April 3, 2002
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THIS WEEK
San Diego State takes a break form its regular-season schedule on Wednesday, April 3, as it travels north to take on the Lake Elsinore Storm in an exhibition contest at The Diamond in Lake Elsinore. The Storm is the Class A affiliate of the San Diego Padres.
The game will be a seven-inning affair as Lake Elsinore opens its 2002 season the following day on the road.
The Aztecs then resume Mountain West Conference action with three home games against New Mexico beginning Friday (April 5) at 6:00 p.m. (PST) at Tony Gwynn Stadium.
The series continues with contests scheduled for Saturday (April 6) at 6:00 p.m. (PST) and Sunday (April 7) at 1:00 p.m. (PDT).
SERIES RECORDS
San Diego State leads the series with New Mexico 67-30. Sunday's contest will mark the 100th meeting between the two teams who first faced each other back in 1960.
Last season, the Lobos won two of the three games played in Albuquerque while the Aztecs swept the three-game regular-season series at Tony Gwynn Stadium. SDSU also defeated UNM during the Mountain West Conference Tournament in San Diego at the end of the season.
SDSU has defeated New Mexico the last seven times the teams have played in San Diego. The Lobo's last victory at Tony Gwynn Stadium came in the final game of ther conference series during the 1999 campaign (April 11, 1999).
SCOUTING THE LOBOS
New Mexico (15-17 overall, 5-4 MWC) is coming off last weekend's league series at UNLV in which they were swept by the Rebels. Even so, The Lobos are in third place in the conference standings, just a half-game behind co-leaders San Diego State and Brigham Young (both at 5-3) in MWC play.
UNM's offensive attack is led by Matt Young (.418, 19 RBI, 13 SB), Troy Cairns (.396, 7 doubles, 30 RB) and Chris Alexander (.387, 12 doubles, 49 RBI). The Lobos' overall team batting average of .346 is afar and away the best in the MWC this season.
The expected pitching rotation for the weekend includes James Vermilyea (RHP, 5-4, 5.20), Matthew Bullen (RHP, 0-2, 7.99) and Jeremy DeYapp (RHP, 3-2, 8.59). New Mexico's team earned run average stands at 7.80 overall and 10.73 in MWC play.
MOST RECENTLY
An unearned run in the top of the 10th inning gave University of San Diego a 4-3 victory over the Aztecs this past Tuesday evening at Tony Gwynn Stadium. Junior lefty Royce Ring, on in relief, suffered his first loss of the season to even his record at 1-1.
Freshman outfielder Jake McLintock led the Aztec attack with four hits including a pair of doubles. First baseman Jon Stephens had three hits and scored twice in the losing cause.
In SDSU's most recent conference action, Utah took two of three games from the Aztecs last weekend in Salt Lake City. The Utes won the series opener 5-3 on Friday while the Aztecs took game two by a score of 16-1. In that contest, junior Rory Shortell threw a complete-game four-hitter, striking out five.
Utah won the rubber game of the series on Sunday, 3-1, behind the pitching of Mitch Maio who limited SDSU to five hits and struck out 11.
COACH JIM DIETZ
Aztec head coach Jim Dietz is in his 31st season at San Diego State, where he has compiled a career record of 1210-739-18 (.620). His win total ranks seventh among active Division I coaches. He picked up his 1200th career victory in the 11-2 win over Southern Utah on March 1.
He was inducted into the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) Hall of Fame in a ceremony that took place at the organization's annual convention in Orlando on January 4.
Dietz has announced his retirement effective at the end of the 2002 campaign. He will be succeeded by former Aztec and San Diego Padre Tony Gwynn, who is serving as an assistant coach this season.
DIETZ MISSES USD GAME
SDSUCoach Jim Dietz was not in attendance at the game vs. USDon Tuesday after undergoing surgery Monday night for a problem kidney stone.
The 63-year-old Aztec skipper had returned from Utah on Saturday, missing the final two games of that series last weekend.
He is recovering at home and will likely resume coaching duties this weekend for the New Mexico series starting Friday.
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
A total of four Aztecs have won weekly Mountain West Conference honors so far during the 2002 season.
That quartet includes Players of the Week Chad Corona (Feb. 4) and Taber Lee (March 25) plus Pitchers of the Week Joe Carque (Feb. 18) and Chris Dunwell (March 18).
HOME COOKIN'
San Diego has won its 12 if its first 15 home contests at Tony Gwynn
SDSU's streak of nine home wins a row to open the season was ended by Air Force on March 16 in the 7-6 Falcon win. The nine victories in a row betters the Aztecs' previous longest home win streak (since the facility opened in 1997) as SDSU won eight consecutive games at Tony Gwynn Stadium during the 1998 campaign.
In their 15 home contests, the Aztecs are hitting .334 with a 3.44 earned average. This compares with their contests away from Tony Gwynn Stadium where the team's batting average is .310 and the team earned run average is 4.09.
SDSU has a .961 fielding percentage at home and a .970 mark on the road.
MCLINTOCK AN OFFENSIVE FORCE
Outfielder Jake McLintock, a freshman from Bonita Vista High in nearby Bonita, Calif., has continued his consistent output at the plate.
Over the last 10 games, he is hitting .416 with 10 runs scored, nine RBI, five doubles and a home run.
He has recorded the longest hitting streak on the team this year - 12 games from Feb. 15 to March 10.
His .391 batting average leads the team among the regular players.
McLintock was projected by Baseball America in the preseason as the Mountain West Conference Freshman of the Year.
COTA STREAK ENDS
Carlo Cota had his 10-game hitting streak snapped in the game at Utah last Sunday.
In those 10 contests, Cota recorded four doubles, a pair of triples, 11 runs scored and 13 runs batted in.
He leads the Aztecs in five offensive categories including at bats (141), hits (45-tied with two others), doubles (13), RBI (28) and sacrifice flies (3-tied with three others).
LEE ON TRACK
Taber Lee has been the Aztecs' top offensive player over the past month. He had an 11-game hitting streak stopped last weekend in the second game at Utah.
During his 11-game streak, he hit .522 (24-for-46) with 12 runs scored, 12 RBI, three doubles, five bases on balls and three stolen bases.
Over the past month, he has raised his batting average from .269 to its current .331.
RING IT UP
Despite suffering his first loss (on an unearned run) on Tuesday, junior Royce Ring continues to be one of the premier relief pitchers in the nation.
He has come in to pitch in nine save situations and has been successful each time. That number does not include the suspended game vs. Brigham Young in which he came on in the eighth inning with a save on the line. That game will be resumed on April 18 in San Diego.
Ring has accumulated 28 strikeouts in his 18 innings this season (17 appearances) and has allowed only three runs (one earned), nine hits and five walks.
Opponents are hitting just .145 (9-for-62) against him this season and his ERA stands at 0.50.
STEPHENS SOLID AT FIRST BASE
Junior Jon Stephens, a transfer from Saddleback Junior College, has solidified the first base position since his arrival at San Diego State.
A third baseman through much of his baseball career, he was asked to step in at first base for the Aztecs this season. Through 35 games he has committed only two errors at his new position and is fielding .993 (302 chances). He has committed only oneerror in SDSU's last 29 contests.
At the plate, Stephens is hitting .458 (11-for-24) over the Aztecs' last six games. During that span, he has scored five runs and driven in three.
MANFRED COMES BACK
Senior catcher Brian Manfred made his first appearance in over a month in the game vs. Air Force on March 16. He had not played since Feb. 9 due to a broken bone in his hand.
He has hit safely in five of his last six games, going 8-for-21 (.381) with a double, three runs scored and three RBI
He is batting .404 (21-for-52) this season in the 18 games in which he has played.
GWYNN CONTINUES STEADY PLAY
Anthony Gwynn, who had an 11-game hitting streak snapped at UC Irvine on March 8, is hitting .361 (13-for-36) over San Diego state's last 10 contests.
He leads the team in runs (28), walks (22) and stolen bases (17).
RECORD WATCH
Over the past three weeks, two new SDSU individual records have been set and another tied.
Second baseman Carlo Cota's sacrifice fly in the 14-5 win over Air Force on March 17 was the 14th of his career, establishing a new Aztecs mark. He eclipsed the mark of 13 career sacrifice flies that he had shared with current major league umpire Kerwin Danley (1980-83) and former Yankee shortstop Bobby Meacham (1979-81).
Royce Ring's save against the Brigham Young on March 22 give him a career total of 18, bettering the school record of 17 held by former Baltimore Oriole hurler Mark Williamson (1981-82).
Ring has a chance to set a new SDSU single-season save mark after getting his ninth of the year with 26 games remaining in the regular season. The school record is 12 set by Curtis Smith during the 1979 season
Pitcher Rory Shortell hit his 10th batter of the season at BYU on March 22, giving him a career total of 28. He is now tied for the Aztec record in that category with Jeremy Cook (1997-2000).
DEFENSIVELY SPEAKING
The Aztecs' four errors against USD on Tuesday were the most for the team in a game this season.
Even so, San Diego State enters the weekend with a team fielding percentage of .966, a mark that leads the MWC.
The school record for defensive percentage is .966, set during the 1996 campaign. The exact percentage that year was .96560 while the current squad is sporting a .96608 fielding percentage.
KER-PLUNK
With 39 hit batters through the first 35 games of the season, the Aztec pitching staff is on pace to surpass the school record for most hit batters.
The SDSU mark of 60 was set by the 2000 squad over the course of 60 contests.
At its current pace, Aztecs hurlers could plunk 68 batters by season's end (over it's 61-game regular season schedule).
San Diego State has hit three or more batters in a game four times this year with a high of four coming at LMU on Feb. 26.
AZTEC PLAYER NOTES
Chad Corona leads the team in home runs with six, but he has not hit a homer at Tony Gwynn Stadium.
Garrett Cook is hitting .500 (11-for-22) over his last eight games. He has three doubles, five runs scored and six RBI in those contests.
Junior right-hander Eric Human has been effective in his last two relief appearances, allowing two hits and striking out two in 3.2 innings of work to lower his earned run average to 4.66.
In Chris Hartshorn's last three appearances out of the bullpen (3.0 innings), he has allowed no hits while striking out four.
Second baseman Carlo Cota has 15 multiple-hit games this season, including four three-hits efforts.
The team's longest current hitting streak is three games by Brian Manfred. The longest this season belongs to freshman Jake McLintock (12 games).
AZTEC TEAM NOTES
San Diego State is 5-5 over its last 10 games (not including the suspended game vs. BYU on March 23).
SDSUbatters have struck out a total of 26 times in the team's last two games.
The Aztecs have been in double figures in hits in 21 of their 35 games and in doubles figures in runs on 10 occasions.
Aztecs pitchers have reached double figures in strikeouts in 12 games this season.
SDSU is 5-3 in one-run games and 12-2 in contests decided by five runs or more. Opponents have reached double figures in runs just three times this year.
San Diego State has hit just 15 home runs this season, six by one player (Corona), two by another (Jake McLintock) and one each by seven others. Only five of the team's 15 homers have come at Tony Gwynn Stadium.
SDSU is averaging 7.2 runs and 11.5 hits a game compared to their opponents' 4.5 runs and 7.9 hits per contest.
SCHEDULE ADDITION
The Aztecs have added a home game against UC Irvine. The contest is scheduled for Tuesday, May 7, at 6:00 p.m. at Tony Gwynn Stadium.
That contest will replace the game against Oregon State that was rained out in San Diego on Feb. 17.
ON DECK
After a non-league contest on Tuesday (April 9) at UC Riverside at 6:00 p.m., the Aztecs continue Mountain West Conference play with a three-game home series against UNLV starting Friday, April 12, at 6:00 p.m. (PST) at Tony Gwynn Stadium.
That series continues on Saturday (April 13) at 6:00 p.m. and Sunday (April 14) at 1:00 p.m.
All three of the games vs. the Rebels as well as he UC Riverside contest can be heard live on the Internet at www.goaztecs.com with Alan Horton calling the play-by-play.
The games against UNLV mark the second of four straight weekend conference series to be hosted by San Diego State in April.