SAN DIEGO – Following a lengthy road trip up the California coast, San Diego State continues its busy stretch with a pair of midweek non-conference games, playing host to Long Beach State on Tuesday, April 9 at Tony Gwynn Stadium before heading across town to battle UC San Diego on Wednesday, April 10 at Triton Ballpark in La Jolla. Both games are slated for a 6 p.m. PT start.
Live stats will be available for both contests, while Tuesday's clash with the Dirtbags will air live on the Mountain West Network. In addition, Wednesday's showdown at UC San Diego will be broadcast via subscription basis on ESPN+.
The Scarlet and Black will also hold a special Greek Night promotion for the Long Beach State game, with a prize pack courtesy of Aztec Athletics presented to the most attended SDSU fraternity/sorority house.
After splitting a two-game set at Cal Poly, the Aztecs (9-21, 4-11 MW) came up empty against Mountain West rival San José State in a weekend series that was contested at Stephen Schott Stadium on the Santa Clara University campus.
Third baseman Colby Turner was one of the few bright spots for SDSU, earning his fifth MW Freshman of the Week award this season after posting a slash line of .375/.429/.632 with two doubles, one triple and six RBIs in five games vs. the Mustangs and Spartans.
In addition, shortstop and fellow freshman Finley Bates tied Turner for the team lead in batting average (.375) and total bases (10) last week while topping the squad in hits (9) and runs scored (6).
Not to be outdone, outfielder Shaun Montoya slashed .368/.478/.526 on the road trip with one double, one triple, five runs scored and a pair of stolen bases.
At press time, San Diego State's starting pitchers were not determined for Tuesday's and Wednesday's matchups.
SDSU IN MW RANKINGS
Entering the week, Colby Turner leads the Mountain West with a .377 batting average and ranks fifth with a .632 slugging percentage while tying for seventh with 40 hits and 28 RBIs.
The Aztec freshman also shares the top spot in the conference with four triples, which is tied for ninth in the nation as of April 8.
In addition, Shaun Montoya is slotted sixth in the conference with six stolen bases.
As a team, SDSU pitchers lead the Mountain West in fewest hits allowed (252) and occupy the second spot in both opponent batting average (.255) and strikeouts (275) while ranking sixth in ERA (6.92).
The Scarlet and Black also tops the conference with 8.48 hits allowed and 9.6 strikeouts per nine innings, which rank 44th and 62nd in the nation, respectively.
Individually, reliever Garvey Rumary is tied for the MW lead with 13 appearances, just ahead of teammates Issac Araiza, Chris Canavan and Evan Miranda, who share the fourth position with 12 games pitched.
Additionally, Miranda is tied for second in the conference with nine games finished, while Jadon Bercovich is tied for ninth in that category with five.
Offensively, SDSU is slotted fourth in the MW this week in doubles (62) but ranks sixth in batting average (.260), hits (271) and slugging percentage (.381) while occupying the seventh spot in on-base percentage (.334), runs scored (150) and RBIs (133).
STREAKING AZTECS
Shaun Montoya is the lone Aztec to start all 30 games this season, playing exclusively in right field. The SDSU junior has made 35 consecutive starts dating back to last season and has started 80 of the last 82 contests he has appeared in.
Montoya has reached base safely in 11 straight games. Since March 22, the Rancho Cucamonga native has hit .435 (20-46) with two doubles, two triples and 13 runs scored, raising his batting average from .215 to .296.
Additionally, Montoya and Colby Turner share the team lead with multiple hits in 12 games. Turner also tops the squad with two or more RBIs in seven different contests, followed by Irvin Weems with four.
Weems has reached base safely in nine straight games, batting .321 (9-28) with two homers, 12 RBIs and seven runs scored. The Las Vegas, Nevada, native tied his career high with four RBIs vs. New Mexico (March 29) and at Cal Poly (April 3).
Freshman Finley Bates is the only other Aztec to see action in all 30 games thus far, earning 15 starts at second base and 14 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 leads the team with nine doubles and ranks second with a .302 batting average, 38 hits and 50 total bases. He owns the Aztecs' current longest hitting streak at eight games, batting .410 (16-39) with four doubles and eight runs scored in that stretch.
SERIES RECORD VS LONG BEACH STATE
The Aztecs lead the all-time series vs. the Dirtbags 89-55-1, including a 47-25-1 mark in San Diego. Additionally, SDSU sports a 41-30 ledger against LBSU in Long Beach and is 1-0 on a neutral field after logging a 5-1 triumph in 2018 at the Lake Elsinore Diamond.
The Aztecs swept both meetings against the Dirtbags in 2022, posting a 5-1 victory at Tony Gwynn Stadium, before claiming a 4-3 nail-biter in Long Beach.
In that first encounter, Chris Canada emerged triumphant in his inaugural start for SDSU, logging seven strikeouts in five innings. Meanwhile in the rematch, the Scarlet and Black erased a 2-1 deficit with three runs in the top of the sixth and held on for the win.
Following Tuesday's clash, the Aztecs will head up the freeway for a return engagement with Dirtbags on Tuesday, April 16 at Blair Field in Long Beach.
LONG BEACH STATE AT A GLANCE
The Dirtbags (16-12-1) find themselves in a three-way tie for seventh place in the Big West with a 5-7 mark after dropping two of three games against UC San Diego at home this past weekend, sandwiching a 10-1 romp between a 5-1 defeat and a 6-3 setback.
Despite those results, Long Beach State is 13-4-1 at home this season and just 3-8 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 (3.34), opponent batting average (.215), strikeouts (295) and fewest hits allowed (211).
On the basepaths, the Dirtbags also top the conference with 56 stolen bases, which is tied for 41st nationally as of April 8. However, LBSU occupies the basement of the conference with a .227 batting average and a .320 on-base percentage while ranking 10th in runs scored (142), RBIs (130) and slugging percentage (.356).
Connor Charpiot leads the Dirtbags in hitting (.355) and on-base percentage (.440) while sharing the top spot in hits (33) with fellow outfielder Kyle Ashworth (.320). Ashworth is tied for 12th in the league runs scored and ranks 20th with a .438 slugging percentage.
Elsewhere, shortstop Adrian Lopez shares the third spot in the Big West with six home runs and is tied for 15th with 22 RBIs, while catcher John Newman, Jr. is slotted second with three other players in stolen bases (10). Newman has also hit five homers on the year, which is tied for sixth in the conference.
SERIES RECORD VS. UC SAN DIEGO
Despite dropping three of four games to the Tritons last season, San Diego State still leads the all-time series vs. UCSD 25-10 dating back to 1971.
The Aztecs split two home encounters against the Tritons in 2023, posting a 5-2 victory on April 11, before falling in 10 innings by a 5-3 score on May 16.
Xavier Gonzalez (.250) and Irvin Weems (.231) are the lone SDSU returners to play in all four games against UCSD last season, finishing with three hits and three RBIs apiece.
In the Aztecs aforementioned win over the Tritons, Gonzalez lifted a sacrifice fly to spark a three-run rally in the eighth inning, while Weems followed with an RBI single and eventually scored to give the Scarlet and Black a 5-2 lead it would not relinquish.
UC SAN DIEGO AT A GLANCE
UCSD (21-8) has won five of its last seven after capturing a series victory on the road against Long Beach State last weekend, April 5-7. The Tritons sandwiched a 5-1 triumph and a 6-3 win around a 10-1 defeat.
With the results, UCSD climbed into third place in the Big West standings with an 8-4 mark behind UC Irvine (10-2) and Cal Poly (9-3).
Prior to Wednesday's game, the Tritons will play host to USD in another crosstown battle on Tuesday, April 9. UCSD lost a tight 8-7 ballgame against the Toreros in 10 innings at USD's Fowler Park on Feb. 21. The Tritons have faced two additional Mountain West opponents this season, sweeping San José State in a three-game home series to open the campaign before edging Nevada 7-6 in a midweek clash on March 11.
UCSD has compiled an 18-3 home record this season and a 3-5 ledger on the road.
The Aztecs and Tritons will square off in a rematch at Tony Gwynn Stadium on Tuesday, May 14.
Entering the week, UCSD pitchers rank second in the Big West in ERA (3.40), opponent batting average (.228) and strikeouts (281) while occupying the third spot in fewest hits allowed (220).
Offensively, the Tritons are batting a collective .278 for the season, which is just seventh in the league. However, UCSD is slotted third in the Big West with 26 home runs while ranking fourth in slugging percentage (.425), fifth in RBIs (183) and stolen bases (35) and sixth in on-base percentage (.384).
Individually, freshman outfielder Michael Crossland leads the Tritons with a .327 batting average, 35 hits, 28 runs scored and 10 stolen bases, the latter of which is tied for second in the conference.
In addition, junior outfielder Nick Costello finds himself among the Big West leaders, sharing the second spot in walks (26) and the third position in home runs (6) while ranking ninth in on-base percentage (.479) and 12th in OPS (.967).
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 this week's two non-conference engagements, San Diego State returns to Mountain West play with a three-game series against UNLV, April 12-14, at Tony Gwynn Stadium. All three contests will air live on the Mountain West Network.
Aztecs Set for Two Midweek Games
