Game Week Preview
San Diego State at No. 11/15 Oklahoma
L. Dale Mitchell Park | Norman, Okla.
Probable Pitching Matchups
Friday, March 6 | 4:30 p.m. PT
Coverage: Live Stats | Sooner Sports TV (PPV)
SDSU: Michael Paredes, RHP (0-1, 4.20 ERA, 15.0 IP)
OU: Cade Cavalli, RHP (1-1, 3.24 ERA, 16.2 IP)
Saturday, March 7 | Noon PT
Coverage: Live Stats | Sooner Sports TV (PPV)
SDSU: Troy Melton, RHP (3-0, 1.06 ERA, 17.0 IP)
OU: Levi Prater, LHP (0-0, 4.32 ERA, 16.2 IP)
Sunday, March 8 | 11 a.m. PT
Coverage: Live Stats | Sooner Sports TV (PPV)
SDSU: TBA
OU: Dane Acker, RHP (1-1, 2.57 ERA, 21.0 IP)
WHAT'S ON TAP FOR AZTEC BASEBALL
> Winners of three straight, San Diego State hits the road this weekend for a three-game series at No. 11/15 Oklahoma, March 6-8, at L. Dale Mitchell Park in Norman, Oklahoma.
> Friday's opener is scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. CT (4:30 p.m. PT), while the final two games are slated for afternoon starts. Saturday's clash is set to get underway at 2 p.m. CT (Noon PT), while Sunday's contest is pegged for a 1 p.m. CT (11 a.m. PT) first pitch.
> In addition to live stats, all three games will be streamed live through Sooner Sports TV on a pay-per-view basis, with links available on GoAztecs.com.
> After forging a split in its four-game home series against perennial national contender Oregon State, Feb. 27-March 1, SDSU kept the momentum rolling with a 7-2 triumph over No. 17/17 Long Beach State on Tuesday night at Tony Gwynn Stadium.
> With the victory, the Aztecs raised their record to 9-4, marking the third time in head coach Mark Martinez's tenure that the Scarlet and Black has opened with at least nine wins in its first 13 games along with the 2015 (12-1) and 2018 squads (9-4).
STREAKING
> Brian Leonhardt has reached base in all 12 games he has appeared as a field player/designated hitter this season and has hit safely in the last four outings, matching Jaden Fein for the longest current hitting streak on the team.
> Similarly, Fein has reached base in seven consecutive games, while Wyatt Hendrie has accomplished the feat in five straight.
> In addition, Matt Rudick and Jacob Cruce have knocked in at least one run in each of the last three games.
> Rudick leads the team with two or more hits in six games this year and shares the top spot on the squad with multiple RBIs on two occasions, joining Leonhardt, Hendrie, Ryan Orr and Anthony Walters.
SERIES RECORDS
> Oklahoma leads the all-time series 8-1 after claiming a narrow 1-0 decision last year in San Diego at the Tony Gwynn Legacy.
> In that contest, both pitching staffs gave up five hits each and recorded 12 strikeouts apiece.
> SDSU threatened in the bottom of the eighth with one out and two runners aboard; however, the Sooners avoided trouble after former Aztec Angelo Armenta was doubled off second base on a flyout to right.
> San Diego State's lone victory against Oklahoma occurred in the first meeting between the squads on Feb. 16, 2001, when the Scarlet and Black rallied with two runs in the bottom of the ninth to escape with a 9-8 thriller at the San Diego Classic.
> This weekend's set will mark the Aztecs' first-ever trip to Norman and L. Dale Mitchell Park.
> SDSU is 1-5 all-time in the Sooner State after dropping two games at Oklahoma State in 2006.The Aztecs also salvaged the finale of a three-game set at Oral Roberts in 1989. Additionally, San Diego State fell to ORU 3-1 in Tulsa at the NCAA regionals in 1981.
> The Aztecs-Sooners clash will mark just the second series between the two squads after Oklahoma swept a four-game set at Tony Gwynn Stadium to open the 2010 campaign.
WEEKEND ROTATION
> San Diego State's projected pitching rotation for the Oklahoma series will feature two sophomores for the first two games, while the starter for Sunday's contest has yet to be determined at press time.
> Michael Paredes (0-1, 4.20 ERA, 15.0 IP) will receive his fourth consecutive Friday start after pitching 5 2/3 innings vs. Oregon State on Feb. 28, when he allowed three earned runs on eight hits and two walks in a 4-1 defeat.
> The previous week, Paredes struck out a season-high seven batters and yielded just one run on three hits in the Aztecs' 4-1 victory over Iowa at the Tony Gwynn Legacy on Feb. 21, but did not earn the decision.
> Meanwhile, Troy Melton (3-0, 1.06 ERA) is expected to get the call on Saturday after three superb performances in three starts vs. Coastal Carolina, Nebraska and Oregon State.
> Against the Beavers on Feb. 29, Melton and two relievers combined on a 6-0 shutout, posting a career-high nine strikeouts while scattering four hits and one walk in six innings.
> For his efforts, Melton collected Mountain West Pitcher of the Week honors on March 3.
> Melton also impressed against Nebraska at the Tony Gwynn Legacy on Feb. 22, when he allowed two runs on four hits and two walks in six innings.
AZTECS AMONG THE MW LEADERS
> Entering the weekend, the San Diego State pitching staff leads the Mountain West with a collective 3.18 earned run average, while the offense tops the conference with 118 hits.
> The Aztecs also rank second in the league in batting average (.274), slugging percentage (.385) and home runs (9).
> Additionally, the Scarlet and Black occupies the third spot in several categories, including runs (64), on-base percentage (.350), stolen bases (10), strikeout-to-walk ratio (2.25), strikeouts per nine innings (9.6) and hits allowed per nine innings (8.61).
> Individually, Casey Schmitt is tied with six other players for the national lead with a league-best five saves, while Matt Rudick tops the conference with three triples, which is tied for second in the country.
> Rudick, who is tied with Ryan Orr for third in the MW with 17 hits apiece, finds himself among the league leaders in several statistical categories, including runs scored (4th, 11), total bases (4th, 28), RBIs (T-5th, 9) and slugging percentage (10th, .519).
> Elsewhere, Mike Jarvis is tied with Brian Leonhardt for fourth in the conference with two home runs each. Jarvis, who has been hit by a pitch four times this year, also shares the fifth spot with 10 runs scored, while Leonhardt (9) is tied for eighth in that category.
> In addition, Wyatt Hendrie is tied for third with eight walks, while Orr (.347) and Jacob Cruce (.345) rank seventh and eighth in batting average, respectively.
> Not to be outdone, pitcher Troy Melton is tied for third in the national with a conference-high three victories and ranks second with a 1.06 earned run average and fourth with 21 strikeouts and a .172 opponent batting average.
> Meanwhile, Jacob Flores ranks second with 23 strikeouts and is tied for the second position with two wins.
NOTING THE OREGON STATE SERIES
> After dropping the first two games of last weekend's home series against perennial contender OSU, 13-1 and 4-1, San Diego State roared back to win the final two engagements, 6-0 and 12-11.
> The Aztecs were limited to four hits in the first game of the series and six in game two before pounding out 22 hits over the last two contests, including 13 in the finale to tie a season high.
> With its 6-0 blanking last Saturday, San Diego State snapped a six-game home losing streak to OSU dating back to 2012.
> The shutout in the Aztecs' 11th game of the season marked the team's earliest whitewash in a season since 2015 when it defeated Valparaiso 3-0 in the third game of that campaign. SDSU did not shut out an opposing team until the 54th game of 2019 season in an 8-0 win over New Mexico on May 16.
> With their 12-11 victory on Sunday, the Aztecs captured their second one-run game of the season, improving to 31-15 in their last 46 contests with a winning tally of one marker.
STRIKEOUTS GALORE
> San Diego State recorded 27 games with 10 or more strikeouts during the 2019 campaign, marking the most double-digit strikeout performances for the Aztecs in the MW era (since 2000). SDSU surpassed the previous MW record of 23 set in a 10-6 win at Fresno State on May 11, 2009.
> The SDSU pitching staff has already notched seven games with 10 strikeouts this year vs. Virginia Tech, Cal State Fullerton, Iowa, Nebraska, at UC Irvine and twice against Oregon State. Not surprisingly, the Scarlet and Black is 6-1 in those contests.
> In addition, The Aztecs are 22-12 in their last 34 games when striking out 10 or more batters.
GOING, GOING, GONE
> San Diego State has hit a home run in its last three outings, highlighted by Brian Leonhardt's game-tying grand slam that turned the tables in the final game of this past weekend's series vs. Oregon State.
> The Aztecs have won three straight and 15 of their last 18 dating back to last year when hitting a home run.
> During the 2019 campaign, SDSU was 17-5 when knocking one out of the park.
OTHER TRENDS
> In addition, the scoring the game's first run proved to be important for the Aztecs, who are 6-2 this season when scoring first.
> Last year, SDSU posted a 19-6 record when scoring first in comparison to a 13-17 mark when its opponent tallied the first run.
> The Aztecs are 67-11 in their last 78 games when scoring five or more runs, including a 5-1 record in 2020.
> San Diego State is 48-18 last 66 games following a loss.
> With their 7-5 victory vs. Virginia Tech, the Aztecs snapped a 17-game losing streak when trailing after six innings.
SCHMITT NAMED TO GOLDEN SPIKES AWARD WATCH LIST
> Junior Casey Schmitt added to his already lengthy list of preseason accolades on Feb. 13 when he earned a spot on the USA Baseball's Golden Spikes Award Watch List, beginning the process of identifying the nation's top amateur player for the 2020 season.
> With his nomination, Schmitt becomes the fourth Aztec player since 2008 to land on the preseason Golden Spikes Award Watch List, joining Michael Cederoth (2014), Addison Reed (2010) and Stephen Strasburg, who took home the top prize in 2009. In addition, Tyler Adkison landed on the GSA mid-season watch list in 2017.
> In addition, Schmitt enters the 2020 campaign with four preseason All-America honors, including three second-team plaudits from Collegiate Baseball, D1Baseball.com and Perfect Game and a third-team honor from Baseball America.
> As SDSU's starting third baseman in 2019, Schmitt finished second on the team with a .315 batting average, adding eight doubles, five home runs and 36 RBI to merit second-team all-Mountain West distinction. He also appeared in 21 games with four starts as a pitcher, posting a 3-3 record and a 3.77 ERA in 43.0 innings to go with a team-high eight saves.
> In 2018, Schmitt was a consensus freshman All-American, setting an Aztec single-season record with a 0.28 ERA (min. 30 IP) while allowing just one earned run in 32 innings pitched. He also posted a .264 batting average with one home run and 32 RBI, finishing the year as one of only two players nationally to maintain a 2.00 ERA or lower (min. 15 IP) and drive in more than 30 runs.
MORE SCHMITT
> Casey Schmitt gained valuable experience in the summer of 2019 when he played for th Cotuit Kettleers in the Cape Cod League.
> Schmitt collected MVP honors for the championship finals after belting two homers and scoring three runs in Cotuit's 10-3 title-clinching victory over Harwich. He also pitched six scoreless innings in two relief appearances during the finals, striking out eight batters against two walks.
HEAD COACH MARK MARTINEZ
> Mark Martinez begins his sixth season as head coach of the Aztecs and 15th overall as a member of the San Diego State staff after succeeding the late Tony Gwynn on August 20, 2014. He is just the fifth head coach in SDSU history since baseball was elevated to major sport status in 1936.
> During his tenure as the Aztecs' head coach, Martinez has compiled a 184-132 record (.582), highlighted by three Mountain West tournament championships in 2015, 2017 and 2018. He has also posted an 84-64 ledger (.568) in conference regular-season games.
> Since 2015, SDSU has garnered 27 all-Mountain West accolades under Martinez's tutelage, including back-to-back MW Pitchers of the Year Brett Seeburger (2017) and Garrett Hill (2018), as well as 2017 MW Player of the Year Danny Sheehan.
> Additionally, Martinez has mentored three freshman All-Americans in Chase Calabuig (2015), Casey Schmitt (2018) and Jaden Fein (2019), with the latter also receiving Mountain West Co-Freshman of the Year distinction last year.
> In 2017, Martinez recorded his 100th victory for the Scarlet and Black, becoming the fastest head coach in program history to reach the century mark in wins.
> Not to be outdone, Martinez also became the fastest head coach in Mountain West history to win three conference championships when the Aztecs captured the title in 2018.
> Martinez was hired as an assistant coach for the Aztecs in July of 2005 and served for nine years under head coach Tony Gwynn. During that time, he was promoted to the position of associate head coach.
> Since his arrival on The Mesa as an assistant coach, Martinez has witnessed 42 SDSU players get drafted into the professional ranks, with nine of those selections making the major leagues (Stephen Strasburg, Addison Reed, Justin Masterson, Bruce Billings, Quintin Berry, Lance Zawadzki, Greg Allen, Ty France and Seby Zavala).
> Prior to his arrival at San Diego State, Martinez was an assistant coach at New Mexico for 17 seasons from 1989-2005. During his time as a hitting and infield coach, he helped develop the Lobos into one of the most prominent offensive teams in the country, with UNM ranking among the top 11 nationally in hitting over his final four seasons.
> Martinez served as an assistant at his alma mater, Mesa State College (now Colorado Mesa University) in Grand Junction, Colorado, from 1984-88. He played shortstop at the school from 1982-84, earning all-conference and all-district honors as a senior.
> Martinez graduated from Mesa State with a bachelor's degree in physical education in 1984 and completed his master's in sports administration at New Mexico in 1990.
Aztecs Hit the Road to Face No. 11/15 Oklahoma
