May 12, 2017
San Diego State will open its final away series of the season with a contest this afternoon against Air Force scheduled to get underway at 3:00 p.m. MT at Falcon Field in Colorado Springs.
Air Force enters the weekend with a record of 24-22 overall and 11-15 in the Mountain West. The Falcons currently sit in fourth place in the standings as they vie for the final spot in this year's conference tournament. Only the top four finishers in the league standings qualify for the tournament, and with the bottom four squads all within two games of each other, this weekend's series looms large for the home team.
Air Force is expected to start left-hander Jacob DeVries (4-3, 2.89) on the mound this afternoon.
For the Falcons, the 2017 season has been all about offensive production. Entering the weekend, they lead the country in team batting average (.346), doubles (137), scoring (9.0 runs per game) and slugging percentage (.549). They are also second in Division I in hits (589) and fifth in on-base percentage (.419).
San Diego State will give the ball to senior lefty Brett Seeburger (9-1, 3.21) to open today's contest. The senior leads the Mountain West in wins (9) and earned run average entering the day.
The Aztecs (34-15, 17-7 MW) are in second place in the Mountain West standings, four games ahead of Fresno State with six league contests remaining. SDSU, which has already cemented its place in the MW Tournament, will look to move closer to securing at least a second-place finish in order to gain the No. 2 seed at the tournament.
Five San Diego State baseball players have been named to four postseason national awards watch lists. Danny Sheehan is a candidate for the 2017 Brooks Wallace Shortstop of the Year Award while Brett Seeburger and Dominic Purpura are on the list for National Pitcher of the Year. In addition, closer CJ Saylor is on the 40-man Stopper of the Year award watch list and outfielder Tyler Adkison is on the watch list for the Golden Spikes Award, presented to the top amateur player in the nation.
Sheehan, a senior from Covina, Calif. (South Hills HS), is currently hitting .344 with 13 doubles, five home runs, 40 RBI and 41 runs scored over 49 games. His fielding percentage stands at .974 and he has been involved in 41 doubles plays.
Seeburger, a senior from Monrovia, Calif. (La Salle HS), enters the week with a record of 9-1 and a 3.21 earned run average. SDSU's regular Friday night starter, Seeburger is first in the Mountain West in earned run average. The other Pitcher of the Year candidate from the Mountain West is SDSU senior left-hander Dominic Purpura (Hinsdale, Ill.), a second-year Aztec by way of Orange Coast College. Purpura is 6-2 this season and his 3.74 earned run average is second in the Mountain West stats this week.
Saylor, a senior from West Covina, Calif. (South Hills HS), is 1-0 with 12 saves and a 1.48 ERA. He has recorded 41 strikeouts over 30.1 innings. Adkison, a junior outfielder from Culver City, Calif. (Mater Dei HS), is currently hitting .356 and leads the Aztecs in home runs (13), RBI (44), slugging percentage (.712) and on-base percentage (.470).
San Diego State senior left-hander Marcus Reyes was named the Mountain West Baseball Pitcher of the Week for games played through Sunday, May 7, 2017. He made two relief appearances last week, including one at UCLA on Tuesday (May 2) and another at San José State on Sunday (May 7). In a total of 5.2 innings, Reyes allowed one hit (infield single) to the 18 batters he faced (.056 batting average against), struck out five and did not give up a walk.
San Diego State and Air Force will continue their weekend series on Saturday (May 13) with a contest slated to get underway at 2:00 p.m. MT in Colorado Springs.