Aztecs Set for Rematch vs. UC Irvine on Tuesday

SAN DIEGO – Following a week-long road swing, San Diego State returns home on Tuesday, March 24, when it welcomes UC Irvine for a midweek clash at Tony Gwynn Stadium. First pitch is set for 6 p.m. PT.

Along with live stats, the Aztecs-Anteaters showdown will air live on the Mountain West Network, with links to both platforms available on GoAztecs.com. In addition, fans can catch all the action by downloading the MW app on their TVs or smartphones.

Tuesday’s matchup has been designated as Faculty/Staff Appreciation Day. All SDSU faculty and staff can present their Red ID at the gate for free admission.

The Aztecs (12-13) played two games apiece against Connecticut and San José State, March 20-22, in San Jose, California, splitting a pair of neutral-site encounters against the Huskies with a 6-4 triumph and a 7-5 setback, while suffering two defeats against the host Spartans in extra innings by scores of 3-2 and 9-8.

Jake Jackson led the Scarlet and Black with a slash line of .500/.550/.778 for the weekend, finishing with a team-high nine hits, including a homer, two doubles, three RBIs and four runs scored.

In addition, four of Tyce Peterson’s six hits for the weekend went for extra bases, featuring three doubles and a triple.

SDSU will be looking to avenge a 5-2 loss to UC Irvine in the previous meeting between the two squads on Feb. 18 in Orange County.

The Anteaters (9-14) have dropped eight straight, including a three-game sweep at the hands of No. 17 Oregon State in a non-conference series at home this past weekend.

PROBABLE PITCHING MATCHUP
The Aztecs are expected to start freshman right-hander Jake Frohn (0-2), while the Anteaters are projected to counter with sophomore righty Tyler Foster (0-0).

A native of Huntington Beach, Frohn will be making his first career start after appearing as a reliever in six games for the Scarlet and Black, posting a 2.63 ERA with 10 strikeouts against three walks in 13 2/3 innings.

Frohn logged career highs with four strikeouts and 3 1/3 innings pitched in his last outing at San José State on March 20, as the Spartans claimed a 3-2 victory on a walk-off single in the 11th inning.

Likewise, Foster has earned his first career start for UCI after six relief appearances, logging a 3.29 ERA with nine strikeouts against two walks in 13 2/3 innings.

An alumnus of Carlsbad High School in San Diego County, Foster pitched a career-long four innings in a middle relief stint at Cal State Fullerton on March 14, allowing two runs on five hits with zero walks and three strikeouts.

SERIES RECORD VS. UC IRVINE
Despite dropping seven straight to the Anteaters, the Aztecs maintain a 59-45-1 advantage in the all-time series dating back to 1970.

The two sides have already met once this season in Irvine, where UCI claimed a 5-2 decision on Feb. 18. The Anteaters erased a 1-0 deficit with a four-run outburst in the fourth inning to help key their victory.

Making his first career start in that contest, SDSU pitcher Alec Belardes registered eight strikeouts, including six during an opening stretch when he retired eight of nine batters. However, the Arizona State transfer was tagged with the loss after a rocky fourth when he allowed four runs on four hits and one walk, as UCI held off an Aztec rally in the ninth.

Offensively, SDSU was limited to six hits on the night, including two apiece by Zane Kelly and Jabin Trosky, as both teams utilized five pitchers.

SDSU IN MW RANKINGS
As of March 23, the Aztecs lead the Mountain West in strikeout-to-walk ratio (2.47), WHIP (1.44) and hits allowed per nine innings (8.81), which rank 55th, 74th and 95th in the nation, respectively.

Additionally, SDSU occupies the second spot in the conference in strikeouts per nine innings (10.2), which is slotted 43rd in the country.

Individually, Rohan Lettow tops the league in strikeouts (44), while Drew Talavs (37) ranks fourth in that category, with the Aztec hurlers tying for 36th and 97th in the nation, respectively. Not to be outdone, Alec Belardes (T5th – 32) and Bryce McKnight (9th – 25) also find themselves among the league’s top 10 in strikeouts this week.

In addition, Lettow is slotted second in the league among qualifiers in both ERA (2.97) and innings pitched (33.1) and is tied for second in victories (3) while ranking eighth in opposing batting average (.224).

Elsewhere, Aidan Russell also shares the second spot in both wins (3) and saves (2), while Talavs is tied for sixth in innings pitched (30.1) and ranks 10th in opposing batting average (.241).

At the plate, Jabin Trosky finds himself among the MW leaders in several categories, including hits (3rd, 34), doubles (4th, 9) and runs scored (T6th, 25).

Trosky has been the second-toughest player in the conference to strike out so far this season, fanning once every 14.4 at-bats, which ranks 27th nationally.

Not to be outdone, Tyce Peterson shares the top perch in the league in doubles (12) and is tied for fifth in hits (31) while ranking seventh in slugging percentage (.563). Additionally, Adam Magpoc shares the third spot in both stolen bases (9) and sacrifice flies (3).

Elsewhere, Dawson Santana has been hit by a pitch seven times, which is tied for fourth in the conference, while his 16 walks are tied for seventh.

Collectively, the Aztecs rank third in the MW in doubles (47) and fourth in hits (235) while occupying the sixth position in batting average (.275), slugging percentage (.402), home runs (16) and scoring (5.9runs/game).

STREAKING AZTECS
Tyce Peterson has reached base safely in 15 consecutive games, marking the longest streak by an SDSU player this season. The Aztec third baseman raised his batting average from .293 to .323 in that span, while his on-base percentage has climbed from .370 to .402.

Jabin Trosky tops the squad with multiple hits in 12 games, followed by Peterson and Jake Jackson with 10 apiece.

Trosky has hit safely in 20 of 25 games this season, including the first nine outings before his streak was snapped at Washington on Feb. 28.

Meanwhile, Zach Justice had his 10-game hitting streak halted against Washington State on March 14.

Anthony Marnell IV leads the team with multiple RBIs in six games, followed by Adam Magpoc and Dawson Santana with five each.

The Aztecs are 12-1 this season when leading after eight innings and are 11-2 when outhitting the opposition.

STRIKEOUTS GALORE
Since 2019, the Aztecs are 87-71 in their last 158 games when striking out 10 or more batters, sporting an 8-5 mark this year. SDSU pitchers fanned a season-high 17 batters in a 12-5 romp over LIU on Feb. 14.

In that series against the Sharks, SDSU combined for 46 strikeouts, marking the team’s highest total for a three-game set since posting 47 in a sweep of San Francisco in 2019.

OTHER TRENDS
The Aztecs are 186-77 over the last eight seasons when scoring five or more runs, including a stellar 38-6 record during the 2017 campaign.

San Diego State has emerged victorious in 97 of its last 155 games dating back to 2019 when hitting a home run, including a 9-2 mark this season.

The Aztecs have hit three home runs in two contests already this season vs. LIU (Feb. 14) and at No. 1 UCLA (Feb. 24) after collecting three home runs in a game just once during the 2025 campaign vs. Fresno State (April 12, 2025).

ANTEATERS AT A GLANCE
UC Irvine has been mired in an eight-game losing streak, slipping to 9-14 on the season and 1-5 in the Big West Conference. The Anteaters are 4-8 at home, 3-5 on the road and 2-1 on a neutral diamond.

The Anteaters have been paced by the trio of shortstop Zach Fjelstad (.330), first baseman Alonso Reyes (.308) and outfielder Tommy Farmer (.263), who have started all 23 games thus far.

Fjelstad is tied for third in the Big West with 10 doubles and shares the fifth spot with 31 hits, while Reyes is slotted 11th with a .456 on-base percentage and is tied for 13th with 16 RBIs.

Additionally, Harper is tied for seventh in the league with six stolen bases.

As a team, UCI finds itself in the lower half of the Big West in several categories, including on-base percentage (8th, .344), hits (9th, 166), batting average (11th, .226), slugging percentage (11th, .293) and scoring (11th, 4.1 runs/game).

Anteater pitchers have fared better in the conference statistical rankings, occupying the fourth spot in strikeouts (197) and the fifth position in ERA  (4.91) to go with an eighth-place standing in opponent batting average (.263).

UP NEXT
After Tuesday’s showdown, San Diego State hits the road for four games, including a Mountain West series at Grand Canyon, March 27-29, followed by a single encounter at Arizona State on March 30.