Aztecs Return Home to Face UC Riverside on Tuesday

SAN DIEGO – San Diego State opens a week-long homestand, starting Tuesday, March 25, when it plays host to UC Riverside at Tony Gwynn Stadium. Game time is scheduled for 6 p.m. PT.

Both teams will be looking to reverse extended losing streaks entering their midweek clash.

The Aztecs (6-18, 2-4 MW) have dropped five straight, including three games in Mountain West play at Washington State, March 21-23, while the Highlanders (10-14, 2-7 Big West) have been dealt eight consecutive defeats, including three at home against Big West rival Cal State Fullerton last weekend as well.

San Diego State is 2-2 in Tuesday games this season, winning at UCSD (Feb. 18) and defeating USD (Feb. 25), before falling at Cal State Fullerton (March 4) and California Baptist (March 18).

Overall, the Aztecs are 4-8 at home and 2-10 in road/neutral games.

PROBABLE PITCHING MATCHUP
San Diego State is projected to start right-hander Aidan Russell (0-0), while UC Riverside is expected to counter with another righty in Joshua Torres (0-2).

Russell will be making his first appearance of the season and second career start after tying for fourth on the team last year with 20 games pitched. The Vacaville, California, native posted a 1-2 record with a 6.75 ERA during the 2024 campaign when he ranked fifth on the team with a career-high 39 strikeouts.

Russell recorded a 3.38 ERA with 18 strikeouts against six walks over his final eight games last season, fanning at least one batter in consecutive outings during that stretch. He received his first starting assignment at CSUN, matching his collegiate bests with six strikeouts and four innings pitched but did not factor in the decision despite holding the Matadors scoreless in his stint.

Meanwhile, Torres will be making his third start of the season and ninth appearance overall, logging an 0-2 record with a 9.53 ERA and 16 strikeouts in 17.0 innings.

The San Bernardino, California, product last pitched against CSU Fullerton on Friday, retiring both batters he faced to close out the fifth inning.

SDSU IN MW RANKINGS
As of March 24, Aztec pitchers lead the Mountain West in innings pitched (208.1) while ranking second in strikeouts (208), fifth in opposing batting average (.307) and sixth in ERA (7.52).

Offensively, SDSU is tied for the conference lead with 10 triples and ranks fourth with 43 doubles. In addition, the Scarlet and Black is slotted sixth in hits (213) while occupying the seventh spot in batting average (.264), runs scored (132) and RBIs (119).

Individually, Chris Canavan is tied for the MW lead with 13 games pitched, while Evan Miranda is slotted third with 12 appearances, followed by Issac Araiza and Peyton Rodgers with 10 apiece. Additionally, Rodgers is tied for fifth in the conference with two saves.

Elsewhere, Marko Sipila leads the league in innings pitched (33.2) and shares the sixth spot in strikeouts (30), while Omar Serrano ranks eighth with 29 punchouts of his own.

Garvey Rumary also finds himself among the MW leaders, tying for seventh in fewest hits allowed (27).

At the plate, the Aztecs have been paced by freshman CJ Moran, who still ranks eighth in the league with a .456 on-base percentage and ninth with a .365 batting average despite sitting out the last three games.

Nevan Noonan also shares the top spot in the league with 10 doubles, while Moran is tied for seventh with eight two-baggers.

In addition, Evan Sipe (6) and Drew Rutter (5) own the top two places in the MW in sacrifice hits. Rutter also shares the second spot with three triples, alongside teammates Zane Kelly and Jake Jackson.

Jackson tied a program record with two triples against Seton Hall on Feb. 14, becoming the first SDSU player to accomplish the feat since James Guerrero against New Mexico on April 9, 2005.

AZTEC NOTEBOOK
Despite missing the Washington State series, CJ Moran still owns the team’s longest current hitting streak at nine games and is tied for the No. 1 spot on the squad with multiple hits on eight occasions alongside Nevan Noonan. Additionally, Moran shares the top perch with Finley Bates, posting two or more RBIs in five starts.

During his nine-game hitting streak, Moran is batting .500 (16-for-32) with three doubles, seven RBIs and nine runs scored, raising his season average from .262 to .365.

Noonan and Daniel Arambula have started all 24 games for the Scarlet and Black this season.

Arambula is lone SDSU player to start every contest at one position (third base), while Bates (leadoff) leads the team with 22 games played in the same spot in the batting order.

The Aztecs are 6-2 this season when leading after six innings and 5-1 when outhitting the opposition.

San Diego State has emerged victorious in 82 of its last 128 games dating back to 2019 when hitting a home run, including a 4-2 mark this year, a 14-13 ledger during the 2024 campaign and a 14-12 record in 2023.

Since 2019, the Aztecs are 76-62 in their last 138 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 173-65 over the last seven-plus seasons when scoring five or more runs, including a stellar 38-6 record during the 2017 campaign.

Against Nebraska on Feb. 16, the Aztecs employed 21 players on the night, including five true freshmen who were making their first career appearances (Evan Escobar, Cody Liscio, Dillon Marrisett, Alito McBean, Hank Tripaldi). Tripaldi singled in his first collegiate at-bat with a grounder through the right side in the eighth.

In all, 16 of SDSU’s 17 true freshmen have seen action this season.

Escobar has started four games at shortstop, while Tripaldi made his first collegiate start in Saturday's game at Washington State.  Previously, McBean earned his first career start on the mound in the Aztecs’ home opener against Seattle.

SERIES RECORD VS. UC RIVERSIDE
San Diego State owns a 43-29-2 all-time record against the Highlanders in a series that was launched in 1968.

The teams split two encounters during the 2024 campaign, with the Aztecs posting a thrilling 5-4 walk-off win at Tony Gwynn Stadium to avenge an earlier 13-9 setback in Riverside.

Tino Bethancourt was the hero in that victory, lacing an RBI single through the left side with two outs in the bottom of the ninth. The Scarlet and Black also received a measure of redemption after surrendering two runs on passed balls with two outs earlier in the contest.

SDSU will travel to UC Riverside for the rematch on Tuesday, April 29.

HIGHLANDERS AT A GLANCE
UC Riverside has lost eight straight, including a three-game series at home vs. Cal State Fullerton, March 21-23, by scores of 12-1, 18-3 and 10-5. With the results, the Highlanders slipped into a tie for ninth place in the Big West with a 2-7 mark in conference play.

UCR has faced one other Mountain West school this season, dropping a 10-4 decision at UNLV on March 11. The Highlanders are 6-9 at home on the year and 4-5 in road games.

Individually, UC Riverside been paced by outfielder Robert Pitts, a transfer from Cypress College, who leads the team with a .343 batting average and 13 stolen bases, the latter of which tops the Big West. The UCR junior is also tied for fifth in the conference with nine doubles.

In addition, fellow outfielder Jayden Lopez (.313) and infielder Tyler Gordon (.306) are hitting over .300 thus far, while former Aztecs Manoah Chapman and David Whittle top the squad with 14 RBIs along with infielder Griffin Harrison. Chapman has started all 24 games at second base, while Whittle has made 18 appearances overall, including nine starts at catcher, two in right field and one in left.

Collectively, the Highlanders are slotted third in the Big West with 30 stolen bases but rank eighth in batting average (.260), ninth in slugging percentage (.357) and 10th in both on-base percentage (.352) and runs scored (112).

As a staff, UCR pitchers occupy the fourth spot in the league with 196 strikeouts but rank 10th in team ERA (7.28) and last in opponent batting average (.303).

Relievers Joshua Martinez (1-0, 5.32 ERA) and Nolan Milliman (2-0, 5.40 ERA) lead the Highlanders with 11 appearances, followed by Matt Hudson (2-0, 2.50 ERA), who has pitched in 10 games and tops the squad with three saves.

AZTECS IN MLB DRAFT
Since 1965, San Diego State has had 227 student-athletes chosen in the MLB First-Year Player Draft, including 31 selections since 2015.

Former Aztec center fielder Cole Carrigg was taken by the Colorado Rockies as a catcher in the Competitive Balance "B" Round with the 65th overall pick of the 2023 MLB First-Year Player Draft; pitcher TJ Fondtain was selected by the Tampa Bay Rays in the 14th round (423rd overall), while fellow hurler Kelena Sauer went to the Toronto Blue Jays shortly thereafter in the 15th round (454th overall).

With its selections, SDSU has had multiple players picked in six of the last eight years and nine of the last 12.

In 2022, former Aztec right-hander Troy Melton was chosen by the Detroit Tigers in the fourth round with the 117th selection overall.

The previous year, in 2021, SDSU had five individuals drafted by MLB organizations: Mike Jarvis and Wyatt Hendrie (Pirates), Matt Rudick (Mets), Jaden Fein (Nationals) and Michael Paredes (Twins).

LOCAL HEROES
San Diego State sports eight players on its current roster who are alumni of San Diego County high schools, including Xavier Farnum (Christian), Trevor Fox (St. Augustine); Jake Jackson (Madison); Nevan Noonan (Francis Parker); Peyton Rodgers (Torrey Pines); Eli Selga (Cathedral Catholic); Connor Shaw (Westview); and Evan Sipe (San Marcos).

UP NEXT
Following Tuesday’s clash, San Diego State resumes its Mountain West schedule this weekend when it battles UNLV in a three-game series, March 28-30, at Tony Gwynn Stadium.