March 1, 2007
WHAT'S ON TAP THIS WEEKEND IN AZTEC BASEBALL<
*** San Diego State will play a single game against University of Pacific on Thursday (Mar. 1) at 2:00 pm. (PST) at Klein Family Field, then remain in Stockton to compete in the Pacific State Bank Tiger Classic. < br> *** The Aztecs will face Pacific again on Friday at 2:00 p.m. in their first game of the tournament. < br> *** Action continues on Saturday as SDSU will face San Francisco at 10:00 a.m. SDSU will conclude tourney play on Sunday when it faces Baylor at 10:00 a.m. < br> *** 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 record against Pacific stands at 31-23-1 since the teams first met during the 1946 season. The Aztecs are 25-8-1 at home against the Tigers and 5-14 in Stockton (1-1 at neutral sites). UOP has won five of the last six meetings including a sweep of last year's three games in San Diego. Prior to last contests in 2007, the teams had not faced off since 1995. < br> *** SDSU has only faced San Francisco twice previously, winning both games. The first encounter was a 6-3 Aztec win on the Dons' home field in 1942. The second meeting came 35 years later when SDSU took a 6-1 decision in a game played in San Jose as part of the Spartan Classic. < br> *** San Diego State has a 1-5 record against Baylor after the teams met in three-game home and home series in the mid 1990s. The Bears took three games from SDSU in San Diego during the 1993 campaign, then won two of three contests played in Waco the following season.
SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS<
*** Pacific enters the weekend with a record of 4-9. The Tigers are coming off a weekend that saw them lose three games at No. 2 Clemson, two of which were one-run contests and one an extra-inning affair. Pacific is led offensively by third baseman Justin Baum (.426, 4 doubles, 6 RBI), catcher Joe Oliveira (.396, 3 doubles, 5 RBI) and second baseman Adam Ching (.288, 6 doubles, 7 RBI). The Tiger's top two starters are Joey Centanni (0-3, 3.42) and Hunter Carnevale (2-2, 3.63). Jake Wild (1-2, 2.03) has the team's lone save. UOP is batting .265 with a team ERA of 4.76. < br> *** San Francisco brings a mark of 7-5 into the weekend and will face Baylor on Friday before meeting the Aztecs Saturday morning. The Dons are working on a string of 20 scoreless innings pitched after shutting out Sacramento State and UC Davis last weekend. USF expects to start senior Jason Dufloth (3-1, 3.12), who tossed seven shutout innings vs. UC Davis. Top hitters include second baseman Joey Railey (.364, 4 doubles, 6 RBI), catcher Jonathan Norfolk (.333, double, 4 RBI) and first baseman Mitchell Bialosky (.313, 2 HR, 7 RBI). USF's team batting average is .265 and the squad's ERA stands at 3.29. < br> *** After dropping its first three games of the season at the Houston Classic, Baylor has won seven of eight (all at home) to begin the weekend with an 8-4 record. The Bears are ranked 28th this week by Collegiate Baseball. Baylor's top offensive players include right fielder Aaron Miller (.356, 3 doubles, 10 RBI), third baseman Raynor Campbell (.423, 4 doubles, 6 RBI) and shortstop Beamer Weems (.314, 4 doubles, 12 RBI). SDSU will likely face starting pitcher Jeff Mandel (1-2, 5.00). Baylor is batting .268 as a team with a 3.31 earned run average.
HEAD COACH Tony Gwynn<
*** Tony Gwynn is in his fifth 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. < br> *** In 2002, he served as a volunteer coach for the Aztecs under Jim Dietz, who retired at the end of that season. < br> *** In 2004, Gwynn led his squad to the Mountain West Conference regular-season championship and was named the MWC C coach of the year. < br> *** 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. < br> *** Tony Gwynn was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame on Jan. 7 along with Cal Ripken, Jr. He will be officially inducted into the Hall in Cooperstown during the weekend of July 27-30.
MOST RECENTLY<
*** The Aztecs traveled to Fullerton this past Tuesday and dropped a 9-8 decision to the 10th-ranked Titans. It was a game similar to the meeting between the teams a week earlier at SDSU in which CSUF fell behind early and rallied late only to fall a run short. < br> *** Fullerton jumped out a 9-2 lead after five innings, only to watch as SDSU scored six times over the final four innings and had the tying run at second base in the ninth when the game ended. < br> *** Frank LoNigro has four hits to lead the SDSU offense while Nick Romero, Garett Green and Pat Colwell had two apiece. Freshman lefty Nate Solow, making his first collegiate start, took the loss to even his record at 1-1.
ALMOST A NO-NO<
*** Last Friday (Feb. 23), junior lefty Donnie Hume came close to tossing SDSU's first no-hitter since 1989. However, not only did he lose the no-hitter in the final inning, SDSU dropped the game to UC Riverside, 4-1. < br> *** Hume pitched eight innings of no-hit ball, walking one and striking out 10 before a single to lead off the ninth was followed by a bloop double to right. That spelled the end of Hume's night as he left the game with a 1-0 lead. < br> *** The Highlanders went on to score four runs in the inning to capture the 4-1 win.
ANOTHER CLOSE CALL<
*** On Sunday (Feb. 25), sophomore Lance Sewell took his shot at a no-hitter, going 6.1 innings before allowing a hit. < br> *** Sewell completed seven innings of work, allowing one hit and a walk while striking out 10. < br> *** Aaron Brady tossed the final two innings without allowing a hit and striking out three batters himself as SDSU won the contest, 5-0, with a one hitter.
LONIGRO HEATS UP<
*** Catcher Frank LoNigro had his best night of the season at the plate in the game against 10th-ranked Cal State Fullerton on Tuesday. < br> *** The senior from Yorba Linda, Calif., recorded four hits (including a pair of doubles) and had three runs batted in vs. the Titans. His batting average now stands at .286, his highest mark of the season. < br> *** LoNigro has three doubles and six runs batted in over his last four games. < br> *** In the eight games in which he has appeared behind the plate, he has not committed an error in 62 chances.
COLWELL KEEPS HITTING<
*** Freshman walk-on Pat Colwell has hit in nine straight games, the longest hitting streak by an Aztec in 2007. < br> *** He has started the past seven games in right field, filling in for the injured Josh Chasse, who was hurt in the game at USC on Feb. 16. < br> *** Colwell made his first collegiate start as the designated hitter against Loyola Marymount on Feb. 13 and singled to lead off the contest. He finished that game with three hits, two runs scored, two steals and a sacrifice bunt. < br> *** Prior to the LMU contest, he had only made a pair of pinch-running appearances. < br> *** His .459 on-base percentage leads the team as does his .375 batting average.
ANDERSON STREAKING<
*** Catcher/DH Chris Anderson had a six-game hitting streak ended last Friday (Feb. 23) vs. UC Riverside and has now hit safely in seven of SDSU's last eight contests. < br> *** His home run against USC on Feb. 18 was just the second of his Aztec career. < br> *** His .439 on-base percentage is second on the team behind only Pat Colwell. < br> *** Anderson has also been stellar behind the plate, throwing out five of the nine runners attempting to steal on him. He has not committed an error in 67 chances at catcher.
STRASBURG IMPRESSES<
*** After a rough outing against USC on Sunday, Feb. 18, right-hander Stephen Strasburg was outstanding against 10th-ranked Cal State Fullerton two days later. < br> *** The freshman from nearby West Hills High School threw three innings in relief, retiring all nine batters he faced. He struck out three of those Titan hitters to match his season high for a game. < br> *** This past Tuesday at Fullerton, he tossed one inning, retiring the side in order with two strikeouts. < br> *** Not counting the USC game, he has allowed just one earned run on three hits with nine strikeouts over six innings in his other four appearances in 2007.
HIRSCHFELD GETS FIRST WIN<
*** Starting pitcher Steven Hirschfeld picked up his first win of the season last week in the victory of Cal State Fullerton on Feb. 20 to improve to 1-0 on the year. < br> *** Hirschfeld has pitched well in his first three collegiate starts, allowing just two earned runs and recording three strikeouts in each of his three outings. < br> *** His first two appearances resulted in no-decisions.
HUME IN CONTROL<
*** Junior right-hander Donnie Hume has been SDSU's No. 1 starter through the first four weeks of the season and has not disappointed. < br> *** A transfer from Long Beach State, he had recorded wins in each of his first two outings before suffering his first defeat at USC (Feb 16) and then taking the loss vs. UC Riverside last weekend. < br> *** Over his 25.1 innings of work thus far, he has walked only two batters while striking out 24. Opponents are hitting just .204 against him.
STEALING AWAY<
*** With a total of 26 steals, San Diego State is averaging 1.73 thefts per game. < br> *** Last season, SDSU had recorded 16 stolen bases through 15 games and finished the year with an average of 0.93 per game. < br> *** The Aztecs have seven players with at least a pair of steals led by Brandon Glover with five. Pat Colwell and Cameron Johnson have stolen four apiece.
STREAKS AND SUCH<
*** Pat Colwell's current nine-game hitting streak is the team's longest this season. No other Aztec has a current streak of more than two games. Nick Romero and Chris Anderson both had six-game streaks earlier in the season. < br> *** Garett Green has four multiple-RBI games this season while Brandon Glover is the only Aztec to have five RBI in a game. < br> *** Troy Hanzawa has the team lead with six multiple-hit contests.
POWER SHORTAGE<
*** The Aztecs have hit just three home runs through their first 15 games, one apiece by Nick Romero, Chris Anderson and Garett Green. < br> *** Last year SDSU averaged almost one per game (57 in 59 contests). The total tied for the second most homers in a season by an Aztec squad. < br> *** The fewest homers by an Aztec team in the Division I era (since 1969) is 13 by the 1991 team. That squad finished 43-21 and advanced to the NCAA Regionals.
THE RECORD BOOK<
*** Junior pitcher Bruce Billings has 256 strikeouts over his three collegiate seasons and is approaching the SDSU career mark. < br> *** He needs 44 K's to break the Aztec record of 299 held by Mike Erb (1985-87). < br> *** Billings currently is tied for fourth in career starts with 42 (school record is 56), eighth in innings pitched at 262.2 (school record is 342.2) and 18th in wins with 18 (school record is 32 victories).
SDSU ON TV<
*** The conference office has released the television schedule for league teams this season and SDSU will appear three times prior to the MWC tournament: < br> April 28 at TCU The Mtn. < br> May 8 Long Beach St CSTV< br> May 12 BYU The Mtn. < br> *** In addition, The Mtn. will carry every game during the conference tourney.
PLAYER OF THE WEEK<
*** Sophomore Nick Romero was named Mountain West Conference Pitcher of the Week for his performance in SDSU's four games vs. Loyola Marymount and USC the week of Feb. 12-18. < br> *** He went 7-for-13 (.538) from the plate last week, with a slugging percentage of 1.077, three triples, one double, six runs scored and one RBI in four games last week. < br> *** In San Diego State's 10-6 win over Loyola Marymount, Romero went 2-for-2 with two triples, two runs scored and a stolen base. In the first game of the three-game series vs. No. 21 USC, Romero went 3-for-4 with two runs scored in a 3-7 loss. < br> *** In game two of the series, he turned in a 1-for-3 performance, one RBI and one run scored performance. In the bottom of the eighth, Romero smacked a two-out RBI triple, which put SDSU up 4-2 heading into the ninth inning, before the Aztecs lost 5-4. In the final game of the series, Romero went 1-for-4 with a double and one run scored as San Diego State upset the 21st-ranked Trojans, 12-11. < br> *** In addition to being named conference player of the week, he was also listed on the College Baseball Foundation National Honor Roll for his effort that week.
AZTECS AT PETCO<
*** As part of its tournament, the Tony Gwynn 2007 Classic, San Diego State will host a collegiate doubleheader at PETCO Park, the home of the San Diego Padres, on Saturday, March 10. < br> *** On that day, Oklahoma will face University of San Diego at 3:00 p.m. and Michigan will take on the Aztecs at 7:00 p.m. Between games, SDSU will hold a ceremony to honor coach Tony Gwynn for his election to the National Baseball Hall of Fame. < br> *** Tickets for the event are available on the Internet at Padres.com or Goaztecs.com as well as at the Padre ticket office at PETCO Park. They may also be purchased by calling 1-877-FRIAR TIX (374-2784).
AZTEC NOTES<
*** Pitchers Lance Sewell (26) and Donnie Hume (24) rank one-two in the Mountain West Conference in strikeouts this week. They are also both among the top 10 in earned run average and opponent batting average. < br> *** Over the last seven games, shortstop Troy Hanzawa is batting .357 (10-for-28) with six runs scored and six RBI. < br> *** Donnie Hume's and Lance Sewell's 10 strikeouts in their respective appearances vs. UC Riverside last weekend were career highs for both players. < br> *** SDSU catchers Chris Anderson, Frank LoNigro and Matt Parker have not committed an error through the team's first 15 games (131 chances). < br> *** The team's five doubles at Cal State Fullerton on Tuesday was a season high. < br> *** Pitcher Aaron Brady has allowed just a walk with four strikeouts in his last two relief appearances (2.2 innings). He is also 1-for-5 with an RBI as a pinch hitter and designated hitter. < br> *** Nick Romero's four triples lead the conference. < br> *** Freshman Josh Chasse, who suffered a hyper-extended knee in the game at USC on Feb. 9, has missed the last seven contests and is expected to be out at least through this weekend. He had moved into the starting role in right field for the seven games prior to his injury. < br> *** The crowd of 1,513 fans that witnessed the Aztecs play USC on Saturday, Feb. 10, was the fifth-largest crowd for an SDSU baseball game at Tony Gwynn Stadium.