April 29, 2003
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THIS WEEK
The Aztecs will travel to Riverside on Tuesday for a 6:00 p.m. contest against UC Riverside. The game was a late addition to SDSU's schedule due to rainouts earlier in the season. The Highlanders will make the return trip to San Diego next Tuesday.
After three straight conference road series, SDSU returns home this weekend to host a three-game series against league-leading UNLV.
The Aztecs and Rebels will get the series underway on Friday (May 2) at 6:00 p.m. at Tony Gwynn Stadium and will continue with games on Saturday (May 3) and Sunday (May 4) at 1:00 p.m.
THROUGH THE YEARS
This year marks the 65th season of Aztec baseball since the sport was elevated to major status in 1936. The school did not field varsity teams from 1943 to 1945.
SDSU's all-time record entering the week (since 1936) stands at 1988-1197-37 (.623).
Since 1936, the program has had only four head coaches: Charlie Smith (1936-64), Lyle Olson (1965-71), Jim Dietz (1972-2002) and Tony Gwynn (present).
SERIES RECORDS
SDSU's record vs. UC Riverside stands at 24-13-2 since the teams first met during the 1968 campaign. The Aztecs and Highlanders met twice last season with San Diego State winning twice.
SDSU's record against the Highlanders in Riverside is 12-6-2. At home, the Aztecs have a 10-6 advantage and the teams have split two games played at neutral sites.
San Diego State holds a 39-21 advantage over UNLV in the series between the two teams that began in 1978. The Rebels took two of three from the Aztecs earlier this season in Las Vegas with two of those contests going extra innings.
Since both teams joined the Mountain West Conference in 2000, the Aztecs have a record of 13-10 against the Rebels. In addition to 21 regular-season contests, the teams have met twice (2000 and 2001) in the conference tournament.
San Diego State has a 21-13 mark against UNLV in games played in Las Vegas. The Aztecs are 17-6 vs. the Rebels at home and 1-2 against them in neutral site contests.
SCOUTING THE HIGHLANDERS
UC Riverside's record stands at 32-12 overall and 8-4 in the Big West Conference. They are currently in third in the league, three games behind Cal State Fullerton and a game behind Long Beach State.
The Highlanders top hitters include right fielder Ryan Harvey (.425, 7 HR, 35 RBI), center fielder Brian Wahlbrink (.403, 15 2B, 9 HR, 34 RBI) and second baseman Randy Blood (.360, 14 2B, 40 RBI). UCR's team batting average is .343, up from the .336 mark that ranked eighth in the nation prior to last weekend's contests.
Riverside's expected starter on Tuesday is Jose Shaw (1-0, 3.00), a freshman who made his first start last week in the win at UNLV. The Highlanders' top reliever is Haley Winter (3-1, two saves, 4.50)
SCOUTING THE REBELS
UNLV enters the week with a record of 19-10 overall and 5-1 in Mountain West Conference play. The Rebels have won eight of their last nine game with the only loss to UC Riverside last Tuesday.
The UNLV offense is led by third baseman Brent Johnson (.355, 13 2B, 6 HR, 43 RBI), right fielder Eric Nielsen (.347, 14 2B, 6 HR, 34 RBI) and third baseman Patrick Dobson (.347, 12 2B, 6 HR, 34 RBI).
First baseman Fernando Valenzuela, Jr., is the son of the former Los Angeles Dodger pitcher. He is batting .341 with eight home runs and a team-leading 47 RBI.
The Rebel's pitching rotation for the weekend is expected to be:
Fri. - Matthew Luca (RHP, 3-0, 4.63)Sat. - Robbie Van (LHP, 5-4, 4.42)Sun. - Jake Vose (RHP, 6-3, 6.08)
Luca tossed a no-hitter against SDSU when the teams played in Las Vegas on March 28. Ryan Braun is the team's top reliever with a record of 4-1 and six saves.
MOST RECENTLY
San Diego State won two of three games at Air Force last weekend. On Friday, the Aztecs pounded out 18 hits in an 11-7 victory that saw junior Mike Moat even his record at 4-4 with a complete-game effort. Chad Corona and Rielly Embrey hit two home runs apiece with Corona and James Guerrero collecting four hits on the day. In addition, Anthony Gwynn and Garrett Cook each had a double and two singles.
On Saturday, Air Force senior Josh Zumbrun stymied the Aztec offense in a 3-0 Falcon victory. SDSU's Joe Carque also tossed a complete game in the losing effort, allowing just four hits while striking out nine. Gwynn was the only Aztec with more than one hit, recording a pair of singles.
San Diego State came back in the series finale to claim a 13-5 victory. After falling behind 2-0 early, SDSU scored six times over the middle three innings, then put the game away with a seven-run seventh inning. In that frame, Gwynn had a bases-loaded three-RBI double while Cook hit a pair of doubles. Drew Jenson pick up his team leading sixth win of the year in relief.
HEAD COACH TONY GWYNN
Tony Gwynn was hired as SDSU's head baseball coach on September 20, 2001. Last year he served as a volunteer coach for the Aztecs under Jim Dietz, who retired at the end of the 2002 season.
A former Aztec who played baseball at San Diego State from 1979 to 1981, Gwynn was a two-time all-American outfielder who finished his SDSU career with a .398 batting average. He also played basketball for four years at San Diego State, and still holds the school's single-game, season and career assist records.
Gwynn concluded a 20-year major league career with the San Diego Padres in 2001. With a career batting average of .338, he won eight National League batting titles, five Gold Gloves, and made 15 appearances in the annual All-Star Game.
AZTEC PITCHING ROTATION
SDSU's pitching rotation for this week is expected to be as follows:
Tue. - Ben Coon (LHP, 4-3, 5.74)Fri. - Mike Moat (RHP, 4-4, 3.84)Sat. - Joe Carque (RHP, 4-3, 4.30)Sun. - Ronnie Lindsey (RHP, 2-3, 3.46)
COOK NAMED PLAYER OF THE WEEK
San Diego State's Garrett Cook has been named the Mountain West Conference baseball Player of the Week for his efforts in four contests last week. Cook, a senior infielder from Santa Clara, Calif. (St. Francis HS), hit .588 (10-for -17) in four games as he helped the Aztecs to a 3-1 record.
He was 3-for-6 with four RBI, a triple and a home run in a victory over the University of San Diego last Tuesday. In the game-one win at Air Force, Cook was 3-for-3 with two RBI and a pair of walks, followed by a 1-for-4 outing in a loss vs. the Falcons in game two.
In the game three victory, Cook sparked a seven-run seventh inning for the Aztecs with a pair of doubles (in that inning) and finished the game 3-for-4 from the plate with two runs scored. For the week, Cook posted a 1.059 slugging percentage and a .650 on-base percentage. He did not strike out in 20 plate appearances.
GWYNN GETS OFFENSIVE
Junior Anthony Gwynn has a 14-game hitting streak in progress, the longest for an Aztec this season. During that streak he has gone 27-for-62 (.435) with 10 runs scored, 11 RBI, six doubles and a triple.
He has also been a defensive standout in center this season for the Aztecs. He has made four full-out diving catches of balls in the gap that have saved several runs in close games.
Gwynn leads the team in steals with 22 and is second in runs scored with 36. He has started all 45 games and has grounded into only one double play this season.
GUERRERO RETURNS
Prior to the USD game last Tuesday, freshman shortstop James Guerrero had missed the last four games after injuring his shoulder diving for a pop fly at New Mexico on April 12.
He has been one of the team's offensive leaders in 2003. He has reached base safely (either via a hit or base on balls) in 39 of the 40 games in which he has played with the exception of the March 28 contest at UNLV.
His 30 walks leads the team and is 10 more than the next highest individual total. His season on-base percentage stands at .428. He is batting .396 with runners in scoring position and has recorded 12 two-out RBIs this season.
Guerrero is also proving himself as a hitter in his first year at SDSU, batting .316 with 10 doubles, three triples, two homers and a team-leading 31 runs batted in. In addition, he leads the squad with 37 runs scored.
He had a five-game hitting streak ended last Sunday at Air Force during which he went 11-for-24 (.458). He has scored in seven of his last eight games.
CORONA COMING ON
Junior third baseman Chad Corona had a seven-game hitting streak snapped last Sunday in the series finale at Air Force. During his streak, he went 13-for-29 (.448) with a double, three home runs, five runs scored and six RBI.
He had his second two-home run game as an Aztec with a pair of solo shots in last Friday's 11-7 win at Air Force. He had two homers in a game at Hawaii-Hilo during the 2002 season-opening series there.
JENSON PITCHING TOUGH
Junior lefty Drew Jenson, who has made 12 relief appearances this season, leads the SDSU pitching staff in wins with six while suffering just one loss. He also has a team best three saves.
He notched his first career save as an Aztec in the team's 2-1 win over Brigham Young on April 3, throwing the final 1.2 innings, allowing one hit and striking out three. He picked up saves number two and three last in the doubleheader sweep at Utah on April 19.
In his last six relief appearances covering 20 innings, he has struck out 19 and walked five.
His earned run average now stands at 2.90 this season.
EMBREY POWERS UP
After hitting just two home runs in his first two seasons at SDSU, junior first baseman Rielly Embrey leads the team this year with seven.
Included in that number is his first two-home run game, which came last Friday in the win at Air Force. His five RBI in that game is the most for an Aztec this season.
He has a four-game hitting streak going in which he is 7-for-17 (.412) with five runs scored and six runs batted in.
CARQUE IN CONTROL
Senior right-hander Joe Carque has had four of his best outings of the season in his last four starts, but is only 1-1 in those four games.
In those contests (vs. BYU, at New Mexico, at Utah, at Air Force), he has gone a total of 30 innings, allowing 10 earned runs with five walks and 23 strikeouts. His ERA in those games is 3.00.
He struck out a season-high nine batters in SDSU's loss at Air Force last Saturday.
LINDSEY PROVIDES RELIEF
After eight consecutive relief appearances, freshman Ronnie Lindsey made his first start since Feb. 22 at Miami in the second game of the doubleheader at Utah on April 19. He also started game three at Air Force last Sunday.
He has not been involved in the decision in either of those last two starts.
Lindsey had been superb out of the bullpen over the previous six weeks as one of SDSU's most effective relievers. In those last eight relief appearances covering 21.1 innings, he allowed five earned runs and while striking out 29.
His nine strikeouts in 6.2 against UNLV on March 30 was a career high for the first-year Aztec from Point Loma HS.
BURT CONTINUES SOLID PLAY
Junior outfielder Landon Burt has hit safely in five of his last six games with five runs scored and six RBI over that span. He hit his first career home run as an Aztec in last Sunday's win at Air Force.
He is among the team leaders in hitting with a .347 average overall as well as in league play where he is batting .392.
He has 20 walks and 16 strikeouts, and is the only Aztec to have walked more times than struck out this season. His on-base percentage is a team-leading .471 in all games and .495 in league contests.
Burt was hit by pitch twice vs. USD last Tuesday to bring his season total to 10. The SDSU record is 12, set by teammate Jon Stephens last season.
COOK DOUBLES UP
Senior infielder Garrett Cook appears to have a knack for hitting doubles. Of his 29 hits this season, 14 have been two-baggers.
His 14 doubles leads the team even though he has appeared in only 33 games (24 starts) this season.
Cook has also been solid defensively while playing both first and third base. He has committed just two errors this season (while at third) and is fielding .983 on the year.
ALLEN STREAK HALTED
Catcher Josh Allen had his 12-game hitting streak ended in last Friday's contest at Air Force.
He has hit safely in 13 of his last 14 games, going 23-for-57 (.404) with 15 runs scored, 14 RBI, seven doubles, two triples and a home run.
He also had a streak of consecutive games in which he scored at least a run stopped last Friday. He has now crossed the plate in eight of his last nine outings.
Allen, who has appeared in 26 games (24 starts) this season, is second on the team in doubles with 12.
GUERRERO RETURNS
Prior to the USD game last Tuesday, freshman shortstop James Guerrero had missed the previous four games after injuring his shoulder diving for a pop fly at New Mexico on April 12.
He has been one of the team's offensive leaders in 2003. He has reached base safely (either via a hit or base on balls) in 39 of the 40 games in which he has played with the exception of the March 28 contest at UNLV.
His 30 walks leads the team and is 10 more than the next highest individual total. His season on-base percentage stands at .428.
Guerrero is also proving himself as a hitter in his first year at SDSU, batting .316 with 10 doubles, three triples, two homers and a team-leading 31 runs batted in. In addition, he leads the squad with 37 runs scored.
He is batting .396 with runners in scoring position and has recorded 12 two-out RBIs this season.
PITCHING LEADS THE LEAGUE
San Diego State's 4.96 overall earned run average and 4.79 ERA in league games both lead the Mountain West Conference.
The Aztecs have led the MWC in earned run average (both overall and league games only) each of the previous three seasons of the league's existence.
Individually, Mike Moat's overall 3.84 ERA ranks second in the league this week while Joe Carque (4.30) is fourth.
In conference games only, Ronnie Lindsey is first at 3.13 with teammates Drew Jenson ranked third (3.28) and Carque (4.24) sixth.
TONY GWYNN STADIUM
The Aztecs' home facility has been ranked 17th in the nation in a poll of collegiate coaches conducted by Baseball America.
It ranks as the fourth-best in the western U.S. behind stadiums at Stanford, Arizona State and Hawaii.
Tony Gwynn Stadium was ranked 15th in a poll of college baseball Sports Information Directors. Again, the park was fourth in the west, this time behind Hawaii, Stanford and Fresno State.
Since the facility opened for the 1997 season, San Diego State's record there stands at 122-72 (.629).
AZTEC NOTES
Jake McLintock and Anthony Gwynn lead the Aztecs with 17 multiple-hit games apiece as well as in multiple-RBI contests with seven.
Gwynn leads the club with 13 two-out RBI while McLintock, Rielly Embrey and James Guerrero had a dozen each.
Last Sunday, senior first baseman Jon Stephens made his first appearance in the field since undergoing shoulder surgery in mid-February.
As a team, SDSU is hitting .323 over its last five contests.
Anthony Gwynn's 22 stolen bases leads the league in all games as does his eight thefts in MWC games only.
Although it has improved its fielding percentage on the year to .960, San Diego State has not had back-to-back errorless games this season.
The Aztecs have had four-hit games by five players this season: Jordan Swaydan, Landon Burt and Josh Allen, James Guerrero and Chad Corona
The Aztecs have been successful on 17-of-22 stolen base attempts in conference play. Opponents have stolen only 15-of-30.
SDSU has recorded 23 triples this season compared to just seven by opponents. In nine league games, the Aztecs have 10 three-baggers to four by foes.
The Aztecs have executed only 13 sacrifice bunts this season, with seven of those coming the last 12 contests. The record for fewest in a season (since SDSU joined Division I in 1969) is 26 (1980, 1981, 1989).
GAMES ADDED
Due to rainouts earlier in the season, SDSU added a pair of games with UC Riverside, the first being this week. The Highlanders will come to Tony Gwynn Stadium on Tuesday (May 6) at 6:00 p.m.
In addition, the contest vs. New Mexico scheduled for Saturday, May 17, will now be played as part of a doubleheader on Friday, May 18, beginning at 1:00 p.m. SDSU graduation ceremonies slated for Tony Gwynn Stadium on the 19th preclude the teams from playing that day.
ON DECK
Following the home contest with UC Riverside next Tuesday (May 6 at 6:00 p.m. at Tony Gwynn Stadium), San Diego State travels to Provo for its final MWC road trip of the year at Brigham Young.
Game one of the series will be played on Thursday (May 8) at 7:00 p.m. (MDT) at Larry H. Miller Field with single games on Friday (May 9) and Saturday (May 10) scheduled for 7:00 p.m. and 1:00 p.m. respectively.