May 22, 2006
Complete Release and Season Statistics in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
AZTECS COMPLETE REGULAR SEASON TIED FOR SECOND
***San Diego State ended its season with a record of 14-8 in the Mountain West Conference, tying Brigham Young for second place in the final league standings.
***It marks the sixth time in the seven seasons of the league's existence that SDSU has finished second or better. SDSU finished third in 2005.
2006 MOUNTAIN WEST CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT
***Because it lost the tiebreaker with Brigham Young (BYU won two of three from SDSU this season), San Diego State will be the number-three seed at this week's Mountain West Conference Tournament. That championship event gets underway on Tuesday, May 23, at Earl E. Wilson Stadium in Las Vegas.
***TCU is the number-one seed as it won the regular-season league title in its inaugural season as a league member. As a result, the Horned Frogs will receive a first-round bye in this year's tournament.
***SDSU's third-place seeding means it will face Utah (the number-six seed) in the opening game of the tourney. That contest is scheduled for Tuesday, May 22, at 11:00 a.m. (PDT).
***If the Aztecs win their first game, they would play the winner of the Brigham Young-Air Force contest at 12:30 p.m. (PDT) on Wednesday. Should they open with a loss, their second contest would take place Wednesday morning at 9:00 a.m. (PDT) against the loser of the BYU-Air Force contest.
***For the complete tournament schedule, see page 2 of this release.
RECORD VS. MWC OPPONENTS
***San Diego State won four series and lost two this season in league play. The Aztecs won their series vs. Air Force (3-0), UNLV(3-1), Utah (3-1) and TCU (3-1), losing vs. Brigham Young (1-2) and New Mexico (1-3).
***Below are SDSU's all-time records against each league opponent, record vs. each in league play over the years, record this season, and record in previous MWC Tournaments.
All-Time MWC Play 2006 MWC MWC Tourn.Air Force.......62-15.....28-8.......3-0.......4-0Brigham Young..63-46-1....20-19......1-2.......5-4New Mexico......87-41.....25-15......1-3.......4-0TCU..............6-5.......3-1.......3-1.......0-0UNLV............48-36.....21-19......3-1.......1-6Utah............87-20.....27-13......3-1.......4-0PAST TOURNAMENT FINISHES
***San Diego State won its only conference tourney championship in 2000, the first year of the league's existence, as it defeated Air Force in the title game that season.
***Because the MWC was a first-year conference in 2000, there was no automatic bid to the NCAA Regionals for the tournament champion.
***The Aztecs have advanced to the title game four of the previous five league championship events. They lost title games to Brigham Young in 2001 and 2002, and to UNLV in both 2003 and 2004. UNLV defeated BYU to win the championship in 2005.
AZTEC PITCHING ROTATION
***San Diego State's pitching rotation has only been determined for three games, should SDSU advance that far at the conference tourney this week.
***Here are the Aztecs' projected starters for the team's first three contests of this week's Mountain West Conference Tournament at UNLV:
Tue.....Justin Masterson, RHP (6-6, 4.54)
Wed....Lance Sewell, LHP (1-2, 5.68)
TBA....Bruce Billings, RHP (6-3, 3.23)
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.
***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 weekend stands at 112-130 overall and 68-42 in Mountain West Conference play.
AZTECS CONCLUDE WITH WIN OVER #2 CAL STATE FULLERTON
***San Diego State finished its regular season last Tuesday (May 16) with a 9-8 victory over second-ranked Cal State Fullerton.
***After falling behind 6-0 after two innings, the Aztecs got back into the contest on pair of home runs by Curt Mendoza plus RBI by Quintin Berry, Brian Kinsman and Jordan Swaydan, tying it at 6-6 after four.
***After Fullerton took an 8-6 lead in the sixth, SDSU loaded the bases in the eighth, and Swaydan's double down the left field line scored three runs to make it a 9-8 game.
***Senior Adam Simon closed out the game in the ninth to record his seventh save. Brett Douglas picked up the win in relief.
MENDOZA MOVES UP
***After going 12 games without hitting a home run, senior outfielder Curt Mendoza hit one in each of SDSU's final two contests at BYU (May 12-13), then added a pair in last Tuesday's win over second-ranked Cal State Fullerton.
***He now has a career total of 28 homers, tying the SDSU mark held by Paul Lockhart (1997-2000).
***Over the last four games, Mendoza is 8-for-16 with six runs scored, six RBI, a double and four homers.
***He finished conference play with a .425 batting average in league games, a mark which leads SDSU and ranked third in the MWC.
***Over his last seven games, he is hitting .461 (14-for-30) with three doubles, four homer, eight runs scored and 10 runs batted in.
BILLINGS STRIKES
***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 eight starts since his return, he has thrown 52 innings and struck out 57.
***He set a personal career best with 12 strikeouts in the win over TCU on April 30.
***On Saturday, May 13, he tossed seven scoreless innings at Brigham Young to improve to 6-3 on the year.
***Billings' ERA over his last eight outings is 1.90 and opponents are hitting .207 against him.
***He has lowered his season ERA over that period from 6.17 to its current 3.23.
***He has thrown 14.2 consecutive scoreless innings over his last three starts.
BERRY GETTING OFFENSIVE
***Quintin Berry leads SDSU in stolen bases with 29 and is first in the Mountain West Conference in that category.
***His steals total represents 62 percent of the steals by San Diego State as a team (team total is 47).
***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.
***At the plate, Berry is 14-for-35 (.400) in the past nine games with two doubles, three triples and 13 runs scored.
***Over that span, he has drawn six walks and been hit by pitch four times for an on-base percentage of .533.
***His six runs scored at Air Force on May 5 tied the SDSU record.
***Defensively, Berry has not committed an error over SDSU's last 37 games (96 chances).
ROMERO GOES DEEP
***Nick Romero's nine home runs this season are the most ever for a freshman at San Diego State. The previous best was eight by Jake McLintock during the 2002 campaign.
***He recorded SDSU's lone grand slam of the season, hitting one against New Mexico on April 9.
***Romero had his season-long seven-game hitting streak stopped on Tuesday (May 2) vs. UC Irvine. He had previously put together four-game streaks on six occasions.
***He has hit safely in 10 of SDSU's last 12 games, going 17-for-47 (.362) with six doubles, a triple, five home runs, 10 runs scored and 18 RBI.
***Romero hit home runs in four consecutive at bats over two games at Air Force (May 5 and 6).
***He finished the conference season with a .356 batting average in league play.
SMYTH LEADS AZTEC ATTACK
***Senior Paul Smyth continues to lead the Aztecs in overall hitting with a .352 batting average.
***He had a personal-best nine-game hitting streak stopped on Friday, May 12, at BYU during which he scored eight runs with 14 runs batted in.
***Heading into the week, Smyth also leads the SDSU offense in hits (75), doubles (15), triples (6), RBI (53), slugging percentage (.606) and on-base percentage (.421).
***Smyth's 23 multiple-hit games and 13 multiple-RBI contests lead the team. (He is tied with Quintin Berry in multiple-hit contests.)
MASTERFUL MASTERSON
***Justin Masterson continues to be among the top pitchers in the Mountain West Conference.
***He leads the league in strikeouts in MWC contests and is second overall.
***On the season, he has a strikeout-to-walk ratio of better than four-to one with 105 K's and 24 BB's in 111 innings.
***His 105 strikeouts tie him for 8th with Mike Erb (1987) on the SDSU single-season list. The all-time record is 122 K's by Rob Brown in 1989.
***He has gone five or more innings in all 16 of his starts and a minimum of six innings in 14 of those outings.
***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.
SIMON SAVES
***With his seventh save of the year vs. CSU Fullerton on May 9, senior Adam Simon leads the MWC in that category (all games) and he is tied for the league lead in conference contests with four.
***His seven saves ties him for eighth on the SDSU single-season record list.
***He has struck out 10 over his last 6.1 innings (five appearances).
WILLEFORD COMES ON
***Sophomore infielder Mike Willeford got just his fifth start of the season in the series finale at Brigham Young on May 13.
***The second/third baseman from Rancho Cordova, Calif., made the most of the opportunity by going 4-for-4 with an RBI and stolen base plus a pair of sacrifice bunts.
***Willeford came into the contest with just six hits in his previous 29 at bats.
SWAYDAN STANDS TALL
***Senior catcher Jordan Swaydan has hit safely in 12 of SDSU's last 14 games, going 19-for-53 (.358) over that span with 12 runs scored and 10 RBI.
***His five-game hitting streak is currently the longest active streak for an Aztec.
***He has been a defensive stalwart behind the plate, throwing out 25 runners trying to steal on him.
***His 25 runners caught stealing leads the conference by a wide margin.
***Swaydan has also picked three runners off second base this season.
UNGRICHT ADDS TO OFFENSE
***Brock Ungricht had a 10-game hitting streak stopped on May 13 at BYU. It tied for his longest streak of the year which is also the longest by an Aztec this season.
***During that streak, he batted .395 (17-for-43) with nine runs scored, nine RBI, two doubles and a triple.
***He is fourth on the team with a .313 batting average.
***He is third on the squad with 21 multiple-hit games.
WORKING OVERTIME
***SDSU has played four extra-inning contests this season and lost all four.
***Three of those overtime affairs have come in Mountain West Conference play.
***That number includes an 8-6 loss to UC Irvine, 3-2 loss to New Mexico and 7-5 loss to TCU, all in 10 innings at home.
***The fourth loss was a 6-5 defeat at UNLV in 12 innings on April 21.
KER-PLUNK
***Aztec pitchers have hit 69 batters thus far during the 2006 season, an average of 1.23 per game.
***The 69 hit batters is a new team record, surpassing the 64 batters hit during both the 2002 and 2005 seasons.
***On the other side, both Paul Smyth and Quintin Berry have been hit eight and nine times this season, a mark that puts them among the top10 on the SDSU single-season list in that category.
STREAKS AND SUCH
***Jordan Swaydan's five-game hitting streak is the longest current streak for an Aztec.
***Brock Ungricht has had a pair of 10-game hitting streak this season, the longest by an SDSU player in 2006.
***Lance Zawadzki is the lone Aztec to record five or more hits in a game this year. Six other players have had one four-hit game apiece.
LONG BALL
***SDSU has hit 53 home runs through 56 games this season after totaling 38 in 59 contests during the 2005 campaign.
***The 51 homes runs in the most in a season by San Diego State since 1984 when the team totaled 85 over a 89-game season.
***It is the most homers by an Aztec squad since the 56-game season limit came into effect in 1991.
***The Aztecs have hit 15 home runs over their last 8 contests.
***Tim O'Brien's homer in the contest at Brigham Young on May 13 was his team-leading 11th of the season. That's the most homers by an Aztec since Paul Lockhart had 11 during the 2000 season.
***At this point, Aztec pitchers have allowed 47 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
***Four Aztecs have entered an all-time SDSU top 20 career list this season.
***With a 82 strikeouts this season, junior Bruce Billings has 242 career strikeouts to jump up to the third spot on the career list. He needs one more to climb to No. 2, where Rick Navarro (1989-91) sits with 243 career strikeouts.
***With 83 career walks, Brock Ungricht has moved into a tie for No. 16 on the Aztec career chart with Greg Quam (1991-93) and Lance Pinnell (1987-89). His next base on balls will move him into a tie for 14th with Paul Lockhart (1997-00) and Derek Vinyard (1990-92) at 84.
***With his home run vs. Air Force on May 5, Lance Zawadzki has moved into a tie for the number-18 spot on the career list at 17 with Jake McLintock (2002-05). His next homer will move him into a tie for 15th with Steve Montejano (1985-88), Tony Gwynn (1979-81) and Paul Wirkus (1979-80).
***With 10 homers in 2006, senior outfielder Curt Mendoza now has 28 for his career, tying him for the SDSU record with Paul Lockhart (1997-2000).
SENIORS HONORED
***With the series vs. TCU (April 28-30) marking San Diego State's final weekend home contests of the season, the Aztecs took the final game that weekend to honor 11 seniors who are concluding their SDSU careers in 2006.
***That group included four pitchers (Dan Bruckart, Ben Coon, Will Miller, Adam Simon), two catchers (Joey Huskins, Jordan Swaydan, three infielders (Brian Kinsman, Tim O'Brien, Sam Pepper) and a pair of outfielders (Curt Mendoza, Steve Smyth).
***Five of those non-pitchers have been starters for much of the 2006 season while three of the pitchers have seen significant time this year.
AZTEC NOTES
***San Diego State is 16-10 (.615) over its last 26 games.
***Last year at this point of the season entering the MWC Tournament, the Aztecs' record stood at 22-33, one game off this year's ledger.
***Over their last 10 contests, the Aztecs are hitting .329 as a team.
***SDSU catcher Chris Anderson and outfielder Brent Spirnak both connected for their first career home runs in the game at Air Force on May 5.
***In his last four relief appearances covering 4.1 innings, freshman Mark Triolo has allowed just two hits while striking out six.
***Redshirt freshman Charles Nolte recorded his first career save when he tossed the final three innings in the win over Air Force on May 5.
***Senior pitcher Ben Coon made his first plate appearance in his four years at SDSU at Air Force on May 7, drawing a walk and scoring a run.