Projected Starting Pitcher Matchup
Tuesday, March 12 - 3:00 p.m. PT
CSUN: RHP Blake Sodersten (0-0, 4.15 ERA)
SDSU: TBA
Aztec Storylines
CSUN MATCHUP: San Diego State begins a four-game break from Mountain West play, beginning with a trip north to CSUN on Tuesday for a 3:00 p.m. contest against the Matadors. Links to follow with live stats are available on GoAztecs.com.
SERIES HISTORY WITH THE MATADORS: The Aztecs have won seven of the last eight meetings with CSUN, including a 3-2 win over the Matadors on April 17 last season. Last year's meeting was the first since 2015 and all-time, the Aztecs lead the series 46-40.
AGAINST THE BIG WEST: Since the start of the 2017 season, the Aztecs are 24-8 against members of the Big West, including a 9-3 win over UC Irvine earlier this season on Feb. 19.
ANGELO ARMENTA: In the midst of a nine-game hitting streak, graduate transfer shortstop Angelo Armenta has been the most consistent piece of the Aztec lineup through 14 games. Armenta is hitting .448 over his nine-game hitting streak and on the season, Armenta is 13th in the country with 17 walks and 13th in the country with a .569 on-base percentage. Armenta's on-base percentage also stands as the best among MW players.
RECAP OF THE NEVADA SERIES: SDSU improved to 19-8 when playing in their first home conference series of the season since 2011 after taking a series win over Nevada last weekend.
Justin Goossen-Brown posted a dominating start for the Aztecs on Friday night, allowing just one uneared run to score over five innings of work. Three of SDSU's five hits on Friday went for extra-bases, including an RBI double by Matt Rudick.
Saturday the Aztec pitching staff allowed just three hits -- the team's lowest total since allowing two against New Mexico on May 4, 2018 -- while Matt Rudick hit a go-ahead two-RBI double in a four-run sixth inning.
SDSU held a 3-2 lead heading to the ninth on Sunday after both Chad Bible and Casey Schmitt hit their first home runs of the season, but a two-run ninth and a game-tying single by Brian Leonhardt in the bottom of the ninth forced the game into extra innings before the Aztecs fell, 6-5.
WHERE WE RANK IN THE MW: After this weekend, the Aztecs are the only team in the Mountain West to be hitting .280 or better while having an ERA under 4.50.
In the individual leaderboards, Angelo Armenta is sixth in the league in batting average (.391), eighth in slugging percentage (.543), and first in on-base percentage (.569). Julian Escobedo stands sixth in the league with 14 RBIs while Brian Leonhardt is third in the conference with six doubles.
STRIKEOUTS GALORE: After posting 13 double-digit strikeout games over 60 games last season, the SDSU pitching staff has recorded nine 10+ strikeout games through the first 14 games of the season. The Aztecs are currently 25th in the country with 10.6 strikeouts per nine innings.
CALIFORNIA LOVE: Since 2014, the Aztecs lead all Division I California programs in win total. Also, over that span, SDSU is 97-46 (.682) when playing in-state counterparts.
Team Wins
San Diego State 192
Stanford 191
Cal State Fullerton 190
UC Santa Barbara 179
Sacramento State 178
REBOUNDING QUICKLY: Over recent years SDSU has been quick to rebound from a loss, as the Aztecs hold a 36-9 record in games following a loss since the start of the 2017 season.
EYEING 2,500: SDSU is 30 wins shy of having 2,500 all-time Division I wins. With a 35-win season in 2019, the Aztecs would become the 27th team in the nation to reach the 2,500-win threshold and become just the fourth California program to do so, joining USC, Fresno State, and Stanford.
Baseball Travels North For Tuesday Contest at CSUN
