March 7, 2017
SAN DIEGO - San Diego State will conclude a four-game home stand this evening when USC visits Tony Gwynn Stadium for a contest scheduled to start at 6:00 p.m. PT.
The Trojans enter the contest with a record of 7-4 and are coming off a 4-3 extra-inning win over UCLA at Dodger Stadium on Sunday.
The Trojans are led offensively by first baseman Lars Nootbaar (.417, 4 HR, 15 RBI), right fielder Corey Dempster (.344, 2 HR, 4 RBI) and shortstop Frankie Rios (.324, 5 2B, 9 RBI). As a team they are hitting .263 with a 5.85 earned run average.
USC is expected to start sophomore right-hander CJ Stubbs on the mound in his first appearance of the 2017 season. Stubbs is from nearby Del Mar and attended Torrey Pines HS.
San Diego State (8-4) will counter with junior right-hander Jorge Fernandez (0-0, 0.00), who has not pitched since Feb. 24 vs. Tennessee due to injury. Tonight will mark the first start for Fernandez, who has made four relief appearances, striking out seven over seven innings of work.
Danny Sheehan enters the day on a seven-game hitting streak, the second longest for an Aztec this season. First baseman Jordan Verdon had a nine-game hitting streak come to an end in the series finale vs. Cal Poly on Sunday (Mar. 5). During that streak he went 13-for-37 (.351) with a double, two triples, five RBI and six runs scored.
Two Aztecs have reached base safely (via hit, walk or hit by pitch) in every game including Sheehan and Andrew Martinez. Andrew Brown has recorded a team-leading six multiple-hit contests each with Sheehan, Brown, Verdon and David Hensley having two multiple-RBI games apiece.
Up next for the San Diego State is a trip to Reno, Nev. for a thee-game series against Mountain West foe Nevada. That set will get underway on Friday, March 10, at 2:00 p.m. PT at the Wolf Pack's Peccole Park.