Series Preview
Fresno State at San Diego State
March 6-7, 2021
Tony Gwynn Stadium
Probable Pitching Matchups
Saturday, March 6 | 11 a.m. PT
FS: Jamison Hill, RHP (1-0, 1.50 ERA, 6.0 IP)
SDSU: Michael Paredes, RHP (0-0, 4.09 ERA, 11.0 IP)
Saturday, March 6 | 2:30 p.m. PT (approx.)
FS: Jake Dixon, LHP (1-0, 0.00 ERA, 6.0 IP)
SDSU: Troy Melton, RHP (1-0, 5.79 ERA, 9.1 IP)
Sunday, March 7 | 1 p.m. PT
FS: TBA
SDSU: TBA
WHAT'S ON TAP FOR AZTEC BASEBALL
> San Diego State opens its 21st season of Mountain West baseball competition this weekend when it plays host to Fresno State in a three-game series, March 6-7, at Tony Gwynn Stadium.
> The Aztecs and Bulldogs will square off in a doubleheader on Saturday, starting at 11 a.m. PT, before locking horns for 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, Saturday's doubleheader will be streamed live via the Mountain West Network, with audio simulcast over the airwaves on XTRA Sports 1360 AM. Meanwhile, Sunday's finale will feature a unique split-screen four-camera video stream. Links to all platforms will be available on GoAztecs.com.
SETTING THE SCENE
> San Diego State (5-2, 0-0 MW) took three of four games last weekend vs. UC San Diego, splitting two encounters at Tony Gwynn Stadium before sweeping a doubleheader at Triton Ballpark in La Jolla.
> As of March 4, the Aztecs rank third nationally with a .352 batting average and a scoring average of 11.1 runs per game. In addition, SDSU occupies the fourth spot with 101 hits overall and is eighth with 78 runs scored overall.
> Individually, Jaden Fein collected his second straight Mountain West Player of the Week award after leading the team with a .526 batting average, 10 hits, 15 total bases and seven runs scored against the Tritons while tying for the top spot with seven RBIs and four doubles.
> With his performance, Fein finds himself ranked No. 1 in the country with 18 hits on the season and an average of 2.57 hits per game entering the weekend, while his 14 RBIs is tied for ninth, along with teammate Brian Leonhardt.
> Fresno State (2-2, 0-0 MW) won two of three games at home in its season-opening series vs. CSU Bakersfield, Feb. 26-28, before falling to San Francisco, 7-6, in a single road matchup on Tuesday.
FOR OPENERS (MW EDITION)
> Since the balance of the 2020 campaign was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, San Diego State will be playing a Mountain West regular-season game for the first time since May 18, 2019, when it dropped a 7-4 decision to New Mexico at home in the final tune-up before the conference tournament that year.
> For the third straight season, the Aztecs were picked first in the Mountain West preseason coaches poll, finishing with 36 points and five first-place votes, topping second-place Fresno State, which totaled 29 points and one first-place vote.
> In addition, SDSU had three players selected to the preseason all-MW team in right fielder Jaden Fein, starting pitcher Troy Melton and center fielder Matt Rudick.
> Since the first year of MW baseball action in 2000, the Aztecs have compiled a 13-7 record in conference openers, including a 10-2 mark at home.
> During that span, San Diego State has captured 14 opening series against league opponents—15 if one includes a four-team round-robin event in 2006 when the Aztecs went 3-1.
> As MW rivals, SDSU has twice faced Fresno State in a conference opener, falling by a narrow 1-0 count in Fresno in 2013 before dropping a 3-2 decision in 10 innings at Tony Gwynn Stadium in 2016. The Aztecs rebounded to win the final two games of the series in 2013, but were not as fortunate in 2016, salvaging a victory in the series finale to avoid a sweep.
2021 SCHEDULE AT A GLANCE
> With the Mountain West back to seven teams, the league returns to a double round-robin format for the 2021 campaign. The teams will play a 36-game conference schedule, with weekends consisting mostly of doubleheaders on Saturday and a Sunday series finale.
> The MW tournament has been eliminated and the regular-season champion will receive the league's automatic NCAA Tournament bid.
> The Mountain West Network will stream a total of 14 SDSU home baseball games this year, as well as selected road contests against conference opponents. In addition, the Aztecs' other home games will feature a live stream on the team's YouTube channel, with a link available on GoAztecs.com.
> XTRA Sports 1360 AM has also added 10 games to its lineup this spring, including this Saturday's doubleheader vs. Fresno State. Future broadcasts will feature the twin-bill vs. Nevada (April 10), as well as complete series vs. San José State (May 8-9) and Air Force (May 22-23)
AZTEC WEEKEND ROTATION
> San Diego State's projected pitching rotation this weekend will feature a pair of hurlers who made consecutive starts vs. USD and UCSD, while the starter for Sunday's finale is still to be determined at press time.
> Michael Paredes (0-0, 4.09 ERA) is expected to get the call in game one of Saturday's twin-bill after a strong performance in his last start at UCSD on Feb. 28. The Aztec redshirt sophomore struck out five batters in six innings, allowing just two runs and no walks while scattering eight hits. He exited with SDSU in front 5-2 but did not figure in the decision after the Tritons rallied to tie the score in the eighth. In his first start of the 2021 campaign vs. USD on Feb. 21, Paredes yielded three runs on three hits and one walk to go with a pair of strikeouts in five innings of work before the Toreros stormed back following his departure from the game. Last season, the San Diego High alumnus ranked among the Mountain West leaders in walks (T8th – 6) and earned runs allowed (T9th – 9).
> Troy Melton (1-0, 5.79 ERA) is projected to start game two of the doubleheader vs. the Bulldogs after striking out a season-high seven batters in 4 2/3 innings of work his last start vs. UC San Diego on Feb. 26. The SDSU right-hander gave up all four Triton runs that day on three hits and four walks, exiting the game before the Aztecs scored a combined 10 runs in the sixth and seventh innings. Melton also started the 2021 season opener against San Diego on Feb. 19, allowing four runs (two earned) on four hits and one walk to go with three strikeouts in 4 2/3 innings en route to the victory. 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. FRESNO STATE
> Fresno State holds a narrow 103-102 lead in the all-time series, which dates back to 1939.
> The Aztecs have faced the Bulldogs more than any other team in program history.
> SDSU is 49-52 against Fresno State in San Diego, 46-48 in Fresno and 7-3 on neutral fields.
> The Aztecs posted a 2-4 record in two series against the Bulldogs the last time the two programs met in 2019.
> In the last series at Tony Gwynn Stadium, SDSU raced to an 11-6 victory in the finale on March 31, 2019, after dropping the first two games of the weekend set.
> Five current Aztecs saw action in that contest, including Jaden Fein, who went 3-for-4 with a homer and three runs scored.
> In addition, Matt Rudick (1-4) crossed the plate on three occasions, while Michael Paredes tossed 2 2/3 innings of relief, giving up two runs (one earned) on four hits and no walks. He also helped his own cause with a run-scoring double.
> Elsewhere, Mike Jarvis singled and stole a base, while Casey O'Sullivan pitched the final 1 2/3 innings, striking out three batters against two hits and one unearned run.
>The Aztecs never trailed in that contest, as former SDSU All-American Casey Schmitt started on the mound and picked up the victory, allowing three runs (one earned) on four hits and one walk to go with four strikeouts.
> Clinging to a slim 4-3 lead, the Aztecs added a run in the fourth before breaking open the game with five markers in the sixth to build an insurmountable 10-3 advantage.
> Since Fresno State joined the Mountain West for the 2012-13 academic year, SDSU has compiled a 22-19 record against the Bulldogs, including a 9-9 mark at Tony Gwynn Stadium.
AZTECS AMONG NCAA STATISTICAL LEADERS
> Following their offensive bonanza during the first two series against USD and UCSD, the Aztecs find themselves among the NCAA statistical leaders in several categories. As of March 4, SDSU ranks third nationally with a .352 team batting average and a scoring average of 11.1 runs per game. In addition, the Scarlet and Black occupies the fourth spot with 101 hits overall and is tied for fifth with seven sacrifice flies while occupying the eighth spot with 78 runs scored.
> Individually, Jaden Fein leads the country with 18 hits overall and 2.57 hits per game while sharing the ninth position with 14 RBIs, along with teammate Brian Leonhardt, who is also tied for the top spot with three sacrifice flies. Additionally, Jacob Cruce is tied for sixth nationally with 13 runs scored and 1.86 runs per game.
SDSU IN MW RANKINGS
> Heading into the weekend, Jaden Fein leads the Mountain West in batting average (.529) and hits (18) while sharing the top spot in RBIs (14) with Brian Leonhardt, who is tied for second in hits (13) and ranks eighth in batting average (.433).
> Not to be outdone, Fein enters weekend ranked fifth in slugging percentage (.706) and sixth in on-base percentage (.528), while Leonhardt occupies the eighth slot in slugging percentage (.633).
> The Aztecs boast seven players among the league's top 10 in runs scored, including Jacob Cruce (1st - 13), Matt Rudick (2nd - 12), Wyatt Hendrie (3rd - 11), Fein (4th - 10), Mike Jarvis (T-5th - 8), Leonhardt (T-5th - 8) and Cole Carrigg (10th - 6).
> In addition to Fein and Leonhardt, the Aztecs have three other players among the MW leaders in hits, including Rudick (T-4th - 12), Jarvis (T-6th - 11) and Cruce (6th - 11).
> Likewise, three more SDSU players find themselves on the league's top-10 list in RBIs after Fein and Leonhardt, including Cruce (4th - 9), Hendrie (T-5th - 6) and Carrigg (T-5th - 6).
> Elsewhere, Rudick leads the MW with six walks and is tied for the top spot with four stolen bases while ranking eighth with a .474 on-base percentage.
> On the mound, Troy Melton is tied for third in the league with 10 strikeouts, while Michael Paredes ranks eighth with seven.
> 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 (.352), hits (101), runs (78), RBIs (70), total bases ((135), doubles (15) and on-base percentage (.408).
> In addition, the Aztecs rank second in the MW with a collective .470 slugging percentage and a combined 63 strikeouts by their pitching staff.
TOUGH AT HOME
> Since the start of the 2012 season, San Diego State is 159-101 (.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).
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.
> After posting single digits in strikeouts during the opening series vs. USD, the Aztecs surpassed the double-digit plateau in that category in all four games against UC San Diego, including a season-high 13 in the first game of the doubleheader on Feb. 28.
> During the shortened 2020 season, the SDSU pitching staff notched seven games with 10 strikeouts: vs. Virginia Tech, Cal State Fullerton, Iowa, Nebraska, at UC Irvine and twice against Oregon State. Not surprisingly, the Scarlet and Black went 6-1 in those contests.
> Dating back to 2019, the Aztecs are 25-13 in their last 38 games when striking out 10 or more batters, including a 3-1 mark this season.
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 Set to Open MW Play vs. Fresno State
