WAC TEAM-BY-TEAM NOTES
Fresno State Bulldogs (20-22, 4-8 WAC)
The Bulldogs split their four-game series on the road against San Jose State last week ... the ?Dogs jumped ahead winning the first two games 1-0 and 8-2 before losing the final two games 2-0 and 6-5 ... junior Matt Morse opened the series with a complete game shutout, his first of the season ... Derek Benny also threw a complete game on Saturday afternoon ... the pitching staff threw a combined 16 strikeouts and recorded a 1.65 ERA ... the offense scored 14 runs on 34 hits with 14 RBIs ... the Bulldog infield turned four double plays against the Spartans ... Fresno State concludes their road trip with a mid-week game against Cal Poly on Tuesday, April 28 ... the Bulldogs return home to host Nevada May 1-3.
Hawai?i Rainbows (26-16, 9-6 WAC)
The Rainbows had nine homers in the NMSU series, moving the season-total to 45, the second-most in program history. UH is now just 13 homers short of the school record with 13 regular season games left in the season ... freshman Kolten Wong extended his hitting streak to 16 games, tied for the seventh-longest in school history ... Vinnie Catricala also had three home runs in the NMSU series, and is now in eighth on the UH career home run list with 16 ... Kevin Macdonald had 12 RBI during the week, batting .348 in five games on the road ... the junior homered in each of the first three games of the NMSU series, becoming just the 11th Rainbow to hit a home run in three-straight games in program history.
Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (22-18, 7-9 WAC)
Louisiana Tech went 3-2 last week with two of its wins coming against Texas Wesleyan and the third resulting in a 7-4 victory over Sacramento State on the road ... prior to Sacramento State taking the series opener on April 24, the Bulldogs had won seven straight games and had recorded double digit runs in each of the seven games ... the last time Tech scored less than 10 runs was April 11 at San Jose State ... freshman Mark Threlkeld led his team during the week with a .600 batting average ... he also contributed five runs scored, two doubles, a home run, six RBI, a walk and a sacrifice fly ... LA Tech will head to Hawai’i for a four-game series with the Warriors beginning Thursday.
Nevada Wolf Pack (21-20, 7-4 WAC)
Outfielder Matt Bowman recorded his 62nd career double on Saturday which ties Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Lyle Overbay for the school record ... Nevada’s sweep of CSU Bakersfield is the first series sweep of the season for the Pack and the three wins equals the longest win streak of the season ... center fielder Westley Moss’ career-high hit streak has reached 10 games ... third baseman Tyson Jaquez had his career and team season-high 12-game hit streak snapped on Sunday vs. CSU Bakersfield.
NMSU Aggies (34-10, 9-7 WAC)
The Aggies split their series for the third consecutive week ... NM State is boasting a league-high .361 batting average and needs just five more home runs to reach 100 on the year ... the Aggies are just one-half game out of the No. 1 spot heading into the week, which is a non-conference week ... junior Nate Shaver helped the Aggies split with No. 20 Hawai’i hitting .529 with three home runs and eight RBI ... Shaver was named the WAC’s hitter of the week for his efforts last week ... of the 30 Hawai?i batters Jared Jordan faced, he struck out six while walking only three in 6 1/3 innings of work last weeky.
Sacramento State Hornets (23-19, 4-8 WAC)
Jeff Roth came in from the outfield to the pitchers mound to record saves in each of the Hornets two victories over Louisiana Tech last week ... through the first three games of the series, Roth allowed no runs on just one hit, while walking a batter, striking out a batter, and inducing two double plays ... Roth held onto a slim one run margin on Friday and a two-run cushion on Sunday ... Roth has started three games in the field so far in the series, one game apiece at LF, RF and 1B, while hitting .250 with a HR and 3 RBI ... this week, Sacramento State travels to play Stanford on Wednesday before returning home to host San Jose State in a four-game series.
SJSU Spartans (29-14, 7-5 WAC)
San Jose State rallied after dropping the first two games of their four-game weekend set with WAC rival Fresno State, to split the series ... in the Sunday finale, the Spartans scored three times in the bottom of the ninth, with Kyle Bellows providing a double for their first walk-off triumph of 2009 ... over the weekend, SJSU improved to 21-5 at home this season, and has won at least 20 games at home in each of the past five years ... at 29-14 overall, the Spartans on the verge of achieving 30 wins for the fourth year in a row and 16th time in head coach Sam Piraro’s 22 seasons ... the Spartans are 7-5 at the midway point of the WAC schedule, and head to the state capital for four with the Sacramento State Hornets this weekend.
WAC NOTES
NEW MEXICO STATE’S SHAVER NAMED WAC HITTER OF THE WEEK
New Mexico State outfielder Nate Shaver has been named Western Athletic Conference Baseball Hitter of the Week for Apr. 20-26.
Shaver, a junior from The Dalles, Ore. (The Dalles HS), helped New Mexico State to a 2-2 record last week against No. 20 Hawai?i. Shaver batted .529 (9-for-17) with nine runs scored, eight RBI, three home runs and three walks. Shaver was a perfect 3-for-3 in the first game of the series, collecting a pair of RBI while crossing the plate twice. In game two, Shaver went 3-for-5 with a season-high two home runs and four RBI. In the series finale, Shaver hit his ninth home run of the year and scored three times.
The other hitter of the week nominations were Fresno State senior outfielder Gavin Hedstrom, Hawai?i junior first baseman Kevin Macdonald, Louisiana Tech junior outfielder Devon Dageford and Nevada junior outfielder Brett Hart.
FRESNO STATE’S MORSE NAMED WAC CO-PITCHER OF THE WEEK
Fresno State right-handed pitcher Matt Morse has been named the WAC’s Co-Pitcher of the Week for Apr. 20-26.
Morse, a junior from Glendora, Calif. (Mt. San Antonio CC), threw a nine-inning complete game shutout in the opening contest of a four-game set against San Jose State. Morse collected three strikeouts while walking only one. The performance marks Morse’s first victory of the season and improves his ERA to 3.74
The other pitcher of the week nominations were Hawai?i junior Nate Klein, Louisiana Tech senior Dylan Moseley, Nevada senior Derek Achelpohl, New Mexico State junior Jared Jordan and Sacramento State senior Jeff Roth.
SAN JOSE STATE’S SHOPSHIRE NAMED WAC CO-PITCHER OF THE WEEK
San Jose State right-handed pitcher Ryan Shopshire has been named the WAC’s Co-Pitcher of the Week for Apr. 20-26.
Shopshire, a senior from Anaheim Hills, Calif. (Orange Coast College), threw a four-hit seven-inning complete game shutout against Fresno State. Shopshire set a career high with 15 strikeouts among the 21 outs he recorded. He also picked up a save earlier in the week against Fresno Pacific, pitching one inning with two strikeouts. With the win, Shopshire improved to 4-1 on the season with a 2.64 ERA.
WAC AND THE RPI
As of April 28, 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 17, followed by San Jose State at 92.
FOUR WAC TEAMS MAKE APPEARANCES IN TOP-25 POLLS
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 and then again at No. 20 on April 20 . It marks 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 fourth WAC team to enter the polls this season.
NEW MEXICO STATE LEADS NATION IN FIVE NCAA STATISTICAL CATEGORIES
As of April 26, New Mexico State ranks fifth or better in nine team statistical categories. The Aggies lead the nation in scoring (11.5), runs (508), home runs (95), slugging percentage (.628) and base on ball (307). NMSU also ranks second in the nation in hits (569) and home runs per game (2.16). Individually, NMSU’s Bryan Marquez leads the nations in BRI with 70.
HAWAI?I STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE NOW RANKS SEVENTH IN THE NATION
UH’s strength of schedule is ranked seventh on the WarrenNolan.com website. Hawai?i has an RPI of 17 accoriding to the website. Eight of UH’s 15 opponents thus far have been ranked at some point this season.
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 816-641-4. 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 714-534-6 in charge at his alma mater. Fresno State head coach Mike Batesole is now just five wins shy of his 500th. Batesole currently holds a 495-345-1 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.