March 2, 2006
Complete Release and Season Statistics in PDF Format
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THIS WEEKEND
*** The Aztecs are scheduled to play a three-game series against 12th-ranked Pepperdine beginning Friday (March 3) at 6:00 pm. at Tony Gwynn Stadium.
*** The series continues on Saturday (March 4) and Sunday (March 5) with games at 1:00 p.m. each afternoon.
*** The scheduled contest between SDSU and USC, scheduled for this past Tuesday (Feb. 28) was postponed due to weather. No makeup date has been set as this time.
*** This is 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 RECORD
*** The Aztecs lead the all-time series with Pepperdine 50-33-1 since the teams first met in San Diego during the 1946 season. The only time the schools were members of the same conference was during the short existence of the Southern California Baseball Association (1977 and 1978).
*** The teams have not met since 2001 when the Waves defeated the Aztecs, 5-4, in 10 innings in Malibu.
*** Prior to that, SDSU and Pepperdine had not faced each other since 1989.
SCOUTING THE WAVES
*** Pepperdine (8-7) won two of three games at 10th-ranked Tulane last weekend before dropping a 5-0 decision to 7th-ranked Cal State Fullerton this past Tuesday.
*** The Waves are ranked 12th in the nation this week by both Baseball America and Collegiate Baseball. They are 19th in the USA Today College Coaches poll.
*** Pepperdine is led offensively by the trio of right fielder Donald Brown (.321, 2 HR, 15 RBI), catcher Chad Tracy (.302, 4 2B, 10 RBI) and designated hitter Michael Beattie (.297, 3 2B, 6 RBI). Second baseman David Uribes is 7-for-7 in stolen base attempts and has not committed an error in 15 games.
*** The pitching staff is anchored by starters Paul Coleman (2-0, 3.04) and Adam Olbrychowski (2-2, 4.50). Brett Hunter has been the closer this season, recording three saves in his six appearances with 15 strikeouts in 11.2 innings.
*** As a team, the Waves are batting .268 with a 3.84 earned run average.
HEAD COACH Tony Gwynn
*** Tony Gwynn is in 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 dropped threes games to UC Irvine last weekend (two in Irvine and one at Tony Gwynn Stadium).
*** On Friday (Feb. 24), Justin Masterson tossed a complete game with five strikeouts for SDSU, but the team generated little offense in a 4-2 setback. The Aztecs had nine hits including three each by Brock Ungricht and Paul Smyth, but couldn't come up with the clutch base knock when needed.
*** The next night, two UCI pitchers scattered seven hits in SDSU's 12-1 loss. Joey Huskins and Quintin Berry had a pair of hits each while Tim O'Brien had the team's lone RBI on a single in the fourth that made it 4-1 at that point. Aztec starter Mike Koons gave up for four runs in the second inning and saw his record fall to 1-2.
*** The series finale in San Diego saw the Aztecs unable to protect a 6-3 lead in the ninth as they fell by a score of 8-6 in 10 innings. Tim O'Brien was SDSU's primary offensive threat with four hits including a homer, an RBI and three runs scored. Junior Bruce Billings started on the mound on the mound for San Diego State, striking out nine over six innings.
BILLINGS REGAINING FORM
*** Junior right-hander Bruce Billings had his best outing of the young season and showed why he is the reigning MWC Pitcher of the Year in his start against UC Irvine last Sunday.
*** He went six strong innings, allowing three runs on six hits while striking out nine.
*** He left the game with a three-run lead, but was not involved in the decision as SDSU lost in extra innings.
HUSKINS HEATS UP
*** Senior Joey Huskins, a transfer form Auburn, recorded his first hit as an Aztec in the contest at USC last week.
*** He then went on to get a pair of hits in the two games vs. UC Irvine in which he played last weekend.
*** He is 5-for-12 in those three contests with a double.
*** All of his action has been in the role of designated hitter with the exception of the season opener when he played a couple innings at first base.
LYNCH PROVIDING RELIEF
*** Redshirt freshman Justin Lynch was one of SDSU's most impressive relievers in last his appearances at USC and UC Irvine.
*** He tossed one inning of scoreless ball against the Trojans, then threw three scoreless innings at UCI, allowing one hit while striking out three.
*** Lynch has given up only one earned run over his five appearances this season (9.1 innings) for a 0.97 earned run average.
*** He picked up his first collegiate victory with two innings of relief work vs. Cal Poly on Feb. 19.
TRIOLO CONTINUES GOOD START
*** Freshman Mark Triolo made his second collegiate appearance in Last Saturday's game at UC Irvine, striking out one of two batters he faced in 0.2 innings.
*** He had made his Aztec pitching debut with one inning of relief work vs. Cal Poly on Feb. 17.
*** In that contest, the freshman right-hander from nearby Patrick Henry High School allowed one hit and struck out three.
*** Four of the five outs he has recorded this season have come via the strikeout.
STREAKING
*** Second baseman Sam Pepper's eight-game hitting streak came to an end last Friday at UC Irvine when he was unsuccessful in his one at bat in the game. His streak is the longest by an Aztec hitter this season.
*** The current longest streak belongs to first baseman Brock Ungricht at six games.
*** Over his last six outings, Ungricht is hitting .391 (9-for-23) with two runs and four RBI.
*** Third baseman Tim O'Brien has hit safely in each of SDSU's last five games.
SMYTH PROVIDES OFFENSE
*** Senior Paul Smyth had his seventh multiple-hit game in 14 contests in the game at UC Irvine last Friday.
*** Heading into the weekend, he leads the SDSU offense in batting average, hits, doubles, triples and runs batted in.
*** He has also been errorless in the field (30 chances) while having played first base, third base and left field.
*** Smyth's seven multiple-hit games leads the team and he is tied for the lead in multiple-RBI contests with two.
SWAYDAN GETTING ON
*** Catcher Jordan Swaydan continues to swing the bat well in the early season with a .316 average in the 11 games in which he has appeared.
*** Swaydan has walked a team-leading eight times and has a .435 on-base percentage.
*** He has committed only one error behind the plate for a .988 fielding percentage and has thrown out nine of 25 base runners attempting to steal. He has also picked one runner off second base.
BERRY RUNNING WILD
*** Center fielder Quintin Berry ran his season stolen base total to 10 (of 12) by swiping a bag in the series finale vs. UC Irvine.
*** He leads the Mountain West Conference in that category by four bases.
*** Berry has hit safely in seven of SDSU's last eight contests.
*** He leads the team in sacrifice bunts (tied with Jordan Swaydan) and is second on the squad in doubles and walks
O'BRIEN MAKING CONTACT
*** Senior third baseman Tim O'Brien continues to swing the bat well after a slow start.
*** Last week, he went 8-for-15 in the game at USC and the three contests vs. UC Irvine with three runs scored, two RBI and a home run.
*** He has struck out only five times in 56 plate appearances (once every 11.2 times). Last season he struck out almost once in every four at bats.
*** He recorded SDSU's only four-hit game of the year last Sunday vs. UC Irvine.
MAKING THE SACRIFICE
*** The Aztecs are averaging one successful sacrifice bunt per game this season.
*** Through the first 14 games of the 2005 season, SDSU executed just five sac bunts.
*** Catcher Jordan Swaydan and outfielder Quintin Berry share the team lead with three apiece.
*** SDSU also has five sac flies this season compared to three at this point a year ago.
MASTERSON K's
*** Pitcher Justin Masterson appears to be settling into Division I baseball after transferring to SDSU from NAIA power Bethel College in Indiana.
*** Last Friday against UC Irvine, the junior right-hander tossed a complete game, giving up four runs while walking one and striking out five.
*** In 27.2 innings this season, he has struck out a total of 25 while allowing nine walks.
LONG BALL
*** SDSU has hit nine home runs through 14 games this season after totaling four at the same point of the 2005 campaign.
*** Tim O'Brien hit his third of the year last Sunday to take the team lead.
*** Two players are tied for second with two apiece: Paul Smyth and Nick Romero.
ZAWADZKI RETURNS
*** Shortstop Lance Zawadzki made his return form a hamstring injury in the opener of the series at UC Irvine last weekend.
*** He played in each of the first two games, recording his first hit of the season in Saturday's contest. He appeared as a pinch hitter in the series finale.
*** An all-Mountain West Conference player a year ago, Zawadzki has missed eight games after tweaking the hamstring in SDSU's contest at Hawai'i on Feb. 3.
*** Trainers are monitoring his progress and he should be available for some action this weekend.
DEFENSE COMING AROUND
*** SDSU's defense seems to have settled in after the season-opening series in Hawaii when it coughed up 16 errors in four games.
*** In the 10 games since, the Aztecs have committed 10 errors for a .974 fielding percentage over those 10 contests.
*** SDSU has not committed more than two errors in a game since the fourth game at Hawaii on Feb. 4.
AMONG THE LEAGUE LEADERS
*** Several Aztecs rank among the Mountain West Conference leaders in various categories.
*** Senior Paul Smyth is first in hits (22), doubles (5) and triples (2). He is third in both batting average (.407) and slugging percentage (.685).
*** Quintin Berry leads the league in stolen bases (10) and is second in sacrifice bunts (3) along with Jordan Swaydan.
*** Among the pitchers, Justin Masterson is first in strikeouts with 25 while Bruce Billings is second with 23.
*** Billings has recorded the most strikeouts looking (10).
THE RECORD BOOK
*** One Aztec has entered an all-time SDSU top 20 list this season while two others should do so in the near future.
*** With a 23 strikeouts this season, junior pitcher Bruce Billings has 183 career strikeouts to move into the number-14 spot all-time at SDSU. With nine more, he will move into a tie for the 13th spot where Rory Shortell (2000-02) sits with 192.
*** With 76 career walks in two seasons, Brock Ungricht needs just two bases on balls to tie for 20th with Harry Henderson (78 walks from 1986-89).
*** Shortstop Lance Zawadzki (14 career HR) 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.
TURNING THREE
*** San Diego State's triple play in the win at USC on Feb. 21 was the Aztecs' fourth in the last 10 seasons.
*** With runners on the move from first and second in the eighth inning, the Trojan batter lined a ball to second baseman Sam Pepper, who tossed it to shortstop Nick Romero, who in turn threw to Brock Ungricht at first base to complete the triple play.
*** The last time SDSU turned three was in an 8-0 win at UC Riverside on April 9, 2002. That one came with on a line drive to third with runners on first and third.
*** The Aztecs also accomplished the feat at University of San Diego on April 25, 2000 (a line drive to first with runners on first and second) in a 3-1 loss and against Fresno State at home on April 18, 1997 (a 5-4-3 ground out triple play) in a 4-2 win.
AZTEC NOTES
*** Three of Joseph Scaperotta's seven hits this season have been doubles.
*** Aztec pitchers have hit 22 batters, an average of 1.5 per contest.
*** After struggling with bases on ball early in the year, the Aztec pitching staff gave up 10 walks while striking out 24 over 26 innings last weekend.
*** SDSU has not committed an error at first base this season.
*** Will Miller's win at USC last week was his first as a starter in three seasons at SDSU (in just his third career start).
*** Freshman Nick Romero has driven in a run in six of San Diego State's last eight games.
*** Romero is errorless at second base in his first season of collegiate ball (20 chances).