SAN DIEGO -- San Diego State takes a break from conference play this weekend when it travels to the Aloha State for a three-game series against Hawai'i, March 22-24, at Les Murakami Stadium in Honolulu.
The first two encounters on Friday and Saturday are scheduled to begin at 9:30 p.m. PT (6:30 p.m. HT), while Sunday's finale is slated to get underway at 4 p.m. PT (1 p.m. HT).
The Aztecs-Rainbow Warriors series will not feature streaming video; however, live stats will be provided throughout the weekend, with links available on GoAztecs.com.
SDSU and Hawai'i will lock horns for the third consecutive season and will square off in a weekend series for the first time since 2006, which also marked the Aztecs' last visit to Honolulu.
That season, San Diego State dropped the first three games of the series by scores of 6-2, 11-9 and 9-7, before salvaging a 7-5 victory in the finale.
Following this weekend's excursion, the Aztecs jump back into Mountain West action with a three-game home series against New Mexico, March 28-30, at Tony Gwynn Stadium.
SETTING THE SCENE
> San Diego State will be looking to put the brakes on a three-game losing streak after suffering a sweep against Air Force last weekend, March 15-17, in Pueblo, Colorado.
> The teams were forced to play their Mountain West series in Pueblo due to heavy snowfall in the Colorado Springs area earlier in the week.
> Aztec infielder Colby Turner garnered Mountain West Freshman of the Week accolades for the third time this season on March 18, despite playing in just the final two games against the Falcons.
> Turner led the team in several categories vs. Air Force, including batting average (.625), total bases (11), home runs (2), RBIs (5), runs scored (3), slugging percentage (1.375) and on-base percentage (.625).
> For the season, Turner leads the MW with a .677 slugging percentage while ranking third in batting average (.385) and eighth in RBIs (17). He is also tied for the ninth spot in the conference with 25 hits and 44 total bases.
> Collectively, SDSU pitchers lead the Mountain West in strikeouts (199), opponent batting average (.248) and fewest hits allowed (157) while ranking second in ERA (5.77).
> The Scarlet and Black also tops the conference with 10.7 strikeouts and 8.46 hits allowed per innings, which rank 23rd and 63rd in the nation, respectively.
> The Aztecs have captured 41 of its last 66 against the Big West opponents, including a dramatic 5-4 walkoff victory over UC Riverside at home on March 12, when Tino Bethancourt delivered the winning single with two outs in the bottom of the ninth.
AZTEC WEEKEND ROTATION
> For the third straight weekend, San Diego State is expected to utilize the starting rotation of Jacob Riordan, Omar Serrano and Xavier Cardenas III.
> A transfer from Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Riordan (2-1, 5.04 ERA, 25.0 IP) will be making his third consecutive start in an Aztec uniform on Friday after pitching five games as reliever to begin the season. The SDSU graduate student recorded his first victory on The Mesa against Missouri at the Tony Gwynn Legacy on Feb. 23, offsetting five hits and one walk with six strikeouts in 4 2/3 innings. Riordan was also the winning pitcher in the Aztecs' 5-3 triumph over Nevada on March 8 after fanning a season-high eight batters in six innings of work. Entering the weekend, the SDSU right-hander ranks fourth in the Mountain West with a .239 opponent batting average and 21 hits allowed while occupying the sixth spot with 28 strikeouts. In 2023, Riordan started 11 of 15 games at UAPB, logging a 3-5 record in 67.0 innings pitched with a school-record 87 strikeouts, which ranked sixth in the Southwestern Athletic Conference.
> Saturday's starter Serrano (1-2, 2.17 ERA, 29.0 IP) has lowered his ERA from 5.40 to 2.17 over his last four starts, highlighted by his first career complete game against Fresno State on March 2, when he yielded just one run on five hits without a walk while striking out six batters en route to his first victory of the year and second as a collegian. The Aztec right-hander absorbed the tough loss in his last outing at Air Force in the second game of a doubleheader on March 16, when he offset seven hits and three walks with six strikeouts, allowing just one unearned run in five innings before the Falcons pulled away with five runs off four Aztec relievers in the sixth. Entering the Hawai'i series, Serrano is slotted third in the Mountain West in ERA (2.17) and opponent batting average (.223) while ranking fourth in innings pitched (29.0) and seventh in strikeouts (26).
> Like Serrano, Cardenas is slated to make his sixth straight start of the season when he takes the mound on Sunday. The Aztec sophomore was victorious in his initial start of the year against Portland on Feb. 18, scattering four hits and two walks while finishing with a trio of strikeouts in five scoreless innings. Cardenas posted a career-high eight strikeouts in his last appearance at Air Force on March 17 but was tagged for seven runs on nine hits and four walks in 5 1/3 innings.
SERIES RECORD VS. HAWAI'I
> Despite posting a 3-2 victory over Hawai'i in their last meeting at the Tony Gwynn Legacy on February 27, 2023, the Aztecs still trail the all-time series, 69-79.
> Among SDSU returners, Shaun Montoya reached on a fielder's choice and scored on an RBI single by former Aztec Poncho Ruiz in the third inning of that contest, while Tino Bethancourt belted a solo home run later in the seventh, which knotted the score at 2-2.
> The Aztecs also emerged with a 7-1 triumph in the opener of the Tony Gwynn Legacy on Feb. 25, 2022, before dropping a 15-inning marathon by an 8-5 score outside of the tournament three nights later.
> The contest was SDSU's longest game since April 19, 2013, when the Scarlet and Black was edged 9-8 at UNLV in 17 innings. In addition, the Aztecs and Warriors collectively used 16 pitchers on the night, including nine for Hawai'i and seven for SDSU. The Aztecs recorded a season-high 21 strikeouts, including seven by reliever Jadon Bercovich.
> Both teams squandered numerous scoring chances, combining for 32 runners left on base, including 17 for SDSU and 15 for Hawai'i. In all, San Diego State employed 25 players on its 37-man roster during the 6-hour, 18-minute affair.
> The Aztecs and Warriors first met in 1980 and over the next 20 seasons, the two sides squared off annually as members of the Western Athletic Conference. SDSU is 43-28 against Hawai'i in San Diego, 25-50 in Honolulu and 1-1 on a neutral diamond.
HAWAI'I AT A GLANCE
> The Rainbow Warriors, who were picked to finish fourth in the Big West preseason coaches poll, are off to a 12-7 start this year after winning two of three games at CSU Bakersfield last weekend to open conference play. Hawai'i claimed the first two encounters by scores of 2-0 and 11-7 before dropping a narrow 3-2 decision in the series finale.
> Previously, the Warriors raised their home record to 9-6 on the year after capturing three of four games in a non-conference series against Rice, March 8-11.
> Hawai'i is expected to employ junior right-hander Alex Giroux and senior lefty Randy Abshier for the first two games against SDSU, while Sunday's starter remains uncertain.
> Giroux (3-0, 2.92 ERA, 23 SO) tossed 7 2/3 scoreless innings in his last start at CSUB on March 15, scattering four hits and two walks while fanning three batters. The Lake Oswego, Oregon, product shares the Big West lead with three victories and ranks 13th in ERA (2.92).
> Meanwhile, Abshier (0-1, 5.55 ERA, 35 SO) yielded four runs (three earned) on five hits and two walks in his previous start against Bakersfield on March 16 but did not factor in the decision after exiting with one out in the fourth inning. The San Diego native and Otay Ranch High alumnus ranks third in the conference this week in strikeouts (35).
> Offensively, Hawai'i boasts four regulars who are hitting over .300 on the season, including Jordan Donahue (.393), Austin Machado (.371), Jake Tsukada (.324) and Matthew Miura (.319).
> A senior infielder, Donahue finds himself among the Big West leaders in several categories, ranking fourth in batting average (.393) while sharing the sixth spot in hits (24) and doubles (6). He is also tied for fifth in runs scored (20) and is slotted eighth in on-base percentage (.486).
> In addition, the catcher Machado enters this weekend's series with a slash line of .371/.529/.565 and shares the conference lead with nine doubles while tying for the 10th spot with 23 hits. He also ranks fourth in on-base percentage (.529), seventh in batting average (.371) and 11th in slugging percentage (.565).
> Meanwhile, Miura shares the top perch in the Big West with 10 stolen bases, which is tied for 59th in the country, while ranking 11th in the conference in on-base percentage (.467). He also shares the fourth spot in the Big West in RBIs (20) and his tied for fifth in runs scored (20).
> Collectively, the Warriors lead the conference with 133 walks, which ranks 18th in the nation, while occupying the second spot in the Big West with a .441 on-base percentage. In addition, Hawai'i is slotted fifth in the league in hits (168) runs scored (142) and RBIs (120) while occupying the sixth position in batting average (.276).
> As a staff, Warrior pitchers rank fourth in the Big West with a .245 opposing batting average and are slotted fourth in team ERA (4.09) and seventh in strikeouts (171).
> Along with Abshier, Hawai'i sports three additional players with ties to the San Diego region, including Machado, who hails from Cardiff-by-the-Sea and prepped at La Costa Canyon High. Additionally, pitcher Kyle Dobyns is a graduate of West Hills High and played two seasons at Grossmont College before transferring to Rainbow Warriors, while fellow hurler Harrison Bodendorf, who has six carer saves, prepped at Temecula Valley High.
> Patrolling the dugout for Hawai'i is another familiar face among baseball circles in "America's Finest City", as Rich Hill enters his third season as a head coach of the Rainbow Warriors program. Hill arrived on the Manoa campus after spending 23 seasons as head coach at the University of San Diego, where he compiled a record of 747-514. His 1,148 career victories rank seventh among active NCAA Division I head coaches.
SDSU IN MW RANKINGS
> Despite sitting out two games last week, Aztec freshman extraordinaire Colby Turner finds himself perched atop the Mountain West with a .677 slugging percentage while ranking third in batting average (.385) and eighth in RBIs (17). The Huntington Beach, California, native also shares the ninth spot in the league with 25 hits and 44 total bases.
> In addition, Turner has smacked three triples so far this year, which is tied for second in the league and seventh nationally.
> Elsewhere, Shaun Montoya is tied for eighth in the conference with four stolen bases.
> On the mound, Omar Serrano is listed among the league leaders this week in several categories, ranking third in ERA (2.17) and opposing batting average (.223) while occupying the fourth position in innings pitched (29.0) and the seventh spot in strikeouts (26).
> Additionally, fellow starter Jacob Riordan is slotted fourth in the conference with a .239 opponent batting average and sixth with 28 strikeouts, ranking ahead of Serrano and Xavier Cardenas III, who is tied for eighth with 25 punchouts.
> Meanwhile, relievers Issac Araiza and Garvey Rumary are tied for the MW lead with nine appearances, while teammates Chris Canavan, Evan Miranda and Jadon Bercovich share the fifth spot with eight games pitched.
> In addition, Miranda is tied for third in the conference with six games finished, while Bercovich is slotted seventh in that category with five.
> As a team, SDSU pitchers lead the Mountain West in strikeouts (199), opponent batting average (.248) and fewest hits allowed (157) while ranking second in ERA (5.77).
> The Scarlet and Black also tops the conference with 10.7 strikeouts and 8.46 hits allowed per innings, which rank 23rd and 63rd in the nation, respectively.
> Offensively, SDSU ranks sixth in the MW this week in batting average (.255) and slugging percentage (.380) while occupying the seventh spot in hits (167), runs scored (96), RBIs (84) and on-base percentage.
STREAKING AZTECS
> Shaun Montoya is the lone Aztec to start all 19 games this season, playing exclusively in right field. The SDSU junior has made 24 consecutive starts dating back to last season and has started 69 of the last 71 contests he has appeared in.
> Freshman Finley Bates is the only other Aztec to see action in all 19 games thus far, earning 13 starts at second base and five at shortstop while appearing as a late-inning defensive replacement in SDSU's 7-1 victory over Portland on Feb. 18.
> A native of Castle Park, Colorado, Bates has reached base safely in eight straight games and owns the team's longest hitting streak of the year in seven consecutive outings from Feb. 21-March 3. He shares the team lead with five doubles and ranks second among Aztec regulars with a .285 batting average and 21hits.
> Colby Turner leads the Scarlet and Black with multiple hits in seven games this season and has compiled two or more RBIs in four different contests.
> Additionally, Montoya has five multi-hit games to his credit this season, followed by Bates and Jake Jackson with four apiece.
OTHER TRENDS
> The Aztecs are 158-48 over the last seven-plus seasons when scoring five or more runs, including a stellar 38-6 record during the 2017 campaign.
> SDSU won 10 consecutive games over the final two months of the 2023 season when scoring at least five runs, but that streak was snapped in a 7-6 loss to Portland in 13 innings on Feb. 17.
> San Diego State is 85-69 in its last 154 games following a loss, including a 12-15 mark after its previous 27 defeats dating back to last year.
MOUNTAIN WEST TOURNAMENT RETURNS TO SAN DIEGO
> The Mountain West Championship returns to "America's Finest City" this season and will be conducted at Tony Gwynn Stadium, May 23-26. The top four teams in the MW regular-season standings will qualify for the double elimination tournament, with the winner receiving an automatic berth into NCAA regional competition. NCAA Regionals will be held May 31-June 3.
> SDSU has hosted the MW Championship on five previous occasions, most recently after the 2022 season. The Aztecs also welcomed the event in 2018 when the Scarlet and Black claimed its fifth tournament crown in a six-year span.
Aztecs Prepare for Weekend Series at Hawai'i
