Jan. 30, 2006
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WHAT'S ON TAP THIS WEEK IN AZTEC BASEBALL
*San Diego State opens its 2006 campaign with a four-game series at the University of Hawai'i beginning Wednesday, Feb. 1. The teams will meet in a single game at 6:35 p.m. (HST) that evening followed by contests on Thursday (Feb. 2) and Friday (Feb. 3) at the same time.
*The series concludes with a 1:00 p.m. (HST) start on Saturday (Feb. 4).
*This will be the 69th 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
*Hawai'i leads the series with San Diego State, 75-66. The teams first met during the 1980 season and squared off annually over the next 20 seasons as members of the Western Athletic Conference. The Aztecs and Rainbows have not played each other since 1999 when Hawai'i won two of three at Tony Gwynn Stadium.
*The Aztecs are 41-27 against the Rainbows in San Diego, 24-47 in Honolulu and 1-1 at neutral sites. SDSU's last visit to Rainbow Stadium came during the 1998 campaign when it won two of three contests.
SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
*Hawai'i returns six starting position players from last season's squad which finished with an overall record of 28-27 and a 15-14 mark in Western Athletic Conference play (third place).
*The Rainbows welcome back four all-conference players in infielder Joe Spiers (.307, 11 2B, 21 RBI), outfielder Matt Inouye (.255, 13 2B, 24 RBI), catcher Esteban Lopez (.250, 6 2B, 14 RBI) and relief pitcher Darrell Fisherbaugh (4.1, 2 saves, 1.45 ERA).
*Right-handed pitcher Steven Wright is expected to be the team's number-one starter this season after going 5-3 with four saves and a 3.26 ERA in 2005. Wright has been named to the preseason Wallace Award watch list, an award honoring the top collegiate player in the nation.
FOR OPENERS
*San Diego State has a record of 44-22-1 in season openers since 1936. Since attaining Division I status in 1969, the Aztecs are 23-13 in their annual debuts.
*SDSU has won only one of its last nine season debuts, that coming in 2004 at Hawai'i-Hilo.
*When playing their first game of the year away from home, the Aztecs are 17-14 all-time and 11-8 in the Division I era (since 1969).
*When opening the season at home, SDSU has an all-time record of 26-9-1 and the Aztecs are 12-6 as a Division I school.
HEAD COACH Tony Gwynn
*Tony Gwynn enters his fourth season as San Diego State's head coach after being named to the position in Sept. 2001. He became just the fourth head coach in SDSU history since baseball was elevated to major sport status in 1936.
*In 2002, he served as a volunteer coach for the Aztecs under Jim Dietz, who retired at the end of that season.
*In 2004, 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.
NEW ASSISTANT COACH
*Mark Martinez was hired as an assistant baseball coach at San Diego State on July 28, 2005, arriving at SDSU after 17 years as an assistant at the University of New Mexico.
*Over his 17 seasons with New Mexico, he coached 47 all-conference selections and four conference players of the year. UNM also produced eight All-Americans, four freshman All-Americans and four academic All-Americans during that span. In addition, 31 players were drafted in his 17 years at UNM.
*The 44-year-old Martinez came to New Mexico in 1988 after a five-year stint as an assistant coach at his alma mater, Mesa State College in Grand Junction, Colo. He was an assistant there from the 1984 through 1988 seasons.
SDSU PITCHING ROTATION
*San Diego State's probable starting pitchers for the next four games are as follows (2005 stats if available):
Wed....Bruce Billings (RHP, 6-5, 3.85)
Thur...Justin Masterson (RHP, 9-4, 1.59)
Fri......Cody Campbell (RHP, 2-0, 4.20)
Sat.....TBA
HAWAI'I PITCHING ROTATION
*The Rainbow's starting pitchers this weekend are expected to be:
Wed....Stephen Wright (RHP, 5-3, 3.26)
Thur.....Ian Harrington (LHP, Bellevue CC)
Fri........Mark Rodrigues (LHP - Redshirt)
Sat......TBA
AZTECS ON RADIO
*In addition to being broadcast on the Internet at www.goaztec.com, the games at Hawai'i on Wednesday (Feb. 1) and Friday (Feb. 3) may be heard in San Diego on CASH 1700-AM.
*Alan Horton, who has called Aztec baseball games on the Intent the past seven seasons, will handle the play-by-play duties.
WHO'S MISSING
*The Aztecs lost three starting position players and a starting pitcher at the conclusion of the 2005 season. Two of those position players and the hurler were all-Mountain West Conference selections last year.
*All-conference shortstop James Guerrero (.370, 53 runs, 54 RBI) and all-MWC starting pitcher Alex Hinshaw (5-7, one save, 4.63) were both drafted and signed as juniors last year. All-league outfielder Jake McLintock (.355, 53 runs, 45 RBI) graduated and was drafted last June.
*Second baseman Grant Desme, who started a majority of SDSU's games over the second half of the season, transferred to Cal Poly after one year as an Aztec.
RETURNING STARTERS
*SDSU has starters returning at three infield positions, two outfield spots and its designated hitter. *In the outfield, junior Quintin Berry (.419, 60 runs, 43 RBI) is set to start in center while fourth-year senior Curt Mendoza (.271, 8 HR, 25 RBI) will be in right field.
*In the infield, the Aztecs also return Lance Zawadzki (.335, 17 2B, 10), Tim O'Brien (.287, 14 2B, 32 RBI) and catcher Jordan Swaydan (.333, 10 2B, 26 RBI) plus DH Brock Ungricht (.256, 32 RBI).
*Berry, Zawadzki and Swaydan were all-Mountain West Conference selections in 2004.
ON THE MOUND
*As opposed to last season when SDSU returned only two pitchers who had thrown in double digits in innings the previous year, the Aztecs welcome back six hurlers who tossed as least 29 innings in 2005.
*Leading that group is junior right-hander Bruce Billings (6-5, 3.85, 112 K's in 107.2 innings), the MWC Pitcher of the Year last season.
*Also back are a pair of veterans who started 17 games between them in 2005: senior lefty Ben Coon (2-2, 7.24) and junior right-hander Brett Douglas (2-4, 8.00).
*Billings is slated to be the team's number-one starter this season while Coon and Douglas will see both starting and relief duty.
*The Aztecs other experienced returning pitchers include Cody Campbell (2-0, 4.20), Jared Suwyn (1-0, 4.87) and Dan Bruckart.
INFIELD SHIFT
*Although the Aztecs return three infield starters from a year ago, each will be in a new position when the season gets underway.
*Tim O'Brien, who saw action in 52 games at first in 2005, will be SDSU's starter at third base. Lance Zawadzki, last year's all-league third baseman, will move to shortstop in 2006.
*True freshman Nick Romero (Eastlake HS, Chula Vista, CA) is expected to be the starter at second base.
WHO'S ON FIRST
*The move of Tim O'Brien to third has left the position of first base with three primary candidates vying for the starting role.
*Sophomore Brock Ungricht and senior Brian Kinsman are the leading contenders heading into the season. Ungricht played at first and third a year ago, with most of his time coming at the DH spot. Kinsman has seen limited playing time in his first three years at SDSU.
*In addition to those two, junior Brent Spirnak is a candidate for playing time after appearing in just four games in 2005.
PRESEASON ALL-MWC
n Four Aztecs have been named to the preseason all-Mountain West Conference team as selected by the league's head coaches and media members.
*Those four athletes include Jordan Swaydan (Sr., C), Lance Zawadzki (Jr., SS), Quintin Berry (Jr., OF) and Bruce Billings (Jr., RHP).
*SDSU led all teams with four players on the 12-man preseason all-MWC team, followed by Brigham Young, New Mexico and Utah with two each.
AZTECS PICKED SECOND
*San Diego State has been picked to finish second the regular-season Mountain West Conference baseball standings.
*In a vote of the six MWC head coaches and a select media panel, the Aztecs received 66 points to tie UNLV for the number-two spot. First-year league member TCU was picked to finish first.
*MWC Preseason Poll:
Rk. Team (1st place votes)...Pts 1. TCU (11)..................89 2 UNLV (1)..................66 San Diego State...........66 4. BYU (1)...................64 5. New Mexico................36 6. Utah......................28 7. Air Force.................15
OPENING DAY STARTER
*The Aztecs expect to use junior Bruce Billings on the hill to open the 2006 season at Hawai'i on Wednesday.
*Billings began his Aztec career in 2004 in the SDSU bullpen as a true freshman, eventually earning the job as the team's mid-week starter and then the number-three starter.
*In 2005, he was the Aztecs number-one starter, earning all-conference and MWC Pitcher of the Year honors.
*His 112 strikeouts (in 107.2 innings) last season was the fifth-highest single-season total ever for an SDSU pitcher.
RETURNING ALL-REGION
*In addition to being an all-conference selection last season, center fielder Quintin Berry was also named to the all-West Region second team.
*Berry led the Mountain West Conference in hitting both overall(.419) and in league play (.479), and also recorded team-highs with 96 hits, 60 runs scored, 18 doubles and 18 stolen bases.
PITCHING DEPTH ARRIVES
*SDSU has added four pitchers, all four-year transfers, who are expected to have an immediate impact.
*Leading off that foursome is Justin Masterson (RHP), who played the past two seasons at Bethel College in Indiana. He is expected to the SDSU's number-two starter this season.
*Adam Simon (RHP) arrived at San Diego State after three seasons at UCLA. He is tentatively slated to be the team's closer in 2006.
*Two others were at the University of Arizona last season: Mike Koons (RHP) and Lance Sewell (LHP). Koons is a sophomore who pitched for the Wildcats in 2005 while Sewell redshirted last year. Both are expected to serve as relievers this season.
OFFENSIVE TRANSFERS
*The Aztecs also have a pair of transfers from four-year schools who will play their final collegiate season in San Diego. *Outfielder Paul Smyth comes to SDSU from the University of New Orleans, where he hit .338 as a junior last season. He is penciled in to start in left field. *The other transfer is catcher Joey Huskins from Auburn, who could see time both behind the plate and at the DH spot this season.
MASTERSON LISTED AMONG TOP 50 JUNIORS
*Junior hurler Justin Masterson is regarded as one of the top transfers in the nation for 2006. Baseball America has indicated he is a potential first-round draft pick in June.
*The junior from Beavercreek, Ohio, has also been listed 23rd among the top 50 juniors in the nation by that same publication.
*In two seasons at Bethel College in Indiana, the tall right-hander compiled a record of 20-8 with a 1.85 earned run average.
*Masterson will begin the season as the number-two hurler in the Aztec rotation behind Bruce Billings, last year's MWC Pitcher of the Year.
AZTEC EXPERIENCE
*For the first time in several years, the San Diego State roster features a majority of upper classmen.
*Of the 38 total athletes on the preseason roster, 13 are seniors while 10 are juniors. Only three true freshmen appear on that list with just one of them expected to play a major role this season. There are also four redshirt frosh on the 2006 SDSU roster.
*The Aztec roster has 26 players who were at San Diego State during the 2005 campaign.
NEARING THE RECORD BOOK
*Three Aztecs are nearing the all-time SDSU top 20 list in various categories.
*With 72 career walks in two seasons, Brock Ungricht needs just six bases on balls to tie for 20th with Harry Henderson (78 walks from 1986-89).
*Shortstop Lance Zawadzki is two home runs shy of the number-20 spot on the career list, two behind former Aztecs Brad Gennaro (1990-92) and Flavio Alfaro (1983-84), who hit 16 apiece during their SDSU careers.
*Junior pitcher Bruce Billings has 160 strikeouts over his two collegiate seasons and is just seven K's away from entering the SDSU career list where Bud Black (1978-79) sits in the number-20 spot with 167 strikeouts.
REDSHIRTS IN 2006
*At least four players are expected to redshirt at SDSU this season including a pair of returning seniors, a JC transfer and a true freshman.
*Twin brothers Kevin and Kasey Perry will sit out the 2006 campaign will sit out the season while taking some advanced courses for their major.
*In addition, right-handed pitchers Garrett Parcell (junior from Cypress JC) and Gunner Glad (freshman from Tulsa, Okla.) will not play this year due to injury.
LOCAL/CALIFORNIA CONNECTION
*Almost half of San Diego State's 2006 roster (16 of 38 athletes) is made up of players from within San Diego county.
*Included in that number are 11 pitchers, a catcher, two infielders and a pair of outfielders.
*Only six players are from outside the state of California.
BASEBALL AMERICA PRESEASON HONORS
*Baseball America's preseason all-Mountain West Conference team features five Aztecs among its members. Included in that group are catcher Jordan Swaydan, shortstop Lance Zawadzki and outfielder Quintin Berry along with pitchers Bruce Billings and Justin Masterson.
*SDSU also has four players listed among those in the league in Best Tools categories. That group includes Berry (fastest runner/best base runner), Swaydan (best defensive catcher), Lance Zawadzki (best infielder arm), and Masterson (best fastball).
*The Aztecs have four of the five players listed as the MWC's top prospects including Masterson (1), Berry (2), Billings (3) and Zawadzki (5).
*Baseball America has also picked three Aztecs to win individual conference honors this year: Berry (MWC Player of the Year), Masterson (MWC Pitcher of the Year) and Nick Romero (Freshman of the Year).
*The publication projects SDSU to finish second in the conference behind TCU.
AZTEC NOTES
*Ten of San Diego State's first 13 games this season are away from home. The Aztecs' Feb. 17 home opener will come vs. Cal Poly and will be their latest home start since they played Oklahoma State on that same date in 2000.
*Six of SDSU's opponents this season appear among Collegiate Baseball's preseason Top 40: Cal State Fullerton (8), Pepperdine (13), Long Beach State (16), USC (21), TCU (27) and San Diego (36). In addition, four others received votes in that same poll (Cal Poly, UC Irvine, UCLA and UNLV).
*Quintin Berry's .419 batting average last season was the highest for an Aztec since 1989 when Harry Henderson finished with a .421 average.
*Aztec pitching coach Rusty Filter has produced the conference pitcher of the year each of the past two seasons. Prior to Bruce Billings winning the honor in 2005, Scott Shoemaker was the MWC's top hurler in 2004.
*With 10 home runs last season, shortstop Lance Zawadzki became the first Aztec to reach double figures in that category since Paul Lockhart hit 11 during the 2000 campaign.
ON DECK
*After returning from Hawai'i, the Aztecs will remain on the road as they travel north to take on Santa Clara in a three-game series beginning Friday, Feb. 10, at 6:00 p.m.
*That set continues with games on Saturday (Feb. 11) and Sunday (Feb. 12), both at 1:00 p.m.