Projected Starting Pitcher Matchups
Thursday, April 18 - 6:00 p.m.
AF: RHP Zach Argo (1-1, 3.66 ERA)
SDSU: RHP Aaron Eden (2-0, 2.84 ERA)
Friday, April 19 - 2:00 p.m.
AF: RHP Jake Gilbert (3-2, 1.90 ERA)
SDSU: RHP Justin Goossen-Brown (5-1, 2.85 ERA)
Friday, April 19 - 6:00 p.m. - Mountain West Network
AF: RHP Matt Hargreaves (2-2, 4.46 ERA)
SDSU: TBA
Saturday, April 20 - 1:00 p.m. - Mountain West Network
AF: LHP Ethan Nichols (2-4, 8.49 ERA)
SDSU: RHP Harrison Pyatt (0-2, 4.50 ERA)
Aztec Storylines
FINALLY BACK HOME: San Diego State returns to Tony Gwynn Stadium for its first home weekend series in three weeks. The Aztecs welcome Air Force and to start the series, Thursday will feature a continuation of a game postponed on March 2. San Diego State currently leads 2-0 in the bottom of the second.
Friday will feature a doubleheader at 2:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. Saturday's finale is scheduled at 1:00 p.m.
The Mountain West Network will pick up both Friday's 6:00 p.m. game and Saturday's 1:00 p.m. game. Links to watch or follow along with live stats are on GoAztecs.com.
SERIES HISTORY AGAINST AIR FORCE: The Aztecs are 15-2 in their last 17 home games against Air Force. SDSU is 108-29 all-time against the Falcons, marking the second-most wins against any other opponent (New Mexico in first at 116).
Overall, the Aztecs are 22-9 in their last 31 games against the Falcons.
BULLPEN TURNING IT AROUND: Over the last 12 games, San Diego State relievers have combined for a 2.84 ERA, .222 opponent batting average, and have struck out 69 batters in 57 innings. Prior to those 12 games, the SDSU bullpen owned a 5.17 ERA and .265 opponent batting average.
SUCCESS AT TONY GWYNN STADIUM: The Aztecs set a Tony Gwynn Stadium record (since 1997) with 25 home wins last season, besting the previous mark of 24 set in 1997, 2002, and 2014. Since the start of the 2012 season, the Aztecs are 142-93 (.603) when playing at home.
SERIES WIN AT FULLERTON: The Aztecs won their first road series at Cal State Fullerton since 1965 this weekend, winning each of the first two games 6-1 and 13-7 before falling in the finale, 7-2. SDSU has won six of its last eight games against the Titans, marking the best eight-game stretch against CSF in program history.
SDSU's first two wins gave the Aztecs three consecutive wins when playing at Goodwin Field, marking the first time over 35 all-time meetings in Fullerton that the Aztecs had won three in a row.
Chad Bible, Brian Leonhardt, and Julian Escobedo led the Aztecs with five hits each for the series. Leonhardt drove in a team-high five runs over the weekend, while Escobedo hit his third and fourth home runs of the season in Fullerton.
Justin Goossen-Brown recorded his fourth consecutive quality start on Friday night, earning the win after six shutout innings with only three hits allowed. Over Goossen-Brown's last 21 innings pitched the senior has allowed just two earned runs.
CALIFORNIA LOVE: Since 2014, the Aztecs lead all Division I California programs in win total. Also, over that span, SDSU is 102-51 (.671) when playing teams based in California.
Team Wins
San Diego State 206
Stanford 203
Cal State Fullerton 199
UC Santa Barbara 195
Sacramento State 193
STRIKEOUTS GALORE: SDSU has recorded 21 games with 10 or more strikeouts, the most since recording 23 double-digit strikeout games in 2009. In 2009, Stephen Strasburg recorded 10 or more strikeouts in 13 of his 15 starts during his Golden Spikes Award-winning season.
SCHEDULE UPDATES: In addition to this weekend's changes, on May 6, the Aztecs will play Brigham Young at Lake Elsinore Stadium, home of the Lake Elsinore Storm, single-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres. First pitch is scheduled for 6:00 p.m.
IMPACT FRESHMAN: Freshman Brian Leonhardt drove in a team-high six runs last week while recording a trio of multi-hit performances. Leonhardt currently rides a seven-game hitting streak, leads the team with 14 multi-hit games this season, and is fourth in the conference with 14 doubles.
With 18 games still remaining on the regular-season schedule, Leonhardt has recorded four games with four or more RBIs, which is tied for the most 4+ RBI performances since Nick Romero had five 4+ RBI showings in 2008. Jordan Verdon (2018), Tyler Adkison (2017), Seby Zavala (2015), and Brandon Meredith (2010) also had four 4+ RBI games.
ADRIAN MARDUENO IS REALLY GOOD: Including Collegiate Baseball National Player of the Week, Perfect Game National Pitcher of the Week, and Mountain West Pitcher of the Week awards received on April 8-9, Marudeno has been the Mountain West's most dominant arm during the 2019 season, leading the conference in ERA (1.40) and opponent batting average (.138). Mardueno leads the conference in ERA by half a run (Air Force's Jake Gilbert is second at 1.90) and opposing batting average by .051 percentage points (UNLV's Ryan Hare is second at .189).
Mardueno posted a pair of scoreless performances against Cal State Fullerton, extending is streak of not allowing an earned run to 17 innings. Over that span, Mardueno has allowed just six hits and has struck out 19 batters.
Mardueno, who led the Aztecs in inherited runners stranded percentage as both a freshman and sophomore, leads the Aztecs once again as a junior, having stranded 72 percent of his inherited base runners. Over his streak of 17 innings without allowing an earned run, Mardueno has stranded nine of a possible 10 inherited runners.
Mardueno's ERA also stands as 18th best in the country, while his 3.96 hits allowed per nine innings is second-best in the nation, trailing only Omaha's Spencer Koelewyn (3.76 hits per nine).
SEEING DOUBLE: SDSU leads the nation with 45 double plays turned this season. Since the start of the 2017 season, SDSU's 171 double plays turned are the most among any team in the nation.
FIVE, IT'S A MAGIC NUMBER: SDSU is 53-10 in their last 63 games when scoring five or more runs.
REBOUNDING QUICKLY: SDSU is 40-13 in their last 53 games following a loss.
UNDER PRESSURE: SDSU is 27-15 in their last 42 one-run games.
Baseball to Host Air Force for Easter Weekend
