***Updated with adjusted schedule on Thursday, March 28 at 11 a.m. PT***
SAN DIEGO -- Following a lengthy road swing, San Diego State returns to "America's Finest City" this weekend when it plays host to New Mexico in a three-game Mountain West series, March 28-29, at Tony Gwynn Stadium.
Thursday's opener is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. PT, before the teams conclude their series with a doubleheader on Friday, starting at 2 p.m. PT.
In addition to live stats, all three games will be streamed live via the Aztec baseball team's YouTube channel, with a link available on GoAztecs.com.
The first 500 fans in attendance for Thursday's contest will receive a free Tony Gwynn replica jersey t-shirt.
Following this weekend's homestand, the Aztecs will once again assume the role of road warriors when they travel up the coast to San Luis Obispo for two non-conference games against Cal Poly, April 2-3, before continuing north to the Bay Area where theywill face MW rival San José State, April 5-7, at Stephen Schott Stadium on the Santa Clara University campus.
SETTING THE SCENE
> San Diego State will be looking to snap a six-game losing streak after suffering a sweep against Hawai'i last weekend in its first trip to Honolulu since 2006.
> Against the Rainbow Warriors, Shaun Montoya led the Aztecs with a .500 batting average, six hits and four runs scored, while Colby Turner (.333) and Tino Bethancourt (.308) finished with four hits apiece.
> Bethancourt also topped the squad with nine RBIs, highlighted by a pair of two-run doubles in the series finale.
> For the season, Turner tops the Scarlet and Black in most categories, including batting average (.377), total bases (48), hits (29), RBIs (18) and runs scored (16).
> Entering the week, Turner's .377 batting average and team-high .623 slugging percentage are good for fifth in the Mountain West.
> Collectively, SDSU pitchers lead the league in fewest hits allowed (194) while ranking second in both opponent batting average (.262) and strikeouts (211) and the fourth in team ERA (6.52).
> In addition, the Aztecs top the conference with 9.9 strikeouts per innings, which ranks 48th in the nation.
> SDSU has won 11 straight against New Mexico and 14 of the 15 meetings between the two clubs since the 2021 campaign.
> Since his arrival on The Mesa in 2022, Montoya has hit .512 (21-41) in nine career games vs. the Lobos with four triples, three doubles, seven RBIs and 13 runs scored.
> Despite leading the MW in most offensive categories, UNM enters the series ranked last in the league in team ERA (7.99), opposing batting average (.333) and hits allowed (287).
AZTEC WEEKEND ROTATION
> For the first time in four weeks, SDSU will utilize the starting rotation of Chris Canada, Omar Serrano and Xavier Cardenas III.
> Canada (0-1, 13.94 ERA, 10.1 IP) will be making his first start since March 1 when he takes the mound on Thursday night after three relief appearances. In the Aztecs' 5-4 victory over UC Riverside on March 12, the SDSU junior completed a scoreless eighth, overcoming a hit and a wild pitch with three strikeouts. Canada was selected to the 2024 preseason all-Mountain West team in a vote of the league's coaches on Feb. 8 after receiving the same recognition from Perfect Game the previous week. The Aztec left-hander finished second among MW leaders last season in fewest hits allowed (62) and tied for fifth in strikeouts (72), compiling a 3-5 record with a 5.69 ERA. In addition, Canada ranked eighth in the conference a year ago in opposing team batting average (.265). In 2023, the Orange, California, native also posted five or more strikeouts in nine of 13 games while yielding two or fewer walks in eight contests. Canada has made four career appearances against UNM, highlighted by a nine-strikeout performance in Albuquerque on April 1, 2023, when he tied his career high.
> Friday's game one starter Serrano (1-3, 4.18 ERA, 32.1 IP) has suffered three straight losses in as many starts after tossing his first career complete game against Fresno State on March 2. In that contest vs. the Bulldogs, the SDSU right-hander 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. Two weeks later, Serrano was saddled with the hard-luck defeat 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 New Mexico series, Serrano shares the seventh position in the MW in innings pitched (32.1) while ranking eighth in ERA (4.18), strikeouts (27) and opposing batting average (.263). The Downey, California, native has made three career appearances against the Lobos, highlighted by eight strikeouts in a stellar relief effort during the final game of the 2023 campaign to help the Aztecs capture a share of the Mountain West regular-season championship.
> Like Serrano, Cardenas is slated to make his seventh straight start of the season when he takes the hill for the nightcap on Friday. The Aztec sophomore was triumphant 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 at Air Force on March 17 but was tagged for seven runs on nine hits and four walks in 5 1/3 innings. The La Habra, California, native pitched a career-long seven-plus innings in his last outing at Hawai'i on March 24, allowing three runs (two earned) on two hits and seven walks but did not factor in the decision after the Rainbow Warriors rallied for the walk-off 6-5 victory in 10 innings. Cardenas has faced New Mexico on two previous occasions, starting the opener of the Aztecs' final series of the 2023 campaign when he struck out five batters in 2 2/3 innings before the Scarlet and Black rallied to win in dramatic fashion later in the contest.
SERIES RECORD VS. NEW MEXICO
> The Aztecs lead the all-time series vs. the Lobos, 132-84 dating back to 1960.
> SDSU has won 11 straight against New Mexico and 14 of the last 15 meetings since the 2021 campaign.
> The Lobos are one of five programs the Aztecs have recorded over 100 victories against. The other four are Air Force (121), Fresno State (110), Utah (104) and UNLV (101).
> SDSU boasts a 76-38 record against the Lobos in San Diego, a 46-42 mark on the road and a 10-4 ledger on a neutral field.
> Heading into the final weekend of the 2023 campaign, the Aztecs clinched a shared of the Mountain West regular-season championship with a three-game home sweep of New Mexico at Tony Gwynn Stadium.
> In the series finale, SDSU overcame a 6-1 deficit to prevail by an 8-6 count in eight innings, as Tino Bethancourt's two-run single in the bottom of the seventh provided the winning margin for the Aztecs.
> The Scarlet and Black also received a clutch performance on the mound from Omar Serrano, who held the Lobos scoreless over the final 6 1/3 innings in relief for his first victory of the season.
> Serrano turned in a masterful performance, posting eight strikeouts, his second-highest total of the season, while yielding just one hit and a pair of walks.
> After giving up a leadoff single in the fourth, Serrano retired 10 straight batters until issuing a walk with one out in the top of the seventh.
> For his efforts, the SDSU hurler earned a spot on Collegiate Baseball Newspaper's National Players of the Week list.
> Shaun Montoya has feasted on New Mexico pitching during his career, batting .512 (21-41) in nine games with four triples, three doubles, seven RBIs and 13 runs scored.
> In a three-game road sweep of the Lobos in 2022, Montoya posted a slash line of .714/.733/.929 with 10 hits and seven runs scored, earning MW Freshman of the Week honors.
> In the first two encounters of that series at UNM, Montoya became the first SDSU player to record four hits in consecutive games since Danny Sheehan accomplished the feat at Air Force, May 13-14, 2017.
NEW MEXICO AT A GLANCE
> The Lobos, who were picked to finish in a tie for fifth place in the 2024 Mountain West preseason coaches poll, are one of four teams perched atop the conference standings with a 6-3 record (15-9 overall) heading into the weekend.
> After falling by a 16-13 count in its weekend opener against San José State on March 22, UNM captured the series victory by winning the final two games by scores of 7-5 and 17-4, with the latter contest ending in seven innings courtesy of the run rule.
> With the results, the Lobos move to 11-5 in home games this season but are just 4-4 in road/neutral contests.
> Following its series with San José State, UNM collected two conference awards on March 25, as Jake Holland garnered MW Player of the Week accolades, while Ryan Castillo was named the league's Pitcher/Freshman of the Week.
> Against the Spartans, Holland hit .727 (8-11) for the weekend with four home runs, two doubles and 14 RBIs, while Castillo posted a career-high seven strikeouts in five scoreless innings of the series finale.
> Despite missing seven games, Holland leads the Mountain West with a .413 batting average and nine home runs while sharing the top spot with 11 doubles. In addition, the Lobo catcher is slotted third this week with 29 RBIs and 64 total bases.
> Elsewhere, UNM regulars Tye Wood (.344), Will Asby (.344) and Khalil Walker (.343), Sean Stephens (.338) and Reed Spenrath (.323) also find themselves among the MW top 20 qualifiers in batting average.
> Asby is perched atop the league in slugging percentage (.699) and shares the top spot in RBIs (31) while ranking second in runs scored (29) and third in home runs (7).
> Not to be outdone, Wood leads the MW in on-base percentage (.560) and is tied for fourth with 24 runs scored, while Spenrath shares the top spot with Wood in walks (21) and ranks ninth in slugging percentage (.591).
> As of press time, the Lobos' two known starters for this weekend's series were right-hander Dayne Pengelly (2-1) and left-hander Daxton Purser (0-0), who were projected to pitch on Thursday and Friday, respectively.
> Pengelly has pitched in four games this year with two starts, logging a 9.00 ERA with 16 strikeouts against 12 walks in 13.0 innings.
> Meanwhile, Purser has made four consecutive starts, posting a 4.50 ERA for the season while striking out 16 batters. Against Nevada on March 16, the UNM junior pitched six scoreless innings, offsetting two hits and four walks with a season-high six strikeouts but did not factor in the decision.
> Collectively, the Lobos lead the Mountain West in most offensive categories, including batting average (.332), slugging percentage (.540), on-base percentage (.448), hits (278), runs scored (225), RBIs (209), doubles (64) and home runs (32).
> New Mexico's .448 on-base percentage and 278 rank seventh and 14th in the nation as of March 27, respectively, while its league-leading average of 9.4 runs per game is good for 18th in the country.
> Defensively, the Lobos top the conference as well with 28 double plays, which is tied for third nationally.
> On the flip side, UNM pitchers are slotted third in the conference this week with 184 strikeouts but occupy the basement in team ERA (7.99), opposing batting average (.333) and hits allowed (287).
> Sophomore Luke Mansey was a prep teammate of the Aztecs' Cade Martinez and Trevor Fox at St. Augustine High School in San Diego. The Lobo infielder/outfielder was a senior on the Saints' 2021 squad, while Martinez and Fox were juniors. Mansey originally signed with Santa Clara out of high school but did not play for the Broncos before transferring to Grossmont College for the 2023 campaign.
> Tod Brown is his third season at the helm of the New Mexico program after spending 14 years as head coach at North Dakota State, where he finished his tenure as the second-winningest coach in school history. Prior to his stint with the Bison, Brown served as the pitching coach at Bowling Green from 2000-08 after working in a similar capacity the previous two seasons at Sabino High School in his hometown of Tucson, Arizona. Brown pitched collegiately at Arizona from 1989-94, helping the Wildcats to the Pac-10 championship in 1992. In 1993, he set a school record with 35 appearances, posting six wins and eight saves, as Arizona fell one game short of the College World Series.
SDSU IN MW RANKINGS
> Despite sitting out two games earlier this month, Aztec freshman extraordinaire Colby Turner finds himself among the Mountain West leaders this week, ranking fifth in both batting average (.377) and slugging percentage (.623).
> The Huntington Beach native has also smacked three triples so far this year, which is tied for third in the league and 14th nationally.
> In addition, Shaun Montoya is tied for eighth in the conference with four stolen bases.
> On the mound, Jacob Riordan is slotted third in the MW with a .227 opponent batting average and seventh with 28 strikeouts, ranking ahead of Omar Serrano, who occupies the eighth spot with 27 punchouts.
> Serrano is listed among the league's top 10 in other categories, tying for the seventh position in innings pitched (32.1) while ranking eighth in ERA (4.18) and opposing batting average (.263).
> Elsewhere, Xavier Cardenas III is slotted fifth in opponent batting average (.250) and ninth in innings pitched (31.1).
> Meanwhile, relievers Issac Araiza and Garvey Rumary are tied for the MW lead with 10 appearances, while teammates Chris Canavan, Evan Miranda and Jadon Bercovich share the ninth position with nine games pitched.
> In addition, Miranda is tied for third in the conference with seven games finished, while Bercovich is tied for eighth in that category with five.
> As a team, SDSU pitchers lead the Mountain West in fewest hits allowed (194) and are slotted second in both opponent batting average (.262) and strikeouts (211) while ranking fourth in ERA (6.52).
> The Scarlet and Black also tops the conference with 9.9 strikeouts per innings, which ranks 48th in the nation.
> Offensively, SDSU occupies the fifth position in the MW this week in doubles (42) but ranks seventh in batting average (.249), slugging percentage (.365), on-base percentage (.323), runs scored (106) and RBIs (94).
STREAKING AZTECS
> Shaun Montoya is the lone Aztec to start all 22 games this season, playing exclusively in right field. The SDSU junior has made 27 consecutive starts dating back to last season and has started 72 of the last 74 contests he has appeared in.
> Freshman Finley Bates is the only other Aztec to see action in all 22 games thus far, earning 13 starts at second base and eight 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 boasts the team's longest hitting streak of the year in seven consecutive outings from Feb. 21-March 3. He is currently tied for second on the Aztecs with a .253 batting average, 23 hits and five doubles.
> Tino Bethancourt has reached base in nine consecutive outings and owns the squad's current longest hitting streak at four games. Since March 9, the SDSU junior has raised his batting average from .231 to .288.
> Colby Turner leads the Scarlet and Black with multiple hits in nine games this season and has compiled two or more RBIs in four different contests.
> Additionally, Montoya has seven multi-hit games to his credit this season, followed by Bates, Bethancourt, Evan Sipe and Jake Jackson with four apiece.
NOTHING LIKE HOME COOKIN'
> Despite facing an array of challenging opponents on annual basis, San Diego State is 299-227 (.568) when playing at home since the start of the 2007 campaign.
> 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.
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 Return Home for MW Series vs New Mexico
