Series Preview
San José State at San Diego State
May 8-9, 2021
Tony Gwynn Stadium
Probable Pitching Matchups
Saturday, May 8 | 1 p.m. PT |
SJSU: TBA
SDSU: Troy Melton, RHP (3-4, 5.08 ERA, 56.2 IP)
Saturday, May 8 | 4:30 p.m. PT
SJSU: TBA
SDSU: TBA
Sunday, May 9 | 1 p.m. PT
SJSU: TBA
SDSU: TBA
WHAT'S ON TAP FOR AZTEC BASEBALL
> San Diego State closes out its regular-season home schedule this weekend when it welcomes San José State to "America's Finest City" for a three-game series, May 8-9, at Tony Gwynn Stadium.
> The Aztecs and Spartans will clash in a doubleheader on Saturday, beginning at 1 p.m. PT, before squaring off in a single game on Sunday with another 1 p.m. starting time.
> All three games of this weekend's series will be streamed live via the Mountain West Network and simulcast over the airwaves on XTRA Sports 1360 AM. Links to both platforms, as well as live stats, will be available on GoAztecs.com.
> Prior to Sunday's contest, San Diego State will conduct a special ceremony to highlight Senior Day festivities.
> The Aztecs will play their final three series of the 2021 regular season on the road at UNLV (May 15-16), Air Force (May 22-23) and New Mexico (May 28-29).
QUICK HITS
> San Diego State (22-12, 14-10 MW) will aiming to get back into the win-column after suffering a three-game sweep at Nevada last weekend.
> The Aztecs were dealt a pair of run-rule defeats by the Wolf Pack in a doubleheader on April 30, dropping the opener 14-4 in eight innings, followed by a 13-2 setback in the nightcap in seven innings. The following day on May 1, SDSU was unable to avoid the series sweep, as Nevada pulled away for a 15-7 triumph.
> With the results, the Aztecs are 1-5 against the Wolf Pack this year and 13-5 vs. the rest of the Mountain West.
> Against Nevada, Mike Jarvis hit .636 for the series (7-11) with two doubles and four runs scored, while Matt Rudick (4 runs) and Jaden Fein (2 RBIs, 2 runs) each finished with a .400 clip (4-10) for the weekend, including one home run apiece.
> The Aztecs have scored 10 or more runs in 13 of 34 games this season, posting a 12-1 mark in those contests. By contrast, SDSU surpassed the double-digit plateau in runs 12 times in 57 games during its last full schedule in 2019.
> For the season, San Diego State ranks third in the nation with a .326 team batting average and fifth with a scoring average of 8.7 runs per game. In addition, the Aztecs occupy the 14th spot with a .406 on-base percentage and ranks 37th with 398 hits, which is tops in the country for schools that have played 35 games or less.
> Fein leads the nation with an average of 1.88 hits per game and ranks second with a .454 batting average while tying for sixth with 64 hits overall. In addition, the Aztec right fielder occupies the 12th position in doubles per game (0.44) and ranks 14th in RBIs per contest (1.32) while sharing the 24th spot with 45 RBIs overall. Meanwhile, Rudick is the toughest player to strike out in the country, fanning just four times in 132 at-bats and ranks second in the nation with an average of 1.44 runs per game. The SDSU center fielder also ranks third in hits per game (1.75) and eighth in batting average (.424).
> Since San José State joined the Mountain West during the 2013-14 academic year, the Aztecs are 29-7 vs. the Spartans, capturing all 11 series played between the two teams and winning three conference tournament games.
AZTEC WEEKEND ROTATION
> At press time, San Diego State was projected to start Troy Melton in game one of Saturday's doubleheader, while the starters for the remaining two contests were undetermined.
> Melton (3-4, 5.08 ERA) will be seeking his first win in seven starts when he allowed just one run in seven innings vs. Air Force on March 20, as the Aztecs posted a 5-1 victory. In his most recent appearance in the series opener at Nevada last weekend, the redshirt sophomore was touched for eight runs (four earned) on 10 hits and one walk against four strikeouts in 3 2/3 innings. Previously against Dixie State on April 24, Melton matched his career high with nine strikeouts in 5 1/3 innings but did not earn a decision after allowing four solo home runs, as SDSU rallied for an 8-7 triumph in the bottom of the ninth of game one. Entering the weekend vs. San José State, Melton occupies second spot in the Mountain West with 60 strikeouts and 56 2/3 innings pitched (56.0) while ranking seventh with a .252 opposing batting average. Earlier this season, Melton earned MW Pitcher of the Week honors for the second time in his career on the strength of his complete-game shutout vs. Fresno State at home on Feb. 26. In that contest, the Aztec right-hander equaled his collegiate best with nine strikeouts against four hits and one walk in SDSU's big 17-0 victory. Prior to the 2021 campaign, Melton landed a spot on the preseason Golden Spikes Award Watch List.
SERIES RECORD VS. SAN JOSÉ STATE
> San Diego State holds a sizable 81-33 lead in the all-time series, which dates back to 1938.
> The Aztecs' 48-game advantage in head-to-head meetings vs. the Spartans ranks as third-largest spread against a single opponent in program history behind (Air Force 113-31) and UC Santa Barbara (84-29-1).
> SDSU is 43-13 against San José State in San Diego and 33-20 in Silicon Valley. In addition, the Aztecs have won all five meetings vs. the Spartans on a neutral field.
> Since San José State joined the Mountain West during the 2013-14 academic year, SDSU is 29-7 vs. the Spartans, capturing all 11 series played between the two teams and winning three conference tournament games.
> The Aztecs have not lost a three-game series to SJSU since suffering a road sweep in May 1999 during San Diego State's last season in the Western Athletic Conference.
> In addition, the Aztecs have not dropped a home series to the Spartans since March 1997 when they lost two of three games to then-No. 11 SJSU.
> During Mark Martinez's seven-year tenure as head coach on The Mesa, SDSU sports a 24-5 record vs. San José State, including an 11-2 mark at home, an 11-3 ledger on the road and a 2-0 record at a neutral park.
> The Aztecs swept a three-game series against the Spartans the last time the two teams met at Tony Gwynn Stadium in 2019, increasing their run production in each contest by scores of 7-6, 9-7 and 10-8.
> Matt Rudick is batting .340 in 13 career starts vs. San José State (18-53) with four doubles, one triple, seven RBIs and 17 runs scored.
AZTECS AMONG NCAA STATISTICAL LEADERS
> After the first 11 weeks of the 2021 campaign, the Aztecs find themselves among the NCAA statistical leaders in several categories. San Diego State ranks third in the nation with a .326 team batting average and fifth with a scoring average of 8.7 runs per game. In addition, the Scarlet and Black occupies the 13th spot with a .406 on-base percentage and ranks 40th with 398 hits, which is tops in the country for schools that have played 35 games or less.
> Individually, Jaden Fein leads the nation with an average of 1.88 hits per game and ranks second with a .454 batting average while tying for sixth with 64 hits overall. In addition, the Aztec right fielder occupies the 12th position in doubles per game (0.44) and ranks 14th in RBIs per contest (1.32) while sharing the 24th spot with 45 RBIs overall. Meanwhile, Matt Rudick is the toughest player to strike out in the country, fanning just four times in 132 at-bats and ranks second in the nation with an average of 1.44 runs per game. The SDSU center fielder also ranks third in hits per game (1.75) and eighth in batting average (.424). Elsewhere, Brian Leonhardt leads the country with eight sacrifice flies, while Mike Jarvis is tied for ninth with 1.24 runs per game.
SDSU IN MW RANKINGS
> Entering the weekend, Jaden Fein still leads the Mountain West with a lofty .454 batting average, 64 hits, 45 RBIs and 15 doubles.
> Fein also sits near the top of the conference perch in on-base percentage (.509), runs scored (4th - 35), stolen bases (5th - 7) and slugging percentage (6th - .624).
> In addition, Matt Rudick leads the MW with 46 runs scored and 11 stolen bases while sharing the top spot with three triples. The Aztec center fielder also occupies the second position in both batting average (.424) and hits (56) while ranking fourth in RBIs (32), fifth in on-base percentage (.486), and 10th in walks (15).
> Meanwhile, Wyatt Hendrie is second in the league this week with 37 RBI and ranks third with 38 runs scored while sharing the No. 3 spot with seven home runs. The SDSU catcher also occupies the third spot with three sacrifice flies and is tied for fifth with 17 walks.
> Not to be outdone, shortstop Mike Jarvis finds himself among the league leaders in runs scored (2nd - 42), stolen bases (T-2nd - 10), hits (3rd - 55), doubles (T-4th - 12) and triples (T-7th - 2).
> Elsewhere, second baseman Caden Miller is tied for fifth with 17 walks while sharing the sixth spot with a .460 on-base percentage and 32 runs scored. In addition, the Aztec second baseman is tied for seventh with five stolen bases and two triples.
> In all, SDSU boasts five of the league's top 10 RBI producers, with Brian Leonhardt (3rd - 36) and Jacob Cruce (T-8th - 26) joining Fein, Hendrie and Rudick.
> Similarly, the Aztecs feature five players among the MW leaders in runs scored: Rudick, Jarvis, Hendrie, Fein and Miller.
> On the mound, reliever Tre Brown is tied for second in the conference with five wins and four saves, while Michael Paredes, Troy Melton and Ricky Tibbett are among a logjam of eight pitchers tied for fifth with three victories apiece.
> In addition, Melton occupies the second spot in the league with 62 strikeouts and 56.2 innings pitched while ranking seventh in opposing batting average (.252) and ERA (5.08).
> Meanwhile, Paredes tops the conference with 60.2 innings pitched and ranks third with 50 strikeouts while occupying the eighth position with a .268 opposing batting average. Additionally, he shares the sixth spot with fewest walks allowed (10).
> Not to be outdone, Tibbett is second in the MW this week with fewest walks allowed (7) and is tied for fifth with 41 strikeouts.
> With huge production throughout the lineup, unsurprisingly San Diego State leads the MW in numerous offensive categories as a team this week, including batting average (.326), hits (398), runs (296), RBIs (266), total bases (554), stolen bases (41) and on-base percentage (.406). The Aztecs also occupy the second spot in the league with fewest strikeouts (158) for teams with more than 20 games played and rank third in slugging percentage (.454).
> On the hill, SDSU pitchers lead the league with 298 strikeouts and a .279 opponent batting average rank third with a 5.68 team ERA.
SAN JOSÉ STATE AT A GLANCE
> The Spartans are coming off an 18-10 loss at California on May 4, as the Golden Bears erupted for 11 runs in the bottom of the fifth to overcome a 9-0 deficit en route to the win.
> Last weekend, San José State took two of three games at UC Davis, splitting a doubleheader, 4-3, 2-12, before winning the series finale, 14-11, in 11 innings.
> The Spartans lost three of four games at home to Fresno State in their last Mountain West series, April 23-25.
> Since beginning its 2021 schedule on March 27, San José State is 6-14 overall and 2-5 in conference play. In addition, the Spartans are 3-5 at home and 3-9 on the road this spring.
> At press time, the Spartans have not announced their probable pitching rotation for this weekend.
> SJSU has been led by infielder Ruben Ibarra, who finds himself among the conference leaders in numerous categories this week, including slugging percentage (1st - .841), on-base percentage (2nd - .512), home runs (2nd - 8) and batting average (4th - .397).
> In addition, utility player Reece Hernandez is the Spartans' only other regular with a batting average over .300, hitting at a .302 clip with 13 walks and 14 runs scored, both of which rank second on the team.
> Elsewhere, outfielder Jack Collette is lone SJSU player to start all 20 games this season (.276, 2 HR, 11 RBIs), but has struck out a team-high 27 times.
> On the mound, Jonathan Clark (1-4) ranks third in the Mountain West among qualifying pitchers with a 3.77 ERA in a team-high 28.2 innings, while Spencer Long (2-2, 6.26 ERA, 23.0 IP) is the only Spartan hurler with more than one victory.
> SJSU sports the two most recent Mountain West Pitcher of the Week award winners -- Clark (May 3) and Trevor Ernt (April 26).
> Clark picked up his first win of the season in the Spartans' 4-3 victory at UC Davis on May 1, allowing just one earned run while striking out seven batters in six innings. Similarly, Ernt tossed seven innings vs. Fresno State at home on April 23, yielding three runs (one earned) on four hits and two walks against eight strikeouts before SJSU rallied in the bottom of the ninth for a 5-4 triumph.
> Collectively, the Spartans rank last in the Mountain West this week with a . 261 batting average, with SJSU striking out 167 times in just 20 games. By contrast, San Diego State hitters have fanned 180 times in 34 outings.
> As a staff, Spartan pitchers find themselves at the bottom of the league with a team ERA of 7.22, while their .308 opposing batting average ranks fifth of seven teams.
> Head coach Brad Sanfilippo is entering his fourth season at the helm of the San José State baseball program, including a stint as the Spartans' interim head coach in 2018. Prior to his promotion to head coach, Sanfilippo served as SJSU's assistant coach in 2013-14, sandwiched between stints as an assistant at the University of California, Berkeley from 2010-12 and 2015-17. Before entering the collegiate ranks, Sanfilippo was the head coach at Los Gatos (Calif.) High School, leading his squad to four El Camino League championships (2005, 2006, 2007, 2009) and a pair of CIF Central Coast Section Division II titles (2006, 2009). He also coached at Willow Glen High School in San Jose. As a collegian, Sanfilippo was a three-year starter at UC Davis and served as the Aggies' team captain during his senior year in 1998. His record with the Spartans stands at 58-90.
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.
> This season, the Scarlet and Black has registered 10 or more strikeouts in 14 games, notching an 11-3 record in those contests. In the Aztecs; home sweep of Dixie State, April 24-25, Trailblazer hitters were punched out 42 times during the series, including 15 in the doubleheader opener, which marked a season-high for the SDSU staff.
> 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.
> SDSU also fanned 12 batters in the first game of a twin-bill vs. Fresno State on March 6, before recording 11 strikeouts in both games of a doubleheader vs. Air Force on March 20.
> Additionally, the Aztecs whiffed 10 Spartan batters in the series finale at San José State on March 28, before logging 11 strikeouts in each of the final two games vs. Nevada, April 10-11.
> Not to be outdone, San Diego big 21-14 victory at Fresno State when it fanned 11 Bulldog batters.
> During the shortened 2020 season, the SDSU pitching staff completed 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 33-15 in their last 48 games when striking out 10 or more batters.
GOING, GOING, GONE
> San Diego State has homered in 21 of 34 games this season, posting an 14-7 record in those contests.
> The Aztecs have emerged victorious in 36 of their last 51 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
> Matt Rudick has reached base in all 31 games he has made a plate appearance this season, while Brian Leonhardt had his streak of getting aboard snapped at 15 contests in the second game of a doubleheader at Nevada on April 30.
> Earlier, Leonhardt had another streak of safely reaching base snapped at 14 after coming up empty in nightcap of a twin bill vs. Air Force on March 20.
> Rudick owns the team's longest current hitting streak of 12 games, with multiple hits in seven, followed by Mike Jarvis (4).
> Jaden Fein had a season-long 12-game hitting streak broken in the nightcap of a doubleheader nightcap vs. Dixie State. Earlier, Fein crafted an 11-game hitting streak to open the season; Rudick had a 10-game string halted in the series vs. Air Force, while Jarvis had a 10-game streak of his own snapped in the series finale against Nevada on April 11.
> Fein and Jarvis lead the Aztecs with multiple hits in 19 games. Fein notched a career-high six hits at Fresno State on April 18, and has had two or more RBIs in 13 contests. In addition, Rudick has collected multiple hits in 17 games, Caden Miller have collected multiple hits in 16 games, followed by Caden Miller (16), Jacob Cruce (12), Wyatt Hendrie (11) and Leonhardt (10). Leonhardt has logged two or more RBIs in 10 games this season, just ahead of Hendrie (9), Rudick (8) and Cruce (8).
DELIVERING IN CRUNCH TIME
> The Aztecs are batting .334 with two outs this season (134-401), eight percentage points higher than their team average of .326 for the year.
> In addition, SDSU has compiled 41.7 percent of its RBI total (111/266) with two outs.
> The Aztecs are 5-0 in walk-off games this season and 4-0 in extra-inning contests.
OTHER TRENDS
> The Aztecs are 87-16 in their last 103 games when scoring five or more runs, including a 21-4 record already in 2021 after posting a 6-2 mark last year.
> San Diego State is 55-22 in its last 77 games following a loss, including an 8-3 mark this year.
> 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 vs. the Toreros on Feb. 20.
> After scoring six runs in the bottom of the ninth in their dramatic 10-9 victory over New Mexico on April 2, the Aztecs snapped a 46-game losing streak when trailing after eight innings dating back to March 20, 2018 as SDSU rallied to beat CSU Bakersfield at home, 5-4.
> The Aztecs have won 43 straight games, including 12 this season, when leading after eight innings. SDSU's last loss when leading after the eighth occurred on March 10, 2019 in a 6-5 loss to Nevada at home in 10 innings.
STABILITY IN THE LINEUP
> Three players have started all 34 games for the Aztecs this season, including Jaden Fein (RF), Mike Jarvis (SS) and Jacob Cruce (1B), while Caden Miller (33 - 2B) has missed just one start.
> In addition, Brian Leonhardt has made 31 starts at designated hitter and one in left field, while Wyatt Hendrie has recorded 30 starts at catcher and two in left field as well.
> Matt Rudick (31 - CF) and Ryan Orr (27 - LF) are the only other SDSU players have also logged more than 25 starts.
> Jarvis, Rudick and Hendrie have comprised the top three hitters in the Aztecs' batting order in 31 of 34 games this year.
TOUGH AT HOME
> Since the start of the 2012 season, San Diego State is 172-106 (.619) when playing at home, including a 16-6 mark this season.
> 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.
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 207-146 record (.586), highlighted by three Mountain West tournament championships in 2015, 2017 and 2018. He has also posted a 103-76 ledger (.575) 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.
> On April 2, 2021, Martinez earned his 200th career coaching victory after the Aztecs defeated New Mexico, 5-4, in 10 innings in the second game of a doubleheader.
> 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 league's tournament 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 10 of those selections reaching the major leagues (Stephen Strasburg, Addison Reed, Justin Masterson, Bruce Billings, Quintin Berry, Lance Zawadzki, Greg Allen, Ty France, Seby Zavala and Alan Trejo).
> 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.