May 17, 2005
Complete Release and Season Statistics in PDF Format
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THIS WEEK
* SDSU concludes its 2005 regular season this week as it hosts Brigham Young for a three-game league series beginning Wednesday (May 18) at Tony Gwynn Stadium at 6:00 p.m. (PDT). The series will continue with single games on Thursday (May 19) at 6:00 p.m. and Friday (May 20) at 1:00 p.m.
* Prior to Friday's game, three Aztec seniors will be honored as they conclude their final season at San Diego State. That trio includes catcher Kevin Howard along with outfielders Garrick Evans and Jake McLintock.
* The series is being played earlier than usual due to graduation ceremonies scheduled at Tony Gwynn Stadium on Saturday.
* 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 2053-1265-37 for a won-loss percentage of .617.
SERIES IMPLICATIONS
* With three conference games remaining, San Diego State can finish anywhere from second to fourth in the final standings. SDSU enters the week three games ahead of New Mexico and three games behind Brigham Young.
* The Aztecs need at least one victory or one New Mexico loss to clinch third. (UNM is at Air Force for three games this week.)
* With a sweep of BYU, SDSU can finish tied for second with the Cougars and gain the number-two seed at next week's MWC tournament, winning the head-to-head tiebreaker.
SERIES RECORD
* The Aztecs' all-time record against Brigham Young is 61-40-1 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 22-19. That ledger includes a 17-16 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 20-22.
WEEKEND PITCHING ROTATIONS
San Diego State Brigham YoungWednesday...Alex Hinshaw (LHP, 5-7, 5.05).....Dave Horlacher (RHP, 5-2, 4.13)Thursday....Bruce Billings (RHP, 5-4, 3.84)...Lance Beus (LHP, 1-1, 6.99)Friday......Ben Coon (LHP, 2-2, 7.28).........James Platt (RHP, 3-1, 6.41)
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.
SCOUTING THE COUGARS
* Brigham Young's record stands at 35-16-1 overall and 19-8 in the MWC as it sits in second place in the league standings. The Cougars took two of three games from first-place UNLV in Provo last weekend and trail the Rebels by one game.
* BYU's top hitters include first baseman Jeff Hiestand (.383, 8 HR, 39 RBI), third baseman Brandon Taylor (.370, 19 HR, 76 RBI) and first baseman Ben Saylor (.347, 22 2B, 41 RBI). The Cougars hit .341 as a team (.364 in league play).
* Top hurlers include starters Dave Horlacher (5-2, 4.13) and Brandon Christiansen (4-1, 5.07) along with reliever Joshua Barrett (2-1, 3 saves, 4.14). The team earned run average is 5.19 (5.33 in MWC games).
OFFENSE EXPLODES
* San Diego State's 28-10 win at New Mexico last Sunday saw the Aztecs tie a couple of school offensive records.
* The 28 runs tied the most in a game SDSU began playing in Division I (1968), matching the total scored in a 28-6 win at Air Force in 1990. The Aztecs' 27 RBI in the contest tied the record set in that same game vs. Air Force.
* The team's 28 hits was one shy of the 29 it totaled at Colorado State, also during the 1990 season. The seven doubles was also one short of the record of eight in a game, accomplished four times previously.
* James Guerrero tied the individual mark for most at bats in a game with eight, shared by four others.
MENDOZA GOES DEEP
* Junior left fielder Curt Mendoza started the final two contests at New Mexico, going 5-for-9.
* On Saturday, he hit his sixth home run of the year to take over the team lead in that category. During that game, he went 4-for-6 with two doubles, a homer, five runs scored and four RBI.
* He has hit safely in each of the last five games in which he has appeared, going 10-for-22 (.445) over that span with eight runs scored, three doubles, three home runs and nine RBI.
* In the process, he has raised his season batting average from .215 to .281, and he is now batting .341 (14-for-41) in conference play.
BILLINGS LEADS MOUND STAFF
* In his most recent outing (at New Mexico), Bruce Billings gave up three runs on three hits and struck out seven in seven innings, but suffered his fourth loss of the season as SDSU could only score one run.
* In his two seasons, Billings has allowed just four home runs in 143.2 innings.
* Opponents are hitting just .227 against him in all games, a mark that leads the league. In conference games only, his .227 average also is tops in the MWC.
* He is currently averaging just over a strikeout per inning (95 K's in 93.2 IP) and has a strikeout-to-walk ratio of better than three-to-one (95 K's-33 BB's). Billings leads the conference (all-game stats) in strikeouts.
* His 3.99 earned run average in league play ranks first in the MWC this week.
* Billings need six strikeouts to move into the SDSU single-season top 10 list. Three players (Aaron Harang-1999; Erik Plantenberg-1990; Mike Erb-1986) are currently tied for the number-nine spot with 101 K's in a season.
MCLINTOCK SOLID AT THE PLATE
* Jake McLintock has hit safely in 12 of SDSU's last 14 contests. Over that span, he is hitting .426 (23-for-54) with 14 runs scored and 15 RBI.
* He is averaging just one strikeout every 10.6 plate appearances. When he struck out three times vs. USC last week, it was the first time he had fanned more than once in a game since Feb, 13 vs. Santa Clara.
* In conference play, he has struck out only four times in 108 plate appearances, an average of once every 27 times up to bat.
* Since March 18, McLintock has raised his overall batting average from .235 to its current mark of .361, and he is hitting a league-leading .488 in conference games.
GUERRERO PROVIDES PUNCH
* Second baseman James Guerrero has gone 20-for-44 (.455) over SDSU's last nine games with eight runs scored, nine RBI, two doubles, a triple and a home run.
* He has a five-game hitting streak in progress (10-for-23) and has driven in at least one run in eight of SDSU's last nine contests.
* He tied the SDSU record for hits in a game with six against UNLV on May 1. That feat has been accomplished by three other Aztecs, most recently by Brian Kooiman vs. Sac State (4/23/95).
* He has reached base via hit or walk in 27 consecutive contests.
* Guerrero leads the team in triples (7), RBI (45), slugging percentage (.571), hit by pitch (10), and on-base percentage (.476).
BERRY KEYS OFFENSE
* Since having his 27-game hitting streak stopped at CSU Northridge on April 26, center fielder Quintin Berry has hit in nine straight contests.
* During his current streak, he is hitting .467 (21-for-45) with 11 runs scored, 12 RBI, three doubles, a triple and two home runs.
* His 27-game hitting streak was the second-longest streak in school history, just one shy of the Aztec record 28-game streaks of Derek Vinyard (1991) and Steve Dietz (1992).
* His season average now stands at .412, best on the squad this week. He is second in the league with a .486 average in Mountain West Conference play.
* Berry's .412 batting average ranks 22nd in this week's NCAA Division I statistics.
* The last Aztec to finish the season hitting .400 or better was Steve Dietz (.404) in 1992.
DESME ON A ROLL
* Freshman infielder Grant Desme is on a personal season-best eight-game hitting streak during which he is batting .382 (13-for-34) with four doubles, a homer, eight runs scored and 12 runs batted in.
* He hit his first home run as an Aztec in last Friday's game at New Mexico.
* Desme has struck out only once in his last 10 games covering 36 plate appearances.
* He is hitting .306 in league play.
TRIPLE YOUR FUN
* After hitting six triples in the first 27 games of the season, the Aztecs have recorded 22 in their last 24 outings.
* SDSU recorded four triples in a game vs. New Mexico on April 9 and again at Brigham Young on April 15.
* The four triples hit by SDSU in those games was one shy of the school record of five in a game set vs. Point Loma Nazarene in 1987 and vs. Western New Mexico in 1984.
* James Guerrero has accounted for six of those 22 recent triples and had two in the game vs. New Mexico (Apr. 8), tying the SDSU mark for three-baggers in a game. The last Aztec to accomplish the feat was Anthony Gwynn, who had a pair of triples vs. Brigham Young on May 22, 2003.
* In this week's NCAA national stats, SDSU's average of 0.55 triples per game ranks fifth-best in the nation.
* With seven triples (prior to the USC game on Tuesday), Guerrero's average of 0.14 per game ranked 16th among individuals in the NCAA Division I statistics.
SWAYDAN SHOWS CONSISTENCY
* Catcher Jordan Swaydan saw a short five-game hitting streak end last Friday at New Mexico then went out the next day and had his best offensive outing of the season.
* In Saturday's win over the Lobos, he went 4-for-4 with a double, walk, two runs scored and four RBI.
* He is fielding .991 behind the dish and has not committed an error over the past 34 games in which he has played (275 chances). He has not committed an error in league play (191 chances) while hitting .323 in MWC action.
BATS COMING ALIVE
* San Diego State's team batting average of .315 entering the week is close to the highest it has been this season. The team's highest mark was .316 on May 1.
* Since April 1, the average has moved steadily upward from .279 to its current number.
* Over their last 17 games, the Aztecs are hitting .349 as a team, averaging 9.5 runs and 13.1 hits per contest.
* During that span, SDSU has hit 44 doubles, 12 triples and 14 home runs.
RECORD BOOK PT. I
* Jake McLintock passed former Aztec Bobby Meacham recently and is now the SDSU record holder for most career at bats with 815. McLintock also had three more RBI last weekend and has passed Chris Gwynn for the Aztec career mark in that category with 174. Gwynn (1983-85) totaled 168 runs batted in during his SDSU career.
* He also now holds the career record in number of times being hit by pitch with 24 and is the SDSU sacrifice fly leader with 17 during his four seasons.
* McLintock needs five hits and four total bases to tie Chris Gwynn for the San Diego State career records in those two categories, and he is three doubles and two triples shy of those two records as well.
RECORD BOOK PT. II
* James Guerrero's three-year total of 111 walks moves him into a tie for the number-five spot on the SDSU career list with Monte McAbee (1977-80). Gary Armstrong (1975-77) is number four with 113 career bases on balls.
* With seven triples this season, Guerrero now has 15 in his career and has tied the SDSU record of 15 held by Anthony Gwynn (2001-03), Nikco Riesgo (1986-88) and Art Preston (1950-52). His two triples in a game earlier this season tied the SDSU mark as did his six hits in a game on May 1.
* With 221 career hits, Guerrero has cracked the Aztec top 10 in that category. Entering the Brigham Young series, his total ranks 8th all-time at SDSU, two hits behind Doug Elliott (1977-79).
* He also ranks third all-time in being hit by pitch with 19. He has been plunked 10 times this year, fourth-most ever in a season for an Aztec.
* In addition, he is just outside the SDSU top 10 in runs and at bats.
HITTING IN A PINCH
* After 48 games, Aztec pinch hitters have gone 11-for-36 for a .306 average.
* Eight different players have come through at the plate when coming off the bench.
* Freshman Joseph Scaperotta has two singles and a double as a pinch hitter in nine at bats. James Scott is 2-for-3 with a single and triple.
* 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 61 HBP's in 51 games, the Aztec staff is hitting 1.20 batters per contest.
* That average projects to 67 hit batters over 56 games (the minimum that SDSU will play this season depending on results at the MWC Tournament).
* 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 16 occasions this season with a high of five vs. Cal State Fullerton on Mar. 1.
* Alex Hinshaw has hit 15 opposing hitter this season, one shy of the SDSU record of 16 by Jeremy Cook (2002).
TURN ON THE POWER
* San Diego State had hit only eight home runs through their first 26 contests, but has connected for 20 in their last 25 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 on April 8.
* Since that time, two Aztecs have had two-home run games from a pair of individuals: freshman Joseph Scaperotta at BYU on April 15 and sophomore Lance Zawadzki vs. Air Force on April 24.
* As a team, SDSU had a three-home run contest vs. Air Force in San Diego on April 24 as Zawadzki had two and Jordan Swaydan hit one in that contest. The team also connected for three last Saturday at New Mexico (Berry, Mendoza, Guerrero).
STREAKS AND SUCH
* Outfielder Quintin Berry has the team's longest current hitting streak at nine games.
* Berry has also recorded the most multiple-hit games this season with 26 followed by third shortstop James Guerrero at 23.
* McLintock has had 12 multiple-RBI contests, just ahead of Guerrero and Zawadzki (11).
MWC WEEKY HONORS
* Two Aztec pitchers have been honored as MWC Pitcher of the Week two times apiece this season. In addition, one hitter has garnered league Player of the Week honors.
* Junior lefty Alex Hinshaw was named the Mountain West Conference Pitcher of the Week for the second time in three weeks after his performance vs. UNLV last on April 29. In that contest, he allowed just three runs (two earned) on four hits over seven innings while striking out a career-high 14 in the Aztecs' 7-4 victory over league-leading UNLV.
* Hinshaw's first award came on April 18 when was named the Pitcher of the Week for his performance in his outing vs. Brigham Young (on April 15). In that outing, he tossed a complete-game victory while striking out a career-high (at the time) 12 batters, scattering six hits and walking three.
* San Diego State sophomore right-hander Bruce Billings was named the Mountain West Conference Pitcher of the Week for his performance in contests vs. UCLA and Air Force during the period of April 18-24. In three appearances that week, Billings picked up two wins and struck out 17, while giving up no runs and holding opponents to a batting average of .097 in 10.0 innings on the mound. Billings was also the league Pitcher of the Week on March 9 after throwing seven innings at South Alabama, allowing one unearned run on four hits while striking out six.
* SDSU's other honoree was outfielder Garrick Evans, the MWC Player of the Week on Feb. 21 after he went 7-for-17 (.412) with a home run, double, three RBI and four runs scored over four games (one vs. CSU Northridge and three at North Carolina State).
AZTEC NOTES
* Left-hander Alex Hinshaw suffered his first loss on the mound since April 2 when the Aztecs fell at New Mexico last Thursday. He had won his last four decisions.
* Jake McLintock made his SDSU pitching debut last week in the game vs. USC. The senior right-hander came on in the ninth inning, allowing a hit before getting a fly ball out and a double play.
* With four walks last Saturday in the game at New Mexico, Brock Ungricht has taken over the team lead in that category with 30.
* Sophomore Brett Douglas picked up his first victory as an Aztec in last weekend's win at New Mexico. He went six innings, giving up six runs (four earned) with no walks and two strikeouts to improve to 1-3 on the season.
* Freshman outfielder Joseph Scaperotta had his best day at the plate last Saturday vs. New Mexico, going 4-for-5 with a pair of doubles and three runs scored.
* In his last six relief appearances covering 11.1 innings, redshirt freshman right-hander Jared Suwyn has allowed only one earned run.
* The Aztecs played four extra-inning games (including three in a row) between May 1 and May 8, going 2-2 in those contests. It was first time that SDSU had ever played three consecutive extra-inning contests.
UP NEXT
* San Diego State will travel to Utah next week to compete in the 2005 Mountain West Conference Tournament. That event gets underway on Wednesday, May 25, at Franklin Covey Field, home of the Salt Lake City Stingers, AAA affiliate of the Anaheim Angels. With the possibility of finishing anywhere from second to fourth in the final league standings, SDSU's first game time and opponent will not be determined until the weekend.