SAN DIEGO – San Diego State wraps up its season-long homestand on Tuesday, March 15, when it plays host to Big Ten member Iowa in a non-conference clash at Tony Gwynn Stadium. Game time is set for 6 p.m. PT, and a link to live stats will be available on GoAztecs.com.
The Aztecs (4-11) opened their Mountain West schedule on a sour note, suffering a three-game sweep at the hands of visiting UNLV this past weekend, March 11-13.
Individually, Cole Carrigg paced the Scarlet and Black with a collective .538 batting average and four runs scored against the Rebels, posting a team-high seven hits, which featured a pair of doubles, to go with two stolen bases. In addition, SDSU received a spark from Poncho Ruiz, who topped the squad with a .615 on-base percentage after finishing with a 4-for-8 performance at the plate while drawing three walks.
Ruiz has reached base safely in all but the first game for the Aztecs and ranks second on the team with .302 batting average for the season behind Carrigg (.333). In addition, Caden Miller (.298) leads the team with multiple hits in six games, followed by Carrigg (5), Ruiz (3) and Tyler Glowacki (3).
Glowacki tops all SDSU newcomers with a .268 batting average, 11 hits and a .425 on-base percentage. Previously, the Santana High School alumnus collected MW Freshman of the Week honors on March 7.
In all, the Aztecs have had 19 of 37 players made their initial appearances in a Scarlet and Black uniform this season, including 10 true freshmen.
On the mound, SDSU enters the week leading the Mountain West with a combined 159 strikeouts and ranks second in both ERA (4.60) and opposing team batting average (.251).
The Aztecs boast three of the conference's top 10 pitchers in strikeouts, including Kelena Sauer (2nd, 26), Jacob Flores (T-4th, 21) and Jonny Guzman (T-8th, 20). Not to be outdone, TJ Fondtain ranks fourth in the MW this week with a .212 opposing batting average and occupies the fifth spot with a 2.95 ERA, followed by Sauer (8th, 3.80).
Iowa (7-7), meanwhile, dropped a pair of narrow decisions in the first two games of its weekend series at UC Irvine, 7-6 and 2-1, before salvaging the finale with a wild 12-10 victory over the Anteaters. In that contest, the Hawkeyes erupted for seven runs in the top of the third and raced to a 12-2 advantage by the sixth, before holding on for the win.
Entering the week, Iowa pitchers lead the Big Ten with 168 strikeouts and a .181 opposing team batting average while ranking second with a 3.21 ERA. On offense, the Hawkeyes occupy the fifth position in the league with a .279 batting average, 135 hits and a .368 on-base percentage.
Utility player Keaton Anthony leads the Big Ten with nine doubles and ranks among the conference top 10 in numerous categories, including batting average (2nd, .438), on-base percentage (2nd, .548), slugging percentage (5th, .750), hits (T-7th, 21) and walks (7th, 11).
In addition, the Hawkeyes have received a boost from first baseman Peyton Williams (.375), who finds himself among the Big Ten leaders in doubles (2nd, 8), runs scored (T-6th, 16), hits (T-7th, 21) and slugging percentage (10th, .679). Two other Iowa regulars, infielder Sam Hojnar (.333) and outfielder Kyle Huckstorf (.317), are also hitting above .300 for the season.
On the hill, Adam Mazur leads the Hawkeyes with four starts, followed by Marcus Morgan (3) and Connor Schultz (2), while Dylan Nedved has two saves to his credit. Mazur finds himself atop the Big Ten in opposing batting average (.157) while ranking second in innings pitched (24.0) and fifth in strikeouts (28). In addition, Nedved leads the league in fewest hits allowed (9) and occupies the sixth spot with a 2.12 ERA in 17.0 innings.
SDSU has faced Iowa on three previous occasions, mostly recently claiming a 4-1 victory in the opener of the Tony Gwynn Legacy on Feb. 23, 2020. In that contest, former Aztec standouts Jaden Fein and Jacob Cruce combined tor three RBIs on back-to-back singles in the bottom of the seventh inning to break a 1-1 tie.
Additionally, SDSU split a pair of home games against the Hawkeyes back in 1988, as the Scarlet and Black captured the opener by a 9-2 count before suffering a 7-4 defeat in the second encounter.
The Aztecs sport a 20-8 record against eight of the 13 Big Ten schools that currently sponsor baseball, including unblemished marks against Purdue (4-0), Michigan (2-0), Michigan State (1-0) and Indiana (1-0). SDSU is also 8-4 vs. Nebraska, 2-1 against Northwestern and 1-2 vs. Minnesota. Additionally, the Aztecs swept a three-game series from Wisconsin in 1989, the last year the Badgers fielded a varsity program in baseball.
Following Tuesday's showdown with the Hawkeyes, San Diego State travels to the Bay Area for a three-game Mountain West series against San José State, March 18-20, at Excite Ballpark in San Jose, California.
Aztecs to Host Iowa on Tuesday
