SAN DIEGO – After a brief respite, San Diego State returns to the road this week when it travels up the freeway for a three-game non-conference series at No. 25 USC, April 6-8, at Dedeaux Field in Los Angeles, California.
The first two encounters on Thursday and Friday are slated to begin at 6:30 p.m. PT, while Saturday's finale is set for a 1 p.m. start. In addition to live stats, all three contests will feature live streaming, with links to both platforms available on GoAztecs.com.
The Aztecs are projected to utilize the starting rotation of RHP Omar Serrano (0-2, 4.26 ERA), LHP TJ Fondtain (3-1, 3.69 ERA) and LHP Chris Canada (1-2, 4.45 ERA), while the Trojans are expected to counter with right-handers Tyler Stromsborg (3-1, 4.36 ERA), Caden Aoki (1-0, 1.88 ERA) and Eric Hammond (1-2, 6.17 ERA), respectively.
SDSU (11-13) is coming off a 14-5 triumph over UC Riverside at home on Tuesday, overcoming deficits of 4-0 and 5-4 to win going away. The Scarlet and Black received multiple hits from five different players, scoring 10 unanswered runs over the last four innings to extend its winning streak to four straight and raise its record to 6-7 at home.
Against the Highlanders, Caden Miller led the Aztecs with a 3-for-5 effort at the plate with a pair of doubles and three RBIs, while TJ Fondtain finished with two hits and drove in four runs, highlighted by his fifth homer of the season. In addition, Shaun Montoya contributed two hits and led all players with three runs scored, while Poncho Ruiz (2 RBIs) and Brady Lavoie each ripped a pair of hits. Not to be outdone, Maddox Haley went yard for the first time in an SDSU uniform with a solo shot in the fourth.
Earlier, the Aztecs claimed all three games of a Mountain West road series at New Mexico (March 31-April 2) and find themselves a half-game ahead of Fresno State (15-11, 7-4 MW) and San José State (13-10, 6-3 MW) atop the league standings. Both the Bulldogs and Spartans will be hitting the road to play conference opponents this weekend, venturing to Air Force and New Mexico, respectively.
Entering the week, SDSU pitchers lead the Mountain West with a 4.63 team ERA and occupy the second spot in fewest hits allowed (209) and opposing batting average (.258) while ranking third in strikeouts (232). However, the Aztecs are perched atop the conference with 9.9 strikeouts per nine innings, which ranks 52nd nationally.
Individually, left-handers Fondtain and Canada find themselves among the conference leaders in several pitching categories, sharing the second spot with 42 strikeouts.
Fondtain occupies the fifth position in ERA (3.69) while ranking sixth in batting average (.234) and tying for 10th with fewest hits allowed (34). The SDSU junior has emerged victorious in his last two starts vs. Air Force and New Mexico, allowing just one run on a combined eight hits while fanning 14 batters against three walks. As a result, Fondtain lowered his ERA from 5.19 to 3.69 in that span.
In addition, Canada shares the second spot in the MW in fewest hits allowed (28) and ranks seventh in both ERA (4.45) and opposing batting average (.241). The Aztec sophomore has tied his career-high with nine strikeouts in each of his last two starts and has yielded just two earned runs on eight hits and six walks in a combined 12.1 innings. He also tops the conference with 12.46 strikeouts per nine innings, which is tied for 42nd nationally.
Elsewhere, Kelena Sauer shares the second position in the league with five saves, which is tied for 27th in the country, while his 12 pitching appearances are tied for fourth in the MW with teammate Eldridge Armstrong III.
As of April 5, SDSU leads the Mountain West with 1.79 stolen bases per game and 43 overall, which rank 35th and 62nd in the nation, respectively. In addition, SDSU is slotted fourth in the conference with a .283 team batting average while occupying the fourth position in on-base percentage (.367) and runs scored (162).
Individually, Montoya leads the MW with 12 stolen bases, while his league-leading 0.52 stolen bases per game ranks 52nd in the country. In addition, Fondtain occupies the fifth spot in the conference in slugging percentage (.622), while Montoya (.422) and Irvin Weems (.415) rank seventh and ninth in on-base percentage, respectively.
Despite missing seven games, Cole Carrigg leads the Aztecs with a .333 batting average, while Fondtain (10th, .324), Ruiz (12th, .320), Montoya (15th, .318) and Miller (16th, .318) find themselves among the conference top 20 in that statistic.
Over the last three games, Fondtain has posted a slash line of .538/.600/1.077 with two homers, nine RBIs and five runs scored, while Ruiz has slashed .583/.667/.667 with five RBIs and five runs in that span.
In addition, Ruiz has hit safely in four straight games and leads the team with multiple hits in 12 games and two or more RBIs in eight contests.
USC (17-10-1), which earned a No. 25 ranking by Baseball America this week, has won 12 of its last 16 games, ignited by victories over then-No. 2 Stanford in the final two games of a home series, March 11-12.
The Trojans are coming off an 11-9 decision over Loyola Marymount at home on Tuesday, combining for seven runs in the fifth and sixth innings before holding off a late Lion rally for the win. With the victory, USC raises its record to 12-4 in home games this season.
Trojan pitchers are slotted fifth in the Pac-12 with a 4.35 ERA, which ranks 38th in the nation, while occupying the fifth and sixth positions in strikeouts per nine innings (8.81) and opponent batting average (.245), respectively.
Individually, Stromsborg, Hammond and Jaden Agassi have started seven games apiece for USC, while fellow right-handers Aoki and Blake Soderstein have logged three starts each.
Stromsborg was named Pac-12 Pitcher of the Week after tossing a complete-game shutout (4-0) against Utah on March 31, scattering five hits and two walks to go with four strikeouts. He currently ranks second in the conference with 43.1 innings pitched and is tied for 10th with 38 strikeouts.
In addition, Garrett Clarke (4) and Kevin Wisch (3) are tied for fourth and ninth in the Pac-12 in saves, respectively.
Although USC is slotted just sixth in the conference with a .293 team batting average, the Trojans occupy the second spot in the Pac-12 with 7.6 runs per game and 214 runs overall, which are tied for 66th and 68th in the nation, respectively.
Elsewhere, USC leads the nation with 22 triples and finds itself among the top half of the conference in doubles (2nd, 61), hits (4th, 278), RBIs (4th, 186), on-base percentage (5th, .397) and slugging percentage (5th, .493).
Individually, outfielders Austin Overn and Cole Gabrielson are tied for the Trojans' top perch with a .330 batting average. Overn leads the country with 10 triples and is tied for second in the Pac-12 with 32 RBIs while ranking fifth in runs scored (30) and sixth in stolen bases (9).
In addition, Gabrielson is tied for eighth in the conference with seven home runs and is tied for eighth in total bases (67) while ranking ninth in slugging percentage (.650).
SDSU trails the all-time series against USC 26-63-3, including an 11-5 setback at home during the Tony Gwynn Legacy on Feb. 23, 2020, which marked the last encounter between the two squads. In 2017, the Scarlet and Black was blanked by the Trojans in a pair of games, falling 1-0 at Tony Gwynn Stadium before coming up empty in a 2-0 loss at Dedeaux Field in Los Angeles.
In 2015, the Aztecs were edged by USC in the NCAA Lake Elsinore Regional, as the Trojans scored two runs in the top of the ninth to earn a wild 12-11 victory and eliminate the Scarlet and from postseason play.
Following this weekend's road trip, San Diego State returns to "America's Finest City" for consecutive games against UC San Diego, April 10-11. The Aztecs will make the short drive across town to Triton Ballpark in La Jolla on Monday before the teams square off in a rematch at Tony Gwynn Stadium on Tuesday. Both contests are scheduled for a 6 p.m. PT start.
Aztec Baseball Set for Road Test at No. 25 USC
