June 12, 2012

LOS ANGELES - Former USC right-hander Brad Boxberger, a pitcher for the Trojans from 2007 to 2009, made his major league debut out of the bullpen for the San Diego Padres Sunday. Boxberger threw a hitless eighth inning with a walk and a strikeout in a 6-5 loss to the Brewers after joining the club on Saturday.

He becomes the 101st former USC player to make it to the major leagues. No other university has produced as many major leaguers as USC.

"He comes from a solid background as an amateur," Padres manager Bud Black said. "He's got a good arm, he's got good stuff. Again, there's a big difference between Minor League pitching and Major League pitching, but I think there is a fundamental skill set there that projects to be a Major League reliever."

In his three-year career with the Trojans, Boxberger was 11-12 with a 3.81 ERA. He made 37 starts in 46 games with one complete game and three saves. In 234 innings, he allowed 201 hits and 99 earned runs while walking 110 and striking out 223 batters. Opponents hit just .235 against him in his career. He was an All-Pac-10 selection as a junior and was a Freshman All-America second team pick.

Drafted by the Reds out of USC in 2009 (43rd overall), Boxberger has appeared in 113 Minor League games in three seasons. In December of last year, Boxberger was sent to San Diego as part of the Mat Latos trade. In 23 innings of work with Tucson this season, Boxberger has a 3.87 ERA, allowing 22 hits and striking out 35 batters.

"I've been looking forward to this my whole life," said Boxberger after his debut. "It was just a rush of excitement. There's not really anything I can say to explain exactly how I felt, but it was exciting."