HITTER OF THE WEEK ? San Jose State outfielder Chris Balatico, a senior from Ewa Beach, Hawaii (Hartnell College), hit .643 (9-14) in helping the Spartans to win two of three games against Nevada last week. He had three hits in each game and drove in a total of six runs while scoring four. In Friday’s 6-2 win, he had a career-high three RBI. Balatico hit his fourth triple of the season on Saturday and scored three runs. He had two doubles over the weekend to give him a slugging percentage of .929 and was also walked twice. It is Balatico’s first career WAC Hitter of the Week award and the third for a Spartan player this year.
PITCHER OF THE WEEK ? Nevada right-handed pitcher Kyle Howe, a junior from Poulsbo, Wash. (Columbia Basin CC), earned both wins that Nevada had over the week. Last Monday, he pitched eight innings allowing just two runs, six hits and one walk while striking out nine in Nevada’s 7-2 win at Hawai?i. On Sunday, he recorded his fourth win of the season by throwing five innings and allowing three runs in an 11-6 win at San Jose State. It is Howe’s first career WAC Pitcher of the Week award and the fourth for a Wolf Pack pitcher this year.
Other hitters nominated:
Jon Hee, Jr., 2B, Hawai?i - batted .417 (5-12) in three games last week. He scored four runs, was walked once and hit four doubles.
Dennis Winn, Sr., INF, Louisiana Tech - was 4-for-8 in a split of two games at Louisiana-Monroe. He had one RBI and scored twice.
Konrad Schmidt, Sr., C, Nevada - hit .471 (8-17) in four games with five RBI and five runs scored. He hit three doubles and a home run and had multiple hits in three of the four contests.
Other pitchers nominated:
Mark Rodrigues, Sr., Hawai?i - was 1-1 in two starts. He left the Nevada game with the score tied 2-2 in the seventh but had two more runs charged against him. He then pitched five innings and allowed just two hits in picking up a win over Fresno State on Sunday.
Luke Burnett, So., Louisiana Tech - struck out seven batters in just four innings of work while allowing just two hits, one unearned run and three walks in the Bulldogs’ 4-3 win at Louisiana-Monroe on Friday.
Steven Vidal, Sr., San Jose State - pitched six innings, allowing just two runs, seven hits and two walks in San Jose State’s 6-2 win over Nevada on Friday.
FRESNO STATE WINS SECOND STRAIGHT REGULAR SEASON TITLE ? Fresno State won its second straight WAC regular season title last week and will be the top seed in this week’s WAC Baseball Tournament. The Bulldogs were 17-7 in WAC play, two games better than second place Nevada. The Wolf Pack finish was their best since coming in second during the 2003 season. It is the sixth regular season conference or divisional title for Fresno State since joining the WAC in 1993.
NEVADA HOSTS 2007 TOURNAMENT ? The 2007 WAC Baseball Tournament begins Thursday, May 24 at Peccole Park in Reno, Nevada. Nevada is the host and number two seed in the six-team double-elimination tournament. The winner, which will be determined Sunday, May 27, earns the WAC’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. Fresno State won and hosted last year’s tournament, the first WAC postseason tournament after a six-year hiatus. New Mexico State did not make the field of six for the second straight season.
SUSDORD NAMED ACADEMIC ALL-DISTRICT ? Fresno State junior outfielder Steve Susdorf was named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District VIII team. To be eligible, a student-athlete must be a varsity starter or key reserve, maintain a cumulative grade point average of 3.20 on a scale of 4.00, have reached sophomore athletic and academic standings at his current institution and be nominated by his sports information director. Susdorf will now be on the ballot for the Academic All-America Team.
ALL-WAC TEAMS ? The 2007 all-WAC first and second teams along with the Freshman, Coach, Pitcher and Player of the Year awards will be announced on Wednesday evening at the tournament banquet being held in Reno, Nevada. The awards are voted upon by the WAC’s seven head coaches.
STREAKING ? Four players are currently tied with the WAC’s longest current hitting streak at eight games apiece: San Jose State’s Chris Balatico, Hawai?i’s Derek DuPree, New Mexico State’s Marcus Quade and Fresno State’s Steve Susdorf. Quade is the only one whose season has come to an end. Earlier this year, Quade had the longest hitting streak by a WAC player at 33 games. The WAC record is 45 games set by Arizona State’s Roger Schmuck in 1972.
WALLACE WATCH LIST ? The WAC has two players on the revised Wallace Watch that was released on May 2. The Brooks Wallace Award is presented by the College Baseball Foundation and given to the national college baseball player of the year. The WAC’s candidates are both from Louisiana Tech: junior outfielder Brian Rike and senior utility player Brandon Hudson. Prior to the start of the season, the WAC had five players on the watch list: Justin Frash, UT, Hawai?i; Jericho Jones, P-OF, Louisiana Tech; Matt Bowman, OF, Nevada (who is out for the year due to injury), Adam Harvey, INF, New Mexico State; and Ryan Angel, OF, San Jose State. The Wallace Watch will be trimmed to 12 semifinalists by late May.
RIKE A GOLDEN SPIKES SEMIFINALIST ? Louisiana Tech’s Brian Rike was named one of 50 semifinalists for the 2007 Golden Spikes Award as announced by USA Baseball. The award is given annually to baseball’s premier amateur player. Rike is among the national leaders in home runs, runs scored and RBI. The winner will be announced July 29 during the College World Series in Omaha, Neb.
NON-CONFERENCE ? In non-conference games, the WAC is 119-108 (.524). Fresno State is 15-20 (.429), Hawai?i is 22-10 (.688), Louisiana Tech is 21-12 (.636), Nevada is 17-15 (.531), New Mexico State is 16-16 (.500), Sacramento State is 7-24 (.226) and San Jose State is 21-11 (.656). Last year, the WAC was 128-94 (.577) in non-conference matchups. Against Collegiate Baseball top 25 opponents this season, the WAC is 4-14 (.222) as Fresno State is 2-4, Hawai?i is 1-6, Louisiana Tech is 1-3, Nevada is 0-0, New Mexico State is 0-0, Sacramento State is 0-1 and San Jose State is 0-0.
2007 FORMAT ? The WAC is comprised of the six baseball playing members of the conference along with an affiliate member ? Sacramento State. The seven teams play a 24-game league schedule. Each team plays a three-game series home and home versus two opponents and a three-game series either home or away against the other four opponents.
WAC.TV ? The Western Athletic Conference officially launched WAC.tv prior to the 2006-07 season. WAC.tv, the Internet based media platform of the Western Athletic Conference, will offer selected baseball games this season. Go to www.wac.tv to sign up or login.
TEAM-BY-TEAM NOTES
Fresno State Bulldogs (32-27, 17-7 WAC)
Has won six of its last nine games ... is the first WAC team besides Rice to win outright back-to-back regular season conference championships since Hawaii in 1991-92 ... in WAC games only, sophomore LHP Justin Wilson leads the league with an ERA of 1.46 ... the Bulldogs have six players with six or more home runs (Steve Susdorf-11, Tom Mendonca-9, Alan Ahmady-7, Loren Storey-7, Ozzie Lewis-7, Todd Sandell-6), the most in the WAC ... Susdorf is tied for second in the WAC with 63 RBI ... junior RHP Allison Clayton is tied for the WAC lead in wins with nine ... is 26-2 when leading after six inning.
Hawai?i Rainbows (33-23, 11-13 WAC)
Won the WAC’s only 1-0 game of the year in the final regular season contest of the season on Monday when it beat Fresno State ... it was the Rainbows’ fourth shutout of the season ... is the only WAC team to not be shut out this year ... is averaging a WAC-best 2,696 fans per home game ... has allowed a total of just nine runs in ninth innings this season ... leads the WAC in team ERA (3.80) ... has three of the top four pitchers in the WAC by ERA ... senior 1B Kris Sanchez leads the WAC in doubles (23) ... his 10 HRs this season are the ninth most in school history ... Matt Daly leads the WAC in ERA (3.09) ... Mark Rodrigues is tied for the WAC lead in wins with nine.
Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (35-22, 14-10 WAC)
Has lost five of its last eight games ... won 14 WAC games this season, the most since joining the WAC in 2002 ... leads the WAC in runs scored by 66 with 444 ... has had five players put together hitting streaks of at least 10 games this year ... junior OF Brian Rike leads the WAC in runs scored (74), RBI (65), home runs (20-one shy of the school record held by four different Bulldog players), total bases (153), slugging percentage (.722) and is fourth in stolen bases (16) ... he has just one home run in the last 19 games ... his 20 homers rank fifth in the nation ... sophomore RHP Luke Burnett leads the WAC in strikeouts (109).
Nevada Wolf Pack (32-24, 15-9 WAC)
Has won seven of its last 10 games ... has outscored its opponents by 38 runs (65-27) in sixth innings this year ... has shut out five opponents this year, the most since 1989 (five) ... has 18 triples this year after hitting just six all of last year ... freshman 1B Shaun Kort leads the WAC in hitting (.398) ... in WAC games only, junior OF Terry Walsh leads the league in hitting (.434) while Kort is second (.424) ... senior RHP Ryan Rodriguez is the WAC’s active career leader and school record-holder in wins (31), innings pitched (389.2-7th in WAC history) and strikeouts (323) ... his 99 strikeouts this year are the sixth most in a season in school history.
NMSU Aggies (22-34, 6-18 WAC)
Ended its season after getting swept in a three-game series against Dallas Baptist ... lost nine of its last 10 games with the one win coming against Texas Tech ... missed out on the WAC tournament for the second year in a row ... has finished 6-18 in conference play both seasons in the WAC ... the Aggies were 12-4 in games decided by two runs or less ... sophomore 2B/SS Richard Stout leads the WAC in stolen bases with 26 ... he had a WAC-high three stolen bases in Saturday’s game against Dallas Baptist ... Joseph Scaperotta hit safely in his last 18 WAC games ... was the only team in the WAC to not post a shutout this year.
Sacramento St. Hornets (17-38, 10-14 WAC)
Has lost six of its last seven games ... faces Fresno State in the first game of the WAC Tournament and has lost all 10 meetings between the two teams over the last two years ... has been outscored by 40 runs (71-31) in seventh innings this year ... won two more conference games than it did a year ago ... sophomore 1B Gabe Jacobo leads Sacramento State in hitting (.358), runs (42), RBI (43), doubles (12) and home runs (13) ... junior RHP Mitch Lively leads the WAC in saves with eight ... junior RHP Alvaro Orozco is the Hornets’ top pitcher with a record of 5-5 and an ERA of 4.68 ... the Hornets are last in the WAC in hitting (.279).
SJSU Spartans (32-24, 11-13 WAC)
Has won five of its last six games ... hit .351 and drew 14 walks as a team in the three-game series against Nevada last week ... senior OF/DH Ryan Angel is the WAC’s active career leader in games played (210), at-bats (778), runs (137), hits (235), doubles (55) and stolen bases (50) ... senior OF Donato Giovanatto has been hit by a pitch a WAC-high 18 times this season ... SJSU leads the WAC in fielding percentage (.972) ... has the best winning percentage among the nine Division I baseball teams in Northern California ... has guaranteed itself a winning season for the 14th time under head coach Sam Piraro (20th season).