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| Founded: 1949 Enrollment: 8,200 (2022) Played baseball since: 1958 Team name: Toreros School colors: Blue and white Home ballpark: Fowler Park Conference: West Coast Conference (NCAA Div. I) |
The University of San Diego was originally co-founded by the Catholic Diocese of San Diego in 1949 as two parallel schools, one for men and one for women. Young men attended San Diego University, while women attended the College for women. Classes began in 1952 for the women, and 1954 for the men. In 1972, the two schools merged into the co-ed University of San Diego.
The men’s San Diego University began playing baseball in 1958 as the Pioneers. In 1961, the team changed its name to the Toreros. In 1966, the Toreros joined the Southern California Athletic Conference, staying for four seasons before becoming a small college NCAA independent, and then, with the 1973 reorganization of the NCAA into three divisions, a Division II independent. Beginning in 1979, the team moved to Division I and joined the Southern California Baseball Association. In 1984, the Toreros joined the rest of the USD teams in their current home, the West Coast Conference.
The Toreros have yet to appear in any level of the College World Series.
Baseball Almanac lists two dozen Toreros who have made it to the Major Leagues. The most successful at that level is four-time All-Star Kris Bryant. Former catcher John Wathan went on to manage the Royals and Angels after his MLB playing career.
The Toreros have played on the same baseball diamond since 1970, the on-campus Cunningham Field. In 2013, Fowler Stadium was built around the existing field, replacing the aluminum risers with a state-of-the-art facility seating 1,700.
