A walk-off win for #1,000

It was only a matter of time. When the University of San Diego head baseball coach Rich Hill entered the 2018 season with 979 career NCAA wins, it was assumed he would reach the milestone of 1,000 victories within the year. The only question was when. This past Sunday, the stage was set for the Toreros to earn their coach that mark as they took on Gonzaga University in their final home weekend series of the year. His team certainly did not disappoint. In a wild game that spanned 11 innings, USD pushed their coach into elite company with a come-from-behind, walk-off win that was fitting of Hill’s baseball legacy.

While Sunday’s game finished with a flurry of excitement, it began slowly. Through the first five innings of play neither team scored, and on USD’s end this was largely due to a strong start on the mound from Nate Kuchta. According to Hill, Kuchta was outspoken prior to the game about wanting the start Sunday afternoon.

“He came to me last night and said, ‘I want the ball to help us win this game,’” Hill said. “And I said, ‘Okay.’ It took me about one second to decide. I love when guys have that fire in them to help their brothers.”

Kuchta definitely helped his brothers earn a victory. On a day aimed at honoring seniors, the redshirt senior shined. Allowing four hits across six innings, Kuchta surrendered just one earned run, and turned in one of the more dominant outings that the Toreros have had this season. He shared his thoughts on his start following the conclusion of the game.

“I felt really good today,” Kuchta said. “I didn’t feel the best in the bullpen, but I worked hard through the first two innings and ended up getting my fastball down, and I had really good command of all three pitches by the end of the third or the fourth inning.”

On the other side of the ball, however, the Toreros weren’t able to get a whole lot going behind Kuchta early on. They would eventually get on the board in the bottom of the sixth inning with a towering solo home run to deep right-center field from junior Bhret Bewley, which gave USD a 1-0 lead at the time. 

The top of the seventh inning, though, saw Kuchta’s departure from the game, as well as the departure of the Toreros’ lead over the Bulldogs. Junior left-hander Anthony Donatella came in in relief, and immediately ran into trouble. Five sharp singles from Gonzaga paired with an error for USD on defense led to a four-run inning for the Bulldogs. By the end of the frame, the Toreros trailed by a score of 4-1. 

Something that Hill preaches to his players is perseverance. As Sunday afternoon’s game wound to a close, the Toreros found themselves in a position to demonstrate that never-give-in attitude that their coach has worked to instill in them. Chasing three runs, USD got things started in the bottom of the ninth inning with an infield single from first-year catcher Adam Kerner. Junior infielder Jeff Houghtby followed up with a single of his own, and the Toreros had a rally brewing in their last chance for a victory. Enter Kevin Collard. Pinch hitting for sophomore shortstop Trevor Rosenberg, the junior turned on a slider and launched a massive three-run home run to right field, tying the game at four for the Toreros. Collard spoke about his pinch-hit at bat.

“I knew the situation, I knew we were down by three,” Collard said. “We had a little offensive meeting before my at-bat, and Coach Hill told me ‘Yeah, I think you should sit slider here.’ And I was like ‘Yeah, okay, I’ll sit slider.’ I got in the box, and I kinda like blacked out. I saw it out of his hand a slider, and just everything kinda took care of itself. I made contact, I made strong contact with it, and I knew it was gone off that bat. It’s just an unreal feeling. I was just happy to be there for my team, and do what we needed.”

Collard’s home run was not the end of the Toreros’ late-game heroics last Sunday, however. Nigel Ward and Travis Kuhn combined for two scoreless innings out of the bullpen, maintaining the 4-4 tie through the 11th inning.  As the series finale stretched into extra innings, the energy at Fowler Park seemed to ratchet upward, and a buzz both in the Torero dugout and in the sizable crowd of 611 fans that had not been felt too often this season was present. 

Though the game fell on senior day for USD, it would be a first-year that delivered the decisive blow in the end for the Toreros. Shane McGuire, who entered the game as a pinch hitter in the ninth alongside Collard, sent a solo blast to right field that would walk things off for the Toreros and give them a 5-4 win in 11 innings. Once the ball cleared the right field fence in front of the Manchester Village Apartments, an afternoon of celebration for USD began.

 As McGuire rounded the bases, his teammates jubilantly gathered at home plate awaiting his arrival with buckets of Powerade and squeeze bottles full of water at the ready. When McGuire finally touched home, he was thoroughly doused as the raucous celebration unfolded. McGuire spoke about his game-winning home run for the Toreros.

“The first pitch I was looking first pitch fastball, he had been throwing me first pitch fastballs the whole series,” McGuire said. “He threw a first-pitch change-up, which was a good pitch, and I swung right through it, kinda looked ugly. After that, though I was just trying to get on base, battle for the guys. Everybody worked hard for this game — Kutcha pitching, all the other pitchers, Anthony Donatella, Travis (Kuhn) coming in, and Kevin hit a bomb. Just everybody putting in work, so it was only fair to them that I get on base. That’s all I was trying to do, I just got lucky.” 

Once the Toreros were done mobbing McGuire, the focus quickly shifted to Hill. Receiving a Powerade bath of his own, courtesy of his players. During his postgame interview, he shared his thoughts on the game.

“That’s one to remember, for sure, Hill said. “It was just a ‘grind it out’ type of day. Usually when that happens, there’s some pitching heroes too that kinda kept you in the game to allow that to happen, and, you know, it was a total team effort. Kuchta quality start, Donatella came in for kinda a bad-luck outing, giving up four runs. Nigel Ward got a big out on a right-hander, and Travis Kuhn came in with runners in scoring position and got a couple of big outs two innings in a row. When that happens, it gives you a chance to do what Kevin did. He did a great job of sitting on a first-pitch slider and really becoming a much smarter hitter, and got it and smoked it. Shane, same thing, he kinda got that changeup, that full-count change. That kid left it up, and Bewley did the same thing. It was (McGuire’s) first home run of the year, and it couldn’t have come at a better time. It was a total team effort all the way around.” 

Reaching 1000 career wins is the latest in a long list of accolades for Hill. His all-time NCAA coaching record now sits at 1000-696 (.696), with 668 of those wins coming in his 20 year career at USD. Since taking over the program in 1998, he has seen USD baseball rise to national prominence, the construction of Fowler Park, and multiple players go on to play in the Major Leagues, including Chicago Cubs star Kris Bryant. In essence, Hill has led USD into being a force to be reckoned with baseball-wise. He discussed his feelings on the achievement. 

“There’s so many people that are involved in this thing,” Hill said. “I saw that sign (commemorating his 1000th win) as I was walking out, and I was thinking of Cal Lutheran, I was thinking of USF, and I was thinking of my time here at USD. Just that the players who have to have the courage to step across the line and be a part of what we’re doing and say ‘let’s roll with this thing’, and the assistant coaches I’ve had that have now gone on to greatness over 31 years. I just really believe the hand of God has been with the the whole time. It’s overwhelming, but I’m happy about the win more than anything.” 

USD assistant coach Brad Marcelino shared his thoughts on Hill’s milestone.

“Winning in general is tough, so to do that over the amount of time that he’s done it, that’s a big deal,” Marcelino said. 

Kuchta stated that the Toreros were glad they were able to get their coach his 1000th win. 

“He was sitting on 999 for quite a few games, and it was just good for our team to pull together and come through in the clutch for him,” Kuchta said. “It’s a prestigious number for him to reach, so we were happy we could be a part of it.”

As he reflected upon his 31 year and counting NCAA coaching career, Hill said that he wants his legacy as a coach to lie within his players.

“My legacy is gonna live in the hearts, and the spirits and the minds of my players and assistant coaches, end of story.” Hill said. “You can come and touch Fowler Park, or you can look at wins and championship trophies and things, but that’s not what it’s about for me. It’s about the players and the coaches that you’re with, and making an impact. Jackie Robinson had a quote that goes ‘A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives,’ and that’s how I approach my job every day.”

Hill and the Toreros finish the remainder of their season on the road, beginning their road trip with their final West Coast Conference series at the University of Portland on Friday, May 11 at 6 p.m.