After going 2-2 on the road, including a 7-1 upset victory over No. 18 San Diego, the Matador baseball team will have their home opener on Friday when they host Pepperdine.

Some of the Matadors feel that the win over San Diego may springboard them to more victories. “What the (San Diego) game provides us is a frame of reference for success,” said head coach Steve Rousey. “Similarly you could take our UCLA experience and utilize that as a framework for failure. So we have to find the difference between the two.”

“We came out (against San Diego) scored early and didn’t stop scoring like in the UCLA game,” said second baseman Ryan Pineda. “We showed that we could compete with anyone.”

 The Matador offense has posted big numbers so far this season, scoring 39 runs in their first four games. However, Rousey said he expects a lower scoring series with Pepperdine because of strong pitching from both teams.

Although the Matadors have posted big offensive numbers, Rousey still sees room for improvement for the offense. “Offensively we’ve been productive but I think you will see a more dynamic offense as time goes on,” said Rousey.

The Pepperdine Waves come into Northridge with an overall record of 2-2. The Waves are coming off a 12-4 loss to Cal Poly.

Last season CSUN and Pepperdine split the four games that they played against each other.

The last game between CSUN and Pepperdine, a 9-8 victory for the Matadors, went 11 innings as Pineda had three hits in that game.

Rousey said that one of the keys for success this season is for the Matador players to be relaxed on the field. “We spoke to the team before the (San Diego) game about taking the challenges of baseball and learning to perceive them as opportunities rather than problems,” said Rousey. “I think mentally that really helped our guys, and the result turned out in our favor.”