Pepperdine Baseball History

Heading into its 78th season of intercollegiate play, the Pepperdine baseball program has long been known as one of the nation’s finest.

Since fielding its initial team at the old campus in South-Central Los Angeles back in 1939, Pepperdine has established a baseball tradition that is rich in history. Pepperdine has compiled a cumulative record of 2,064-1,461-24 (.585)* and has won 17 West Coast Conference regular-season championships. Additionally, the Waves have appeared in postseason play 34 times, including 30* appearances in various NCAA Tournaments.

1992 NCAA Champions

The Pepperdine baseball program reached the pinnacle in June 1992 as the Waves captured the College World Series title. Pepperdine defeated local rival Cal State Fullerton in the championship game by a final score of 3-2 in front of 17,000 fans at Rosenblatt Stadium in Omaha, Neb.

Through the 2015 season, 34 former Pepperdine players have enjoyed Major League Baseball careers. One of the most notable was Mike Scott, the 1986 National League Cy Young Award winner with the Houston Astros. Former Pepperdine players on 2015 MLB rosters included Dan Haren (Chicago Cubs), Randy Wolf (Detroit Tigers) and Jon Moscot (Cincinnati Reds) who made his debut in 2015.

Mike Scott / Dan Haren / Randy Wolf

Between 1978 and 2009, the Waves ran off a remarkable 32* seasons in a row with 30 or more victories. Pepperdine became an established collegiate baseball power in the 1950s under the guidance of head coach John Scolinos. The Waves advanced to the District 8 Playoffs in 1955, 1957 and 1960. The 1957 team was within one game of a College World Series berth before losing to eventual national champion California in Berkeley.

In the mid-1970s, Pepperdine won three consecutive WCC titles under the guidance of Wayne Wright who later served as the University’s Director of Athletics. The team competed in the District 8 Playoffs in 1974, 1975 and 1976.

1979 Waves

Pepperdine advanced to the College World Series for the first time in 1979 under then-first-year head coach Dave Gorrie. After finishing second in the rugged Southern California Baseball Association, Pepperdine won the Mideast Regional in East Lansing, Mich., defeating San Diego State in the title game by a final score of 13-2.

The Waves lost their opening game at the 1979 College World Series to Arkansas by a final score of 5-4, but rebounded to defeat Miami (9-4), Mississippi State (5-4) and Texas (6-4) before being eliminated by SCBA rival Cal State Fullerton by a final count of 8-5. Pepperdine finished third at the eight-team event and compiled a school-record total of 53 victories.

Pepperdine’s success continued during the 1980s, as the team advanced to the NCAA Tournament six more times. Four of those squads advanced to the regional championship before being eliminated. The 1987 team established a school record by winning 21 consecutive games and was ranked as high as #2 in the national polls.

The WCC was reinstituted for baseball prior to the 1984 campaign, and Pepperdine has been the league’s dominant program, winning or sharing 15 of the 32 regular-season championships since that time.

Pepperdine shook off years of postseason frustration in 1992 as the Waves defeated Hawaii by a final score of 9-0 to win the NCAA West Regional at Tucson, Ariz. The Waves quickly became the crowd favorite at the 1992 College World Series, posting shutout wins over Wichita State (6-0) and Texas (7-0). After recording a dramatic come-from-behind 5-4 win over Texas, Pepperdine edged Cal State Fullerton, 3-2, in the first-ever NCAA championship game to feature two teams from the same state.

1992 NCAA Champions

Pepperdine’s success continued throughout the 1990s as the school compiled a 381-189-3 (.668) record during the decade, the 18th-best winning percentage nationally over that 10-year period. There were five regional appearances in the ‘90s, and the Waves capped off the decade by posting a 46-16 overall record and advancing to the championship game of the 1999 Los Angeles Regional at USC. Pepperdine finished the year with a Top 20 ranking and was ranked as high as #3 during the season.

The Waves experienced even more success during Steve Rodriguez' 12 years as head coach, winning three straight WCC titles between 2004-06 and making five straight regional appearances betweeen 2004-08*. The 2006 season marked a new milestone in program history as Pepperdine hosted its first-ever NCAA Regional. The Waves won the WCC title and advanced to NCAA play again in 2012.

Steve Rodriguez

In 2014, Pepperdine reached new heights, making it to the program’s first ever NCAA Super Regional since the round was instituted in 1999. The Waves won both the WCC regular season and tournament titles to advance to postseason play once again, and then swept through the NCAA Regional hosted by Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, defeating the host team twice to advance for the first time since 1992. The Waves battled nationally-seeded TCU in Fort Worth, Texas in Super Regional play, falling 2-1 in the three-game series to end their season. Pepperdine finished the year ranked #12 nationally and posted a 43-18 record.

Rick Hirtensteiner, who had been on staff with Pepperdine for 17 years as an assistant, took over as head coach of the program following Rodriguez’s departure after the 2015 season. During Hirtensteiner’s tenure as an assistant, the Waves posted a 578-423 (.577)* record.

Rick Hirtensteiner
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