March 15, 2007
Complete Release and Season Statistics in PDF Format
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WHAT'S ON TAP THIS WEEKEND IN AZTEC BASEBALL
*** San Diego State will host Pac-10 foe UCLA in a three-game series this weekend at Tony Gwynn Stadium with the first game schedule for Friday, March 16, at 6:00 p.m. (PDT).
*** Action continues with games on Saturday (Mar. 17) and Sunday (Mar. 18), both at 1:00 p.m. (PDT).
*** 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.
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.
*** 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 C 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.
*** 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.
SERIES RECORDS
*** San Diego State's record against UCLA over the years stands at 25-43-2 since the teams first met during the 1948 season.
*** The Aztecs are 14-14-2 vs. the Bruins in San Diego and 10-28 in Los Angeles. SDSU won the only contest played at a neutral site.
*** Last season, UCLA swept the three-game series between the schools at Jackie Robinson Stadium. Prior to that, San Diego State won single games played during the 2004 and 2005 seasons at Tony Gwynn Stadium.
SCOUTING THE BRUINS
*** UCLA enters the weekend with a record of 8-10. The Bruins have dropped five of their last six games including two to Cal State Fullerton, two at Mississippi and one to Long Beach State. All three of those teams are ranked among the nation's top 25.
*** UCLA is led offensively by shortstop Brandon Crawford (.386. 8 doubles, 16 RBI), second baseman Alden Carrithers (.319, 6 doublers, 10 RBI) and outfielder Will Penniall (.318, 2 doubles, 6 RBI). The Bruins are hitting .264 as a team.
*** The team's top starting pitcher is Tyson Brummett, who will face SDSU on Friday. He is 3-2 with a 2.75 earned run average and has struck out 38 and walked just seven over 39.2 innings. Junior Brant Rustich (El Cajon, Calif./Grossmont HS) leads the staff with four saves. UCLA has a team ERA of 4.95.
MOST RECENTLY
*** San Diego State dropped a 4-3 decision in 10 innings at UC Riverside this past Tuesday. Trailing 1-0, the Aztecs scored three unearned runs in the top of the eighth, but couldn't hold the lead as the Highlanders got single runs in the eighth, ninth and 10th to win it.
*** Troy Hanzawa had three hits including a double and scored once while Nick Romero added a pair of singles. Reliever Aaron Brady took the loss to fall to 1-3 on the season.
AZTECS AT PETCO PARK
*** San Diego State played before a crowd of 13, 791 fans when it faced Michigan last Saturday (Mar. 10) at PETCO Park, home of the San Diego Padres.
*** With the 4-1 win over the Wolverines, the Aztecs are now 2-2 at the facility after playing three times there in 2004 (defeating Houston and losing to Nebraska and Long Beach State).
*** SDSU also played an exhibition contest at PETCO Park in 2005, falling to the San Diego Padres by the score of 6-0.
CLASSIC ALL-TOURNAMENT
*** Three SDSU players were named to the all-tournament team at last weekend's Tony Gwynn 2007 Classic. That trio included pitcher Bruce Billings along with outfielders Cameron Johnson and Josh Chasse.
*** Billings was the winning pitcher in the contest with Michigan at PETCO Park, throwing seven innings and allowing one run on four hits.
*** Johnson was 4-for-10 over the Aztecs' three games last weekend with a run, two RBI and four stolen bases while Chasses was also 4-for-10 with a walk and RBI.
PITCHER OF THE WEEK
*** San Diego State right-handed pitcher Bruce Billings was named the Mountain West Conference Pitcher of the Week for his performance in SDSU's contest vs. Michigan last Saturday. It marked the fourth time in his collegiate career that he received the honor.
*** He was also listed on the College Baseball Foundation National Honor Roll for his effort last weekend.
*** In the contest vs. Michigan last Saturday, played in front of 13,791 fans at PETCO Park in San Diego, Billings (1-0) picked up his first victory of the season in a 4-1 win over the Wolverines. In 7.0 innings of work, he struck out four while only allowing one earned run, four hits and one walk.
*** Billings allowed only one runner past first base and held the Wolverines, who were batting .314 on the season coming into the weekend, to a .167 batting average in the game.
JOHNSON GETS GOING
*** Left fielder Cameron Johnson has hit safely in each of the last thee games, going 5-for-12 with one run scored and a pair of runs batted in.
*** He has also stolen four bases over that span and leads the team with 10 on the season.
*** After beginning the season going 2-for-4 in stolen bases, Johnson has been successful on his last eight steal attempts.
CHASSE RETURNS
*** Right fielder Josh Chasse, who suffered a hyper-extended knee in the game at USC on Feb. 9, missed 15 contests before returning to action last Friday (Mar. 9) vs. Oklahoma.
*** In his first action in a month, the freshman from Las Vegas went 3-for-4 to account for half of the team's hits against the Sooners.
*** Chasse also had a single and an RBI in the contest vs. University of San Diego last Sunday.
COLWELL INJURED
*** Freshman walk-on Pat Colwell, who took over in right field when Chasse was injured, suffered an injury himself when he ran into the outfield wall in the first inning of the game vs. Oklahoma last Friday (Mar. 9). He is expected to be out two more weeks.
*** Over the 14 contests in which he started, he batted .304 with eight runs scored and two RBI.
*** Colwell also had a nine game hitting streak during that period (from Feb. 13 to Feb. 27).
SOLOW START
*** Freshman Nate Solow got his second collegiate start in Tuesday's game at UC Riverside.
*** In that contest, he went five innings and allowed just three hits and a walk while striking out seven.
*** The five innings he worked in the game matched his previous total of five innings this season that came over four appearances.
*** Solow lowered his ERA to 4.50 and has now struck out 12 batters over 10 innings in 2007.
HUME OUT HIRSCHFELD IN
*** Regular Friday starter Donnie Hume (junior left-hander) will miss his second consecutive start this weekend with tenderness in his shoulder.
*** In his place, Steven Hirschfeld will be SDSU's starting pitcher in the opening game of the UCLA series.
*** Hirschfeld (2-1) suffered his first defeat of the season in his inaugural Friday start last weekend, a 4-1 loss to Oklahoma.
SEWELL STRIKES
*** Junior lefty Lance Sewell took his first loss of the year last weekend when University of San Diego defeated SDSU, 6-4, on Sunday (Mar. 11).
*** In that game, he was the victim of some defensive lapses by his teammates as he allowed five runs, only two of which were earned.
*** Sewell leads the Mountain West Conference this week in strikeouts (41 in 34.1 innings) and opponent batting average (.198).
HANZAWA HITS
*** Shortstop Troy Hanzawa had a five-game hitting streak snapped in last Sunday's game vs. San Diego, but had three more hits in the next game (Tuesday at UCR).
*** In SDSU's last seven contests, he is batting .370 (10-for-27) with three runs scored, two RBI, two doubles, two walks and a pair of stolen bases.
*** Troy Hanzawa is batting .333 as San Diego State's leadoff hitter.
*** His current overall batting average of .322 leads the team. Hanzawa also ranks sixth in the MWC in hits and eighth in runs entering the weekend.
DEFENSIVE CATCHERS
*** San Diego State's catching trio of Chris Anderson, Frank LoNigro and Matt Parker has not committed an error in 202 chances.
*** In addition, Anderson has thrown out seven of the 12 runners attempting to steal on him.
*** LoNigro and Anderson have alternated as the Aztecs' starter behind the plate this season while Parker has made one appearance behind the dish.
GREEN STREAK
*** Second baseman Garett Green has hit safely in six of SDSU's last seven games.
*** Over that span he has five RBI, two runs scored, three doubles, two walks and two sacrifice bunts.
*** Green has struck out only once in those seven contests (a total of 31 plate appearances).
STRASBURG SAVES
*** Freshman right-hander Stephen Strasburg struck out four over 1.2 innings of relief at UC Riverside on Tuesday, but was unable to secure a save after giving up a run in the ninth inning.
*** That run was the first he had allowed in his last eight relief appearances.
*** Over those eight outings, he has thrown 10.2 innings, giving up one run on one hit while striking out 13 and walking only two.
*** Opponents are hitting just .143 against him (7-for-38) and he has given up just one extra-base hit (a double on Feb. 18).
*** His two saves lead the Aztecs and rank fourth in the league this week.
ROMERO HEATING UP
*** Third baseman Nick Romero had a pair of hits in Tuesday's loss at UC Riverside and is 4-for-6 in the Aztecs' last two games. In those two contests, he has scored twice, driven in three, walked three times and connected for a double and home run.
*** He leads the Aztecs in home runs with three and is second in doubles (six) and walks (14).
*** Romero's .588 slugging percentage leads the team and ranks sixth in the conference this week. His four triples are also the most by an MWC player.
STEALING AWAY
*** With a total of 38 steals, San Diego State is averaging 1.65 thefts per game.
*** Last season, SDSU had recorded 19 stolen bases through 23 games and finished the year with an average of 0.93 per game.
*** The Aztecs have six players with at least three steals led by Cameron Johnson with 10 and Brandon Glover with six. Troy Hanzawa and Pat Colwell is have four apiece.
STREAKS AND SUCH
*** Cameron Johnson's current three-game hitting streak is the longest active streak for an Aztec. Pat Colwell has the team's longest streak at nine games, which he set in February.
*** Garett Green has six multiple-RBI games this season while Brandon Glover is the only Aztec to have five RBI in a game.
*** Troy Hanzawa has the team lead with 10 multiple-hit contests.
POWER SHORTAGE
*** The Aztecs have hit just five home runs through their first 23 games, three by Nick Romero and one apiece by Garett Green and Chris Anderson.
*** Last year SDSU averaged almost one homer per game (57 in 59 contests). That total tied for the second most homers in a season by an Aztec squad.
*** 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 265 strikeouts over his three-plus collegiate seasons and is approaching the SDSU career mark.
*** He needs 35 K's to break the Aztec record of 299 held by Mike Erb (1985-87).
*** Billings currently is third in career starts with 44 (school record is 57), sixth in innings pitched at 276.2 (school record is 342.2) and tied for 14th in wins with 19 (school record is 32 victories).
SDSU ON TV
*** The Mountain West Conference office has released the television schedule for league teams this season and SDSU will appear three times prior to the MWC tournament:
Date Opponent NetworkApril 28...at TCU..........The Mtn.May 8......Long Beach St......CSTVMay 12.....BYU.............The Mtn.*** In addition, The Mtn. will carry every game during the conference tourney.
AZTEC NOTES
*** The Aztecs reached the 13-win mark a month earlier than they did during the 2006 season. The team did not reach that win total until April 15th a year ago.
*** San Diego State enters the weekend with a record of 12-11. Last season it had a mark of 6-17 after its first 23 contests.
*** The threesome of Garett Green, Nick Romero and Troy Hanzawa has started every game this season at second, third and shortstop respectively.
*** SDSU has won all four games in which it have not committed an error.
*** Brandon Decker has scored four runs in SDSU's last three games.
*** Since allowing three runs to Cal State Fullerton on Feb. 20, right-hander Mike Koons has not given up an earned run over his last five relief appearance covering 7.2 innings.
*** 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.
ON DECK
*** Following this weekend's action, the Aztecs will travel to Colorado where they will open their 2007 Mountain West Conference campaign at Air Force.
*** The first contest of the three game series vs. the Falcons in Colorado Springs is scheduled for Thursday, Mar. 22, at 2:00 p.m. (MDT) at Falcon Field.
*** The teams will also square off on Friday (Mar. 23) at 2:00 p.m. and Saturday (Mar. 24) at noon.