March 8, 2016
Complete Release and Season Statistics
WHAT'S ON TAP THIS WEEKEND IN AZTEC BASEBALL
With no mid-week contest this week, San Diego State will next be in action when it hosts a four-game series against Northwestern this weekend. That set of contests gets underway on Thursday, March 10, at 6:00 p.m. at Tony Gwynn Stadium. The Aztecs and Wildcats will hook up for a doubleheader on Friday (March 11) with the first game set to get underway at 2:00 p.m. The series will conclude on Saturday, March 12, with a single game set for a 1:00 p.m. start. All four of SDSU's games vs. Northwestern this week will broadcast live on KCR Radio, San Diego State's campus station.
SERIES RECORD
SDSU and Northwestern will be meeting for the first time ever on the baseball field this week.
PITCHING ROTATION
The Aztecs will open the series with redshirt freshman right-hander Harrison Pyatt getting the start on the mound. Game one of Friday's doubleheader will see freshman lefty Dominic Purpura on the mound with junior right-hander Adrian Orozco getting the call for the second game. LHP Brett Seeburger will likely be SDSU's starting hurler in the series finale in Saturday.
TREJO STREAKING
Shortstop Alan Trejo is on an eight-game hitting streak during which he is batting .314 (11-for-35) two doubles, four RBI and four runs scored. He had a string of four straight games with two hits end in the series finale vs. Fresno State on Sunday (March 13) when he a lone single. He leads the Aztecs with 17 hits on the season. In addition to starting every game at shortstop, Trejo has also made two relief appearance on the mound.
NAVARRO'S FIRST HIT
After going hitless in his first six collegiate plate appearances, freshman Niko Navarro came through with an important single in the win over Fresno State on Sunday (March 6). He was called upon to pitch hit in the bottom of the eighth inning with the bases loaded, one out and SDSU trailing, 4-2. Navarro proceeded to deliver a single to right field to drive home two runs and tie the game. SDSU added a third run one batter later and went on to win, 5-4.
NEVAREZ TAKES HIS CHANCE
Freshman infielder Dean Nevarez has the team's highest batting average (.391) after appearing in seven of the first 12 games of the season. He has made five starts, both as the designated hitter. He went 5-for-12 with an RBI and two runs scored in last weekend's series vs. Fresno State. Nevarez recorded a season-high three hits in the win over the Bulldogs on Sunday.
GAME WINNIG RBI
Second baseman Justin Wylie leads the Aztecs with seven RBI this season. He has recorded the game-winning RBI in each of SDSU's two wins. At UC Irvine on Feb. 23, his RBI double to score Spencer Thornton broke a 2-2 tie in the Aztecs' 4-2 victory. On Sunday (March 13) vs. Fresno State, his bases-loaded RBI single drove home Thornton to put SDSU ahead 5-4 in the won over the Bulldogs
CALABUIG HITS AWAY
After hitting just .111 (3-for-27) over the first eight games of the season, center fielder Chase Calabuig has caught fire at the plate over the past four contests. In those most recent four games he has gone 8-for-15 (.533) with a double, RBI and two runs scored. He has also drawn two walks for a .588 on-base percentage.
NEW STARTING PITCHERS
Two first-year Aztecs made their collegiate starting debuts on the mound last week and both responded well. Freshman Dominic Purpura started the series opener vs. Fresno State on March 4 and tossed 3.1 innings allowing just a hit with two walks and a strikeout. Junior Adrian Orozco made his first start on Saturday (March 5) vs. Fresno State and went 2.2 innings allowing just a hit while striking out four as he retired the first eight batters he faced.
GOING DEEP
Senior left fielder Spencer Thornton hit SDSU's first home run of the season, a two-run shot in the series finale vs. Oregon on Feb. 21. Thornton is leads the Aztecs in runs scored with seven. On March 1 vs. USD he drove in SDSU's first run with a sacrifice fly to center. Last week at UC Irvine, his leadoff double in the eighth inning started SDSU's two-run rally that broke a 2-2 tie and sent the Aztecs to a 4-2 victory.
STREAKS
Alan Trejo has the team's longest current hitting streak at eight games. The next best current streaks of four games belong to Chase Calabuig and Dean Nevarez. Spencer Thornton had a seven-game streak come to an end on March 1 in the game vs. San Diego. Trejo has reached base safely (via hit, walk or hit by pitch) in all 12 games this season Trejo also leads the Aztecs with six multiple-hit contests.
AZTEC NOTES
Catcher Hunter Stratton has recorded San Diego State's lone triple of the season, that coming in the game vs. Bryant on Feb. 27 ... SDSU has scored only one run in the first inning this season (vs. Fresno State on March 4). The Aztecs have scored their most runs (nine) in the eighth ... Freshman right-hander Chris Collins has made three relief appearances out of the bullpen and allowed no runs on two hits with a walk and four strikeouts over 3.1 innings pitched ... Shortstop Alan Trejo and center fielder Chase Calabuig are the only two players to have started all 12 games this season at the same position ... Three Aztecs have started all eight games, but not at the same position each time: Justin Wylie (2B-DH), David Hensley (3B-DH) and Spencer Thornton (LF-RF).