch
Villanova:
Devin Rivera
San Francisco: TBA
Sunday, March 5| 12:00 p.m. PST/3:00 p.m. EST | Live Stats | Watch
Villanova: TBA
San Francisco: TBA
Unfamiliar Foes: This will be the first ever meeting between Villanova and University of San Francisco.
Catching A Break: Senior catcher
John Whooley comes off a solid performance against Towson in a midweek match up having hit an RBI double to left field in the top of the second. Whooley also had seven putouts, two assists, and caught a runner attempting to steal second in the game.
Putting In Work: Graduate transfer
Zach Camp pitched for 2.1 innings against Towson after Villanova made a call to the bullpen in the bottom of the second. Camp struck out two batters without allowing any hits or runs in his time on the mound. Graduate Transfer
Stephen Turzai came in to relieve Camp to start the bottom of the fifth for a total of 2.0 innings. Turzai faced the most batters of the day (10) and struck out one while only allowing one run.
Digging Into The Dons
- San Francisco began the 2023 campaign with three wins and a loss to Utah on opening weekend and a close loss in a midweek game against Fresno State this past week. The Dons were slated to take on CSUN last weekend, but the series was canceled due to inclement weather.
- Graduate outfielder Harris Williams III was recognized as a WCC Honorable Mention at the end of his senior season hitting .281 with 10 doubles, one triple, six homers, and 45 runs batted in. In his first five games this season, Williams has gone 9-for-20 slashing .450/.455/.650 and stole two bases on three attempts. This season he leads the team in hits (9), doubles (4), RBI (5), and runs scored (7).
- Junior infielder Mario DeMera is also a player to watch for the Dons. This season he slashes a .409/.409/.500 with nine hits, two doubles, four runs scored, and has driven in four runs for the Dons.
- The Dons welcome a new head coach, Rob DiToma, to lead the program this season. DiToma previously held the head job at Fairleigh Dickinson in 2019 and had lots of success on the field and in reshaping the culture of the program. FDU posted the program's best record in five years in 2022 (24-30) with DiToma at the helm.
