March 10, 2009
Complete Release and Season Statistics in PDF Format
THIS WEEK IN AZTEC BASEBALL
San Diego State will begin its week with a trip to Los Angeles to take on UCLA on Wednesday, March 11, at the Bruins' Jackie Robinson Stadium at 6:00 p.m. (PT). The Aztecs will then open their 2009 Mountain West Conference campaign with a three-game series against UNLV that gets underway on Friday, March 13, at 6:00 p.m. at Tony Gwynn Stadium. SDSU and UNLV will also meet in single games on both Friday (March 14) and Sunday (March 15) at 1:00 p.m. The series against the Rebels begins a home stand that will see San Diego State play 10 games over a 12-day span.
SERIES RECORDS
UCLA leads the series with San Diego State 44-29-2 since the teams first squared off in 1948. Last season the teams split a pair of games with each winning on its home field. The previous season (2007) the Aztecs swept a three-game series with the Bruins at home after UCLA had taken three from SDSU in Los Angeles in 2006. SDSU is 18-15-2 against UCLA in San Diego, 10-29 in Los Angeles and 1-0 on neutral fields.
SDSU's record against UNLV over the years stands at 49-43. Then teams first met in 1978 and were members of the Western Athletic Conference together for 19 years before moving to the Mountain West. The Rebels have won 11 of the last 15 meetings including two of three in Las Vegas a year ago plus a 1-0 win at the MWC tournament. SDSU is 26-26 vs. UNLV in Las Vegas, 23-13 in San Diego and 0-4 at neutral sites.
SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
UCLA enters the game vs. SDSU with a record of 3-10 after breaking a 10-game losing streak with a win over UC Santa Barbara Tuesday evening. The Bruins are led offensively by first baseman Casey Haerther (.396, 2 HR, 8 RBI), second baseman Eddie Murray (.382, 5 doubles, 10 RBI) and outfielder Blair Dunlap (.370, 6 doubles, 6 SB). Freshman right-hander Trevor Bauer (0-3, 3.65) is expected to get the start on the mound vs. SDSU. UCLA is hitting .275 as a team with a 4.60 earned run average.
UNLV's record stands at 11-3 and the Rebels will bring an eight-game winning streak into Friday's contest against the Aztecs. UNLV's top hitters include catcher Drew Beuerlein (.541, 2 HR, 19 RBI), third baseman Jarred Frierson (.407, double, 5 RBI) and second baseman Bryan Resnick (.405, 3 doubles, 11 RBI). The Rebels have a .369 team batting average along with a .571 slugging percentage. Their staff earned run average stands at 4.86.
STRASBURG HONORED
For the second consecutive week, San Diego State junior right-hander Stephen Strasburg was named a Louisville Slugger National Player of the Week by Collegiate Baseball magazine and was also tabbed the Mountain West Conference Pitcher of the Week for his performance in SDSU's contest against San Diego last Thursday. Strasburg also received recognition as one of 12 national pitchers of the week by recruitingcloser.com. It was the fifth time that Strasburg has received national pitcher of the week from Collegiate Baseball the past two seasons and the 10th career MWC pitcher of the week award as an Aztec. Strasburg struck out 18 batters in eight innings in San Diego State's 5-3 win over 11th-ranked at the University of San Diego on March 5. The 18 K's are the second-highest in a single game in MWC history. After giving up the two runs in the third inning, Strasburg retired the next 11 batters in row including nine via the strikeout. He struck out the side in the sixth, seventh and eighth innings. He allowed just two runners from the fourth through eighth innings, one on an infield single and the other on a wild pitch on a third strike.
MEREDITH COMING ON
After going hitless over three games, freshman first baseman Brandon Meredith broke out of his slump with a pair of hits at 11th-ranked University of San Diego last Saturday with an RBI and run scored. The following afternoon against USD, he belted his first collegiate home run and later added a two-run double. His three doubles ties him for the team lead and his six RBI ranks second on the squad.
VAUGHN POWERS UP
Sophomore outfielder Cory Vaughn has hit safely in SDSU's last four games, going 6-for-16 (.375) with a pair of home runs, five runs scored and eight runs batted in. His first home run came last Friday, a dramatic three-run shot in the bottom of the 10th that gave the Aztecs a 6-4 win over San Diego. That game-winning hit came off USD All-American reliever AJ Griffin. His second home was another three-run blast that came in Sunday's loss to the Toreros at Tony Gwynn Stadium. Entering the week, Vaughn leads the team in runs scored (12), homers (2), RBI (12), stolen bases (6) and is tied for the doubles lead with three. Vaughn began the 2009 season by stealing three bases in the opener against Bethune-Cookman after swiping a total of four as a freshman in 2008. He has been successful on six of his seven attempts.
RASMUSSEN STARS
Although it didn't show up as a win or save in the box score, sophomore Craig Rasmussen's effort in last Saturday's game at 11th-ranked San Diego turned out to be a game saver. He came on in the eighth inning with SDSU clinging to a 6-5 lead after USD had put runners on first and third with no outs. Rasmussen proceeded to strike out the next batter before foiling a suicide squeeze play when he field a bunt and flipped it to catcher Erik Castro for the out at home. He then gave way to closer Addison Red, who got the third out of the inning and went on to record the save. Rasmussen (Chula Vista, Calif., Hilltop HS) had made his first collegiate start on Feb. 28 in game two of the doubleheader against Pacific, going five innings and recording his first win as an Aztec. In that contest, he went five innings, allowing three runs on six hits with a walk and pair of strikeouts as he recorded his first win as an Aztec.
MCLAUGHLIN RETURNS
Senior right-hander James McLaughlin returned to the mound for the 2009 season in SDSU's win over the University of San Diego last Friday (March 6). He came on to get the final out of the 10th inning on a strikeout after USD had taken a 4-3 lead. McLaughlin became the winning pitcher when Cory Vaughn hit a three-run homer in the bottom of the inning. He also tossed a shutout inning in Saturday's (March 7) win over the Toreros.
OUCH
The Aztecs have been hit by pitch 26 times through the first 13 contests of the 2009 season, an average of two HBP per game. They had a season-high six players hit against the University of San Diego on Feb. 22. Pat Colwell leads the team with six HBPs and has now been hit 24 times as an Aztec, second-most ever on the San Diego State career list. With five more he will move into a tie for first on the list with 29, the record held by Jake McLintock (2002-05). Freshmen Ryan O'Sullivan and Brandon Meredith have been plunked four times each.
DECKER STREAK ENDS
Outfielder Brandon Decker had a very productive four-game hitting streak end in last Friday's contest against the University of San Diego. In the four games prior to that contest, he had gone 10-for-18 (.556) with a triple, three runs scored and five RBI. In the four games in which he has batted in the leadoff spot in the SDSU lineup, Decker is hitting .412 (7-for-17) with an on-base percentage of .444.
BERGER ON THE MOUND
Senior hurler Jon Berger has made three quality starts on the mound in 2009 but has little to show for it with a 0-2 record. In his two losses SDSU has scored a total of five runs. In his last start he left in the seventh inning trailing 3-2, but was not involved in the decision. Berger has walked only two batters in his 20.1 innings of work while striking out 15.
COLWELL CONNECTING
Outfielder Pat Colwell has gone 5-for-13 .385) over SDSU's last three games to raise his batting average to .300. He has also scored a run in those three contests and his total of eight ranks second on the squad.
OFF TO A NICE START
Freshman Jomel Torres continues to impress as the pate as he has gone 5-for-15 (.333) in the six game in which he has come to the plate. He made his SDSU debut when was called off the bench on Feb. 22 at the University of San Diego when DH Blake Silguero was injured attempting to bunt. Torres responded by singling to left field. He also recorded a base hit in a second at bat later in the contest to go 2-for-2 in his first collegiate contest. In his five games played he has appeared at DH, first base, left field and as a pinch runner. He could also see action as a pitcher later this season.
REED SAVES
Sophomore closer Addison Reed has recorded saves in each of his first four opportunities of 2009 including two against University of San Diego last week. His first save of the year came in the season opener against Bethune-Cookman when he pitched the ninth inning, striking out two of the five hitters he faced while allowing a pair of singles. The second came vs. Nevada on Feb. 26 when he again tossed the ninth inning, this time striking out one. He has recorded nine strikeouts with just one walk in his 5.1 innings in his five appearances.
HITTING STREAKS
The current longest hitting streak by an Aztec belongs to outfielder Cory Vaughn at four followed by Pat Colwell at three. Colwell and Matt Parker share the team's longest streak this season (six games). Vaughn began the 2009 campaign with a five-game streak.
O'SULLIVAN ON DOUBE DUTY
Freshman Ryan O'Sullivan has been solid this season both at shortstop and as a member of the starting pitching rotation. At the plate, he is batting .263 with six runs scored and he is tied for the team lead with three doubles. He has been the team's mid-week starter each of the first two Tuesdays of the season where he is 0-1 with a 5.73 ERA. Both of his starts have come against Cal State Fullerton, the seventh-ranked team in the nation. He is expected to be on the mound to begin Wednesday's contest at UCLA.
NATIONAL ALL-STAR LINEUP
The Aztecs have had a player named to the College Baseball Foundation National All-Star Lineup each of the first three weeks of the 2009 season. Pitcher Tyler Lavigne was listed after throwing a two-hit shutout against 11th-ranked USD on Feb. 22. Stephen Strasburg was in the lineup last week after his win over Nevada during which he struck out 16 in 6.2 innings. He was also named to this week's lineup after his 18 K's at USD last Thursday.
AZTECS ON TV
San Diego is slated to appear on television twice during the 2009 regular season. The first telecast is scheduled for April 21 when San Diego State will host Long Beach State at 6:00 p.m. (PT) at Tony Gwynn Stadium. That contest will air live on CBS College Sports TV. The second televised game will be the Aztecs' contests against Air Force on Saturday, May 9, at 6:00 p.m. on The Mtn network. That game was originally slated for a 1:00 p.m. start.
AZTEC NOTES
Through the first 13 games, Aztec pitchers have struck out 116 over 118 innings and walked 30 for a strikeout-to-walk ratio of better than three-to-one ... Infielder Tyler Marmion made his Aztec debut as SDSU's starting third baseman at USD last Saturday and connected for a base hit (single) in his first collegiate at bat ... Stephen Strasburg is averaging over two strikeouts an inning with 45 in 20.1 innings through his first three appearances. That averages out to 19.92 strikeouts per nine innings ... The catching trio of Erik Castro, Matt Parker and Chris Wilson have not committed an error in 83 chances ... The Aztecs are now 1-1 in extra inning affairs in 2009 after the 6-4 win over USD last Friday. The other extra-inning game was a 5-4 10-inning loss to Kansas State on March 1. Last season SDSU went 3-1 in extra-inning contests ... The leadoff position in the Aztec batting order is hitting .377 with a .433 on-base percentage. Those hitters include Pat Colwell (9 games), Brandon Decker (4 games) and Mitch Blackburn (1 game) ... SDSU is 4-1 away from home and just 3-5 at Tony Gwynn Stadium ... Redshirt freshman Zach Babitt made his Aztec debut during the USD series last week, appearing as a pinch runner twice and coming off the bench to play second base on Sunday ... Erik Castro has been the recipient of SDSU's only intentional base on balls, that coming against University of San Diego last Saturday (March 7) ... Goldy Simmons made his collegiate debut against Kansas State on March 1, tossing one inning and striking out two while giving up a hit. He also threw 2.2 innings of scoreless ball, striking out three, last Sunday against 11th-ranked San Diego.
ON DECK
San Diego State will continue its 10-game home stand when it hosts Kansas on Tuesday and Wednesday (March 17-18) next week with both games slated for 6:00 p.m. (PT) starts at Tony Gwynn Stadium. The Aztecs will then resume conference play the next evening as they begin a three-game series with Brigham Young. The contests against the Cougars are scheduled for Thursday and Friday (March 19-20) at 6:00 p.m. and Saturday (March 21) at 1:00 p.m.