April 11, 2005
Complete Release and Season Statistics in PDF Format
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THIS WEEK
* San Diego State continues home action this week as it hosts UC Irvine on Tuesday (April 12) at 6:00 p.m. at Tony Gwynn Stadium. The contest is the return leg of home-and-home games scheduled against the Anteaters this season after SDSU played in Irvine on March 8.
* The team will then depart for Utah the next day for a three-game series with league-leading Brigham Young. The first meeting between the Cougars and Aztecs is scheduled for Thursday, Apr. 14, at 7:00 p.m. (MDT) at Larry H. Miller field in Provo. The series continues with contests on Friday evening (April 15) at 7:00 and Saturday (April 16) at 1:00 p.m.
* This is 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. SDSU's all-time record over that time (including this season) stands at 2040-1255-37 for a won-loss percentage of .618.
SERIES RECORDS
* San Diego State holds a 47-20-1 record against UC Irvine since the teams first faced each other back in 1970. Last month, the Aztecs defeated the Anteaters, 8-5, in Irvine. SDSU and UCI met a total seven times during the 2002 and 2003 seasons with SDSU winning four of those contests. The Aztecs are 25-11 against the Anteaters in San Diego and 22-9-1 vs. UCI in Irvine.
* The Aztecs' all-time record against Brigham Young is 60-38-1 in the series that began during the 1957 season. The teams met on a regular basis during the 1980's and 90's while both were members of the Western Athletic Conference.
* Since joining the Mountain West Conference, SDSU's record against the Cougars is 21-17. That ledger includes a 16-14 record in regular-season play and 5-3 in conference tournament action. The Aztecs are 30-13 in contests played in San Diego and 11-5-1 at neutral site fields. San Diego State's record on the Cougars' home field is 19-20.
SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
* UC Irvine enters the week with a record of 15-15 overall and 2-4 in the Big West Conference. The Anteaters have split two games each against MWC opponents Brigham Young and UNLV.
* The UCI offense is led by catcher Mark Wagner (.333, 6 2B, 18 RBI), third baseman Matt Anderson (.322, 11 2B, 19 RBI) and first baseman Jaime Martinez (.319, 2 HR, 20 RBI). The starting pitcher against SDSU will likely be either Nash Robertson (2-2, 4.44) or Michael Koehler (1-3, 9.75). As a team, the Anteaters are hitting .270 with a 3.83 team earned run average.
* Brigham Young's record stands at 23-8-1 overall and 10-2 in the MWC as it sits atop the league standings. The Cougars, who had a six-game win streak snapped at UNLV last Sunday, are slated to face Lewis-Clark State at home Tuesday afternoon before hosting the Aztecs.
* BYU's top hitters include first baseman Jeff Hiestand (.396, 5 HR, 23 RBI), catcher Casey Nelson (.382, 3 2B, 13 RBI) and second baseman Sean McNaughton (.360, 10 HR, 35 RBI). The Cougars hit .339 as a team (.378 in league play). Top hurlers include starters Dave Horlacher (3-1, 2.94) and Brandon Christiansen (3-0, 4.00) along with reliever James Platt (2-1, 3 saves, 3.71). The team earned run average is 4.34 (3.56 in MWC games).
PITCHING ROTATIONS
* On Tuesday, Will Miller (0-2, 12.00) will get the start for the Aztecs vs. UC Irvine. The Anteaters' starter has yet to be determined. Both teams will likely use several pitchers during the contest.
* The probable starting pitchers for each team in this weekend's series are as follows:
San Diego State Brigham YoungThursday...Bruce Billings (RHP, 3-3, 3.47)...Dave Horlacher (RHP, 3-1, 2.94)Friday.....Alex Hinshaw (LHP, 2-6, 6.34).....Brandon Christiansen (RHP, 3-0, 4.00)Saturday...Ben Coon (LHP, 1-2, 6.68).........Blake Torgerson (RHP, 4-2, 5.36)
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. He spent the 2002 campaign as a volunteer assistant coach at SDSU 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.
* He was also an all-conference basketball player for the Aztecs and still holds the SDSU single-game, season and career assist records.
AZTECS-COUGARS ON TV
* Friday night's SDSU-BYU baseball game will be televised live on KBYU-TV and may be viewed live on the Internet beginning at 6:00 p.m. Pacific time.
* To view the broadcast, go to www.byutv.org and click on "BYU Television Internet Stream" at the top of the page.
BILLINGS LEADS MOUND STAFF
* Sophomore right-hander Bruce Billings evened his record at 3-3after picking up the win last Saturday vs. New Mexico. He went 6.2 innings, allowing three runs and striking out five.
* Over his last five starts (41.2 innings), he has posted a 2.59 earned run average with 44 strikeouts.
* In his two seasons, Billings has allowed just two home runs in 107 innings pitched. Those two homers came in back-to-back starts against Santa Clara and North Carolina State earlier this season.
* Opponents are hitting just .239 against him.
* He is currently averaging a strikeout per inning (57 K's in 57 IP) and has a strikeout to walk ratio of three-to-one (57 K's-19 BB's).
* Billings continues to lead the conference in strikeouts with 57 and in batters struck out looking with 22.
UNGRICHT HEATS UP
* Brock Ungricht hit safely in all three games last weekend to extend his modest hitting streak to six games.
* Over those six contests, he is 10-for-25 (.400) with seven runs scored, six RBI, two doubles and a pair of triples.
* Ungricht is hitting .361 in conference play.
PLAYING PEPPER
* Junior second baseman Sam Pepper, who made his first start of the season in the series finale at UNLV on April 3, remained in a starting role during last weekend's three games vs. New Mexico.
* He responded by hitting safely in all three contests, going 7-for-12 with three runs scored and a pair of runs batted in.
* His four-hit effort in Saturday's contests was only the second four-hit game for an Aztec this season.
GUERRERO GETS ON
* Second baseman James Guerrero has hit safely each of SDSU's last six games, going 9-for-21 (.429) in those contests with nine runs scored, five RBI, a double, two triples and a home run. He has also drawn three walks for a .500 on-base percentage in those games.
* He had a 12-game hitting streak snapped in the second game of the Utah series (Mar. 19).
* That 12-game streak is second-longest on the club this season, one behind Quintin Berry's current 16-game streak. Lance Zawadzki has also had a 12-game hitting streak earlier this season.
TRIPLE YOUR FUN
* James Guerrero's two triples in last Saturday's game against New Mexico tied the SDSU mark for three-baggers in a game. The last Aztecs to accomplish the feat was Anthony Gwynn, who had a pair of triples vs. Brigham Young on May 22, 2003.
* The four triples hit by SDSU in that win over UNM was one shy of the school record of five in a game set vs. Point Loma Nazarene in 1987 and Western New Mexico in 1984.
* San Diego State hit a total of six triples during the New Mexico series to double its season total to 12 after recording just six three-baggers in the first 27 games of the season.
BERRY STREAKING
* Sophomore center fielder Quentin Berry extended his hitting streak to 19 games after reaching safely in all three contests last weekend. During his streak, he is batting .369 (31-for-84) with 19 runs scored, seven doubles and 11 runs batted in. More impressively, he is hitting .391 over SDSU's last 10 contests.
* His streak is the longest for an Aztec this season, surpassing the 12-game streaks of teammates Lance Zawadzki and James Guerrero.
* He has recorded an extra-base hit in four of his last five contests.
* His season average now stands at .360, best on the squad this week. He is hitting .405 in Mountain West conference play.
* He recorded a season-high four hits in a game in the series opener vs. New Mexico last Friday, the first four-hit game for an Aztec in 2005.
DOUGLAS EMERGES IN RELIEF
* Reliever Brett Douglas was perfect in three appearances during the New Mexico series, going one-third of an inning in each game.
* In his last six relief appearances, the sophomore right-hander has thrown a total of 9.1 innings, allowing two runs with seven strikeouts for a 2.16 earned run average in those contests.
* His ERA in five league appearances (covering 5.1 innings) stands at 1.42.
MCLINTOCK ON THE RISE
* Right fielder Jake McLintock has hit safely is six of his last seven outings including all three games vs. UNM last weekend.
* In his last seven games, he is 13-for-26 (.500) with 11 RBI, eight runs scored, three doubles, a triple and a home run.
* McLintock had his second five-RBI game of the season in the win over UNM last Friday. He is the lone Aztec to drive in five runs in a game this year.
* Over his last seven contests, he has raised his season batting average from .235 to .309.
ZAWADZKI GETS OFFENSIVE
* Third baseman Lance Zawadzki recorded hits in each of last weekend's three contests and has hit in eight of SDSU's last nine contests.
* In those nine games, he is 13-for-38 (.342). He has scored eight runs in the Aztecs' last five contests.
* Zawadzki had a 12-game hitting streak earlier this season, second longest for an Aztec.
* He ranks second on the squad in runs scored with 21, doubles with seven, and stolen bases with five. * He had a pair of stolen bases last Friday and is one of only two Aztecs with two steals in a game (Quintin Berry has done so twice).
O'BRIEN CONTINUES TO HIT
* First baseman Tim O'Brien hit his team-leading fourth home run of the season, this one a grand slam, in the Aztecs' win over New Mexico last Saturday.
* In SDSU's last four games, he has recorded nine RBI along with a double, two triples and a home run.
* He leads SDSU in doubles (eight), is tied for the team lead in runs batted in (19), and is second in runs scored with 21.
* The junior from Fresno City College is hitting a .326 and tops the squad in both slugging (.596) and on-base (.423) percentage.
BURKLE DUE BACK
* Junior right-hander Shaun Burkle, who was one of the team's most effective relief early in the season, could make his return this week, but will likely return to active duty for the Air Force series at home in two weeks.
* He has been out since Feb. 25 with a fracture in his right hand.
* Burkle has made six appearances this season (eight innings), allowing three runs (none earned) on eight hits and two walks along with three strikeouts. Seven of the eight hits he has given up have been singles.
* In his six outings, opponents are hitting .229 against him.
HITTING IN A PINCH
* After 30 games, Aztec pinch hitters have gone 9-for-21 for a .429 average.
* Eight different players have come through at the plate when coming off the bench.
* Freshman Joseph Scaperotta has a single and a double as a pinch hitter in four at bats.
* Last season, the Aztecs totaled six pinch hits all year, finishing with a .231 average (6-for-26) in that category.
PLUNKIN' THE OPPOSITION
* SDSU pitchers are averaging over one hit batter per game.
* With 34 HBP's in 30 games, the Aztec staff is hitting 1.13 batters per contest.
* That average projects to 66 hit batters over 58 games.
* The team record is 64 hit batters in season (66 games in 2002).
* Aztec hurlers have hit more than one batter in a game on five occasions this season with a high of five vs. Cal State Fullerton on Mar. 1.
POWER SHORTAGE
* The Aztecs have hit only 12 home runs through their first 30 contests. That figure projects to 23 home runs over 58 games.
* The last time SDSU hit 25 or fewer homers in a season was in 2001 when it had 24 in 60 games.
* The Aztecs hit two homers in a game for the first time this year when James Guerrero and Curt Mendoza connected in the win over New Mexico last Friday.
AZTEC NOTES
* Tim O'Brien's grand slam last Saturday was SDSU's second in three games after Jake McLintock accomplished the same feat at UNLV the previous Sunday. The team record for grand slams in a season is three, set last season.
* SDSU's team batting average of .295 entering the week is the highest it has been for the season. The previous high was .294 in mid-February. Since that time, the average has fluctuated between .271 and its current number.
* Jake McLintock's .481 batting average in conference play ranks second in the MWC this week. Teammate Quintin Berry is sixth with a .405 league average.
* James Guerrero's three-year total of 94 walks moves him into sole possession of the number-nine spot on the SDSU career list. The number-eight position is held by Bobby Meacham (1979-81) with 95 walks.
* Outfielder Joseph Scaperotta started two of the three games vs. New Mexico, appearing in all three contests. Over the weekend he went 3-for-9 with a double and four RBI.
* Pitcher Alex Hinshaw had his Aztec career best with 10 strikeouts (6.2 innings) last Saturday vs. New Mexico.
* In his last three relief appearances, Cody Campbell has allowed one hit over four innings while striking out five.
* Reliever Dan Bruckart has not allowed an earned run in six relief appearances. He has also struck out five in his 5.1 innings.
* With his start at second base at UNLV on April 2, freshman Grant Desme has now appeared at all four infield positions this season. He has also started in center field on several occasions.
* Quintin Berry leads the team with 13 multiple-hit games followed by James Guerrero with a dozen. Tim O'Brien has recorded six multiple-RBI contests, just ahead of Guerrero's five.
SCHEDULE CHANGES
* The Aztecs have re-scheduled the contest at Cal State Northridge that was rained out on Feb. 22. They have also added a game to replace one that was rained out vs. Santa Clara in early February as well.
* SDSU will host UCLA on Tuesday, April 19, at 6:00 p.m. at Tony Gwynn Stadium.
* The Aztecs will play at Cal State Northridge the following Tuesday, (April 26) at 3:00 p.m.
AIR FORCE SERIES POSTPONED
* San Diego State's three-game series at Air Force, scheduled for two weeks ago (Mar. 25-27), was postponed due to snow.
* The Aztecs and Falcons will tentatively play six games when Air Force visits San Diego the weekend of April 22-24. The teams will play three doubleheaders at Tony Gwynn Stadium that weekend with times TBA.
AZTEC BASEBALL ON TV
* In addition to this Friday's game at BYU, SDSU will make two other television appearances this season. * The first is a game which will be carried by College Sports Television (CSTV) when the Aztecs meet UNLV on Sunday, May 1, at 1:30 p.m. (PDT) at Tony Gwynn Stadium.
* The other contest will be the game at Cal State Fullerton on Tuesday, May 3, at 6:00 p.m. That game will be broadcast live on ESPNU.