WAC TEAM-BY-TEAM NOTES
Fresno State Bulldogs (30-20, 11-5 WAC)
The Bulldogs swept No. 25 New Mexico State on the road and took over the top spot in the WAC standings ... six Bulldogs hit over .400 against the Aggies and recorded 12 home runs ... Dusty Robinson led the way with in home runs (4), runs (10) and RBIs (12) ... Robinson earned both national and WAC hitter of the week honors for his performance over the four-game series ... the pitching staff struck out 30 NM State batters ... Greg Gonzalez had a team-high eight strikeouts this weekend ... Sean Bonesteele made two appearances and earned two wins in the four-game series ... the ‘Dogs begin an eight-game home stand starting with San Jose State to close out the regular season.
Hawai‘i Rainbows (23-22, 6-10 WAC)
The Rainbows did not play last week ... Hawai‘i continues play this Thursday at home when the team hosts New Mexico State in a four-game series.
Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (25-23, 10-10 WAC)
Louisiana Tech completed their first WAC series sweep of the season last weekend after taking four games from Sacramento State in Ruston ... in game two of the series the Bulldogs won 27-12 and set new school records in hits in a game with 27 and doubles in a game with eight ... Tech also set a new single season school record for doubles in a season with 120 now on the year ... Tech now prepares for a midweek game vs. No. 10 Arkansas in Little Rock, Ark. and a Sunday double-header in Austin, Texas vs. No. 1 Texas.
Nevada Wolf Pack (27-18-1, 8-7-1 WAC)
Nick Melino hit .471(8-for-17) with six runs scored, a double, two home runs and 7 RBI as Nevada won its first WAC series of the year taking 3-of-4 from San Jose State ... Melino posted a .526 on base percentage and a .882 slugging percentage. With hits in all four games he extended his hit streak to 11 games which ties his career high set this season and is the high by a Pack player this year ... in the second game of a doubleheader sweep Jeremy Cole pitched a complete game shutout as Nevada defeated San Jose State University 5-0 as he improved to 4-1 on the season, marking his third consecutive complete game pitched ... this week, Nevada travels to play Sacramento State.
New Mexico State Aggies (35-16-1, 13-6-1 WAC)
New Mexico State went 0-4 against Fresno State at home last week ... junior Ryan Aguayo posted the most at-bats for the Aggies against defending WAC Tournament Champion Fresno State last week and finished the four-game series with the highest batting average on the team at .450 ... Aguayo was 9-of-20 and had five RBI while striking out only twice ... New Mexico State looks to rebound this week as the team travels to play Hawai‘i in a four-game set.
Sacramento State Hornets (16-29-1, 5-11 WAC)
Sacramento State went 0-4 at Louisiana Tech last week ... Trevor Paine led the Hornets at the plate, batting .462 with six hits, three runs scored, one home run and six RBI ... Justin Lamb hit three home runs and registered seven RBI on the week ... Josh Powers hit .353 with a team-high five runs scored ... Brandon Sandoval pitched 8.0 innings last week with eight strikeouts ... this week, Sacramento State looks to rebound as the team returns home to host Nevada.
San Jose State Spartans (18-29, 6-10 WAC)
Corey Valine hit a team-best .579 (11-for-19) over five starts last week as San Jose State went 1-3 on the road against Nevada ... Valine produced his second and third four-game efforts of the year, in the opener and finale at Nevada, the latter including a two-out, two-run single to right field in the 12th inning that accounted for the winning scores in the 6-4 triumph to salvage the set. Valine also homered at Stanford in midweek ...
Zack Jones fired a career-long 5.2 innings of shutout relief to help the Spartans salvage the series finale at Nevada and keep them in the middle of the WAC Tournament hunt ... San Jose State now travels to Fresno State for a four-game set which is set to start on Friday.
WAC NOTES
FRESNO STATE’S ROBINSON NAMED VERIZON WAC HITTER OF THE WEEK
Fresno State’s Dusty Robinson has been named the Verizon Western Athletic Conference Baseball Hitter of the Week for May 3-9.
Robinson, a sophomore outfielder from Bakersfield, Calif. (Centennial HS), hit .571 (12-for-21), helping the Bulldogs to a four-game series sweep at New Mexico State. Robinson recorded 11 runs, 12 hits, 12 RBI, four home runs, four walks, two doubles and a triple last week. He also had a slugging percentage of 1.333 and an on-base percentage of .619. In the series opener against NM State, Robinson tied his career high at bats with seven and recorded four hits with five RBI. In the third game of the series, Robinson went 3-for-3 with two home runs, a triple and five RBI.
The other hitter of the week nominations: Louisiana Tech sophomore third baseman Mark Threlkeld … Nevada sophomore left fielder Nick Melino … New Mexico State shortstop Ryan Aguayo … San Jose State third baseman Corey Valine.
NEVADA’S COLE NAMED VERIZON WAC PITCHER OF THE WEEK
Nevada’s Jeremy Cole has been named the Verizon Western Athletic Conference Baseball Pitcher of the Week for May 3-9.
Cole, a junior from Rocklin, Calif. (Sierra JC), pitched a complete game shutout as Nevada defeated San Jose State 5-0 in the second game of a double-header sweep on Saturday. The performance marked his third consecutive complete game pitched. Cole allowed just three singles, struck out three and did not walk a batter. In five of his seven innings pitched, Cole retired the side. He faced just three batters over the minimum.
The other pitcher of the week nominations: Louisiana Tech junior Casey Jones … San Jose State freshman Zack Jones.
FRESNO STATE BACK IN NATIONAL POLL
The Collegiate Baseball Newspaper (CBN) released its weekly NCAA Division I Top-30 Baseball Poll and Fresno State came in at No. 25, Monday, May 10. Fresno State is also receiving votes in the NWCBA and USA Today/Coaches Polls.
FRESNO STATE’S ROBINSON EARNS LOUISVILLE SLUGGER NATIONAL PLAYER OF WEEK HONOR FOR MAY 3-9
Robinson, a sophomore from Bakersfield, Calif. (Centennial HS), hit .571 (12-for-21), helping the Bulldogs to a four-game series sweep at New Mexico State. Robinson recorded 11 runs, 12 hits, 12 RBI, four home runs, four walks, two doubles and a triple last week. Robinson is the third Bulldog to earn a national honor in 2010.
FIVE WAC PLAYERS EARN ACADEMIC ALL-DISTRICT HONORS
Louisiana Tech’s Clint Ewing and New Mexico State’s Chris Auten have been named to the Distric VI academic all-district first team. LA Tech’s Devon Dageford earned district VI second team honors. San Jose State’s Karson Klauer and Jason Martin each earned District VIII first team honors.
NEW MEXICO STATE FRONTS NATION IN TEAM HOME RUNS, FRESNO STATE’S RIBERA LEADS NATION INDIVIDUALLY IN HOME RUNS
As of May 9, teams from the WAC rank in the top-10 nationally in 13 team statistical categories and six individual catergories. New Mexico State leads the WAC, ranking first in the nation in five team categories. The Aggies rank first in the nation in runs (567), hits (694), home runs (100), slugging percentage (.601) and walks (346). Individually, Fresno State’s Jordan Ribera leads the nation with 23 home runs.
NM STATE’S AGUIRRE NAMED COLLEGEINSIDER.com NATIONAL PLAYER OF THE WEEK FOR APRIL 26-MAY 2
Aguirre went 10 for 17 (.588) in a four-game sweep of Louisiana Tech with four home runs, including a grand slam. Aguirre scored seven and drove in 13. He had an on-base percentage of .600 and slugging percentage of 1.294. Aguirre went 4 for 6 in the finale against the Bulldogs with two homers and seven RBI.
FRESNO STATE’S RIBERA EARNS NATIONAL PLAYER OF THE WEEK HONORS FOR WEEK OF APRIL 19-25
Fresno State first baseman Jordan Ribera was named the National Player of the Week by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper for the week of April 19-25. Ribera, a junior from Fresno, Calif. (Clovis West HS), hit .625 (10-for-16), helping the Bulldogs to a pair of wins at Nevada last week. Ribera scored seven runs with two doubles, five home runs, nine RBI and a 1.688 slugging percentage over four games last week. Ribera is the second Bulldog to earn an National Player of the Week honor from Collegiate Baseball and third Bulldog to earn a WAC honor. He is the first Bulldog hitter to be honored.
SAN JOSE STATE’S PIRARO REACHES 1,000 WINS
Now in his 36th season, Sam Piraro achieved his latest milestone of 1,000 career head-coaching wins with a 5-3 home decision over BYU on Saturday, April 3. Piraro produced a 74-43 mark with the San Jose State junior varsity squad in three seasons (1974-76). In seven seasons (1980-86) at Mission College in Santa Clara, Calif., he went 190-70. In 23 campaigns as the Spartan head coach, Piraro is 743-566-6.
SAN JOSE STATE TIES NCAA SINGLE GAME DOUBLE PLAYS RECORD
San Jose State and Pacific combined to tie the NCAA Division I record for most double plays by two teams in a single game, when they turned a total of 10, five apiece, on Sunday, March 28, at UOP’s Klein Family Field. The teams now share the record that was originally set more than 20 years ago, when Georgetown (6) and George Mason (4) accomplished it on April 4, 1989. A 3-6-3 twin killing, from first baseman Breyon Canez, to shortstop Zack Jones, and back to Canez, ended the 10th and tied the mark.
LOUISIANA TECH SETS NUMEROUS MARKS AGAINST MINNESOTA IN FIRST-EVER GAME PLAYED AT TARGET FIELD
Louisiana Tech’s match-up against Minnesota on Saturday March 27 was the first ever game played at the Minnesota Twin’s brand new Major League Baseball Stadium, Target Field. Louisiana Tech set numerous Target Field firsts, including the first win, hit, home run, triple, double, RBI, run, walk, double-play, and hit-by-pitch. The game at Target Field was the second-largest crowd ever to attend a college baseball game at 36,056.
NEVADA’S STASSI NAMED COLLEGEBASEBALLINSIDER.COM WEST REGION PLAYER OF THE WEEK TWICE THIS SEASON
Nevada junior designated hitter Brock Stassi has added another honor being named the Collegebaseballinsider.com West Region Player of the Week in addition to his Western Athletic Conference Hitter of the Week honor announced on Monday. It marks the second time this season Stassi has earned both honors as he was selected the opening weekend of the season, Feb. 15-21.
NEW MEXICO STATE’S AGUAYO NAMED TO NATIONAL SHORTSTOP OF THE YEAR WATCH LIST
New Mexico State shortstop Ryan Aguayo was named to the 2010 Brooks Wallace Award watch list, Tuesday, March 23, which was released by the College Baseball Foundation. The Wallace Award, sponsored by Mizuno, goes to the nation’s top shortstop and will be presented on July 2, 2010, in Lubbock, Texas as a part of the College Baseball Awards show. Aguayo (Pico Rivera, Calif.) is currently second on the team with a .414 batting average, while he is currently on an eight-game hitting streak. His play on defense is just as good as he has come up with 80 assists while committing just nine errors to come up with a fielding percentage of .929. He has played in all 23 games this season and has started 21 of those 23 games.
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.
FRESNO STATE’S GONZALEZ THROWS NO-HITTER, EARNS LOUISVILLE SLUGGERS AND NCBWA PRO-LINE NATIONAL PLAYER OF THE WEEK HONORS
Greg Gonzalez was lifted into the limelight after throwing a no-hitter Saturday night. He was named the Louisville Sluggers and the NCBWA Pro-Line National Player of the Week. Gonzalez made history at Les Murakami Stadium, becoming the seventh Bulldog in Fresno State history to throw a no-hitter. In his first career start, the junior threw a complete game shutout over Hawai’i. Gonzalez silenced the Rainbow batters throwing his first career no-hitter. The last no-hitter by a Bulldog pitcher was in 1976 by Rob Cruess against Sacramento State. Gonzalez tied his career-high of seven strikeouts and threw seven innings, his longest outing of the season. Two walks stood between Gonzalez and a perfect game. The righty-handed pitcher faced just over the minimum of 22 batters and sat down 17 in order. He was named Baseball America’s Pitcher of the Night.
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. Linsky currently ranks 12th nationally with six saves this season.
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. 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.