THIS WEEK IN WAC BASEBALL
Regular season play wraps up this weekend as Nevada hosts Louisiana Tech, Sacramento State travels to Fresno State and San Jose State welcomes Hawai‘i.
WAC TEAM-BY-TEAM NOTES
Fresno State Bulldogs (32-22, 13-7 WAC)
The Bulldogs split the four-game series with San Jose State and remain first in the WAC and in the CBN Poll at No. 27 ... Fresno State is 13-7 in WAC play and 32-22 overall ... Josh Poytress recorded his first career complete game shutout in the first game of the weekend ... the ‘Dogs recorded 19 strikeouts with Greg Gonzalez leading the team with five ... Garrett Weber hit over.400 with four RBI ... the Bulldogs hit .299 with 10 doubles, four home runs and 19 RBIs against the Spartans ... Fresno State has clinched a spot in next weeks WAC Tournament in Mesa, Arizona ... Fresno State closes out the regular season at home against Sacramento State May 21-23.
Hawai‘i Rainbows (26-24, 9-11 WAC)
Greg Garcia carried a .636 batting average to lead UH to the series win (3-1) over New Mexico State … Garcia also walked four times to have a .733 on base percentage … Garcia also had a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage on 19 chances as shortstop, making numerous big plays in the field … Sam Spangler struck out a career-high 13 batters in just 5.2 innings vs. New Mexico State (May 14), allowing just one earned run … Spangler struck out the side in three of the innings he pitched ... this week, Hawai‘i travels to take on San Jose State in its WAC regular season series finale, starting on Friday, May 21.
Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (26-25, 10-10 WAC)
Louisiana Tech had the week off from WAC play and took on two of the top-10 ranked teams in the nation including No. 1 Texas … the Bulldogs also played No. 10 Arkansas on Tuesday where they dropped an extra inning contest 5-4 in ten innings ... in game one of a double header Sunday, Tech took No. 1 Texas down to the wire, but fell 10-9 … in game two the Bulldogs faltered 13-2 … Joey Ford batted .364 over three games vs. No. 1 Texas and No. 10 Arkansas ... Ford is now batting .396 on the season … Will Alvis made two appearances in relief in the week and did not allow a single earned run while striking out four … now Tech will prepare for its final WAC series at Nevada over the weekend.
Nevada Wolf Pack (31-19-1, 11-8-1 WAC)
Brock Stassi pitched the first shutout of his career and his third complete game of the season as Nevada defeated Sacramento State 11-0 on the road to take the series from the Hornets 3-1 ... Stassi hit his second grand slam of the season at Sacramento State on Saturday ... after not playing in a game for the first time this season in game two on Saturday, Brian Barnett made his first start of the year at designated hitter on Sunday and went 3-for-3 with a triple, two home runs and drove in a career-high seven ... the seven RBI by Barnett is the high by a Pack hitter this season ... Tyler Graham earned saves in both games of Saturday’s doubleheader ... Nevada plays its final regular season series of the year, hosting LA Tech.
New Mexico State Aggies (36-21-1, 14-9-1 WAC)
New Mexico State dropped three of four games at Hawai‘I last week … Freshman Parker Hipp posted a .357 batting average and tallied two walks on a weekend, where the Aggies struggled with the bat … Hipp played great defense picking up six putouts and nine assists as he didn’t commit a single error … Dan Reid was stellar on the mound as he struck out four batters and didn’t allow a single walk, although his team fell 2-1 to Hawai’I … Reid threw 6.2 innings giving up six hits … Reid’s 70 innings pitched is the most for an Aggie pitcher this season and he now has a total of 49 strikeouts, which also leads the team ... NM State wrapped up regular season play with a pair of games at USC on Tuesday and Wednesday, dropping 9-8 and 5-3 decisions.
Sacramento State Hornets (17-32-1, 6-14 WAC)
Sacramento State went 1-3 last week on the road at Nevada ... the Hornets won the first game of the series, 6-4, before dropping the next three, 2-4, 7-6 and 11-0 ... Justin Lamb led the Hornets at the plate, batting .400 with four hits, two runs, one double, one home run, one RBI and a walk ... Brandon Creel picked up the lone win on the mound for Sacramento State, pitching 2.2 innings while giving up only one hit ... Jesse Darrah pitched 6.0 innings while only giving up two runs ... Darrah also had nine strikeouts ... this week, Sacramento State wraps up regular season play with a four-game series at Fresno State.
San Jose State Spartans (20-32, 8-12 WAC)
San Jose State heads into the final weekend of the 2010 regular season with a two-game cushion for the sixth and final WAC Tournament spot ... the sixth-place Spartans will host the fifth-place Hawai’i Rainbows, needing to win three in order to notch the No. 5 seed ... San Jose State split its four-game set at No. 25 league leader Fresno State over the weekend, narrowly missing out on its first series victory in Fresno since 2000 ... freshman relief pitcher Zack Jones has thrown 14.0 innings of scoreless baseball over his past five outings ... junior left-hander John Austin accomplished the rarity of starting three straight games on the mound, with the series finale at Nevada (5/9), mid-week home meeting with Stanford (5/12) and opener at Fresno State (5/14).
WAC NOTES
HAWAI‘I’S GARCIA NAMED VERIZON WAC HITTER OF THE WEEK
Hawai‘i’s Greg Garcia has been named the Verizon Western Athletic Conference Baseball Hitter of the Week for May 10-16.
Garcia, a junior shortstop from Cajon, Calif. (Valhalla HS), hit a league-best .636 (7-for-11) last week, helping the Rainbows to a 3-1 record against New Mexico State. Garcia recorded five RBI, four walks, two runs and a double over the four games. He also registered a .733 on-base percentage. Garcia had his best game of the series in the finale, going 3-for-4 with three RBI and a run scored. Garcia also had a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage on 19 chances at shortstop.
The other hitter of the week nominations: Fresno State junior Garrett Weber … Louisiana Tech junior Joey Ford … Nevada junior Brian Barnett … New Mexico State freshman Parker Hipp.
NEVADA’S STASSI NAMED VERIZON WAC PITCHER OF THE WEEK
Nevada’s Brock Stassi has been named the Verizon Western Athletic Conference Baseball Pitcher of the Week for May 10-16.
Stassi, a junior from Yuba City, Calif. (Yuba City HS), pitched a complete game shutout as Nevada defeated Sacramento State 11-0 on the road to take the series from the Hornets 3-1. Stassi allowed just three hits and struck out six to win his sixth game of the year which ties him for the team lead and equals his career high in a season.
The other pitcher of the week nominations: Fresno State sophomore Josh Poytress … Hawai‘i junior Sam Spangler … Louisiana Tech junior Will Alvis … New Mexico State junior Dan Ried.
FOUR TEAMS HAVE CLINCHED SPOTS IN NEXT WEEK’S WAC TOURNAMENT, LAST TWO SPOTS UP FOR GRABS THIS WEEK
Fresno State, New Mexico State, Nevada and Louisiana Tech have each clinched a spot in next week’s WAC Tournament in Mesa, Ariz. The last two spots are up for grabs this week as Hawai‘i, San Jose State and Sacramento State will fight for the remaining two spots.
YOUTH BASEBALL DAY SCHEDULE FOR MAY 28TH AT WAC TOURNAMENT IN MESA
Youth 12 and under who wear their youth league baseball t-shirt or jersey to the WAC Baseball Tournament on Friday, May 28th at the 11 a.m., 4 p.m. and or the 7:30 p.m. game will receive free admission with one paid accompanying adult.
FRESNO STATE’S RIBERA NAMED DICK HOWSER TROPHY SEMIFINALIST
The National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association, working in conjunction with the St. Petersburg Area Chamber of Commerce and the College Baseball Foundation, has released the list of 25 semifinalists for the 2010 Dick Howser Trophy, given to the top player in collegiate baseball. Fresno State first baseman Jordan Ribera is one of the 25 semifinalists being listed in 2010.
FRESNO STATE REMAINS 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. 27 this week, falling two spots from No. 25 the previous week. Fresno State is also receiving votes in the NWCBA and USA Today/Coaches Polls. New Mexico State is also receiving votes in the USA Today/Coaches Poll.
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 THREE TEAM STATISTICAL CATEGORIES, FRESNO STATE’S RIBERA RANKS SECOND NATIONALLY IN HOME RUNS
As of May 16, teams from the WAC rank in the top-10 nationally in 11 team statistical categories and five individual catergories. New Mexico State leads the WAC, ranking first in the nation in three team categories. The Aggies rank first in the nation in runs (591), hits (731) and walks (360). Individually, Fresno State’s Jordan Ribera ranks second the nation with 24 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.