SAN DIEGO – San Diego State will make the short trip up the freeway on Tuesday, April 16 for a rematch against Long Beach State at Blair Field in Long Beach, California. Game time is set for 6 p.m. PT, and the contest will air live via subscription basis on ESPN+.
The Aztecs (11-23) will be looking to avenge a 6-3 loss to the Dirtbags (18-14-1) at Tony Gwynn Stadium on April 9. SDSU pitchers combined for 10 strikeouts in that contest but were plagued by 10 walks, including four in the fifth inning when LBSU plated two runs without a hit to build a 4-0 advantage it would not relinquish.
After rebounding with a big 18-8 victory at UC San Diego the following night, the Aztecs dropped two of three games to UNLV in a Mountain West series at home, April 12-14, sandwiching a 7-5 triumph between a 9-2 setback and a 14-5 defeat.
In five games last week, Shaun Montoya led the team in batting average (.550), on-base percentage (.609) and hits (11) while tying for the top spot in runs scored (6).
After replacing an injured Colby Turner vs. UCSD, Brady Lavoie hit .467 (7-15) across four games, belting three homers with nine RBIs and four runs scored.
Lavoie, who launched two homers with four RBIs against the Tritons, propelled the Aztecs to victory over UNLV last Saturday after posting a career-high five RBIs. The Aztec junior went yard for a three-run homer to go with a pair of RBI doubles.
Not to be outdone, Jacob McCombs garnered Mountain West Freshman of the Week accolades after hitting .467 for the week, matching his career high with three hits apiece at UCSD and vs. UNLV in the series finale.
Van Larson (1-0, 0.66 ERA, 13.2 IP), who earned the victory at SDSU on April 9, is expected to get the call for the Dirtbags once again on Tuesday, while the Aztecs are expected to open with another left-hander in Chris Canavan (0-2, 8.50 ERA, 18.0 IP).
SDSU IN MW RANKINGS
Entering the week, SDSU pitchers lead the Mountain West in strikeouts (329) and opposing batting average (.261) while ranking second in fewest hits allowed (305) and sixth in ERA (7.05).
The Scarlet and Black also tops the conference with 9.7 strikeouts 9.03 hits allowed and per nine innings, which rank 48th and 71st in the nation, respectively.
Individually, reliever Garvey Rumary is tied for the MW lead with 15 appearances, just ahead of teammates Jadon Bercovich, Chris Canavan and Evan Miranda, who share the fifth position with 14 games pitched.
Additionally, Miranda is tied for third in the conference with 11 games finished, while Jadon Bercovich is tied for eighth in that category with six.
Offensively, SDSU is slotted fourth in the MW this week in hits (325) but ranks sixth in batting average (.268).
Despite missing the last four games, Colby Turner still ranks third in the Mountain West with a .378 batting average while occupying the ninth spot with a .622 slugging percentage.
In addition, the Aztec freshman also shares the top spot in the conference with four triples, which is tied for 14th in the nation as of April 15.
Elsewhere, Shaun Montoya is tied for sixth in the MW with 48 hits and seven stolen bases.
STREAKING AZTECS
Shaun Montoya is the lone Aztec to start all 35 games this season, playing exclusively in right field. The SDSU junior has made 40 consecutive starts dating back to last season and has started 85 of the last 87 contests he has appeared in.
Since March 22, Montoya has hit .470 (31-66) with three doubles, two triples and 19 runs scored, raising his batting average from .215 to .331.
Additionally, Montoya leads the team with multiple hits in 16 games, followed by Finley Bates and Colby Turner, who have accomplished the feat in 12 different contests. Turner also tops the squad with two or more RBIs in seven different games, followed by Brady Lavoie (5), Irvin Weems (4), Jake Jackson (4).
Weems has reached base safely in 13 straight games, totaling two homers, 12 RBIs and nine runs scored while drawing 11 walks. The Las Vegas, Nevada, native tied his career high with four RBIs vs. New Mexico (March 29) and at Cal Poly (April 3).
Elsewhere, freshman Finley Bates has seen action in 34 games thus far, earning 18 starts at shortstop and 15 at second 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 shares the team lead with 10 doubles and is tied for second with 42 hits while occupying the third spot in batting average (.292), slugging percentage (.424) and runs scored (20). He is also slotted second on the squad in total bases (61) and is tied for fourth in home runs (3).
Over his past 12 games, Bates has hit .346 with two homers, five doubles and 11 runs scored.
Meanwhile, Tino Bethancourt has reached base safely in nine straight games, highlighted by a season-best five-RBI performance at UC San Diego on April 10, when he launched a grand slam in the Scarlet and Black's 18-8 romp.
SERIES RECORD VS LONG BEACH STATE
The Aztecs lead the all-time series vs. the Dirtbags 89-56-1, including a 41-20 mark in Long Beach. Additionally, SDSU sports a 47-26-1 ledger against LBSU in San Diego and is 1-0 on a neutral field after logging a 5-1 triumph in 2018 at the Lake Elsinore Diamond.
The Aztecs earned a 4-3 victory in their last visit to Blair Field in 2022, erasing a 2-1 deficit with three runs in the top of the sixth to hold on for the win.
LONG BEACH STATE AT A GLANCE
The Dirtbags (18-14-1) find themselves in a tie for seventh in the Big West standings with a 5-10 mark after salvaging a 10-7 victory in their series finale at CSUN following back-to-back losses by scores of 8-7 and 10-4.
With those results, Long Beach State maintains a 13-4-1 record at home this season but is just 5-10 on the road. The Dirtbags were deadlocked at 3-3 after 17 innings in their series finale against Washington on Feb. 18, which counted as a tie score.
Entering the week, LBSU pitchers lead the Big West in ERA (3.49), opponent batting average (.219), strikeouts (323) and fewest hits allowed (257).
On the basepaths, the Dirtbags also top the conference with 62 stolen bases, which ranks 38th nationally as of April 15. However, LBSU occupies the basement of the conference with a .235 batting average while ranking eighth in RBIs (156), ninth in slugging percentage (.366) and 10th in runs scored (169) and on-base percentage (.329).
Connor Charpiot, who has missed the last seven games, leads the Dirtbags in hitting (.355) and on-base percentage (.440) while occupying the second spot in hits (33) behind fellow outfielder Kyle Ashworth (37). Ashworth (.306) shares the ninth spot in the league in stolen bases (9) and is tied for 15th in runs scored (27).
Elsewhere, catcher John Newman, Jr. is slotted third in the Big West with three other players in stolen bases (11) and is tied for seventh in home runs (5) while ranking 18th in slugging percentage (.505).
Additionally, shortstop Adrian Lopez is tied for fifth in the conference in home runs (6) and shares the 18th spot in RBIs (23).
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.
UP NEXT
Following Tuesday's clash, San Diego State will battle another Big West opponent, No. 15/17 UC Irvine, in a three-game series, April 19-21. Friday's series opener and Sunday's finale will be contested at Anteater Ballpark in Irvine, California, while Saturday's encounter will be held at Tony Gwynn Stadium on the SDSU campus.
Aztecs Prep for Rematch at Long Beach State
