Aztecs Prep for MW Series at Nevada

SAN DIEGO – San Diego State travels to the Silver State this weekend for its penultimate conference series of the season when it battles Nevada in a three-game set, May 9-11, at Don Weir Field at Peccole Park in Reno, Nevada.  

Friday’s opener is scheduled for a 6:05 p.m. PT start, while Saturday’s skirmish is set to get underway at 2:05 p.m., followed by Sunday’s finale at 12:05 p.m.

Along with live stats, all three games will be broadcast on the Mountain West Network, with links to both platforms available on GoAztecs.com. Fans can also watch the action on their TVs or smartphones by downloading the MW app.

SETTING THE SCENE
The Aztecs (15-35, 10-14 MW) enter the weekend in a tie for fifth place in the Mountain West standings with Air Force, San José State and Washington State, as the top six teams qualify for the MW Championship later this month in Mesa, Arizona.

SDSU dropped three games to New Mexico in a MW series at home, May 2-4, falling by scores of 9-7 (10 inn.), 9-8 and 15-7. The Aztecs are also coming off an 8-3 defeat at home to CSUN on Tuesday night to wrap up their 2025 non-conference schedule.

On the flip side, the Wolf Pack (29-19, 15-9 MW) find themselves in a three-way logjam for first place with New Mexico and Fresno State after sweeping the Bulldogs in a hard-fought series at home last weekend, 7-5, 6-5, 9-8 (10 inn.). Additionally, Nevada defeated Western Athletic Conference leader Sacramento State by a 6-4 count on the road Tuesday in its final non-conference game of the year.

The Wolf Pack are one of four Mountain West teams SDSU will face just once during the regular season along with Air Force (road), Fresno State (home) and New Mexico (home).

PROBABLE PITCHING MATCHUPS
(Subject to change)
Friday, May 9, SDSU: Marko Sipila, RHP (3-3) vs. Nevada: Peyton Fosher, RHP (4-4)

Saturday, May 10, SDSU: Omar Serrano, RHP (4-6) vs. Nevada: Alessandro Castro, LHP (4-3)

Sunday, May 11, SDSU: Garvey Rumary, LHP (2-6) vs. Nevada: Casey Burfield, RHP (3-2)

In his first start since missing the previous two series, Sipila returned to the lineup in last weekend’s opener against New Mexico on May 2, but did not factor in the decision after giving up one unearned run on five hits and three walks with seven strikeouts in six innings, as the Lobos rallied for a 9-7 victory in 10 innings.

Sipila picked up his last victory at Air Force on April 4 in SDSU’s 16-4 rout when he gave up three runs on eight hits and three walks in five innings of work.

Serrano looks for a return to form when he tossed a complete game shutout in the series finale at San José State on April 19. Against the Spartans, the Aztec senior scattered four hits with just one walk and posted six strikeouts to earn MW Pitcher of the Week honors for the second time in his career.

In two starts against Nevada last season, Serrano posted a 1-1 record with a 1.35 ERA and 15 strikeouts against four walks in 13 1/3 innings. The SDSU right-hander was the winning pitcher in the Scarlet and Black’s final victory of the 2024 campaign in Reno, where he tossed seven scoreless innings, offsetting five hits and two walks with eight strikeouts, as SDSU withstood a late Wolf Pack charge in a 16-11 triumph.

Rumary posted his last victory in the opener at SJSU on April 17 when he yielded two runs (one earned) on two hits and two walks in a career-long six innings with four strikeouts.

The Aztec left-hander made two relief appearances vs. Nevada last season, allowing four runs (three earned) and five hits and one walk with three strikeouts in a combined 2 1/3 innings.

SDSU IN MW RANKINGS
As of May 7, the Aztec staff leads the Mountain West innings pitched (430.0) and is slotted second in strikeouts (400) while ranking fifth in both (7.18) and opposing batting average (.304).

Individually, Peyton Rodgers tops the conference with 27 appearances, while Xavier Cardenas III (23) and Evan Miranda (22) are slotted third and fourth in games pitched, respectively.

Cardenas also shares the fourth position in the league with five saves, while Rodgers is tied for seventh with three in that statistic.

Despite missing two starts in April, Marko Sipila still finds himself among the conference leaders in opposing batting average (3rd, .274), ERA (6th, 4.70), strikeouts (6th, 61) and innings pitched (T-7th, 59.1).

In addition, Omar Serrano ranks fourth in the MW in innings pitched (68.1) and occupies the seventh spot in strikeouts (57) while sharing the eighth position in victories (4).

Elsewhere, Garvey Rumary is tied for sixth in fewest hits allowed (64) alongside Sipila.

Offensively, SDSU is tied for second in the MW with 18 triples and is slotted third with 101 doubles and 195 walks. In addition, the Scarlet and Black occupies the sixth position in hits (461) and the seventh spot in batting average (.275), runs scored (276) and RBIs (251).

Finley Bates leads the conference in walks (38), while Nevan Noonan (67) and Daniel Arambula (61) are slotted fourth and eighth in hits, respectively.

Elsewhere, Evan Sipe owns the top perch in the league with 10 sacrifice hits, followed by Drew Rutter and Jonathan Smith, who are both tied for third with six in that category.

Jackson and Smith have already tied the program record with two triples in a game this year. Jackson accomplished the feat in the season opener vs. Seton Hall on Feb. 14, followed by Smith’s performance at Air Force on April 7.

AZTEC NOTEBOOK
For the season, Nevan Noonan leads the Aztecs with multiple hits in 20 games, followed by Daniel Arambula (18), CJ Moran (14) and Jonathan Smith (13).  Noonan and Arambula are the only two players to start all 50 games for the Scarlet and Black this season.

In addition, Arambula is lone Aztec to start every contest at one position (third base), while Bates (leadoff) leads the team with 45 games played in the same spot in the batting order.

On March 18, Arambula garnered Mountain West Freshman of the Week accolades after leading the Scarlet and Black to a doubleheader sweep of San José State when he batted a combined .571 (4-for-7) with two homers, eight RBIs and four runs scored.

In SDSU’s 6-4 victory over Fresno State on April 12, Noonan belted his first two home runs in an Aztec uniform, including a two-run shot in the first inning before adding a solo blast in the fourth.

With his effort, Noonan completed San Diego State’s first game with multiple home runs since Shaun Montoya hit a pair at Nevada on May 17, 2024.

After his infield single on May 6 vs. CSUN, Moran has extended his streak of reaching base safely to 23 consecutive games.

Since returning from an injury against UCSD on April 15, a span of 14 games, Moran leads the team in batting average (.385) and on-base percentage (.468) while sharing the top spot in hits (20). He has also contributed five doubles, 10 RBIs and six runs scored.

For the season, Moran is batting .373 (47-126) with 13 doubles, 26 RBIs and 19 runs scored. The Murrieta, California, native is tied for second on the squad with multiple RBIs in nine games, including three in the second game of a doubleheader vs. Northeastern on March 8.

Since March 28, a stretch of 25 games, Noonan is hitting .390 with team highs of 41 hits, six homers and 26 RBIs, followed by Arambula (.343), Bates (.314) and Smith (.306).

Additionally, Jake Jackson has two homers, 10 doubles, one triple and 14 RBIs in that span, while Smith has contributed one home run, five doubles, three triples, 14 RBIs and seven stolen bases.

In a doubleheader at Air Force on April 6, Jackson recorded eight consecutive hits across two contests and tied a single-game school record with four doubles in the opener, helping the Scarlet and Black to a big 16-4 victory.

On April 23, senior Evan Sipe was added to the midseason watch list for the Buster Posey National Collegiate Catcher of the Year Award, as announced by the Greater Wichita Area Sports Commission. The watch list will be narrowed down to the semifinalists on May 19. 

All 17 of San Diego State’s freshmen have seen action this season, including pitcher Aaron Kniffin, who returned from an injury to make his collegiate debut against California Baptist on April 8. The Scottsdale, Arizona, native allowed one unearned run vs. the Lancers on one walk in 1 2/3 innings. He also fanned a season-high three batters at USD on April 21.

Against Nebraska on Feb. 16, the Aztecs employed 21 players on the night, including five true freshmen who were making their first career appearances (Evan Escobar, Cody Liscio, Dillon Marrisett, Alito McBean, Hank Tripaldi). Tripaldi singled in his first collegiate at-bat with a grounder through the right side in the eighth.

Escobar has started 26 of 32 games at shortstop, belting his first collegiate home run vs. Fresno State on April 12, while Tripaldi made his first career start at Washington State on March 22. 

Previously, McBean earned his initial career start on the mound in the Aztecs’ home opener against Seattle on Feb. 20. The SDSU left-hander earned his first collegiate victory on April 22 against Cal State Fullerton when he allowed one run on seven scattered hits and three walks in five innings of work.

In addition, catcher Xavier Farnum made his first career start at USC on April 1, finishing with one hit, one walk and a run scored, while Keynen Gomez earned his first collegiate start at second base vs. California Baptist on April 8.

Farnum has started nine of his last 13 games played, collecting 11 hits in 31 at-bats (.355) with three doubles, one triple, 10 RBIs and eight runs scored.

The Aztecs are 14-2 this season when leading after seven innings, suffering their first two losses in that category at UCR (April 29) and vs. New Mexico (May 4). SDSU is also 13-1 this year when limiting opponents to five runs or fewer and 13-3 when outhitting the opposition.

San Diego State has emerged victorious in 85 of its last 139 games dating back to 2019 when hitting a home run, including a 7-7 mark this year, a 14-13 ledger during the 2024 campaign and a 14-12 record in 2023.

Since 2019, the Aztecs are 77-64 in their last 141 games when striking out 10 or more batters. SDSU pitchers fanned 17 hitters in its season opener against Seton Hall at the MLB Desert Invitational.

The Aztecs are 179-74 over the last seven-plus seasons when scoring five or more runs, including a stellar 38-6 record during the 2017 campaign.

SERIES RECORD VS. NEVADA
San Diego State trails the Wolf Pack 29-44 in the all-time series dating back to 1986. SDSU is 15-19 vs. Nevada in San Diego, 10-22 in Reno and 4-3 at a neutral site.

The Aztecs dropped both series to the Wolf Pack last year, finishing with a 2-4 record in six meetings.

The two teams wrapped up the 2024 regular-season campaign in Reno, with the Scarlet and Black suffering a wild 13-11 defeat in the opener and a 16-9 setback in the finale, sandwiched around a 16-11 victory.

During the series, Zane Kelly posted a slash line of .583/.667/1.333 with two homers, eight RBIs and seven runs scored to earn MW Freshman of the Week honors.

Kelly led the Aztecs in numerous categories for the week, including batting average (.583), on-base percentage (.667), slugging percentage (1.333), total bases (16) and RBIs (8) while sharing the top spot in home runs (2). The Las Vegas, Nev., native also tied for second on the team in hits (8) and runs scored (7).

In the Aztecs' big 16-11 victory in game two vs. the Wolf Pack, Kelly launched a grand slam for his first collegiate home run, compiling a 3-for-6 effort at the plate with two doubles and two runs scored.

SDSU's triumph in that contest ultimately proved costly for Nevada, which failed to qualify for the 2024 MW Championship despite taking two of three games from the Aztecs, as the Wolf Pack lost a three-way tiebreaker to Fresno State and San José State for the final two spots in the tournament.

Earlier in the year, SDSU dropped two out of three games to Nevada at Tony Gwynn Stadium. After claiming a 5-3 decision in the opener, the Wolf Pack turned the tables in the final two encounters, winning by scores of 8-2 and 6-0.

Among returners, Evan Sipe and Finley Bates led the Aztecs with four hits apiece. In the opener, Bates belted his first collegiate home run with a solo shot in the bottom of the first.

WOLF PACK AT A GLANCE
After sweeping Fresno State last weekend to claim a share of first place in the Mountain West standings, Nevada improved to 17-8 at home this season while maintaining a 12-11 mark on the road.

Offensively, the Wolf Pack are slotted second in the conference in several categories, including hits (499), doubles (109), home runs (71), slugging percentage (.493), runs scored (361) and RBIs (334) while ranking fourth in on-base percentage (.382) and fifth in batting average (.295).

Individually, designated hitter Billy Ham ranks seventh in the conference with a .352 batting average, while second baseman Junhyuk Kwon (.346), first baseman Jayce Dobie (.331), outfielder Sean Yamaguchi (.328), shortstop Michael Ball (.308), catcher Jake Harvey (.301) are all hitting over .300.

Yamaguchi and outfielder Jacob Doyle are tied for fifth in the MW with 11 home runs apiece, while Ball is slotted ninth with 10 round-trippers.

In addition, Yamaguchi ranks fourth in runs scored (45), followed by Ball (43), who is tied for sixth in that statistic, while outfielder Taylor Holder (.283, 8 HR) shares the seventh spot in RBIs (43).

On the mound, Nevada pitchers are slotted third in the league in ERA (5.99), fourth in opposing batting average (.288) and fifth in strikeouts (350).

Friday’s projected starter Peyton Fosher ranks fifth in the MW in strikeouts (62) and occupies the ninth spot in opponent batting average (.289), while Sunday’s scheduled starter Casey Burfield is slotted seventh in ERA (4.70).

Out of the bullpen, closer Ethan O’Neal ranks second with eight saves, while Dominic Desch is tied for third with five victories, all in relief.

AZTECS IN MLB DRAFT
Since 1965, San Diego State has had 227 student-athletes chosen in the MLB First-Year Player Draft, including 31 selections since 2015.

Former Aztec center fielder Cole Carrigg was taken by the Colorado Rockies as a catcher in the Competitive Balance "B" Round with the 65th overall pick of the 2023 MLB First-Year Player Draft; pitcher TJ Fondtain was selected by the Tampa Bay Rays in the 14th round (423rd overall), while fellow hurler Kelena Sauer went to the Toronto Blue Jays shortly thereafter in the 15th round (454th overall).

With its selections, SDSU has had multiple players picked in six of the last eight years and nine of the last 12.

In 2022, former Aztec right-hander Troy Melton was chosen by the Detroit Tigers in the fourth round with the 117th selection overall.

The previous year, in 2021, SDSU had five individuals drafted by MLB organizations: Mike Jarvis and Wyatt Hendrie (Pirates), Matt Rudick (Mets), Jaden Fein (Nationals) and Michael Paredes (Twins).

LOCAL HEROES
San Diego State sports eight players on its current roster who are alumni of San Diego County high schools, including Xavier Farnum (Christian), Trevor Fox (St. Augustine); Jake Jackson (Madison); Nevan Noonan (Francis Parker); Peyton Rodgers (Torrey Pines); Eli Selga (Cathedral Catholic); Connor Shaw (Westview); and Evan Sipe (San Marcos).

MW TO HOST 2025 BASEBALL CHAMPIONSHIP IN MESA, ARIZONA
The Mountain West, in partnership with the Arizona Sport and Entertainment Commission, will host the Credit 1 Baseball Championship, May 21-24 at Sloan Park in Mesa, Arizona. The agreement marks the first time the MW baseball tournament will be held on a neutral field and in the state of Arizona.

“Hosting the baseball championship in a first-class venue like Sloan Park is a tremendous opportunity for the Mountain West, our baseball student-athletes and our fan base,” said MW Commissioner Gloria Nevarez.

The six-team double elimination format begins on Wednesday, May 21, with the No. 3 seed facing the No. 6 seed. The second game will feature the No. 4 and No. 5 seeds.

On Thursday, May 22, the top two seeded teams square off with the winners from Wednesday. The winners of Thursday’s first two contests advance to Friday, while the losing teams battle in elimination games. The MW champion will be crowned on Saturday, May 24, earning the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.

Ticket information for the 2025 Credit Union 1 Mountain West Baseball Championship will be available at a later date.

UP NEXT
Following its excursion to Reno, San Diego State wraps up its regular-season schedule next week when it plays host to Washington State, May 15-17, at Tony Gwynn Stadium.