April 25, 2006
Complete Release and Season Statistics in PDF Format
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AZTECS VISIT LONG BEACH STATE, HOST MWC FOE TCU THIS WEEK
***San Diego State begins its week with a visit to Long Beach State in a re-match of the contest at Tony Gwynn Stadium two weeks ago. The Aztecs and 49ers will hook up on Tuesday, April 25, at Blair field in Long Beach.
***SDSU will then return home to host a three-game Mountain West Conference series with league-leading TCU beginning Friday, April 28, at 6:00 p.m.
***The series continues on Saturday (April 29) and Sunday (April 30), with contests slated for 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's all-time record against Long Beach State stands at 75-40-1 in the series that began in 1956. The teams met regularly as members of both the California Athletic Association (CCAA) and the Pacific Coast Athletic Association (PCAA). The 49ers have won the seven of the last eighth meetings including a three-game sweep of the series in Long Beach last season. In the most recent encounter between the schools, SDSU scored three runs in the ninth to defeat LBSU, 4-3, at Tony Gwynn Stadium on April 11. It was the Aztecs' first win over the 49ers since the 1995 season.
***SDSU's record against TCU stands at 3-5, with the first seven those contests coming during the 1998 and 1999 seasons when both were members of the Western Athletic Conference. Six of the contests were regular-season games played in Fort Worth, where the Aztecs went 1-5 over those two seasons. SDSU is 2-0 against the Horned Frogs in San Diego including a win during the 1998 WAC Tournament and a victory in early April of this season during the MWC Preseason Tournament.
SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
***Long Beach State begins the week with an overall mark of 19-18-1 and is coming off a three-game sweep at UC Davis last weekend. LBSU is 4-1-1 in Big West Conference play, good for second place.
***The 49er offense is led by third baseman Evan Longoria.333, 8 HR, 29 RBI), first baseman Scott Bradley (.321, 4 2B, 13 RBI) and outfielder Shane Peterson (.314, 2 3B, 10 RBI). The 49ers are hitting .271 as a team. The 49ers expect to throw a number of pitcher's in Tuesday's non-conference game with a starter yet to be determined. The team earned run average stands at 3.37.
***TCU (24-17 overall) leads the Mountain West Conference with an 11-2 mark in league play. The Horned Frogs will play a game at Texas-Arlington on Tuesday (April 25) prior to facing the Aztecs this weekend.
***TCU's top hitters include first baseman Chad Huffman (.376, 12 2B, 32 RBI), shortstop Bryan Kervin (.347, 12 2B, 29 RBI) and third baseman Matt Carpenter (.329, 6 2B, 24 RBI). The team's top hurler is right-hander Jake Arrieta (9-3, 2.64), who will face SDSU on Friday. Eight pitchers have at least one save this season led by Sam Demel with three. As a team, the Horned Frogs are batting .298 with a 4.30 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 took two of three games at UNLV last weekend to win its second league series in a row by a two-to-one margin.
***In the opener, the Rebels got a walk-off homer in the bottom of the 12th inning to grab a 6-5 win after coming back from a 5-2 deficit with three runs in the eighth. Curt Mendoza hit a solo homer and Tim O'Brien added a two-run shot in the losing cause. Mendoza finished with three hits while O'Brien totaled three RBI on the night.
***In the second game of the series, the Aztecs built an 8-2 lead, then held on for an 8-6 victory. Two freshman hurlers were instrumental as Lance Sewell picked up his first collegiate win and Mark Triolo notched his first save. Another freshman, Nick Romero, had three hits with an RBI while Jordan Swaydan and Lance Zawadzki drove in two runs apiece.
***In the series finale, SDSU pounded out 20 hits and led 13-0 after six innings en route to a 16-8 win. Paul Smyth drove in five runs with a two-run triple and three-run homer while Zawadzki had three hits and scored three times. Bruce Billings went seven innings to even his record at 3-3.
GWYNN RECORDS 100TH WIN
***San Diego State head coach Tony Gwynn recorded his 100th win with the Aztecs' 10-4 victory over New Mexico on April 7.
***Currently in his fourth season at SDSU, his record entering the week stands at 105-124 overall and 62-39 in Mountain West Conference play.
ONE MAKE-UP GAME SCHEDULED/ONE CANCELLED
***SDSU has re-scheduled a game that was rained out while a second re-scheduled contest has been cancelled.
***SDSU will play Cal State Fullerton (a makeup date for the contest that was rained out on April 4) on Tuesday, May 16, at 6:00 p.m.
***The Aztecs had also scheduled a game with the University of San Diego for Wednesday, May 17, but that game has been cancelled due to final exams at USD that week.
BERRY FINDING HIS STRIDE
***Center fielder Quintin Berry has hit safely in five straight and 12 of San Diego State's last 13 games.
***In those 13 contests, Berry is hitting .393 (22-for-56) with 16 runs, nine RBI, three doubles and a home run.
***He has scored at least one run in eight straight contests (a total of 14 runs).
***During his current five-game hitting streak, he is 11-for-26 (.423) with eight runs scored.
***He has had a multiple-hit effort in each of those last five contests.
SMYTH ON THE OFFENSIVE
***Senior Paul Smyth continues to lead the Aztecs in overall hitting with a .372 batting average.
***He has a current five-game hitting streak during which he is 10-for-21 (.476) with eight runs scored, nine RBI, a double, triple and two home runs.
***He has hit safely in 14 of the team's last 15 contests. Over that span he is batting .400 (24-for-60) with 18 runs scored, 18 RBI, six doubles, three triples and three home runs.
***Heading into the weekend, Smyth also leads the SDSU offense in hits (61), doubles (14), triples (5) and RBI (38).
***Smyth's 20 multiple-hit games and eight multiple-RBI contests lead the team.
ANDERSON HITS AWAY
***Catcher Chris Anderson has hit safely in five of his last six games including each of the contests at UNLV in which he appeared last weekend.
***He had a career-best day at the plate in the game against Utah on April 14 when he had four hits with an RBI and run scored.
***Conference play seems to agree with the sophomore, as Anderson is 7-for-16 (.438) with four runs scored in five league contests.
***He has been SDSU's hottest hitter over the last five games, going 6-for-12 with four runs scored.
STEALING AWAY
***Quintin Berry leads SDSU in stolen bases with 25 and is first in the Mountain West Conference in that category.
***His steals total represents 60 percent of the steals by SDSU as a team (team total is 42).
***Berry went nine games without stealing a base, his longest stretch in two seasons as an Aztec, before swiping three against Long Beach State on Tuesday, April 11.
***He has stolen 10 bases in his last seven games. His three against Long Beach State matched his season best that came vs. Cal Poly on Feb. 19.
***Prior to last weekend, he ranked 32nd in the nation in steals per game at 0.55 per game. With three last weekend, that average increased to 0.58 per game. New rankings are released by the NCAA on Tuesday.
ROMERO FOUR-GAME STREAK
***For the sixth time this season, freshman infielder Nick Romero has a four-game hitting streak. He will attempt to extend that to a personal-best five-game streak (and beyond) this week.
***Over the last four games, he is hitting .350 (7-for-20) with two runs scored, four RBI and a pair of doubles.
MASTERSON ON THE MOUND
***Justin Masterson has another fine outing last Friday at UNLV, but was not involved in the decision as SDSU lost in extra innings. He struck out nine batters over eight innings in that contest.
***He recorded his fourth win of the season last vs. Utah on April 13, tossing 6.2 innings and allowing five runs on eight hits while striking out 10.
***Masterson made his first (and only) relief appearance as an Aztec in the 11-10 win over UNLV on April 2, tossing a perfect ninth inning to preserve the win and pick up his first save.
***In his last six outings, Masterson has a 3.38 earned run average over 40 innings. Over that span he has walked seven and struck out 41, and the opponents hit just .200 against him.
***On the season, he has a strikeout-to-walk ratio of better than four-to one with 84 K's and 19 BB's in 88.2 innings.
***In his 13 appearances, he has allowed more than five earned runs only once, when UCLA tallied nine against him. Discounting that game, his season ERA would be 3.33.
BILLINGS RETURNS TO FORM
***Since coming back after missing a pair of starts in mid-March, Bruce Billings has shown signs of the form that earned him MWC Pitcher of the Year honors in 2005.
***In his five starts since his return, he has thrown 32 innings and struck out 32. His ERA over those five contests is 2.53.
***In his last five starts, opponents are hitting .188 against him.
***He has lowered his season ERA over that period from 6.17 to its current 4.07.
SEWELL CONTINUES TO IMPRESS
***Freshman Lance Sewell had his second impressive outing of the season as he picked up his first win last Saturday at UNLV.
***In that contest, he went 5.1 innings, allowing two runs (one earned) while striking out seven.
***He made his SDSU home debut with a start vs. Long Beach State on Tuesday.
***He went six innings, allowing two runs (one earned) on four hits while striking out six and walking two, but was not involved in the decision.
***In his last two starts, he has struck out a total of 13 in 11.1 innings and has an ERA of 1.59 in those games.
SWAYDAN STANDS TALL
***Senior catcher Jordan Swaydan hit safely in all three games at UNLV last weekend, going 5-for-13 with a double and three RBI.
***He has been a defensive stalwart behind the plate in 2006, throwing out 20 of 55 runners attempting to steal on him for a 36 percent rate.
***His 20 runners caught stealing leads the conference by a wide margin. .
MENDOZA HITTING
***Curt Mendoza had a five-game hitting streak stopped in last Sunday's game at UNLV. In those five contests, he went 9-for-21 (.429) with four runs scored, a double, home and two RBI.
***He is hitting .355 (12-for-33) over SDSU's last 10 contests with a double, two homers and seven RBI.
***Mendoza has hit safely in 15 of his last 17 games, going 17-for-45 (.377).
***He is hitting .405 in conference play with 11 runs batted in over 11 contests.
***His five RBI against New Mexico on April 7 was the most in a game by an Aztec this season.
UNGRICHT ADDS TO OFFENSE
***Brock Ungricht hit safely in all three games at UNLV last weekend and has at least one hit in 11 of the team's last 13 outings.
***Ungricht's 10-game hitting streak earlier this year is the longest by an Aztec in 2006.
***He is third on the squad with 15 multiple-hit games .
***Ungricht, who was among the team leaders in walks his first two seasons, has only eight bases on balls in 2006 and has not drawn a walk over SDSU's last 15 contests.
***He had driven in a least one run in eight of SDSU's last 10 contests.
KER-PLUNK
***Aztec pitchers have hits 57 batters thus far during the 2006 season, an average of 1.33 per game.
***They are on their way to setting a team record for hit batters in a season, needing only seven more to tie the 64 batters hit during both the 2002 and 2005 seasons.
***SDSU pitchers did not hit a batter in last weekend's three-game series at UNLV.
LONG BALL
***SDSU has hit 33 home runs through 43 games this season after totaling 22 at the same point of the 2005 campaign.
***The Aztecs have hit 16 home runs over their last 16 contests.
***Tim O'Brien's homer in the opener of the UNLV series last Friday was his team-leading ninth of the season. Curt Mendoza and Paul Smyth are tied for second with six while Nick Romero is fourth with four.
***At this point, Aztec pitchers have allowed 39 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 a total of 43.
THE RECORD BOOK
***Three Aztecs have entered an all-time SDSU top 20 list this season while one other should do so in the near future.
***With a 57 strikeouts this season, junior Bruce Billings has 217 career strikeouts to move the ninth spot on the career list. He needs two more to climb to No. 8, where Bill Blount (1982-85) sits with 219 career strikeouts.
***With 80 career walks, Brock Ungricht has moved to the No. 19 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 six homers in 2006, senior outfielder Curt Mendoza now has 24 for his career, moving him into sole possession of the fourth spot on the Aztec career chart. His next homer will move him into a tie for the number-three spot with Tommy Rinks (1956-58) at 25. The SDSU career mark is 28 homers by Paul Lockhart (1997-2000).
AZTEC NOTES
***Lance Zawadzki had his best day at the plate this season last Sunday at UNLV when he had three hits, an RBI and scored three times.
***Senior lefty Ben Coon has not walked a batter in his last seven appearances covering 9.1 innings.
***DH Joey Huskins has two hits including a double, a walk, two runs scored and an RBI in the series finale at UNLV.
***San Diego State is 9-4 over its last 13 outings.
***The 7-6 win over Utah on April 13 was the first time this season that SDSU won a game when out-hit by it opponent, a feat the Aztecs also accomplished in the 8-6 win at UNLV last Saturday. The Aztecs are now 2-22 in that category.
***San Diego State has a record of 4-4 against teams ranked in the top 25 this season.
***SDSU has played three extra-inning affairs this season and lost all three. 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, plus last week's 6-5 loss at UNLV in 12.
***The Aztecs' 14-game losing streak, which ended with the 5-0 win over Utah on March 30, was the longest ever for an SDSU baseball team.
ON DECK
***San Diego State will begin next week with a home contest against the University of San Diego on Tuesday, May 2, at 6:00 p.m. at Tony Gwynn Stadium.
***The Aztecs will then travel to Colorado Springs to resume Mountain West Conference play with a three-game series at Air Force that begins on Friday (May 5) at Falcon Stadium at 2:00 p.m. (MDT).
***That series will continue with single games on Saturday (May 6) and Sunday (May 7), both starting at noon (MDT).