Aztecs Prep for Road Series at Saint Mary's

SAN DIEGO – San Diego State returns to action this weekend when it travels to the Bay Area for a three-game non-conference series with Saint Mary’s, Feb. 28-March 2, at Louis Guisto Field in Moraga, California.

Friday’s clash is slated to begin at 2 p.m. PT, while the final two encounters on Saturday and Sunday are set for a 1 p.m. start.

In addition to live stats, all three contests will be broadcast live on ESPN+ on a subscription basis.

The Aztecs (4-5) are coming off a 10-4 victory over San Diego on Tuesday in a crosstown battle at Tony Gwynn Stadium, while the Gaels emerged triumphant against another Mountain West school with an 11-3 decision at home over Fresno State.

PROBABLE PITCHING MATCHUPS
Friday, Feb. 28, Omar Serrano RHP (0-1) vs. Derik Eaquinto LHP (0-1)

Saturday, March 1, Xavier Cardenas III RHP (0-1) vs. Donovan Chriss RHP (1-0)

Sunday, March 2, Marko Sipila (0-1) vs. TBA

For the third straight weekend, San Diego State is projected to utilize the starting rotation of right-handers Omar Serrano, Xavier Cardenas III and Marko Sipila, while Saint Mary’s is expected to counter with lefty Derik Eaquinto, right-hander Donovan Chriss and a pitcher to be determined for the series finale.

SDSU IN MW RANKINGS
As of Feb. 27, San Diego State is slotted second in the Mountain West in hits (88), runs scored (55), RBIs (49) and total bases (126), while ranking third in batting average (.275), on-base percentage (.375), and slugging percentage (.394).

As a staff, Aztec pitchers top the conference in innings pitched (83.0) while occupying the second spot in strikeouts (89) and the third position in both ERA (5.96) and opposing batting average (.268).

Despite sitting out the past two games, sophomore outfielder Zane Kelly leads the MW in batting average (.500) and on-base percentage (.586) while ranking second in slugging percentage (.792), third in total bases (19) and fourth in hits (12). In the season opener vs. Seton Hall, the Las Vegas native set career highs with four hits and four runs scored.

In addition, Finley Bates is slotted third in the league with 10 runs scored, while Drew Rutter shares the fourth position with eight runs of his own and is tied for 10th with a .444 on-base percentage.

Elsewhere, Daniel Arambula and Jonathan Smith are tied for third in the conference this week with six walks apiece, while Nevan Noonan shares the seventh spot in the conference this week with 11 hits.

Outfielder Jake Jackson tied a program record with two triples vs. Seton Hall on Feb. 14, becoming the first SDSU player to accomplish the feat since James Guerrero against New Mexico on April 9, 2005. Jackson also ripped a three-bagger at UCSD last week and now leads the MW in that category.

On the mound, Peyton Rodgers is tied atop the Mountain West leaderboard with two saves after preserving Aztec victories over Seton Hall and UC San Diego. The SDSU freshman also ranks third in the conference with a .184 opponent batting average and occupies the fourth spot with a 1.93 ERA.

In addition, Issac Araiza tops the league with six pitching appearances and is tied for fourth with 12 strikeouts.

AZTEC NOTEBOOK
Zane Kelly has reached base safely in all seven games he’s played, followed by Jake Jackson with six.

Nevan Noonan tops the squad with multiple hits in four games thus far, while Drew Rutter and Daniel Arambula have accomplished the feat on two occasions.

Similarly, CJ Moran leads the team with multiple RBIs in three games this season, followed by Finley Bates with two.

San Diego State has emerged victorious in 80 of its last 125 games dating back to 2019 when launching one out of the park, including a 14-13 mark during the 2024 campaign and a 14-12 ledger in 2023.

Since 2019, the Aztecs are 75-58 in their last 133 games when striking out 10 or more batters. SDSU pitchers fanned 17 hitters in its season opener against Seton Hall at the MLB Desert Invitational.

The Aztecs are 171-60 over the last seven-plus seasons when scoring five or more runs, including a stellar 38-6 record during the 2017 campaign.

SERIES RECORD VS. SAINT MARY’S
In a series that was launched in 1938, the Aztecs and Gaels have met just 16 times, with the Scarlet and Black owning a 7-9 record.

SDSU has logged a 5-6 mark against Saint Mary’s in San Diego and a 2-3 ledger on the road.

The teams last met in a weekend series at Tony Gwynn Stadium in May 2015, with the Aztecs dropping two of three games. After posting a big 20-6 victory in the opener, SDSU was edged in the final two encounters by scores of 4-3 and 5-3.

GAELS AT A GLANCE
Saint Mary’s opened the 2025 campaign with a 4-1 record after winning three of four games at home against Saint Louis followed by a 5-1 upset at No. 21 UC Santa Barbara on Feb. 18.

However, the Gaels suffered a reversal of fortune thanks to a three-game sweep at then-No. 15 Vanderbilt, Feb. 21-23, before rebounding with an 11-3 home victory over Fresno State.

Along with the Aztecs and Bulldogs, Saint Mary’s will also face three additional Mountain West schools this year in Nevada, San José State and UNLV.

In 2024, the Gaels finished third in the West Coast Conference with a 16-8 record against league opponents and a 34-22 mark overall. Last season concluded for Saint Mary’s with consecutive losses to Portland and Gonzaga in the WCC Tournament.

Prior to the 2025 campaign the Gaels were once again pegged for a third-place finish in the WCC preseason coaches poll, while outfielder Brian Duroff, infielder Ryan Pierce and pitcher Derik Eaquinto earned preseason all-conference honors.

Eaquinto is projected to start Friday’s game vs. the Aztecs after allowing six runs on six hits and three walks in 3 2/3 innings at Vanderbilt on Feb. 21. Last season, the SMC right-hander posted a 6-2 record with a 3.46 ERA and 75 strikeouts in 83 1/3 innings to garner first-team all-WCC accolades.

Donovan Chriss, who is Saturday’s scheduled starter against SDSU, is in his first season with the Gaels after transferring from UC San Diego, where he went 2-3 with a 7.01 ERA and 30 strikeouts in 43 2/3 innings across two seasons, featuring five starts. Chriss faced the Aztecs last year in SDSU’s big 18-8 victory at Triton Ballpark on April 10, 2024, when he gave up one run on three hits in two innings.

Chriss was the winning pitcher for the Gaels on Feb. 14 when he yielded one run on two hits and two walks with a career-high seven strikeouts. He is currently tied for fourth in the WCC with 10.0 innings pitched and ranks eighth with a .216 opponent batting average.

Heading into the weekend, outfielder Diego Castellanos finds himself among the WCC leaders in several categories, ranking third in batting average (.444), fifth in slugging percentage (.667), sixth in hits (12), seventh in OPS (1.167) and ninth in doubles (3).

Additionally, catcher/outfielder Eddie Madigral (.295) is listed among the conference’s top 10, sharing the lead with three home runs while ranking second in RBIs (13), third in slugging percentage (.724), fourth in OPS (1.167) and ninth in hits (11).

Collectively, the Gaels occupy the second spot in the WCC in batting average (.297), hits (82), runs scored (72), RBIs (62), on-base percentage (.397) and slugging percentage (. 457). In addition, SMC is slotted third in doubles (23 and home runs (9).

As a staff, Gael pitchers are listed third in the conference with a .258 opponent batting average and rank fifth with a 6.26 ERA and 69 strikeouts.

Saint Mary’s is under the direction of Eric Valenzuela, who enters the second year of his second stint with the program and eighth overall after spending the previous four seasons as head coach at Long Beach State.

Prior to his first tour of duty with the Gaels from 2014-19, Valenzuela worked under the late Tony Gwynn at San Diego State, serving four seasons as the Aztecs' pitching coach and recruiting coordinator from 2010-13. While at SDSU, Valenzuela was a member of an Aztec staff that helped the Scarlet and Black capture the 2013 Mountain West tournament championship. 

UP NEXT
Following its northern California adventure, San Diego State continues its road swing in Orange County on Tuesday, March 4, when it battles Cal State Fullerton in a midweek clash, starting at 6 p.m. PT.