WAC TEAM-BY-TEAM NOTES
Fresno State Bulldogs (3-4, 0-0 WAC)
The Bulldogs went 1-2 against the PAC-10’s Oregon Ducks last week ... senior Holden Sprague pitched 7.2 shutout innings with four strikeouts and allowed four hits ... it wasn’t until the bottom of the ninth inning with two outs that the Ducks earned the 1-0 win ... the Bulldogs fell 7-1 against the Ducks in game two ... on Sunday, Jake Floethe got his second start of the season pitching a career-high 6.2 innings with four strikeouts ... the Fresno State bats came alive in game three against Oregon, as the Bulldogs won 10-3 ... Tom Mendonca hit s pair of home runs and recorded five RBIs, while freshmen Dusty Robinson and Kenny Wise hit doubles ... this week, Fresno State hosts Buffalo.
Hawai?i Rainbows (3-5, 0-0 WAC)
Kolten Wong went 5-for-17 on the week, scoring four runs while driving in two last week as Hawai?i went 2-2 in four games at the Metrodome in Minneapolis, Minnesota ... Wong batted .308 in the three Dairy Classic games .... Hawai?i went 1-2 in the Dairy Queen Classic ... along with Wong, first baseman Kevin Macdonald was named to the all-tournament team ... Sam Spangler made two relief appearances on the week, allowing only three hits and one walk in 7.1 innings of work, striking out nine ... the sophomore went 3.1 innings to earn a save vs. Minnesota (Feb. 26), striking out five while allowing two hits ... he then pitched 4.0 shutout innings, striking out four while allowing just one hit and one walk vs. Minnesota (March 1).
Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (4-3, 0-0 WAC)
In the Bulldogs’ first game of the week on Wednesday, Feb. 25, they team defeated Northwestern State by a score of 9-8 ... Ashton Hughes hit a three-run home run, his first collegiate round-tripper, in the win ... Tech was then swept in its three-game series over the weekend by McNeese State ... Patrick Thomas, Alex Williams and Kevin Winn each had four hits in the series ... Williams now leads the Bulldogs in hitting with a .423 batting average ... Winn was able extend his hitting streak that began in the final seven games of the 2008 season to a personal-best 14 games ... this week, Louisiana Tech hosts Eastern Michigan in a three-game series that begins on Friday and goes through Sunday.
Nevada Wolf Pack (2-6, 0-0 WAC)
Nevada went 0-4 last week, dropping games against San Diego State (5-2), Kansas State (2-10), and San Diego twice (5-4, 5-6) ... Nevada was led by Nick Melino on the week ... Melino went 6-for-11 with a .545 average at the plate ... Brett Hart hit .333 over the four games, going 5-for-15 at the plate ... Matt Bowman connected on the team’s lone home run of the week ... Derek Achelpohl led the team on the week on the mound, going 4.0 innings without giving up an earned run ... Achelpohl also had six strikeouts ... Sammy Miller went 3.2 innings last week without giving up a run ... Miller allowed only three hits ... this week, Nevada hosts Washington in a three-game series that will begin on Friday and end on Sunday.
NMSU Aggies (7-1, 0-0 WAC)
The Aggies are now 7-1 after picking up their second sweep of the year last week .... the Aggies hit 19 home runs this past weekend compared to their opponents one, while they have now hit 25 bombs after two weeks of play, which leads the WAC ... as a team, NM State is boasting .432 on the year and is already the 100 run mark with 119, while also leading the league in stolen bases, going 16-for-16 on attempts ... .Richard Stout went 6-for-6 on stolen bases this past weekend and is the leader in the WAC, while Jeff Farnham is 7-for-7 on the year ... New Mexico State dropped its first game of the season on Tuesday, falling 7-2 to border rival New Mexico ... this week, NMSU hosts Hartford in a three-game series.
Sacramento State Hornets (1-5, 0-0 WAC)
Sacramento State went 0-3 last week ... the Hornets dropped all three of its games to Cal Poly on the road ... sophomore Brent Hottman posted a .889 slugging percentage during the Hornets three game series against Cal Poly, including hitting his second career home run on Sunday afternoon ... for the season, Hottman is now hitting .316, good for third on the Hornets club ... Blake Crosby hit .333 over the three games last week, connecting on four hits with a triple and an RBI ... Tim Wheeler batted .300 at the plate with three hits, a double, a triple and two RBI ... Eric Fregosi was impressive on the mound, pitching 3.0 innings without giving up a run ... this week, Sacramento State will take on Saint Mary’s in three games.
SJSU Spartans (6-0, 0-0 WAC)
San Jose State remained perfect on the year at 6-0 with a pair of wins over South Bay rival Santa Clara before Sunday’s finale was postponed due to rain ... the Spartans are off to their best start since opening the 1997 campaign with eight straight wins ... 22nd-year head coach Sam Piraro is just nine wins away from No. 700 in charge at his alma mater, now with a career record of 691-520-6 ... junior shortstop Kyle Bellows, out through illness, had his consecutive games played streak snapped at 120, when he was left out of the lineup against Santa Clara on February 27 ... through the second weekend of the season, SJSU is first in the WAC in team ERA (2.83) and first in fielding percentage (.979).
WAC NOTES
NEW MEXICO STATE’S FARNHAM NAMED WAC HITTER OF THE WEEK
New Mexico State catcher Jeff Farnham has been named the Western Athletic Conference Baseball Hitter of the Week for Feb. 23-Mar. 1.
Farnham, a senior from Las Vegas, Nev. (Faith Lutheran HS), hit .786 in helping the Aggies to a four-game sweep over Chicago State last week. Farnham went 11-for-14 at the plate with 11 RBI, including a career-high six RBI in a 13-6 win in game one of a double-header on Saturday. He also hit a home run in Saturday’s game and followed it up with a second home run in the nightcap. Farnham was also successful on three stolen base attempts. He led the Aggies this past week in slugging percentage (1.286) and on-base percentage (.850), while posting three walks and 20 putouts for a perfect fielding percentage.
The other hitter of the week nominations were Fresno State third baseman Tom Mendonca; Hawai?i freshman outfielder Kolten Wong; and Sacramento State sophomore catcher Brent Hottman.
HAWAI?I’S SPANGLER NAMED WAC PITCHER OF THE WEEK
Hawai?i left-handed pitcher Sam Spangler has been named the Western Athletic Conference Baseball Pitcher of the Week for Feb. 23-Mar. 1.
Spangler, a sophomore from Albuquerque, N.M. (Valley HS), made two relief appearances last week, allowing only three hits and one walk with nine strikeouts in 7.1 innings of work. Spangler went 3.1 innings with five strikeouts to earn a save against Minnesota on Thursday in Minneapolis. He then pitched 4.0 shutout innings with four strikeouts while allowing just one hit and one walk against Minnesota on Sunday.
The other pitcher of the week nominations were Fresno State sophomore Jake Floethe; New Mexico State junior Daniel Simon; and San Jose State senior David Berner.
SPARTAN PERFECTION
San Jose State has gotten out of the gate quickly at 6-0, marking the best start for the program since the Spartans reeled off eight straight victories to begin the 1997 season. This is San Jose State’s longest win streak since a seven-game stretch last year between April 13 and April 23.
NEW MEXICO STATE SETS SCHOOL RECORD FOR HOME RUNS IN A SINGLE GAME
The New Mexico State baseball team set the record for most home runs in a game when it hit 10 home runs against Chicago State, Friday, Feb. 27. The old record was nine, when the Aggies accomplished that feat against Pacific, May 3, 1997. Steven Anderson, Chuck Howard, Leo Aguirre, Bryan Marquez, Nate Shaver, Mike Sodders, and Max Taylor all got in on the fun, with Aguirre, Marquez and Sodders each hitting two bombs in the game. The all-time WAC single game record for home runs is 13, set by Cal State Northridge against Fresno State in 1997.
RAIN RAIN, GO-AWAY
Seven games have already been postponed due to bad weather. Four of this week’s games have already been postponed, including Sacramento State’s game at home against Santa Clara, Nevada’s game at Pacific, San Jose State’s game at home against Cal Poly, and Fresno State’s game at UC Davis.
FRESNO STATE RANKED NO. 24 IN LATEST NATIONAL POLLS
Fresno State continues its presence in the national polls as the Bulldogs are ranked No. 24 in the latest (March 2) NCBWA poll. The Bulldogs are also currently receiving votes in the USA Today/Coaches Poll.
WAC REPRESENTED AMONG NATIONAL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Louisiana Tech senior Chris Kersten was named National Hitter of the Week by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) on Feb. 24. Kersten, along with David Berner, was named to the Week No. 1 National All-Star Lineup presented by The College Baseball Foundation and Diamond Sports. Jeff Farnham was named to week two’s National All-Star Lineup for his play last week.
2009 WAC PRESEASON POLL AND ALL-WAC TEAM ANNOUNCED
Fresno State has been selected as the favorite to win the 2009 Western Athletic Conference regular season baseball crown in a vote by the league’s seven head coaches. The coaches also voted on a preseason all-WAC team, and Fresno State placed four players on the team while Hawai?i, Nevada and New Mexico State each had three. Fresno State junior third baseman Tommy Mendonca was named the preseason player of the year, while Hawai?i senior Jared Alexander was picked the preseason pitcher of the year.
Fresno State received 34 points and five first place votes after a 47-31 season last year. The Bulldogs have won both the WAC regular season and tournament titles the past three seasons. Fresno State won last year’s national title at the College World Series. San Jose State ranked second with 29 points followed by Nevada with 26, Hawai?i with 25, New Mexico State with 14 points, Louisiana Tech with 13, and Sacramento State with six.
The preseason all-WAC team included four Fresno State players: senior outfielder Gavin Hedstrom, junior outfielder Steve Detwiler, sophomore shortstop Danny Muno and junior third baseman Mendonca. Mendonca was picked as the preseason player of the year after hitting .281 last year with 70 RBI, 19 home runs and eight doubles.
Hawai?i had three players on the team: Alexander, senior catcher Landon Hernandez, and sophomore relief pitcher Josh Slaats. Alexander was selected the preseason pitcher of the year after posting a 7-3 record with a 3.27 ERA last season. Nevada had three players on the team: junior first baseman Shaun Kort, senior second baseman Matt Bowman, and senior utility player Tyson Jaquez. New Mexico State also placed three on the team in senior outfielder Richard Stout, senior pitcher Tyler Sturdevant, and senior relief pitcher Erik Nyquist. Junior outfielder Tim Wheeler represented Sacramento State. San Jose State’s representative was junior pitcher Max Peterson.
FRESNO STATE’S MENDONCA, SACRAMENTO STATE’S WHEELER NAMED PRESEASON ALL-AMERICANS
Fresno State junior third baseman Tommy Mendonca and Sacramento State junior outfielder Tim Wheeler have been named to the preseason All-American team by Baseball America. Mendonca received first team honors while Wheeler was named to the third team.
Mendonca capped off his sophomore campaign with four home runs and 11 RBIs at the College World Series earning the CWS Most Outstanding Player award. Mendonca started 77 games for the Bulldogs in 2008 and recorded 19 home runs, eight doubles, and 70 RBIs. He also was named the 2009 Preseason WAC Player of the Year.
Last season, Wheeler earned first team all-WAC honors after hitting .330 with three home runs and 43 RBI. He had eight outfield assists on the season, while ranking second on the team during WAC play in RBI (22) and stolen bases (5). Wheeler also tied for the longest hitting streak in the WAC last season, hitting safely in 20 straight games during the year.
RETURNING ALL-WAC PLAYERS
The WAC will feature three players who were 2008 first team all-WAC performers. Fresno State returns junior first baseman Alan Ahmady. Ahmady hit .382 at the plate last season and tallied 60 runs, 110 hits, and 92 RBI. Sacramento State returns all-WAC first team outfielder Tim Wheeler. Wheeler hit .330 at the plate with 38 runs and 43 RBI. Hawai?i welcomes back first team all-WAC honoree Jared Alexander. Alexander led the WAC with a 3.27 ERA. He registered 63 strikeouts in 82.2 innings of work, and compiled a 7-3 record. 2008 WAC Freshman of the Year Danny Muno returns for his sophomore campaign. The Fresno State shortstop hit .330 with 62 runs, 95 hits, 13 doubles and 30 RBI last season. There are also seven second team all-WAC honorees that return this year. The list of second teamers includes Hawai?i senior catcher Landon Hernandez, Nevada sophomore first baseman Shaun Kort, New Mexico State senior shortstop Richard Stout, San Jose State junior pitcher Max Peterson, New Mexico State senior pitcher Heath Goin, and New Mexico State senior pitcher Tyler Sturdevant.
2009 WAC TOURNAMENT
The 2009 WAC Tournament will be held at Les Murakani Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii, May 21-24. The top six teams in the WAC’s regular season standings will advance to the double-elimination tournament. The winner receives the WAC’s automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament.