March 23, 2006
Complete Release and Season Statistics in PDF Format
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THIS WEEKEND IN AZTEC BASEBALL
***San Diego State begins a four-week, 15-game home stand this weekend with a three-game series against Pacific.
***The series gets underway on Friday, March 24, at 6:00 p.m. at Tony Gwynn Stadium.
***Games are also scheduled for Saturday (March 25) and Sunday (March 26), both a 1:00 p.m.
***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 RECORDS
***San Diego State holds a 31-20-1 edge in its all-time series with Pacific. The teams first met during the 1946 season. They were both members of the California Collegiate Athletic Association (1947-49) and the Pacific Coast Athletic Association (1972-76) at the same time.
***The Aztecs and Tigers have not met since 1995 when UOP took two of three games in Stockton. The last meeting in San Diego was the previous year when SDSU swept both games.
***San Diego State's record against Pacific in San Diego stands at 25-5-1.
SCOUTING THE TIGERS
***Pacific enters the weekend series with a record of 13-7. The Tigers are coached by former major league third baseman Ed Sprague, who was a teammate of Tony Gwynn on the San Diego Padres during the 2000 season.
***Top hitters for the Tigers include outfielder Ramon Glasgow (.380, 4 2B, 8 RBI), outfielder Matt Berezay (.361, 9 2B, 5 HR, 17 RBI) and first baseman Brett Manning (.346, 6 2B, 7 RBI).
***The pitching staff is led by the starting trio of Luke Massetti (2-2, 2.85), Joey Centanni (1-0, 2.65) and Ty'Relle Harris (3-0, 3.37). Top relievers are Eric Stolp (2 saves) and Curtis Pasma (3 saves).
***As a team, the Tigers are hitting .266 with a 3.48 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
***The Aztecs dropped five road contests last week including two at Oklahoma State and three at UCLA.
***In Stillwater, SDSU fell to the Cowboys by scores of 10-7 and 16-6 on Tuesday and Wednesday respectively. In the opener, the Aztecs fell behind 10-1 before rallying for six runs over the final three frames. Curt Mendoza and Lance Zawadzki had two hits apiece. On Wednesday, the Cowboys scored 11 times over the first three innings en route to the win. Tim O'Brien had three hits while Brock Ungricht contributed a pair of RBI.
***The first game at UCLA saw the Bruins score nine times before SDSU got on the board with a single run before scoring five times in the ninth in a 14-6 loss. Shortstop Nick Romero had three hits to lead the Aztec offense. Game two saw SDSU fall behind early once again before striking for a pair of runs on homers by Brock Ungricht and Curt Mendoza in the 12-2 loss. With two hits apiece, Ungricht and Quintin Berry accounted for four of the team's seven hits.
***In the series finale, SDSU trailed 5-1 before giving up four runs in the eighth in the 9-1 setback. Romero was the lone Aztec with more than one hit as he collected a pair of singles.
ROMERO HEATS UP
***Freshman infielder Nick Romero hit safely in each of SDSU's final four games last week (one at Oklahoma State, three at UCLA).
***In those four games, he hit .471 (8-for-17) with an RBI and two runs scored.
*** In the process, he raised his batting average 40 points last week to its current .287 mark.
MENDOZA STREAKING
***Senior outfielder Curt Mendoza currently has the team's longest hitting streak at six games.
***During his streak, he has gone 9-for-21 (.429) with five runs scored, four RBI, two doubles and a home run.
***The streak is the second-longest of the season for Mendoza, who began the year with a seven-game streak.
UNGRICHT SOLID AT THE PLATE
***First baseman Brock Ungricht had his 10-game hitting streak, the longest by an Aztec in 2005, stopped at USD on March 10.
***It was the second-longest hitting streak of his Aztec career after he began his freshman season (2004) by hitting safely in 13 straight.
***During that streak, he went 17-for-41 (.415) with four doubles, a home run, five runs scored and eight RBI.
***Ungricht has hit safely in three of the team's last four outings, going 5-for-14 with a home run and three RBI.
***In his first season as SDSU's regular first baseman, Ungricht has committed just one error in 202 chances (23 games) for a .995 fielding percentage.
SMYTH ON THE OFFENSIVE
***Senior Paul Smyth continues to lead the Aztecs in hitting with a .357 batting average.
***He has recorded 11 multiple-hit games in 25 contests this season.
***Heading into the weekend, he also leads the SDSU offense in hits (35), doubles (8), triples (2) and runs batted in (18).
***Smyth's 11 multiple-hit games leads the team and he is tied for the lead in multiple-RBI contests with four.
BERRY KEEPS RUNNING
***Center fielder Quintin Berry ran leads SDSU in stolen bases total to 13 (of 16). However, he has not attempted to steal in any of SDSU's most recent seven contests.
***He is tied for the Mountain West Conference lead in that category.
***He leads the team in sacrifice bunts (tied with Jordan Swaydan and Nick Romero), is tied for second in doubles and is tied for third in runs and walks.
O'BRIEN MAKING CONTACT
***Senior third baseman Tim O'Brien has hits safely in six of SDSU's last seven games, going 10-for- 24 (.417) with six runs scored, three RBI, a double and a home run.
***O'Brien has struck out only 10 times in 95 plate appearances (once every 9.5 times). Last season he struck out almost once in every four at bats.
***He recorded SDSU's first four-hit game of the year vs. UC Irvine on Feb. 26.
ZAWADZKI RETURNING TO FORM
***Infielder Lance Zawadzki is hitting .303 (10-for-33) with two doubles, a home run and five RBI over his last nine games.
***He hit his first homer of the season in the contest at Oklahoma State on Tuesday.
***He had a seven-game hitting streak stopped in the first game of the UCLA series last Friday.
LONG BALL
***SDSU has hit 17 home runs through 26 games this season after totaling eight at the same point of the 2005 campaign.
***Tim O'Brien hit his fourth of the year last Tuesday at Oklahoma State to take over the team lead.
***At this point, Aztec pitchers have allowed 20 home runs.
***The last time SDSU finished a season with more home runs than its opponents was in 2000 when it hit 45 and gave up 43.
AMONG THE LEAGUE LEADERS
***Several Aztecs rank among the Mountain West Conference leaders in various categories.
***Senior Paul Smyth is ninth in batting average (.357) with Tim O'Brien right behind him at .351.
***Smyth also ranks first in hits (35) and triples (2). He is fourth with eight doubles and ranks sixth in RBI (18) and fifth in slugging percentage (.571).
***Quintin Berry is tied for the league lead in stolen bases (13) and is third in sacrifice bunts (3) along with Jordan Swaydan and Nick Romero. Romero is the league leader with four sacrifice flies.
***Brick Ungricht is eighth in hits (30) while Berry ranks 10th (29). Tim O'Brien is eighth in slugging percentage (.558).
***Among the pitchers, Justin Masterson is third in strikeouts with 43.
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 25 strikeouts this season, junior Bruce Billings has 185 career strikeouts to move into the number-14 spot all-time at SDSU. With seven more, he will move into a tie for the 13th spot where Rory Shortell (2000-02) sits with 192.
***With 79 career walks, Brock Ungricht has moved into the no. 20 position on the Aztec career chart. His next base on balls will move him into a tie for 19th place with Rielly Embrey (2001-04).
***Shortstop Lance Zawadzki (15 career HR) is one home run shy of the number-20 spot on the career list, one behind former Aztecs Brad Gennaro (1990-92) and Flavio Alfaro (1983-84), who hit 16 apiece during their SDSU careers.
***With three homers in 2006, senior outfielder Curt Mendoza now has 21 for his career, moving him into a tie for seventh on the Aztec career chart. His next four-bagger will move him into a tie for fifth with former Aztecs Chad Corona (2001-04) and Heath Hayes (1993-94).
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 (Feb. 1-4) at Hawai'i. It was an auspicious start for the first-year Aztec, who transferred to SDSU this season from 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).
PITCHER OF THE WEEK
***San Diego State right-hander Justin Masterson has been named the Mountain West Conference Pitcher of the Week for his performance the contest against nationally-ranked Pepperdine on March 3.
***It is the first conference honor for the 6-6 junior from Beavercreek, Ohio, who came to the Aztecs this season after two years at Bethel College in Indiana.
***Masterson recorded his second win of the year in SDSU's 3-1 victory the Waves. He struck out 11 batters and walked none, while allowing just one earned run on seven hits in 8.0 innings of work. Masterson did not allow more than one base runner in any inning other than the second, and all the hits he gave up were singles.
***Masterson becomes the second Aztec to win a weekly conference accolade this season as senior outfielder Paul Smyth was named the league's player of the week on Feb. 6.
AZTEC NOTES
***San Diego State has a record of 4-4 against teams ranked in the top 25 this season.
***The Aztecs' current 10-game losing streak in the longest ever for an SDSU baseball team.
***During the losing streak, the Aztecs are hitting .245 with a 10.54 earned run average.
***At this point last season, SDSU had a record of 7-19.
***As a team, the Aztecs are hitting .327 in their eight home games at Tony Gwynn Stadium compared to .256 in 18 away contests.
***In his last four appearances (4.1 innings), relief pitcher Jared Suwyn has not allowed a run while striking out four.
ON DECK
***The Aztecs will continue their 15-game home stand next week as they host the Mountain West Conference preseason tournament.
***All seven MWC teams will play four games apiece at Tony Gwynn Stadium with the results counting in the league standings.
***SDSU will open play against New Mexico on Wednesday, March 29, at 7:00 p.m.
***The Aztecs' other three opponents over the five-day event include Utah (Thursday, March 30) and TCU (Saturday, April 1) both at 7:00 p.m., and UNLV on Sunday (March 2) at 4:00 p.m.