Norwalk Native Leads USD Pitching Staff

Diego Gutierrez will take the ball for the University of San Diego on Thursday night as the Toreros open their final regular-season series against Loyola Marymount at Fowler Park, according to USD game notes published May 13. The graduate right-hander from Norwalk, California, enters the weekend leading San Diego in both strikeouts and innings pitched in his first season with the program after transferring from Cal State Northridge. USD listed Gutierrez at 78 strikeouts and 62.2 innings through 13 starts. The school also said all three games in the LMU series will stream on ESPN+ and that Saturday’s finale will double as Senior Day. ### Who is the Norwalk pitcher leading USD’s staff? Diego Gutierrez is a 6-foot-2, 195-pound graduate right-handed pitcher from Norwalk, California, according to his USD roster biography. The roster lists Lakewood High School as his prep school and Cal State Northridge, or CSUN, as his previous college. USD said Gutierrez spent the first four years of his college career at CSUN before transferring to San Diego ahead of the 2026 season. (usdtoreros.com) His roster biography says he appeared in 46 games, including 27 starts, over four seasons at CSUN and recorded 132 strikeouts in 161.0 innings. ### What has he done for San Diego this season? (usdtoreros.com) USD’s May 13 game notes said Gutierrez leads the Toreros in both strikeouts and innings pitched, with 78 strikeouts across 62.2 innings. The school also said he ranks third in the West Coast Conference in strikeouts per nine innings at 11.20 and third in total strikeouts. (usdtoreros.com) The same game notes said Gutierrez opened the year with four strikeouts at Charlotte on February 13, then recorded six or more strikeouts in nine of his next 12 outings. USD highlighted back-to-back eight-strikeout efforts against Utah on February 20 and Michigan on February 27 as part of that run. (usdtoreros.com) ### How quickly did he move into the staff lead? USD’s March 27 series preview for Pepperdine showed Gutierrez already leading the Toreros in both categories less than six weeks into the season. In that release, the school listed him at 38 strikeouts and 28.2 innings through six appearances, all starts. USD’s later series previews showed the totals climbing as conference play continued. (usdtoreros.com) The school listed Gutierrez at 51 strikeouts and 39.2 innings on April 9, then at 72 strikeouts and 57.1 innings on May 8 before updating him to 78 strikeouts and 62.2 innings for the LMU series. ### What does Thursday’s start look like? (usdtoreros.com) Thursday’s game will be Gutierrez’s 14th start of the season, according to USD’s probable-pitcher listing. The school listed him at 5-4 with a 6.03 ERA entering the opener against Loyola Marymount. USD said Gutierrez’s most recent outing came at Pacific, where he allowed six earned runs on six hits, walked two and struck out six. (usdtoreros.com) The Toreros entered the weekend 17-30-1 overall and 9-14-1 in West Coast Conference play, while LMU was 12-41 and 3-21 in conference. ### Where can fans watch the final regular-season series? (usdtoreros.com) San Diego said the Toreros and Lions will open the series at 6 p.m. Thursday, play again at 6 p.m. Friday and finish at 1 p.m. Saturday at Fowler Park. The school said Braden Surprenant will handle play-by-play on the ESPN+ stream with Mike Gosling as analyst. (usdtoreros.com) Saturday, May 16, will also serve as Senior Day, with USD planning a pregame on-field ceremony honoring 14 graduating players. For Gutierrez, the weekend gives him one more regular-season series as the staff leader in strikeouts and innings in his first year at San Diego. (usdtoreros.com)