TEAM-BY-TEAM NOTES
Fresno State Bulldogs (18-20, 2-6 WAC)
Tom Mendonca became Fresno State’s home run king over the weekend after hitting his 44th and 45th home run of the his career ... he has 16 on the year ... the junior passed Guiseppe Chiaramonte, who hit 43 from 1995-97 ... Mendonca had four home runs on the week with six RBIs. He leads the team in RBIs with 50 and his fourth on the all-time RBI list at Fresno State ... the Bulldogs hit 11 home runs last week, including a grand slam from sophomore Jake Johnson ... the ?Dogs tallied 38 runs on 43 hits with seven doubles and 38 RBIs, but lost all four games to Louisiana Tech, 11-9, 17-5, 14-12 and 14-6 ... Fresno State continues road play this week with a four-game series at San Jose State.
Hawai?i Rainbows (24-14, 7-4 WAC)
Hawai`i won its fifth series of the season, raising its series record to 5-2 ... the Rainbows had seven home runs over the weekend, raising its season-total to 36 ... they are just four homers away from becoming just the third UH team to ever hit 40-plus homers in a season ... the ’Bows’ 23 home runs at home are the most since Head Coach Mike Trapasso took over in 2002 ... Vinnie Catricala also had a great series, batting .571 with two home runs, five RBI and five runs ... Kolten Wong batted .467 with four RBI, a home run and three doubles ... freshman Matt Sisto pitched great in UH’s only loss of the series, pitching a complete game with a career-high seven strikeouts.
Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (20-16, 5-7 WAC)
Louisiana Tech defeated Northwestern State in their midweek contest before sweeping Fresno State in their four-game series over the weekend ... in the five games, the Bulldogs scored a whopping 71 runs, while they totaled 72 hits, including 18 home runs ... Tech’s 56 runs and 15 home runs against Fresno State were the most they recorded in a series against a single opponent this season ... Chris Kersten led Tech with 14 RBI ... Kevin Winn posted a team-high 13 hits in the week ... the Bulldogs also swept Texas Wesleyan in a midweek double-headerTuesday ... the team now travels to Sacramento State for a four-game series beginning Friday.
Nevada Wolf Pack (18-20, 7-4 WAC)
Outfielder Brett Hart entered Sunday’s game with New Mexico State as a defensive replacement in the top of the eighth inning with Nevada leading 4-1 and then hit his first home run of the season in the bottom of the eighth inning to put the Pack on top 8-7 which proved to be the final score ... Nevada had a streak of scoring 10 or more runs in game snapped in game two of the NMSU series as they fell by a score of 9-6 ... Nevada has collected double figures in hits in 15 of the last 21 games and seven of the last eight contests ... in his last seven appearances reliever Daniel Tinlin has gone 2-0 with four saves.
NMSU Aggies (32-8, 7-5 WAC)
The Aggies split both the last two road series putting them one-half game out of the No. 1 spot in the league ... the team boasts a .354 batting average and a team ERA of 5.02 ... the Aggies have hit 84 home runs on the year including 10 in the past week ... junior Wade Reynoso made some great defensive plays at third base to lead the Aggies last week ... Reynoso led the way hitting .471 in the last five games ... he came up with eight hits, including one double, one triple and a home run, taking his season total to seven on the year ... Daniel Simon took his perfect record to 8-0 after leading the Aggies to a 9-6 victory over the league leading Nevada, striking out three batters and allowed just one earned run.
Sacramento State Hornets (21-17,2-6 WAC)
Jesse Darrah allowed just one run over 7.2 innings in the Hornets 2-1 victory over Hawai’i in game one on Saturday ... Darrah scattered five hits, while walking just one batter, with the Rainbows hitting just .185 against him ... Darrah also threw just 98 pitches ... he won his seventh game, running his record to 7-2 while becoming the Hornets winningest pitcher since Ethan Katz won nine games in 2004 ... Sacramento State went 1-3 last week in its series at Hawai?i ... the team now looks forward to returning home to host Louisiana Tech in a four-game set that will begin on Friday afternoon in Sacramento.
SJSU Spartans (27-12, 5-3 WAC)
San Jose State came back after dropping the opener and won an important three-game series between West Region foes at UC Santa Barbara last weekend ... the Spartans also dropped a game to San Francisco before downing Fresno Pacific this week ... SJSU now hosts Fresno State, April 24-26 ... San Jose State still leads the WAC in team ERA (3.85) and fielding percentage (.977) ... Jacob Bruns has the conference’s top individual batting average, at .423, while Spartan pitchers own four of the top five individual ERA marks in the WAC, led by Scott Sobczak at 2.64 ... the senior right-hander is followed by David Berner (2nd, 2.76), Ryan Shopshire (4th, 2.95) and Max Peterson (5th, 2.98).
WAC NOTES
LOUISIANA TECH’S DAGEFORD NAMED WAC HITTER OF THE WEEK
Louisiana Tech outfielder Devon Dageford has been named the Western Athletic Conference Baseball Hitter of the Week for Apr. 13-19.
Dageford, a junior from Beatrice, Neb. (Beatrice HS), helped the Bulldogs to a 5-0 record last week, including a 4-0 mark against WAC foe Fresno State. Dageford batted .476 (10-for-21) with nine runs scored, nine RBI, three home runs, a triple, two walks and a stolen base. Dageford just missed achieving the cycle against Northwestern State as he went 3-for-3 at the plate with a triple, home run and a single, in order. He helped Louisiana Tech to an 11-9 victory over Fresno State as he hit a walk-off, two-run homer in game one of the series. Dageford also recorded 13 putouts without recording an error in right field.
The other hitter of the week nominations were Fresno State junior third baseman Tom Mendonca, Hawai?i junior first baseman Kevin Macdonald, Nevada junior outfielder Westley Moss and New Mexico State junior third baseman Wade Reynoso.
LOUISIANA TECH’S JEFFERSON NAMED WAC PITCHER OF THE WEEK
Louisiana Tech left-handed pitcher Mike Jefferson has been named the Western Athletic Conference Baseball Pitcher of the Week for Apr. 13-19.
Jefferson, a freshman from Cincinnati, Ohio (Clermont Northeastern HS), threw 7.1 innings over two games against Fresno State. Jefferson helped Louisiana Tech out of a pair of jams in both of his appearances last week. In his first appearance, Jefferson entered the game in the fifth inning with runners on first and second and forced a fielder’s choice to end the inning. In his second outing, Jefferson took over in the second inning and forced a pop out and ground out with bases loaded and only one out. Jefferson picked up his first career victory in Sunday’s second game against Fresno State, going 5.0 innings with four strikeouts.
The other pitcher of the week nominations were Hawai?i senior Jayson Kramer, Nevada sophomore Brock Stassi, New Mexico State junior Daniel Simon and Sacramento State freshman Jesse Darrah.
WAC AND THE RPI
As of April 23, the WAC owns a league RPI of 11 according to WarrenNolan.com and BoydsWorld.com. The WAC ranks just ahead of the Big East and Big Ten. Hawai?i holds the top RPI in the WAC at 14, followed by San Jose State at 62.
HOME IS WHERE THE WINS ARE
As of April 23, WAC teams hold a combined 115-38 record at home this season, good for a 75.2 percent winning percentage. San Jose State holds the best home record in the league at 19-3. Sacramento State is 14-3 in the friendly confines, while New Mexico State is 22-4. In WAC-only play, teams are a combined 24-11 at home this season for a 68.6 winning percentage. Overall, the WAC is 39-63 on the road this season, a 38.2 percent winning mark.
FOUR WAC TEAMS MAKE APPEARANCES IN TOP-25 POLLS, UH BACK IN AT NO. 20
Fresno State was first to enter the top-25 rankings this season as the team was ranked No. 16 in the Collegiate Baseball poll. The Bulldogs remained in the poll for two weeks. New Mexico State broke into the Collegiate Baseball 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. UH re-enters the polls again this week, coming in at No. 20 in the latest Baseball America poll.
NEW MEXICO STATE LEADS NATION IN THREE NCAA STATISTICAL CATEGORIES
As of April 19, New Mexico State ranks fifth or better in seven team statistical categories. The Aggies lead the nation in scoring (11.4), runs (455) and base on ball (285). NMSU also ranks second in the nation win loss percentage (.800). Individually, NMSU’s Richard Stout leads the nation in runs with 57. 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 SEVENTH IN THE NATION
UH’s strength of schedule is ranked seventh on the WarrenNolan.com website and 12th on the BoydsWorld.com website. Hawai?i has an RPI of 13th and 15th on the two websites, respectively. Seven of UH’s 14 opponents thus far have been ranked at some point this season. UC Irvine heads the list, ranking at No. 1 in both Baseball America and Collegiate Baseball. Arizona State ranks No. 3 and 2, respectively while Oregon State is No. 17 and 19, respectively, and Coastal Carolina ranks No. 23 in Collegiate Baseball.
MENDONCA NEW HOME RUN KING AT FRESNO STATE
Tom Mendonca became the Fresno State all-time home run king on April 18, hitting his 44th career homer in the fifth inning against Louisiana Tech. The home run moves him past former Fresno State all-time leader Guiseppe Chiramonte. Mendonca now has 16 home runs this season.
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 813-641-4. San Jose State’s 6-1 victory over Dartmouth College inside Municipal Stadium on 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 712-532-6 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 493-343-1 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.