Feb. 9, 2006
Complete Release and Season Stastistics in PDF Format
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SERIES RECORDS
* Santa Clara leads the series with SDSU by a 9-5 margin.
* The Aztecs are 1-4 against the Broncos in Santa Clara and 4-3 against them at home. Santa Clara has won the two games played at neutral sites.
* Last season the Broncos and Aztecs split a doubleheader at Tony Gwynn Stadium after a scheduled three-game series was shortened due to rain. The teams played in Santa Clara two years ago with the Broncos taking two of three.
SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
* Santa Clara (1-3) began its 2006 campaign by dropping two of three games to Pacific last weekend, then falling 11-6 at UC Davis on Tuesday.
* Santa Clara lost four starters from last year's squad which finished 28-28 overall and 11-19 in the West Coast Conference. In their first three games of the season, six of nine starters were seniors.
* The team's top three hitters after the first four games of the season include outfielder Kyle Hartz (.338, two doubles, four runs), outfielder Jason Matteucci (.375, double) and catcher Kris Watts (.308, three doubles, 3 RBI).
* Of the Broncos' four starting pitchers thus far, Matt Wickswat was the lone hurler to emerge with a win, going five innings and allowing just three hits with five strikeouts at Pacific. Santa Clara's number-one starter is true freshman Sean O'Neill, a high school All-American from Tucson, Ariz.
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.
MOST RECENTLY
* San Diego State opened its 2006 season by going 1-3 in a four game series at Hawai'i last week. * The Aztecs dropped the first three games by scores of 6-2, 11-9 and 9-7, then w0n the series finale by a score of 7-5.
* In the opener, SDSU was held to just four hits on the night as Joseph Scaperotta's double drove in both of the Aztecs' runs. Bruce Billings went five innings, allowing four runs to suffer the loss. Game two saw the Aztecs commit seven errors, as seven of the Rainbows' nine runs were unearned. Paul Smyth had three hits and two RBI to lead SDSU.
* In the third contest, six SDSU pitchers were unable to keep Hawai'i in check as it came from behind to claim the victory. Quintin Berry had three hits for the Aztecs. In the win in the series finale, sophomore transfer Mike Koons (Arizona) picked up the win in the final game, going 4.2 innings in relief. Smyth had two doubles and a homer to pace the Aztec offense.
PLAYER OF THE WEEK
* San Diego State senior infielder/outfielder Paul Smyth was named the Mountain West Conference Player of the Week for his performance during the opening weekend of the 2006 season. It was an auspicious start for the first-year Aztec, who transferred to SDSU this season from the University of New Orleans.
* Smyth, a Temecula, Calif., native (Temecula Valley HS), went 8-for-14 (.571) from the plate with a home run, four doubles, one triple, six RBI and five runs scored in the three games in which he played at Hawai'i last week.
* He started the week off with a 3-for-5 performance, collecting a double and a triple, two RBI and two runs scored. In the third game of the series, he went 2-for-4 with an RBI, and concluded the series with a 3-for-5, three RBI, three runs scored effort.
* Smyth also had a perfect fielding percentage (13 putouts and three assists) while playing three different positions (LF, 1B, 3B).
ROMERO SOLID IN DEBUT
* Another SDSU newcomer who was impressive in his first action as an Aztec was true freshman second baseman Nick Romero (Eastlake HS, Chula Vista).
* He hit safely in each game at Hawaii and batted .375 for the series with a double, three runs and a pair of RBI.
* He also showed his versatility by filling in at shortstop for eight innings in the second game against the Rainbows.
THE GOOD, BAD AND UGLY
* As a team, the Aztecs batted .325 over the final three contests at Hawai'i.
* SDSU pounded out twice as many extra-base hits as the Rainbows (14-7) including 12 doubles.
* The Aztecs hit into only two double plays during the series while turning five.
* San Diego State committed a total of 16 errors in the four games including seven in game two.
* Aztec pitchers surrendered 28 walks over 33 innings and hit 11 batters.
* SDSU hitters struck out 33 times in 33 innings over the four contests in Hawaii.
STARTING HOT
* Six Aztec regulars batted .333 or better during the opening weekend series.
* In addition to Paul Smyth (.571) and Quintin Berry (.389), others in that group included catcher Jordan Swaydan (.385), second baseman Nick Romero (.375), outfielder Curt Mendoza (.368) and outfielder Joseph Scaperotta (.333).
* All six of those players appeared in each game except Smith, who appeared in the final three.
STREAKING INTO THE SEASON
* Catcher Jordan Swaydan, right fielder Curt Mendoza and second baseman Nick Romero have all started the season with a four-game hitting streak after reaching safely in every game of the opening series.
* Quintin Berry and Paul Smyth had at least one hit in each of the final three contests last weekend.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 166 strikeouts over his two collegiate seasons and is just one K away from entering the SDSU career list where Bud Black (1978-79) sits in the number-20 spot with 167 strikeouts.
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.
HONORING ROD DEDEAUX
* With the recent passing of legendary USC coach Rod Deadeaux, college programs across the nation will honor his influence on amateur baseball both nationally and internationally.
* San Diego State will join this movement by placing Dedeaux's jersey number 1 between the initials RD on the outfield fence at Tony Gwynn Stadium.
* Dedeaux led USC to 11 national championships, 28 conference titles and was named "Coach of the Century" by Baseball America and Collegiate Baseball.
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).
* Right-hander Justin Lynch, who redshirted as a true freshman last season, made his debut in Hawaii by tossing 1.1 innings in the second game of the series, allowing no hits and striking out three.
* Sophomore Joel Matthews also made a fine start to the season in his lone relief appearance last weekend, throwing one perfect inning with a pair of strikeouts.
* SDSU was successful on five of its six sacrifice bunt attempts last weekend with Quintin Berry and Sam Pepper notching two apiece.
ON DECK
* After returning from Santa Clara, the Aztecs will prepare for their opening home series against 25th-ranked Cal Poly.
* That set of three games begins on Friday (Feb. 17) at 6:00 p.m. at Tony Gwynn Stadium.