Feb. 10, 2005
Complete Release and Season Statistics in PDF Format
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THIS WEEK
* San Diego State returns home this weekend for a three-game series with Santa Clara. The Aztecs and Broncos will meet in a single game at 6:00 p.m. on Friday (Feb. 11th) followed by contests on Saturday (Feb. 12) and Sunday (Feb. 13), both at 1:00 p.m.
* SDSU will host Cal State Northridge on Tuesday, Feb. 15, at 6:00 p.m. at Tony Gwynn Stadium prior to leaving for the North Carolina State on the first of three straight weekend road trips.
* This will be the 67th 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.
SERIES RECORDS
* Santa Clara leads the series with the Aztecs by an 8-4 margin. The teams met six times between 1963 and 1974, then did not square off again until the 2003 season. That year, SDSU defeated the Broncos twice in a three-game series at Tony Gwynn Stadium. Last year, Santa Clara returned the favor, winning two of three on its home field.
* SDSU's all-time record against Cal State Northridge stands at 38-36 in a series that began in 1960. The teams met annually while both were members of the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA). The Aztecs and Matadors were also members of the Western Athletic Conference together from 1993 to 1996. Last season, the teams split a pair of games with each side winning on its home field.
SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
* Santa Clara (4-2) is coming off a three-game home sweep of Mountain West Conference member Utah. This will be the Broncos' first road trip of the season after dropping two of three to UC Riverside in their season-opening series two weeks ago.
* Santa Clara is led offensively by right fielder Jason Mateucci (.409, two 2B, 5 RBI), second baseman Dustin Realini (.381, two 2B, 5 RBI) and catcher Kris Watts (.368, six runs, two 2B). The starting threesome on the mound includes Mike Stutes (1-1, 4.22), Patrick Overholt (0-0, 5.50) and Kellan McConnell (0-0, 5.40). As a team, the Broncos are hitting .290 with a 3.50 ERA.
* CSU Northridge enters the weekend with a record of 2-1-1 as it prepares for three games with UCLA (two at home, one away). The Matadors opened their season with a 3-3 tie at University of San Diego, then took two of three games at UNLV.
* CSN is led by Erik Hagstrom (.412, 2B), Drew Aguailiar (.350, 2 runs, 2 RBI) and Raymond Ravago (.312, 2 RBI). Top pitchers include starters Jimmy Brettl (0-0, 1.23) and Craig Baker (1-0, 1.12) plus reliever Peter Eberhardt (1-0, 1.29). As a team, the Matadors are hitting .270 and have posted a team earned run average of 3.95.
HEAD COACH Tony Gwynn
* Tony Gwynn is in his third season as San Diego State's head coach after being named to the position in Sept. 2001. In 2002, he served as a volunteer coach for the Aztecs under Jim Dietz, who retired at the end of that season.
* Last year, Gwynn led his squad to the Mountain West Conference regular-season championship and was named the MWC coach of the year.
* A former Aztec who played baseball at San Diego State from 1979 to 1981, 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.
PITCHING ROTATION
* Bruce Billings will start the Friday game of the series with Santa Clara.
* Following Billings in SDSU's pitching rotation, the Aztecs expect to continue with sophomore right-hander Brett Douglas and freshman Andres Esquibel on Saturday and Sunday respectively.
* Freshman James Scott gets the nod on Tuesday vs. CSU Northridge after making his starting debut at USC last Tuesday.
BRONCO ROTATION
* Santa Clara's starting pitchers this weekend are expected to be:
Fri....Kevin McConnell (RHP, 0-0, 5.40)
Sat....Patrick Overholt (RHP, 0-0, 4.50)
Sun....Mike Stutes (RHP, 1-1, 4.22)
ATTENDANCE RECORD
* The Aztecs drew their largest crowds ever to Tony Gwynn Stadium during last weekend's series vs. Texas.
* On Friday (Feb. 4), the teams drew 2,857 fans, the biggest crowd ever to see a collegiate game at the stadium.* Saturday's crowd of 2,353 was the second-largest in stadium history.
* The only larger crowd to visit the facility was a gathering of 3,158 fans who witnessed the Aztecs played the New York Yankees during the 1998 campaign.
DEFENSIVE WOES
* Whether it was the large crowds, opening weekend jitters, or adjusting to new positions, SDSU struggled defensively all weekend in the Texas series.
* The team committed a total of 13 errors over the three games including five in each of the first two contests.* The errors led to 11 unearned runs.
* At USC on Tuesday, the team committed just one error which had no effect on the game score.
OFFENSE STRUGGLES
* San Diego State heads into the weekend on the heels of back-to-back shutouts at the hands of Texas (7-0) and USC (6-0).* The last time SDSU did not score in two consecutive games was in 1978 when it lost both ends of a doubleheader to Pepperdine (0-3, 0-1).
* Through their first four games, the Aztecs have scored eight runs.
BILLINGS SHINES
* Sophomore right-hander Bruce Billings has taken up where he left off a year ago when he won his final five decisions of the season.
* Although not involved in the decision in the opener vs. top-tanked Texas, Billings turned in a noteworthy performance, allowing one earned run over his seven innings of work.
* He gave up just five hits and struck out five while walking none. He left the contest after seven innings with the score tied 3-3.
NEWCOMERS CONTRIBUTE
* Three of the new faces on the SDSU roster made their presence felt in last weekend's opening series against Texas.
* Senior outfielder Garrick Evans, a transfer from Clemson, started the first two games in left field and went 3-for-7 with a double and two runs scored.
* First baseman Tim O'Brien (Fresno City CC) got the starting nod in the second and third games. He responded by collecting three hits in six at bats including a home run to dead center field.
* Shortstop Clayton Carson (Saddleback JC) led the team with four hits over the weekend including a double. He is the early team RBI leader with three.
INFIELD SHIFT
* Two of SDSU's veteran infielders have switched positions for the 2005 season.
* All-MWC shortstop James Guerrero has moved to second base while returning second baseman Lance Zawadzki is playing third base during his sophomore campaign.
* With those two moves, junior college transfer Clayton Carson has assumed the role of starting shortstop. Carson began his collegiate career at Brigham Young, spending two seasons there before moving to Saddleback Junior College.
PRESEASON ALL-MWC
* Five Aztecs have been named to the preseason all-Mountain West Conference team as selected by the league's head coaches and media members.
* Those five athletes include Brock Ungricht (So., UT/DH), James Guerrero (Jr., SS), Jake McLintock (Sr., OF), Lance Zawadzki (So., 2B) and Bruce Billings (So., RHP).
* SDSU led all conference teams with five players on the preseason all-MWC team, followed by Brigham Young with three and New Mexico and UNLV with two.
BASEBALL AMERICA PRESEASON HONORS
* Baseball America's preseason all-Mountain West Conference team features five Aztecs among its members. Included in that group are second baseman James Guerrero, shortstop Lance Zawadzki, outfielder Jake McLintock, designated hitter Brock Ungricht plus pitcher Bruce Billings.
* Among the league's top newcomers is senior outfielder Garrick Evans, a transfer from Clemson.
* SDSU also has five players listed among those in the league in Best Tools categories. That group includes Brock Ungricht (best pure hitter and best strike-zone discipline), Jordan Swaydan (best defensive catcher), James Guerrero (best defensive second baseman), Clayton Carson (best defensive shortstop), and Jake McLintock (outfielder with best arm).
* The Aztecs have two of the five players listed as the MWC's top prospects including Zawadzki (2) and Guerrero (5).
* The publication projects SDSU to win the conference title in 2004 with UNLV finishing second.
IT'S ALL RELATIVE
* Four Aztecs claim major league baseball players as relatives.
* Shortstop Clayton Carson is a cousin of former Dodger, Cub and Red Sox first baseman Bill Buckner. In addition, Carson's brother, Matt, was a three-year letterman at BYU and is currently in the New York Yankees organization.* Outfielder Garrick Evans is a second cousin of Detroit Tiger (and former San Diego Padre) outfielder Rondell White.
* Pitcher Anthony Ybarra is the nephew of former Cleveland Indians second baseman Tommy Hinzo.
* Senior infielder Noel Strane is the cousin of Florida Marlins pitcher Dontrelle Willis.
AZTEC TO PLAY PADRES AT PETCO PARK
* San Diego State will face the San Diego Padres in an exhibition contest at PETCO Park on Wednesday, March 30, at 7:00 p.m.
* It will be the first meeting between the teams since the 1998 season and will also be the Padres' first preseason appearance in San Diego prior to the start of their 2005 campaign.
* Tickets for the Aztec-Padre game will go on sale to the general public on Feb. 19. Further information is available by calling (619) 283-SDSU or visiting the SDSU Aztec web site (www.goaztecs.com).
PLAYER NOTES
* Junior shortstop Clayton Carson is the only Aztec to have hit safely in all four games this season. He had a two-hit game with two RBI in the season opener vs. Texas.
* After being held hitless in the opener, James Guerrero has gone 6-for-11 in the past three games to raise his average to a team-leading .472.
* Jake McLintock has also hit in three straight, going 4-for-11 since not recording a base hit on opening day.
* Freshman catcher Chris Anderson had a base hit in his first collegiate at bat vs. Texas last Saturday.
* Including last season, sophomore right-hander Bruce Billings has not given up a home run in 57 innings on the mound.
* With 85 walks in two-plus seasons, James Guerrero needs six more bases on ball to crack the Aztec career top 10 list in that category. Flavio Alfaro (1983-84) is currently 10th with 91 walks.
* Catcher Jordan Swaydan has thrown out two of the three base runners attempting to steal on him.
AZTEC NOTES
* SDSU has a pair of twin brothers on its roster in infielder Kevin Perry and outfielder Kasey Perry. Both came to SDSU from Fresno City CC and are the first set of twins to play baseball for the Aztecs.
* Aztec pitchers and outfielders have not committed an error through the team's first four contests.
* Aztec batters have struck out 51 times in the first 36 innings of the 2004 season. A total of 19 different players have come to the plate for San Diego State, and each has struck out at least once.
* SDSU and Houston set an NCAA single-game attendance mark when they met at PETCO Park on March 11, 2004. A crowd of 40,103 saw the Aztecs defeat the Cougars, 4-0.
ON DECK
* Following the Santa Clara series, San Diego State will play a home game vs. CSU Northridge on Feb. 15 at 6:00 p.m. at Tony Gwynn Stadium.
* The Aztecs will then hit the road, traveling to North Carolina State for a three-game series beginning Friday, Feb. 18.
* The North Carolina State series will be the first of three straight weekend away series for the Aztecs as 11 of their next 12 contests after the Northridge game will be on the road.