WAC TEAM-BY-TEAM NOTES
Fresno State Bulldogs (18-16, 2-2 WAC)
Fresno State opened WAC play splitting the series with New Mexico State last week ... the Bulldogs are 18-16 heading into their second week of conference play ... junior Tom Mendonca hit two home runs against the Aggies tying the all-time Fresno State home run record ... he has 14 home runs on the year and 43 in his career ... the Bulldog pitching staff struck out 38 batters and had a combined ERA of 4.38 of the weekend ... the ?Dogs held the Aggies to only two hits in game two of the series and they had been averaging 11 hits a game ... he Bulldogs hit the road for nine games starting in Ruston, La. against Louisiana Tech on April 17 ... the Bulldogs don’t return to Fresno to play a home game until May 1 when the team hosts Nevada.
Hawai?i Rainbows (21-12, 4-3 WAC)
Hawai`i picked up its first win at Nevada since 2006 with the win on Apr. 10-11 ... UH also got good weeks at the plate from Greg Garcia (.438 with four RBI, a homer, a triple, two doubles and five runs), Sean Montplaisir (.400 with a homer, three doubles, four RBI and three runs) and Kevin Macdonald (.368 with five RBI and four runs) ... the Rainbows got ranked by Baseball America this week for the first time since May 22, 2006 last week ... the Rainbows have now dropped out of the poll ... Kolten Wong had a huge week, batting .667 with 10 RBI, seven runs, two homers, three doubles and a couple of stolen bases on the week ... this week, Hawai?i continues WAC play, hosting Sacramento State in a four-game series.
Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (13-16, 1-7 WAC)
Louisiana Tech was swept in its four-game series at San Jose State last weekend ... after Thursday’s single game was postponed, the two schools played a doubleheader Friday and a doubleheader Saturday ... following Tech’s first loss on Friday, the Spartans defeated the Bulldogs 6-0 in game two ... the last time the Bulldogs were shutout was May 4, 2008 against Nevada ... Chris Kersten led Tech in the four-game set with a .500 batting average (7-for-14) ... Kevin Winn’s personal-best 33-game hitting streak came to an end in the second game of Friday’s doubleheader ... La. Tech will welcome Northwestern State to Ruston Wednesday before squaring off against Fresno State at home Friday through Sunday.
Nevada Wolf Pack (16-17, 5-2 WAC)
Nevada won its third series in a row taking 2-of-3 from #23 Hawai`i ... in the previous two series the Pack went 3-1 at Louisiana Tech and vs. Utah Valley University ... catcher Travis Simas picked off his WAC-leading 12th runner of the season in the final game of the Hawai`i series to end the game ... Simas hit a 0-2 pitch for walk-off two-run homer in the bottom of the 12th inning to give the Pack a 14-12 victory over Hawai`i in the first game of the series ... in his last six appearances reliever Dan Tinlin has pitched a combined 9.2 shutout innings and in those six outings has saved four games and earned a win in another ... Nevada hosts New Mexico State this week in a four-game conference series.
NMSU Aggies (30-6, 5-3 WAC)
Daniel Simon took his perfect record to 7-0 after leading the Aggies to a 2-0 win over Fresno State ... it was the second time this season the Aggies produced a shut-out victory ... both shutouts came with Simon on the mound ... before this year, the Aggies hadn’t shutout an opponent since 2003 when they beat Rhode Island 14-0 ... it was the first time Fresno State was shut out by a WAC opponent since May 17, 2008 when Sacramento State beat the Bulldogs 4-0 ... the last time the Bulldogs were shutout by an opponent at Pete Beiden Field was April 29, 2007 when non-conference opponent Cal-Poly won ... the last time a WAC opponent shut out Fresno State at Pete Beiden Field was at the hands of Rice on April 2, 2005, when the Owls won 8-0.
Sacramento State Hornets (20-14,1-3 WAC)
Junior Josh Powers went 8-for-16 in the four-game series against Utah Valley, connecting on five doubles ... sophomore Derrick Chung went 7-for-16 on the weekend with four doubles and four runs driven in ... junior Tim Wheeler passed former Hornet Gabe Jacobo (2005-08) and moved into third place in school history with 120 career RBI after producing 10 this weekend against Utah Valley ... senior Blake Crosby extending his hitting streak to a team season-high 17 games, while Wheeler has now hit safely in nine straight games ... the Hornets head back into conference play this week at Hawai?i for a four-game set.
SJSU Spartans (24-9, 5-3 WAC)
San Jose State swept Louisiana Tech in a four-game series to open the home conference schedule this past week, taking both ends of a pair of doubleheaders on Friday and Saturday ... the Spartans ran their home win streak to 12 in a row, now tied for the fifth-longest in the nation, and are 18-2 in San Jose in 2009 ... SJSU has swept all five of its doubleheaders at home this season, with two left ... the Spartans continue to lead the WAC in pitching and fielding ... all four members of the starting weekend rotation are within the top seven in the conference in individual ERA ... San Jose State had a season-high five sacrifice flies in game one of Saturday’s twin bill with La Tech ... the Spartans are in non-conference action in the coming week against Pacific.
WAC NOTES
HAWAI?I’S WONG NAMED WAC HITTER OF THE WEEK
Hawai?i outfielder Kolten Wong has been named the Western Athletic Conference Baseball Hitter of the Week for Apr. 6-12.
Wong, a freshman from Hilo, Hawai?i (Kamehameha-Hawai?i), hit .667 in helping the Rainbows to a 2-2 record last week with wins over Santa Clara and Nevada. Wong went 12-for-18 at the plate with seven runs scored, three doubles, two home runs and 10 RBI. He also registered two stolen bases and a pair of walks over the four games. Against Santa Clara, Wong turned a double play to record his team-leading fourth outfield assist of the season. In the WAC series at Nevada, Wong hit .667 (10-for-15).
The other hitter of the week nominations were Fresno State sophomore shortstop Danny Muno, Louisiana Tech senior second baseman Kevin Winn, Nevada freshman outfielder Nick Melino, Sacramento State junior center fielder Tim Wheeler and San Jose State junior shortstop Kyle Bellows.
NEW MEXICO STATE’S SIMON NAMED WAC PITCHER OF THE WEEK
New Mexico State right-handed pitcher Daniel Simon have been named the Western Athletic Conference Baseball Pitcher of the Week for Apr. 6-12.
Simon, a junior from Susanville, Calif. (Lassen HS), pitched 6.0 innings in a combined 2-0 shutout win against Fresno State. Simon allowed no runs on two hits to get the WAC road victory. He also tallied three strikeouts. With the win, Simon improves to a perfect 7-0 on the season with a 2.93 ERA. Simon’s win at Fresno State marks the first time since 2005 that the Bulldogs have been shutout by a WAC opponent at Pete Beiden Field.
The other pitcher of the week nominations were Fresno State freshman Derek Benny, Hawai?i sophomore Josh Slaats, Nevada senior Derek Achelpohl, Sacramento St. junior Tommy Elrod and SJSU senior Jack Adams.
WAC RPI ON THE RISE
As of April 15, the WAC owns a league RPI of 11 according to WarrenNolan.com and BoydsWorld.com. The WAC ranks just ahead of the Big East, Southland and Big Ten. Hawai?i holds the top RPI in the WAC at eight, followed by San Jose State at 68.
HOME IS WHERE THE WINS ARE
WAC teams hold a combined 102-34 record at home this season, good for a 75 percent winning percentage. San Jose State holds the best home record in the league at 18-3. Sacramento State is 14-3 in the friendly confines, while New Mexico State is 22-4. The WAC is 34-50 on the road this season, a 40 percent winning mark.
THREE WAC TEAMS MAKE APPEARANCES IN TOP-25 POLLS
New Mexico State broke into the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper top-25 poll on Mar. 23 at No. 24 and moved up to No. 23 on April 6 before falling out of the poll. San Jose State entered the same poll at the No. 25 spot on March 9. It was San Jose State’s first in-season national ranking since the 2002 campaign, which marked the last time the Spartans made the NCAA Championship field, finishing with a school-record 45 wins at 45-17. Hawai?i made it into the national rankings, entering in at No. 23 in the Baseball America poll on April 6. It marked the first time that UH was ranked by that publication since May 22, 2006. UH has also been ranked in the Rivals.com poll, staying at No. 24 for two weeks. Hawai?i is the third WAC team to enter the polls this season. Although not currently ranked, NMSU, SJSU, and UH continue to receive votes in the top-25.
NEW MEXICO STATE LEADS NATION IN FOUR NCAA STATISTICAL CATEGORIES
As of April 12, New Mexico State ranks fifth or better in 10 team statistical categories. The Aggies lead the nation in scoring (11.9), runs (429), base on ball (268) and win-loss percentage (.833). NMSU also ranks second in the nation in hits (460), home runs (76) and slugging percentage (.627). The team ranks third in doubles with 97. Individually, NMSU’s Richard Stout leads the nation with 45 base on balls. San Jose State’s Anthony Aguilera fronts the country in the toughest to strikeout category as he strikes out once every 43.5 at bats.
HAWAI?I STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE NOW RANKS THIRD IN THE NATION
UH’s strength of schedule is ranked third on the WarrenNolan.com website and seventh on the BoydsWorld.com website. Hawai?i has an RPI of eighth and 12th on the two websites, respectively. Eight of UH’s 13 opponents thus far have been ranked at some point this season. UC Irvine heads the list, ranking at No. 3 in Baseball America and No. 4 in Collegiate Baseball. Coastal Carolina ranks No. 20 and 18 while Oregon State is No. 14 and 16 in those two polls, respectively, while Minnesota ranks No. 25 and 23. UC Santa Barbara and Mississippi State were also in the polls earlier in the season. Arizona State heads the list of teams ranked that are still coming up on UH’s schedule, ranking at No. 4 in Baseball America and No. 6 in Collegiate Baseball. WAC opponents New Mexico State and Fresno State were both ranked earlier this season. The Rainbows are currently 7-5 in games against ranked opponents.
MENDONCA HITS CAREER HOME RUN #43
Tom Mendonca hit two home runs against New Mexico State and tied the Fresno State all-time home run record on April 13, a day after his 21st birthday. The junior has 14 home runs on the season and 43 in his career. He needs one more home
run to move past current Fresno State all-time leader Guiseppe Chiramonte.
LOUISIANA TECH’S WINN ENDS HITTING STREAK AT 33 GAMES
Kevin Winn compiled a 33-game hitting streak that began in the final seven games of the 2008 season and concluded in the second game of Tech’s doubleheader against San Jose State on April 10. His hitting streak was the longest in the country since Tim Alberts from Niagara put together a 35-game hitting streak between the 2006-07 seasons. Winn’s personal-best hitting streak began with a single in a 4-3 defeat at UL-Lafayette on May 6 in 2008 and ended in a 6-0 defeat at San Jose State this season. During that stretch, Winn batted .386 (54-for-140) with 11 doubles, one triple, four home runs, 40 RBI and only nine strikeouts. He also compiled 16 multi-hit games and 12 multi-RBI games. The senior went 3-for-4 with four RBI in a 10-0 win over Eastern Michigan on March 8. He also recorded five RBI in a game twice, March 20 against Houston Baptist and April 5 against Nevada. The WAC record is 45 games set by former Arizona State Sun Devil Roger Schmuck in 1972.
NEVADA’S POWERS EARNS 800th WIN, SAN JOSE STATE’S PIRARO PICKS UP 700th, BATESOLE NEARS WIN NUMBER 500
Head coach Gary Powers recorded his 800th career victory when the Wolf Pack defeated Oregon 6-5 on March 12. Powers the longest tenured coach in the history of Nevada athletics is in his 27th year as skipper of the Pack. Coming into the 2009 season he ranked 26th among NCAA Division I active coaches in career victories. Currently his career mark stands at 811-638-4. San Jose State’s 6-1 victory over Dartmouth College inside Municipal Stadium on Thursday night, March 19, marked win No. 700 for 22nd-year Spartan head coach Sam Piraro. The winningest coach in program history, he now has a record of 709-529-6 in charge at his alma mater. Fresno State head coach Mike Batesole is now just seven wins shy of his 500th. Batesole currently holds a 493-339-1 career record.
SJSU ENJOYS BEST START IN TWO DECADES
San Jose State’s incredible 9-0 start marked the program’s best in two decades, since the Spartans reeled off 15 straight victories to begin the 1989 season, 22nd-year head coach Sam Piraro’s third in charge. The Spartans’ nine-game win streak was their longest since an 11-game stretch between April 28 and May 15, 2001. It’s 16-3 start is the best 19-game mark for San Jose State also in almost two decades, since the Spartans began the 1990 season at 17-2. That team went on to start 29-2, with the only two blemishes a pair of one-run road defeats at area rivals Stanford and USF, before finishing 43-17. Piraro and associate head coach Tom Kunis were together on both the 1989 and 1990 staffs.
NEW MEXICO STATE SETS SCHOOL RECORD FOR HOME RUNS IN A SINGLE GAME, JUST THREE SHY OF TYING WAC RECORD
The New Mexico State baseball team set the school 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. The 10 home runs are just three shy of tying the WAC single-game record of 13 set by Cal State Northridge in 1997.
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. In Week #4, Bryan Marquez was named to the College Baseball Foundation’s National All-Star Lineup. Marquez had two grand slams on the weekend, and finished the week going 9-for-15 at the plate with nine hits, 13 RBI and four home runs.
TECH SCORES MOST RUNS IN A THREE-GAME SERIES SINCE 1972
The Bulldogs opened the 2009 season with a bang as they swept Grambling State in a three-game series. Tech scored 15 runs in the season opener at J.C. Love Field at Pat Patterson Park on Friday, Feb. 20 and then followed that effort by scoring 20 runs at Tiger Stadium in Grambling on Saturday. They topped off their weekend by scoring 20 more in Ruston on Sunday. Tech’s 55 runs are the most runs scored in a three-game or more series dating back to 1972 involving the Bulldogs. The team also illuminated the hits section of the scoreboard as they totaled 48 in their three wins. Senior Chris Kersten led the Bulldogs in the series with a .700 batting average (7-for-10), 13 RBI, two doubles, four home runs and zero strikeouts. He also contributed to the three big wins by scoring nine times, walking twice and stealing a base. He concluded his weekend with a .769 on-base percentage and an astonishing 2.200 slugging percentage.
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.