April 1, 2018
STARTING PITCHERS
Monday vs. Washington (13-11, 6-3 Pac-12) - 1:00 p.m. - Tony Gwynn StadiumSDSU: RHP Justin Goossen-Brown (1-1, 3.38 ERA)WASH: LHP Chris Micheles (0-2, 12.33 ERA)Tuesday vs. Long Beach State (11-17, 0-0 Big West) - 6:00 p.m. - Lake Elsinore DiamondSDSU: TBDLBSU: TBD
NEWS AND NOTES
VS. THE HUSKIES: San Diego State welcomes Washington for a Monday afternoon contest at 1:00 p.m. It is the first meeting between the Aztecs and Huskies since 2012, where Washington traveled to San Diego for a season-opening three-game series.
It is the second and final Pac-12 team the Aztecs will face during the 2018 regular season. The Aztecs enter Monday having won four of its last five games against Pac-12 opponents.
VS. THE DIRTBAGS: Just a week after the Aztecs defeated Long Beach State on the road, 5-2, the Dirtbags and Aztecs meet for the second time in 2018, this time at Lake Elsinore Diamond, the home of the Lake Elsinore Storm, the Class A affiliate of the San Diego Padres and members of the California League.
Including this year's win over the Dirtbags, the Aztecs are 7-5 against Long Beach State in the last 12 meetings. The Dirtbags defeated SDSU twice in last year's NCAA Regional that was hosted by LBSU, which was ranked No. 9 in the country at the time.
SDSU enters Tuesday 20-6 against Big West teams since the start of the 2017 season.
IN LAKE ELSINORE: It is the fourth consecutive season the Aztecs will play at Lake Elsinore diamond. SDSU defeated UCLA 5-4 in 2017 in Lake Elsinore and dropped a 9-6 decision to San Diego in 2016. SDSU was the No. 4 seed in the Lake Elsinore Regional in 2015, which was hosted by UC Santa Barbara.
In that regional, SDSU defeated No. 1 seeded UCSB and eventual No. 4 overall pick in the 2015 MLB First-Year Player Draft Dillon Tate, who started for the Gauchos and was roughed up for four runs on six hits.
SDSU then played Virginia, the eventual national champions in 2015, and fell 3-1. SDSU's 2015 season ended in Lake Elsinore with a 12-11 loss to No. 15-ranked USC.
ON THE AIR: KCR, SDSU's student-run radio station will produce broadcasts for both Monday and Tuesday's games. Links to listen and live stats are available at GoAztecs.com.
Garrett Hill, PRETTY GOOD: SDSU's brightest highlight over the weekend was Garrett Hill's 8.1-inning start against New Mexico that led the way to a 3-2 victory over the Lobos in the series finale. Hill struck out seven and allowed just three hits while striking out seven. No New Mexico runner reached second base during Hill's time on the mound, and the only run Hill was credited with surrendering came via a ninth-inning home run that occurred two pitches after Hill was taken out of the game after allowing a one-out walk in the top of the ninth.
The first half of Hill's season ranks as one of the best showings in program history. Hill particularly had a successful month of March, becoming the first SDSU pitcher in recorded history to earn five victories in a single month. He is also the first Aztec pitcher to earn a win in five consecutive outings since current Minnesota Twins reliever Addison Reed did so in 2010.
Hill currently leads the nation with six victories and his 1.28 ERA is the best in the Mountain West.
Below is a comparison between the start of Hill's 2018 season and Stephen Strasburg's 2009 season through seven starts. In 2009, Stephen Strasburg won USA Baseball's Golden Spikes Award, recognizing him as the nation's top player and was drafted No. 1 overall by the Washington Nationals.
HILL STAT STRASBURG1.28 ERA 1.496-0 W-L RECORD 6-042.1 INNINGS PITCHED 48.1.184 OPP. BATTING AVG. .160 6 XBH ALLOWED 7
RECAP OF NEW MEXICO: Despite its first series loss of the 2018 season, the Aztecs managed to hold on to second place in the Mountain West after salvaging in series finale win against the Lobos on Saturday. SDSU is a perfect 6-0 in weekend series finales this season and 14-1 in its last 15 games following a loss.
The Aztecs had won all five of its weekend series before Thursday and Friday's setbacks against New Mexico. SDSU has won five of six weekend series in 2018, 11 of its last 14 Mountain West series, and 16 of its last 19 weekend series overall.
Julian Escobedo led the Aztecs with a 5-for-10 showing at the plate in the series. Escobedo also drove in two runs against the Lobos, tied for the team-high with Jacob Maekawa (who hit .444 for the series) and Chase Calabuig.
MARCH MADNESS: Despite only having seven of its 18 games in March at home, the Aztecs enjoyed quite a bit of success over its March schedule, owning a 12-6 record for the month.
SDSU posted a .302 team batting average for the month while holding its opponents to a .250 mark. Julian Escobedo led the team with a .424 batting average for the month, going 25-for-59 at the plate. Jordan Verdon led the team with 15 extra-base hits and 24 RBI last month.
On the mound, SDSU was led by Garrett Hill, who recorded a 0.81 ERA in a 5-0 month. A pair of freshmen led the efforts coming out of the bullpen last month, with Casey Schmitt's 1.08 ERA and Casey O'Sullivan's 1.29 ERA last month being the best on the team. SDSU as a team posted a 3.55 ERA in March.
AHEAD TO APRIL: Tony Gwynn Stadium will be quite busy during April, serving host 12 games which includes an eight-game homestand beginning with an April 10th meeting with UC Irvine and concluding with a Sunday series finale with Fresno State on April 22nd. SDSU's only road weekend series is this weekend, when the team visits Air Force for a three-game series beginning on Friday, April 6.
HALFWAY THROUGH: SDSU officially reached the halfway point of the regular season after Saturday's series finale with New Mexico. With an 18-9 record through 27 games, SDSU has an identical record to the 2017 team at this point in the season. The first half of the regular season is tied for SDSU's best first-half start since going 21-6 to start the 2015 season.
ESCOBEDO & CALABUIG LEADING THE WAY: Both Julian Escobedo and Chase Calabuig ride 11-game hitting streaks. The two streaks are tied for the longest by an Aztec during the 2018 season.
Escobedo is hitting .524 (22-for-42) with a home run, three doubles and 11 RBIs over that span. Escobedo has recorded five multi-hit games in his last six games played.
Calabuig is hitting .367 over his 11-game hitting streak, which includes eight extra-base hits (six doubles, one triple, one home run), and 11 RBIs. Calabuig has reached base in 25 of 27 games this season.