Series Preview
UNLV at San Diego State
March 13-14, 2021
Tony Gwynn Stadium
Probable Pitching Matchups
Saturday, March 13 | 11 a.m. PT
UNLV: Chase Maddux, RHP (1-0, 3.95 ERA, 13.2 IP)
SDSU: Michael Paredes, RHP (0-0, 3.18 ERA, 11.0 IP)
Saturday, March 13 | 2:30 p.m. PT
UNLV: Bradley Spooner, RHP (0-0, 4.91 ERA, 7.1 IP)
SDSU: Troy Melton, RHP (2-0, 3.31 ERA, 16.1 IP)
Sunday, March 14 | 1 p.m. PT
UNLV: Josh Sharman, LHP (0-1, 2.08 ERA, 13.0 IP)
SDSU: TBA
WHAT'S ON TAP FOR AZTEC BASEBALL
> San Diego State enters its second weekend of Mountain West competition when it plays host to UNLV in a three-game series, March 13-14, at Tony Gwynn Stadium.
> The Aztecs and Rebels will lock horns in a doubleheader on Saturday, beginning at 11 a.m. PT, before squaring off in a single game on Sunday, beginning at 1 p.m.
> In accordance with state, local and university guidelines, fans will not be permitted to attend SDSU home baseball games at Tony Gwynn Stadium during the 2021 season.
> However, all three contests will feature a unique split-screen four-camera video stream, as well as live stats, with links to both platforms available on GoAztecs.com.
QUICK HITS
> San Diego State (7-3, 2-1 MW) captured its third straight series last weekend vs. Fresno State, winning the final two encounters with a veritable plethora of runs after dropping the first game of a doubleheader. After suffering a narrow 3-2 setback in the opener, the Aztecs roared to a 17-0 run-rule victory in the nightcap followed by a 12-7 conquest in the finale the next day.
> With the results, SDSU has captured 15 opening series against Mountain West opponents since 2000—16 if one includes a four-team round-robin event in 2006 when the Aztecs went 3-1.
> San Diego State's big 17-0 win on March 6 was its largest in a shutout victory since an 18-0 blanking of Wagner on April 23, 2010.
> As of March 11, the Aztecs lead the nation for teams that have played more than 10 games with a .355 team batting average and a scoring average of 10.9 runs per game. In addition, SDSU occupies the fifth spot with 138 hits overall and ranks eighth with 109 runs scored. The Scarlet and Black lead the country in those two statistics for schools that have played less than 12 games.
> Individually, Jaden Fein captured his third straight Mountain West Player of the Week honor, while Troy Melton garnered conference Pitcher of the Week accolades after helping the Aztecs to their series victory over Fresno State. With his selection, Fein becomes the first non-pitcher in MW history to win three consecutive conference weekly awards, while Melton collected his second career weekly honor.
AZTEC WEEKEND ROTATION
> San Diego State's projected pitching rotation this weekend will feature the same pair of hurlers who have made three consecutive starts vs. USD, UCSD and Fresno State, while the starter for Sunday's finale is still to be determined at press time.
> Michael Paredes (0-0, 3.18 ERA) is scheduled to get the call in game one of Saturday's doubleheader after another strong performance in his last outing vs. Fresno State on March 6. The Aztec redshirt sophomore struck out a season-high six batters in six innings, allowing just four hits, including a solo home run, to go with a pair of walks. He exited with the score tied a 1-1 but did not figure in the decision after the Bulldogs put up two runs in the seventh to take the lead. Paredes has faced UNLV on one prior occasion, earning the victory in the Aztecs' 11-4 triumph in Las Vegas on April 26, 2019. In that contest, the San Diego High alumnus pitched five innings, allowing one run on five hits and three walks to go with a pair of strikeouts.
> Troy Melton (2-0, 3.31 ERA) is projected to start game two of the doubleheader vs. the Rebels after earning MW Pitcher of the Week honors for the second time in his career on the strength of his complete-game shutout vs. Fresno State on Feb. 26. The SDSU right-hander matched his career high with nine strikeouts against four hits and one walk in the 17-0 victory, shrinking his season ERA from 5.79 to 3.31 with the performance. He also lowered opponent season batting average from .206 to .193. In a shortened 2020 campaign, the Anaheim, California, native shared the conference lead with three victories, which was tied for 23rd nationally, while his 26 strikeouts and .192 opposing batting average ranked second and third in the MW, respectively.
SERIES RECORD VS. UNLV
> San Diego State holds a sizable 94-64 lead in the all-time series, which dates back to 1978.
> The Aztecs are 46-20 against the Rebels in San Diego, 45-38 in Las Vegas and 3-6 at neutral sites.
> During Mark Martinez's seven-year tenure as head coach on The Mesa, SDSU sports a 19-9 record vs. UNLV, including a 10-4 mark at home, an 8-4 ledger on the road and a 1-1 record on neutral fields.
> The Aztecs dropped three of four meetings the last time the two teams met in 2019, including a 9-3 setback in the first game of the Mountain West tournament in Reno, Nevada.
> SDSU won the opener in the lone series against the Rebels that year, winning by an 11-4 count before suffering a narrow 5-4 defeat in game two, followed by a 5-1 loss in the finale.
> In that 11-4 triumph, Mike Jarvis hit two home runs, including a grand slam in the sixth that gave the Scarlet and Black an 8-1 advantage, while former Aztec All-American Casey Schmitt went 5-for-5 with a pair of homers, including a two-run shot in the eighth.
> In addition, Jaden Fein contributed an RBI single, while Matt Rudick and Brian Leonhardt singled and scored as well.
> Starter Michael Paredes gave up one run in five innings to earn the victory in that contest, while Jacob Flores pitched the final four frames to collect the save.
AZTECS AMONG NCAA STATISTICAL LEADERS
> Following their offensive bonanza during the first three series against USD, UCSD and Fresno State, the Aztecs find themselves among the NCAA statistical leaders in several categories. As of March 11, San Diego State leads the nation for teams that have played more than 10 games with a .355 team batting average and a scoring average of 10.9 runs per game. In addition, the Scarlet and Black occupies the fifth spot with 138 hits overall and ranks eighth with 109 runs scored. The Aztecs lead the country in those two statistics for schools that have played less than 12 games.
> Individually, Jaden Fein tops the nation with 27 hits overall and ranks third with 21 RBIs while occupying the fifth position with 2.70 hits per game. Fein's .587 batting average also leads the country for players who have competed in at least 10 games so far this season. Additionally, Brian Leonhardt is tied for fourth with three sacrifice flies, while Matt Rudick shares the fifth position with 18 runs scored.
SDSU IN MW RANKINGS
> Heading into the weekend, Jaden Fein leads the Mountain West with a stellar .587 batting average, 27 hits and 21 RBIs while sharing the top spot with four doubles, alongside teammate Mike Jarvis.
> Fein also finds himself among the conference top 10 in on-base percentage (T-2nd - .600), slugging percentage (3rd - .739) and runs scored (4th - 13).
> In addition, Matt Rudick leads the MW with 18 runs scored and five stolen bases while ranking second in hits (17) and walks (7), as well as eighth in batting average (.386).
> Along with Rudick and Fein, the Aztecs boast the top seven players in the conference in runs scored, including Wyatt Hendrie (t-2nd - 16), Jacob Cruce (t-2nd - 16), Mike Jarvis (5th - 12), Caden Miller (6th - 10) and Brian Leonhardt (t-7th - 9).
> In addition to Fein and Rudick, SDSU has five other players among the MW leaders in hits, including Jarvis (T-3rd - 17), Leonhardt (5th - 15), Ryan Orr (T-6th - 14), Miller (T-6th - 14) and Hendrie (10th - 13).
> Likewise, five more SDSU hitters find themselves on the league's top-10 list in RBIs after Fein and Leonhardt, including Hendrie (4th - 12), Cruce (5th - 11), Jarvis (6th - 10), Orr (T-8th - 7) and Miller (T-8th - 7).
> On the mound, Troy Melton leads the league with two victories and ranks second with 19 strikeouts while occupying the third slot with a .193 opponent batting average. The SDSU hurler also shares the third spot for fewest hits allowed (11) and ranks eighth with a 3.31 ERA.
> In addition, fellow righty Michael Paredes is tied for sixth with 13 strikeouts and occupies the seventh spot in ERA (3.18) and opposing batting average (.238).
> With huge production throughout the lineup, unsurprisingly San Diego State leads the conference in numerous offensive categories as a team this week, including batting average (.355), hits (138), runs (109), RBIs (100), total bases (183), doubles (17) and on-base percentage (.426). The Aztecs also rank second in the MW with a collective .470 slugging percentage.
> On the hill, SDSU pitchers lead the conference with 93 strikeouts and are tied for the top spot with a .261 opposing team batting average.
GOING, GOING, GONE
> San Diego State has homered in eight of 10 games this season, posting a 6-2 record in those contests.
> The Aztecs have emerged victorious in 27 of their last 37 games dating back to 2019 when launching one out of the park.
> The Aztecs went 17-5 during the 2019 campaign when going yard and 5-2 in 2020.
STREAKING AZTECS
> Jaden Fein, Brian Leonhardt and Matt Rudick have reached base in all 10 games this season.
> Fein has hit safely in all 10 contests, while Rudick and Mike Jarvis have been heating up of late with six-game hitting streaks of their own.
> In addition, Fein leads the Scarlet and Black with multiple hits in nine games and two or more RBIs in six outings.
OTHER TRENDS
> The Aztecs are 73-12 in their last 85 games when scoring five or more runs, including a 7-1 record already in 2021 after posting a 6-2 mark last year.
> San Diego State is 50-19 last 69 games following a loss.
> The Aztecs had their 29-game winning streak snapped when leading after six innings in the series finale against USD on Feb. 21.
> Conversely, SDSU put the brakes a 41-game losing streak when trailing after seven innings the previous day on Feb. 20.
TOUGH AT HOME
> Since the start of the 2012 season, San Diego State is 161-102 (.612) when playing at home.
> In 2018, the Aztecs set a program record with 25 home victories at Tony Gwynn Stadium (since 1997), besting the previous standard of 24 set in 1997, 2002 and 2014.
LOCAL HEROES
> San Diego State boasts 16 players on its current roster who are alumni of San Diego County high schools, including Tre Brown, Brian Leonhardt and Ricky Tibbett (Eastlake); Fisher Pyatt and Charlie Rhee (St. Augustine); Casey O'Sullivan and Joseph Ingrassia (Valhalla); Mike Jarvis (Clairemont); Ryan Orr (La Costa Canyon); Trevor Hazelhurst (Granite Hills), Deron Johnson (Poway); Noah Kaagan (Rancho Bernardo); Michael Paredes (San Diego); Matt Rudick (Scripps Ranch); Poncho Ruiz (Mater Dei Catholic) and Seth Urbon (Point Loma).
HEAD COACH MARK MARTINEZ
> Mark Martinez is in his seventh season as head coach of the Aztecs and 16th 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 185-134 record (.580), 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 30 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 44 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 Continue MW Slate With Home Series vs. UNLV
