April 5, 2006
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AZTECS HOST MWC FOE NEW MEXICO FOR THREE GAMES
***San Diego State continues it current four-week, 15-game home stand as it resumes conference play when New Mexico visits SDSU for a three-game series beginning Friday (April 7) at 6:00 p.m.
***That series continues with contests on Saturday (April 8) and Sunday (April 9), both at 1:00 p.m.
***Last Tuesday's home contest against top-ranked Cal State Fullerton was postponed due to rain.
***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 record against New Mexico stands at 86-39 in the series that began during the 1960 season. The teams met on a regular basis during the 1980's and 90's while both were members of the Western Athletic Conference. The teams split six regular-season games last season with SDSU defeating UNM at the conference's postseason tournament.
***Since joining the Mountain West Conference, SDSU's record against the Lobos is 30-14. That ledger includes a 26-14 record in regular-season play and 4-0 in conference tournament action. The Aztecs are 52-16 in contests played in San Diego and 4-1 at neutral site fields. San Diego State's record on the Lobos' home field is 30-32.
SCOUTING THE LOBOS
***New Mexico enters the weekend with an overall record of 18-10. The Lobos are 1-2 in league play after defeating SDSU and losing to Air Force and Brigham Young.
***UNM played an exhibition contest against the Albuquerque Isotopes, the AAA affiliate of the Florida Marlins, on Tuesday (April 4), falling by a score of 6-2.
***New Mexico's top hitters include outfielder Jay Russell (.363, 4 2B, 17 RBI), outfielder Matt Foote (.359, 2 HR, 18 RBI) and third baseman Ian Hollick (.346, 5 HR, 25 RBI). Pitcher Danny Ray Herrera's 1.51 earned run average leads the conference this week. The Lobos are hitting .306 as a team with a 4.89 ERA.
MOST RECENTLY
***The Aztecs hosted the Mountain West Conference Preseason Tournament last week at Tony Gwynn Stadium and won three of their four contests.
***In the opener, Justin Masterson pitched a complete game, but got little offensive support as SDSU dropped a 3-2 decision to New Mexico in 10 innings. Tim O'Brien had two of the team's six hits as both he and Paul Smyth hit solo home runs to account for the Aztec scoring.
***The second game saw San Diego State end its 14-game losing streak with a 5-0 win over Utah. Mike Koons picked up the win, going seven innings and allowing five hits while striking out five. Quintin Berry and Paul Smyth has two hits apiece in the winning cause.
***On Saturday, the Aztecs defeated TCU, 9-7, as they built an early 9-3 lead and held on for the win. Bruce Billings picked up his first win of the year with senior Adam Simon going the final two innings to record his third save. Brock Ungricht recorded three hits and a pair of RBI.
***In the tourney finale, SDSU again built a lead and held on in an 11-10 victory over UNLV. Smyth had three hits and scored four times while Jordan Swaydan picked up three RBI. Brett Douglas recorded the win, throwing 5.1 innings in relief.
PLAYER OF THE WEEK
***Senior outfielder Paul Smyth was named the Mountain West Conference Player of the Week for his performance during last week's four games. It was the second time he has earned the honor this season.
***Smyth went 7-for-15 (.467) from the plate with a home run, a triple, a double, two RBI and seven runs scored. Smyth started the tournament with a 1-for-3 effort vs. New Mexico. He led off the sixth inning with a solo home run to tie the score at two apiece, as the Aztecs lost to the Lobos, 3-2 in 10 innings.
***Against Utah, Smyth went 2-for-4 with a run scored in SDSU's 5-0 victory. He then went 1-for-4, with a RBI triple and one run scored in the Aztecs' 9-7 win vs. MWC regular-season favorite TCU.
***He concluded the tournament with a 3-for-4, four run scored effort in San Diego State's 11-10 victory over UNLV. Smyth scored each of his first four times at bat vs. the Rebels. Defensively, he had eight putouts with no errors in left field.
PITCHER OF THE WEEK
***Sophomore right-hander Mike Koons completed an Aztec sweep of the weekly conference awards as he was named the MWC Pitcher of the Week for his effort in the win over Utah last Thursday.
***Koons recorded his third win of the year, tossing 7.0 innings of shutout baseball, walking one and striking out five.
***He gave up only five hits, while holding the second-best hitting team in the conference to a .192 batting average for the game (Utah was batting .308 on the season as a team before facing San Diego State). He allowed more than one Ute base runner in only one inning.
GWYNN SEEKS 100TH WIN
***San Diego State head coach Tony Gwynn will record his 100th win with the Aztecs' next victory.
***Currently in his fourth season at SDSU, his record entering the weekend stands at 99-120 overall and 57-35 in Mountain West Conference play.
MAKE-UP GAMES SCHEDULED
***San Diego State has scheduled a pair of games to replace two that have been rained out at home this season.
***The Aztecs will host University of San Diego on Monday, April 17, at 6:00 p.m. at Tony Gwynn Stadium. The contest replaces the game with USC that was rained out on Feb. 29.
***SDSU has also re-scheduled the game against Cal State Fullerton (that was rained out this past Tuesday) for Tuesday, May 16, at 6:00 p.m.
MASTERSON ON THE MOUND
***Justin Masterson made his first relief appearance as an Aztec in the 11-10 win over UNLV last Saturday, tossing a perfect ninth inning to preserve the win and picked up his first save.
***Over his last three outings, Masterson has a 2.08 earned run average over 17.1 innings. Over that span he has walked four and struck out 13, and the opponents hit just .150 against him.
***On the season, he has a strikeout-to-walk ratio of better than three-to one with 56 K's and 16 BB's in 66 innings.
***In his nine appearances, he has allowed more than four earned runs only once, when UCLA tallied nine against him. Discounting that game, his season ERA would be 2.95.
BILLINGS NOTCHES FIRST WIN
***Junior right-hander Bruce Billings picked up his first win of the year in the 9-7 win over TCU last Friday.
***In that contest, he went seven innings, giving up four runs (two earned) with a pair of walks and seven strikeouts.
***In was his second appearance since missing three weeks last month.
***In his last two starts, he has gone 12 innings and given up two earned runs (1.50 ERA) while striking out seven.
SWAYDAN STANDS TALL
***Senior catcher Jordan Swaydan has been a defensive stalwart behind the plate in 2006.
***He has thrown out 19 of 50 runners attempting to steal on him for a 38 percentage rate.
***His 19 runners caught stealing leads the conference by a wide margin. the second-best number in the MWC is seven caught stealing by a catcher.
***In the final two games of last weeks MWC Preseason Tourney, he went 3-for-8 with five runs batted in.
MENDOZA CONTINUES HITTING
***Curt Mendoza had a six-game hitting streak stopped on March 24 against Pacific, but since then has hit in five straight and 11 of SDSU's last 12.
***During his current five-game streak, he has gone 6-for-13 (.462) with six runs scored, four RBI, two doubles and a triple.
***Over San Diego State's last 13 contests, Mendoza is hitting .395 (15-for-38) with 11 runs, nine RBI, four doubles, a triple and home run.
***He is hitting .500 in conference play (5-for-10) to lead the league after the first weekend of action.
UNGRICHT SOLID AT THE PLATE
***In his first season as SDSU's regular first baseman, junior Brock Ungricht has committed just one error in 266 chances (30 games) for a .996 fielding percentage.
***Ungricht had a 10-game hitting streak, the longest by an Aztec in 2005, stopped at USD on March 10.
***He is tied for second on the squad with 11 multiple-hit games in 2006.
SMYTH ON THE OFFENSIVE
***Senior Paul Smyth continues to lead the Aztecs in hitting with a .363 batting average.
***During his current five-game hitting streak, he is 7-for-17 (.412) with seven runs scored, two RBI, a double, triple and home run.
***He has recorded 14 multiple-hit games in 32 contests this season.
***Heading into the weekend, Smyth also leads the SDSU offense in hits (45), doubles (9), triples (3) and RBI (23).
***Smyth's 14 multiple-hit games leads the team and he is tied for third in multiple-RBI contests with four.
BERRY GETTING ON
***Center fielder Quintin Berry has hit safely in six of the team's last seven games, going 9-for-27 (.333) over that span.
***He leads SDSU in stolen bases with 15 (of 20) and is tied for the Mountain West Conference lead in that category.
***He has recorded a double in two of SDSU's last three contests and is second on the squad in two-baggers.
LONG BALL
***SDSU has hit 24 home runs through 33 games this season after totaling 15 at the same point of the 2005 campaign.
***The Aztecs have hit seven home runs over their last six contests.
***Tim O'Brien hit a pair of home runs during last week's games to take over sole possession of the team lead with six. Curt Mendoza and Paul Smyth are second with four apiece.
***At this point, Aztec pitchers have allowed 25 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 (all games) in various categories.
***Senior Paul Smyth is second in batting average (.363).
***Smyth also ranks first in hits (45) and triples (3). He is fifth with eight doubles and ranks sixth in RBI (23) and fourth in slugging percentage (.581).
***Quintin Berry is tied for the league lead in stolen bases (15). Nick Romero and Smyth rank second in the MWC with four sacrifice flies apiece.
***Berry is fifth in hits (38) while Brick Ungricht is sixth (37).
***Among the pitchers, Justin Masterson is fifth in strikeouts with 56 while Bruce Billings is seventh (39). The duo is also tied for sixth fifth in batters struck out looking with 13).
THE RECORD BOOK
***Three Aztecs has entered an all-time SDSU top 20 list this season while one other should do so in the near future.
***With a 32 strikeouts this season, junior Bruce Billings has 199 career strikeouts to move the 11th spot on the career list. He needs six more to climb to No. 10 where Tom Biscotti (1959-61) sits with 205 career strikeouts.
***With 80 career walks, Brock Ungricht has moved into the No. 19 position on the Aztec career chart, tied with Rielly Embrey (2001-04). Two more bases on balls will move him up one spot to 18th and into a tie with Nikco Riesgo (1986-88) at 82).
***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 four homers in 2006, senior outfielder Curt Mendoza now has 22 for his career, moving him into a tie for fifth on the Aztec career chart with former Aztecs Chad Corona (2001-04) and Heath Hayes (1993-94). His next four-bagger will move him into a fourth-place tie with Chris Gwynn (1983-85).
AZTEC NOTES
***SDSU's 13 hits vs. UNLV was the first double-digit hit game for the team since it had 11 at UCLA on March 17. The 11 runs vs. the Rebels was only the fourth time SDSU has reached double-digits in scoring in 2006.
***The Aztecs are 0-19 when out-hit by their opponent.
***San Diego State has a record of 4-4 against teams ranked in the top 25 this season.
***SDSU has played a pair of extra-inning affairs this season and lost both. That includes an 8-6 loss to UC Irvine and a 3-2 loss to New Mexico, both in 10 innings at Tony Gwynn Stadium.
***The Aztecs' 14-game losing streak, which ended with the 5-0 win over Utah last Thursday, was the longest ever for an SDSU baseball team.
***Joseph Scaperotta has hit safely in SDSU's last three games while driving in four runs.
ON DECK
***San Diego State will continue its 15-game home stand next week as it hosts Long Beach State on Tuesday (April 11) at Tony Gwynn Stadium at 6:00 p.m.
***The Aztecs will then return to Mountain West Conference play as they host Utah in a three-game series beginning Thursday, April 13, at 6:00 p.m. at Tony Gwynn Stadium.
***Action against the Utes continues on Friday (April 14) at 6:00 p.m. and concludes on Saturday (April 15) with a game at noon.