March 19, 2008
Complete Release and season Statistics in PDF Format
AZTEC RESUME MWC PLAY WITH SERIES AT UTAH
*** After opening the week with a home contest against Southern Utah and an away game at Long Beach State, San Diego State will make its first Mountain West Conference road trip of the season to take on Utah in a three-game series.
*** The series with the Utes gets underway on Thursday (March 20) at 6:00 p.m. (MDT) at Franklin Covey Field, the home of the Salt Lake City Bees, the AAA affiliate of the Anaheim Angels.
*** San Diego State and Utah will also square off in single games on Friday (March 21) and Saturday (March 22) at 6:00 and 1:00 p.m. respectively.
SERIES RECORDS
*** The Aztecs' record against Utah stands at 89-23 in the series that began during the 1964 season. The teams met every year in San Diego during the 1970s and then were members of the Western Athletic Conference from 1980 through 1999 before joining the Mountain West Conference.
*** Since joining the MWC, SDSU's record against the Utes is 33-16. That ledger includes a 28-15 record in regular-season play and 5-1 in conference tournament action. San Diego State's record on its home field against Utah is 58-13. The Aztecs are 22-9 in contests played in Salt Lake City and 9-1 at neutral site fields.
GOOD START TO MWC CAMPAIGN
*** San Diego State's 3-0 start to it Mountain West Conference season is its best since the 2004 season when it began with four wins (three over Air force, one over New Mexico).
*** SDSU began the 2004 league season with a mark of 5-1 en route to capturing the conference's regular-season title.
*** Last weekend's sweep of Brigham Young marked the first time that San Diego State has swept the Cougars in a three-game series since the 2002 season.
MOST RECENTLY
*** The Aztecs saw a short three-game winning streak come to an end with a 5-3 loss to Southern Utah at home Monday evening. The Aztecs wore green hats and jerseys in honor of St. Patrick's Day, but had little luck in solving the pitching of Thunderbird starter Kyle Melling.
*** SDSU freshman right-hander Brett Miller made his collegiate starting debut, but gave up a five-run third-inning as he dropped his record to 0-1. Nick Romero was the lone Aztec with more that one hit, garnering a pair of singles on the night.
*** The Aztecs then dropped a 6-2 decision to 6th-ranked Long Beach State on Tuesday.
*** The Aztecs could muster only a pair of unearned runs despite three hits from shortstop Troy Hanzawa. Starting pitcher Jon Berger took the loss to fall to 1-3.
WORKING OVERTIME
*** San Diego State's 14-inning win over Brigham Young last Thursday was the Aztecs' longest game (by innings) since they defeated Hawaii, 4-3, in 14 frames on April 19, 1996.
*** The win over the Cougars was SDSU's first extra-inning affair of the 2008 season.
REED NAMED PITCHER OF THE WEEK
*** San Diego State freshman closer Addison Reed has been named the Mountain West Conference Pitcher of the Week for his performance in SDSU's conference season-opening games against Brigham Young last week. Reed becomes the second Aztec hurler to garner the award in the first four weeks of the season after Stephen Strasburg captured the honor on Feb. 25.
*** Reed, from Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., recorded a win and a save in two appearances in San Diego State's conference series sweep over Brigham Young last week.
*** In the opening game against BYU, he came on in relief in the bottom of the 11th inning of a tied game with two runners on, to record a strikeout and end the threat. He pitched the final 3.1 innings of the contest, allowing only two base runners, while striking out four and walking none.
*** The following night, he came on in the ninth inning to retire the side in order to record a save (his third of the year) in the Aztecs' 6-5 victory over the Cougars.
HANZAWA STAYS HOT
*** With three hits on Tuesday at Long Beach State, Troy Hanzawa has hit safely in 17 of SDSU's 19 contests.
*** He had a nine-game hitting streak snapped in the series opener against BYU. It stands as the team's longest hitting streak in 2008.
*** During that streak, he batted .432 with nine runs scored.
*** His .386 batting average leads the club as does his 32 hits, 21 runs scored and three stolen bases.
*** His nine multiple-hit games lead the team and his three multiple-RBI efforts tie him with Nick Romero and Cory Vaughn for second-most on the club.
ROMERO ON A ROLL
*** Nick Romero hit safely in all three contests vs. Brigham Young last weekend and added a pair of hits in the loss to Southern Utah on Monday. He also single at Long Beach State in Tuesday's game.
*** His five-game hitting streak is the longest current streak for an SDSU player. Over those four contests he is batting .455 (10-for-22) with two runs scored and six RBI.
*** His five-RBI effort in the BYU series finale marked the first time this season that an Aztec has driven in five runs in a game.
*** Romero's home run on Sunday was the 17th of his career, moving him into a tie for 18th on the San Diego State career list.
*** He has now driven in four or more runs in a game three times in 2008.
MCLAUGHLIN IMPRESSES
*** James McLaughlin had his longest outing of the year on Monday against Southern Utah, going six innings in relief. Over that period he scattered three hits while striking out seven and walking none.
*** In his first start after three relief stints, McLaughlin had a good outing at UC Riverside on March 4. In that contest, he went 5.2 innings, allowing one run on six hits with one walk and four strikeouts.
*** On Thursday (March 13) against Brigham Young, he tossed 2.1 innings in relief, keeping the game tied in the ninth and 10th innings.
*** He recorded his first save in the win over Oklahoma State on March 9, going the final four innings.
SOLOW DEALING
*** Sophomore Nate Solow has adapted quickly to the role of starter after seeing duty primarily out of the bullpen as a freshman.
*** After three starts, he is second among the regulars with a 3.65 earned run average.
*** Opponents are batting .222 against him.
*** Solow has struck out 33 and walked only eight in his 24.2 innings of work.
*** His 13 strikeouts against BYU on Friday (March 14) were a career high, besting his previous high of nine against Missouri earlier this season.
CLOSING IT OUT
*** Freshman Addison Reed made his longest outing of the season in last Thursday's win over BYU, going the final 3.1 innings to pick up the win and improve to 2-0. He allowed one hit with no walks and struck out four.
*** Reed has moved into the role of closer that was vacated by sophomore Stephen Strasburg, who is now SDSU's No. 1 starter.
*** Opponents are hitting .125 against him and he has not allowed a run over his 10 innings of work in seven appearances.
*** He gave up his first two hits and first walk of the season on Feb. 28 against Cal Poly. Those came in his fourth appearance as an Aztec, but he was credited with the win in that contest.
*** He recorded a save at UC Riverside on March 4, tossing the ninth inning in SDSU's 6-5 victory.
*** Reed picked up his first collegiate save with a perfect ninth inning in the win over USC on Feb. 26.
VAUGHN GETS ON
*** Freshman outfielder Cory Vaughn began the season with a five-game hitting streak and he has hit safely in seven of the last nine contests.
*** He has scored a run four of the past five games and drove in a run in three of those contests.
*** His second homer of the year came in the bottom or the 14th inning last Thursday (March 13) vs. Brigham Young to give SDSU a 5-4 win over the Cougars in the conference opener.
*** Vaughn is third on the squad with a .301 batting average and is the team leader with thee triples and the co-leader with five doubles.
*** He has tripled in two of his past four games.
*** He had a pair of doubles against USC on Feb. 26 to account for two of SDSU's three hits on the night.
*** He recorded a hit in his first collegiate at bat, doubling in the season opener against USD on Feb. 22.
*** Vaughn has been successful on each of his three stolen base attempts as well.
TANOS GOES DEEP
*** Freshman Brett Tanos hit his first collegiate home run in last Thursday's game against BYU, a solo shot in the fifth inning.
*** Tanos has started 18 of SDSU's 19 contests: nine as the DH, five at catcher, three at first base and one in left field.
*** He made his collegiate debut as a first baseman in last Sunday's contest against Brigham Young.
WILLEFORD GETS START
*** Senior utility man Mike Willeford made his first start of 2008 last vs. Oregon State on March 10.
*** In that contest, he went 2-for-4 (single, double) with a walk and run scored.
*** Last Thursday vs. BYU (in his second consecutive start), the senior from Rancho Cordova had one hit in five at bats, but made a leaping catch of a line drive with runners in scoring position in the fourth inning that ended a BYU rally.
AZTEC NOTES
*** The infield trio of second baseman Garett Green, shortstop Troy Hanzawa and third baseman Nick Romero are the only Aztecs to have started all 18 game this far in 2008.
*** Brandon Glover had his five-game hitting streak end in Monday's game against Southern Utah. He also had a five-game streak to begin the 2008 season.
*** J.R. Murphy' six strikeouts against BYU last Sunday matched his career high of six against California on March 1. Both strikeout totals came in starts that went 6.1 innings.
*** All three of SDSU's weekend starters (Stephen Strasburg, Nate Solow and J.R. Murphy) are averaging at least one strikeout per inning.
*** The Aztecs are 5-0 in one-run games. In 2007, SDSU finished with a mark of 4-10 in one-run contests.
*** In the BYU series, Aztec pitchers struck out 38 in 32 innings.
ON DECK
*** After this weekend's MWC series in Utah, the Aztecs return home to take on 12th-ranked UCLA on Tuesday, March 25, at 6:00 p.m. (PDT) at Tony Gwynn Stadium.
*** The UCLA game begins a stretch that will see San Diego State play 14 of its next 15 contests at home.
*** Action continues the next night (Wednesday, March 26) when SDSU face Harvard in a single game at 6:00 p.m. at Tony Gwynn Stadium.
*** The week concludes with the Aztecs hosting a three-game non-conference series against Houston starting Friday, March 28, at 6:00 p.m.