THIS WEEK'S SCHEDULE
March 22 (Monday)
Hawai‘i def. Air Force, 13-1
March 23 (Tuesday)
St. Mary’s def. Sacramento State, 5-4
Louisiana Tech def. Grambling State, 11-1
Fresno State def. Cal Poly, 10-9
UC Davis def. San Jose State, 8-3
March 24 (Wednesday)
Hawai‘i at Long Beach State, 6:30 p.m. PT
March 26 (Friday)
UC Irvine at Nevada, 2:00 p.m. PT
Louisiana Tech at Minnesota, 6:35 p.m. CT
Sacramento State at Cal State Northridge, 3:00 p.m. PT
Wofford at New Mexico State, 6:00 p.m. MT
Pacific at San Jose State, 6:00 p.m. PT
UC Davis at Fresno State, 6:00 p.m. PT
Hawai‘i at Cal State Fullerton, 7:00 p.m. PT
March 27 (Saturday)
Louisiana Tech at Minnesota, 1:00 p.m. CT
Pacific at San Jose State, 1:00 p.m. PT
UC Irvine at Nevada, 1:00 p.m. PT
Sacramento State at Cal State Northridge, 1:00 p.m. PT
Wofford at New Mexico State (DH), 3:00 p.m. PT
Hawai‘i at Cal State Fullerton, 6:00 p.m. PT
UC Davis at Fresno State, 6:00 p.m. PT
March 28 (Sunday)
Louisiana Tech at Minnesota, 12:00 p.m. CT
Wofford at New Mexico State, 1:00 p.m. MT
Sacramento State at Cal State Northridge, 1:00 p.m. PT
San Jose State at Pacific, 1:00 p.m. PT
UC Irvine at Nevada, 1:00 p.m. PT
Hawai‘i at Cal State Fullerton, 1:00 p.m. PT
UC Davis at Fresno State, 2:00 p.m. PT
WAC TEAM-BY-TEAM NOTES
Fresno State Bulldogs (11-10, 0-0 WAC)
Fresno State has gone 2-3 since March 19 with three losses at home to Loyola Marymount before a win over Loyola Marymount in the series finale and a 10-9 victory at Cal Poly on Tuesday ... during that stretch, Danny Muno has led the team with a .478 average at the plate with seven runs, 11 hits, three walks and three RBI ... Brennan Gowens and Jordan Ribera have each hit .381 during the same stretch ... Ribera has seven RBI on eight hits, including a pair of doubles ... Greg Gonzalez and Cody Kendall each picked up wins on the mound over the past week ... Fresno State welcomes UC Davis in a three-game series this week.
Hawai‘i Rainbows (11-9, 0-0 WAC)
Hawai‘i just wrapped up a four-game series at home against Air Force, sweeping the Falcons 15-6, 4-0, 9-5 and 13-1 ... Greg Garcia led UH at the plate during the series, going 9-for-16 with five runs cored, three doubles, one RBI and two walks ... Kolten Wong led UH with nine RBI during the Air Force series with one home run and six runs scored ... Colling Bennett had a pair of home runs in the series while hitting .429 at the plate ... on the mound, Josh Slaats impressed with a victory in 5.1 innings of work with no runs scored and 10 striketouts ... Matt Sisto, Alex Capaul and Sam Spangler also picked up wins on the mound for UH ... this week, Hawai‘i takes its first road trip with games scheduled at Long Beach State and Cal State Fullerton.
Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (10-10, 0-0 WAC)
Tech has gone 2-2 since March 17 ... the Bulldogs dropped a 1-0 decision at Central Arkansas before splitting a two-game series at home against Southern Miss ... Louisiana Tech most recently knocked off Grambling State 11-1 at home on Tuesday night ... Devon Dageford led the Bulldogs at the plate going 7-for-15 over the four games for a .467 average ... Dageford scored a pair of runs with four RBI, one home run and a walk during the stretch ... Clint Ewing also had four RBI during the four games with a .357 average, five hits, including a pair of home runs ... Josh Barrett got a win and recorded a 0.96 ERA in 9.1 innings of work with five striketouts ... Louisiana Tech will next play at Minnesota in a series that begins on Friday.
Nevada Wolf Pack (10-10, 0-0 WAC)
Nevada just recently wrapped up a four-game series at Oregon where the Wolf Pack dropped all four games by scores of 16-2, 12-7, 5-2 and 5-0 ... Shaun Kort led the Wolf Pack during the series, going 7-for-12 with a .583 average that included two doubles, a triple, three RBI and three walks ... Kort also had a stolen base in the series ... Brian Barnett and Westley Moss each hit .286 and each had a pair of doubles in the series ... Jeremy Cole pitched 5.0 innings with a 1.80 ERA ... Cole allowed only one earned run with two strikeouts ... next up for Nevada will be a series at home against UC Irvine, starting on Friday.
NM State Aggies (13-10, 0-0 WAC)
New Mexico State just wrapped up a three-game series on the road against UC Santa Barbara ... the Aggies took two of three games, including 12-7 and 12-5 victories in the final two games ... Ben Harty led the Aggies with a 7-for-14 performance at the plate with three home runs, five RBI and six runs scored ... Parker Hipp hit .667 with six hits and three runs scored ... Nate Shaver led the team with six RBI in the series ... Daniel Simon and Tyler Mack recorded wins on the mound ... Simon pitched 4.2 innings without giving up a run, while fanning four ... this week, New Mexico State hosts Wofford in a four-game series starting on Friday.
Sacramento State Hornets (6-12-1, 0-0 WAC)
Sacramento State has gone 1-4 since March 16 with a win over Pacific and losses to Arizona and St. Mary’s ... Sacramento State defeated Pacific before being swept in a three-game series at Arizona ... the team also dropped a 5-4 decision at St. Mary’s on March 23 ... during that time, Trevor Paine has led the team at the plate, going 8-for-19 with a .421 average ... Josh Powers has collected five hits over the five games with four RBI and five walks ... James Chamberlin picked up the lone victory on the mound for the Hornets as he has recorded a 4.50 ERA over his last three appearances ... Sacramento State travels to Cal State Northridge this week for three games.
SJSU Spartans (9-10, 0-0 WAC)
San Jose State heads into a second straight four-game week after going 1-3, all on the road, a week ago ... the Spartans returned to home action against their most recent home opponent, UC Davis, on Tuesday night, dropping an 8-3 decision ... they now take on another area foe in Pacific in a three-game home-home-away series over the weekend ... Blake McFarland is currently 3-1 for the Spartans on the mound, with a 1.39 ERA, having thrown back-to-back nine-inning complete games ... Jason Martin is in the midst of a third career double-digit hit streak, now at a team-best 13 games ... head coach Sam Piraro is one win away from 1,000 over his 36-year career and three coaching appointments at all levels.
WAC NOTES
NEW MEXICO STATE’S HARTY NAMED WAC HITTER OF THE WEEK
New Mexico State designated hitter/catcher Ben Harty has been named the Verizon Wireless Western Athletic Conference Baseball Hitter of the Week for March 15-22.
Harty, a senior from Bellevue, Wash. (Newport HS), hit .500 (7-for-14) to lead New Mexico State to a 2-1 road record against UC Santa Barbara. Harty hit a team-high three home runs and slugged 1.214 as the Aggies scored 33 runs in three games. In game two of the series, Harty led the Aggies to a come-from-behind 12-7 win after going 3-for-5 with two home runs, three runs scored and three RBI. Harty now leads the team with a .444 batting average and leads the WAC with 11 home runs this season.
The other hitter of the week nominations: Fresno State junior Jordan Ribera … Hawai‘i junior Greg Garcia … Louisiana Tech senior Devon Dageford … Sacramento State senior Josh Powers.
HAWAI‘I’S SLAATS NAMED WAC PITCHER OF THE WEEK
Hawai‘i pitcher Josh Slaats has been named the Verizon Wireless Western Athletic Conference Baseball Pitcher of the Week for March 15-22.
Slaats, a junior from San Ramon, Calif. (California HS), went 1-0 last week with a victory over Air Force. Slaats recorded a career-high 10 strikeouts in just 5.1 innings of work. The junior combined for the shutout, allowing only three hits and a walk. Slaats is now 2-0 with a 0.40 ERA in 22.2 innings pitched, striking out 26 with just six walks and one earned run for the season.
The other pitcher of the week nominations: Louisiana Tech senior Jamey Bradshaw … New Mexico State senior DJ Simon … Sacramento State junior Mike Guglielmo … San Jose State junior Blake McFarland.
THREE WAC PLAYERS NAMED CANDIDATES FOR LOWES SENIOR CLASS AWARD
Louisiana Tech’s Devon Dageford, New Mexico State’s Mike Sodders and San Jose State’s Corey Valine have been selected as three of just thirty student-athletes in the nation to be a candidate for the 2010 baseball Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award. An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School™, the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award honors the attributes of senior student-athletes in four areas: classroom, community, character and competition. The award program is designed exclusively for college seniors who are utilizing their complete athletic eligibility, remaining committed to their university and pursuing the many rewards that a senior season can bring.
ROCKY WARD BECOMES ALL-TIME WINNINGEST COACH AT NM STATE
New Mexico State head baseball coach Rocky Ward recently became the all-time winningest coach at NM State surpassing Jim Kwasny who tallied 300 wins from 1969-82. Ward, who is in his 12th season as Aggie head coach, picked up win No. 301 when his team defeated
Akron 8-3 in game one of a doubleheader, Saturday, Feb. 27 at Presley Askew Field.
HAWAI‘I’S LINSKY REGISTERS THREE SAVES IN THREE STRAIGHT GAMES
Lenny Linsky posted three saves in three consecutive games during the weekend series vs. Oregon (Feb. 25, 26, 28), becoming the first player in program history to accomplish that feat. Linsky pitched two perfect innings in the series opener, striking out three for the save. He then allowed a hit in a one-inning save on Feb. 26 before retiring the final two batters in the first game of the doubleheader on Feb. 28.
2010 WAC PRESEASON POLL AND ALL-WAC TEAM
Fresno State has been selected as the favorite to win the 2010 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 with Fresno State and Nevada leading the way as each placed four players on the team. Fresno State junior second baseman Danny Muno was named the preseason player of the year, while Fresno State sophomore Derek Benny was picked the preseason pitcher of the year.
THREE WAC PLAYERS ON 2010 NCBWA PRESEASON TEAM
Three WAC baseball players have been named to the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Pro-Line Athletic Preseason All-America team. Louisiana Tech’s Devon Dageford and New Mexico State’s Mike Sodders each earned fi rst team honors, while Fresno State’s Dusty Robinson was named to the third team.
SACRAMENTO STATE’S JOHN SMITH TO STEP DOWN AS HEAD BASEBALL COACH FOLLOWING 2010 SEASON
Sacramento State head baseball coach John Smith has announced that he will be retiring at the end of the 2010 season, which will be his 32nd season at the helm of the program. In his 31 years as the head coach at Sacramento State, Smith has compiled 861 victories in the Green and Gold. Since taking over the program in November of 1978, Smith has produced 16 winning seasons, including 11 years with at least 30 wins and four years with at least 40 victories. A two-time American Baseball Coaches Association West Region Coach of the Year, Smith led the Hornets to the Division II College World Series in 1986 and 1988. The 1986 club defeated Cal State Dominguez Hills in the West Regional before posting a 2-2 record at the CWS. The 1988 team made it to the doorstep of the National Championship, before falling in the title game to Florida Southern, 5-4.
2010 WAC TOURNAMENT HEADS TO MESA’S HOHOKAM STADIUM
The WAC has awarded the City of Mesa the WAC Baseball Tournament for 2010, 2011 and 2012, WAC Commissioner Karl Benson announced this past May. The event will be played at Mesa’s Hohokam Stadium, the Chicago Cubs Spring Training home. The City of Mesa, Mesa Convention & Visitors Bureau and Phoenix Regional Sports Commission worked in tandem to secure the event which features Hawai‘i, Fresno State, Louisiana Tech, Sacramento State, Nevada, New Mexico State and San Jose State. Starting in 2010, the City of Mesa will host the double-elimination tournament with the winner earning the WAC’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The top six teams from the WAC’s regular season standings will advance to the tournament. The WAC Baseball Tournament is no stranger to the state of Arizona and the City of Mesa. The league’s championship has been played in Arizona nine times (1963, 65, 67, 69, 71, 73, 75, 76, 78) and the event was held in Mesa in 1971 and 1973. Mesa has fast become the third largest metropolitan city in the state of Arizona off ering a variety of lifestyle and leisure pursuits that are in high demand by visitors and residents alike. Now boasting 460,000 residents, Mesa’s population is greater than such well-known cities as Minneapolis, St. Louis, Pittsburgh, and Miami. Mesa is unique among cities in the Phoenix area as it is embraced by the Sonoran Desert – a playground for sought-after outdoor recreation and one-of-a-kind attractions. As a sports destination, Mesa shines off ering some of the nation’s best training facilities for field sports paired with unbeatable year-round weather and award-winning hotels. Mesa has been recognized as one of the country’s most desirable destinations for hosting dynamic sporting events and athletic competitions on all levels: amateur, youth, collegiate, and professional. Hohokam Stadium is best known as the winter home of the Chicago Cubs and is major league baseball’s most popular spring training venue. Boasting one of the largest capacities in the Cactus League, more than 240,000 attendees pass through its gates each March. In addition to hosting Cactus League Spring Training, Hohokam Stadium is also the home of the Mesa Solar Sox of the Arizona Fall League. Hohokam Stadium and adjacent training facility opened in February 1997. The stadium seats 13,030 and includes one practice field and one practice infield.