THIS WEEK IN WAC BASEBALL
Three WAC matchups highlight this week's conference slate. Louisiana Tech hosts Sacramento State, Fresno State travels to New Mexico State and Nevada welcomes San Jose State.
WAC TEAM-BY-TEAM NOTES
Fresno State Bulldogs (26-20, 7-5 WAC)
The Bulldogs won two of three games in a non-conference series against Dallas Baptist ... Fresno State has an overall record of 26-19 this season ... the ‘Dogs hit .330 with eight home runs, 36 RBIs and scored 38 runs in three games ... sophomore Dusty Robinson went 7-for-12 against the Patriots with a home run and six RBIs ... Matt Morse recorded the best ERA of the starters (1.80) and earned his third win of the season ... Greg Gonzalez recorded a team-high seven strikeouts over the weekend ... the Bulldogs play their final midweek game against Cal Poly before resuming WAC play against New Mexico State on the road May 7-9.
Hawai‘i Rainbows (23-22, 6-10 WAC)
The Rainbows went 2-2 at home last week against conference foe Nevada ... - Greg Garcia carried a .500 batting average in the series vs. Nevada, scoring three runs with four RBI, a triple and a stolen base … in the series finale against Nevada, Garcia went 4-for-6 with two RBI, a run and a triple … Matt Sisto pitched 5.1 shutout innings, allowing just four hits while striking out five to get the victory in UH’s 1-0 win over Nevada in the second game of the May 1 doubleheader … Sisto retired 12 of 13 batters between the second and sixth innings, posting four, three-batter innings between the third and sixth … Sisto was awarded WAC Pitcher of the Week honors for his performance.
Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (21-22, 6-10 WAC)
Louisiana Tech was swept in WAC play for the first time this season by WAC leader New Mexico State ... in the four-game series against NM State, Devon Dageford batted .563 with two homeruns, five RBI and seven runs scored to go along with his two stolen bases ... the rightfielder recorded an impressive 1.063 slugging percentage in the four game series ... Mark Threlkeld was also impressive at the plate, hitting .300 with four runs, two home runs and six RBI ... the Bulldogs now prepare to bounce back with a home WAC series vs. Sacramento State this upcoming weekend.
Nevada Wolf Pack (24-17-1, 5-6-1 WAC)
Nevada went 2-2 at Hawai‘i last week ... the Wolf Pack opened the series with an 8-4 win and finished the series with an 8-7 victory ... Nick Melino led the Pack at the plate, batting .471 with eight hits, four runs, four doubles, one home run, four RBI and a pair of walks ... Garrett Yrigoyen led Nevada with five RBI during the series ... Chris Garcia tossed seven innings allowing a run on 5 hits with a career-high 9 strikeouts as the Pack opened the series at Hawai`i with an 8-4 victory ... the five wins is a career high and tied him for the team lead ... this week, Nevada returns home to host San Jose State in a four-game series.
New Mexico State Aggies (35-12-1, 13-2-1 WAC)
New Mexico State went a perfect 4-0 last week with a series sweep at home against Louisiana Tech ... New Mexico State has now won 10 straight games and has won 24 of its last 27 with a tie coming against Nevada, April 11 … NM State needs just four more home runs to get to 100 on the year … the Aggies currently lead the nation in home runs ... the Aggies hit .438 as a team in the series sweep against LA Tech ... Leo Aguirre led the Aggies last week with 10 hits, 13 RBI, four home runs and seven runs scored ... Aguirre was awarded WAC Hitter of the Week honors for his performance last week ... New Mexico State hosts Fresno State this week in a four-game series.
Sacramento State Hornets (16-25-1, 5-7 WAC)
Trevor Paine drove in nine runs over the weekend, leading the Sacramento State Hornets to a split with the San Jose State Spartans … in the Hornets 7-4 win over the Spartans in game one on Saturday, Paine hit a grand slam in the top of the sixth, giving the Hornets a 7-1 lead and the eventual game-winning RBI … Brandon Sandoval threw a complete game in the Hornets 12-3 seven inning win over San Jose State in game two of a doubleheader on Saturday … Sandoval allowed just two earned runs in his second start back following a hand injury that sidelined him for over a month and a half ... this week, Sacramento State travels to play Louisiana Tech in a four-game series.
San Jose State Spartans (17-26, 5-7 WAC)
San Jose State managed a home series split against Sacramento State over the weekend, and now faces a stretch of nine road contests over its next 10 games, beginning with a date at nationally-ranked area rival Stanford on Tuesday, May 4 ... the Spartans will then head to Reno, Nev., for a weekend set against the Wolf Pack ... senior co-captain Karson Klauer belted three home runs against the Hornets, including a walk-off blast on the first pitch he saw with two outs in the 11th in the Sunday finale ... junior right-hander Luke Mazzanti has produced back-to-back complete games, earning his first winning decision in Friday’s series opener, a 13-1 triumph in a run-rule-shortened seven frames ... San Jose State won all five meetings with Nevada in 2009, but none of those games were in Reno.
WAC NOTES
NEW MEXICO STATE’S AGUIRRE NAMED VERIZON WAC HITTER OF THE WEEK
New Mexico State’s Leo Aguirre has been named the Verizon Western Athletic Conference Baseball Hitter of the Week for April 26-May 2.
Aguirre, a senior first baseman from Austin, Texas (James Bowie HS), hit .588 (10-for-17), helping the Aggies to a four-game series sweep over Louisiana Tech. Aguirre tallied 13 RBI, seven runs, four home runs and a pair of walks over four games last week. Aguirre also recorded a 1.294 slugging percentage and a .600 on-base percentage with his four home runs, one of which was a grand slam. Aguirre now has 11 home runs on the season and leads the WAC with a .419 batting average.
The other hitter of the week nominations: Fresno State sophomore Dusty Robinson … Hawai‘i junior Greg Garcia … Nevada sophomore Nick Melino … Sacramento State junior Trevor Paine … San Jose State senior Karson Klauer.
HAWAI‘I’S SISTO NAMED VERIZON WAC PITCHER OF THE WEEK
Hawai‘i’s Matt Sisto has been named the Verizon Western Athletic Conference Baseball Pitcher of the Week for April 26-May 2.
Sisto, a sophomore from Anaheim, Calif. (Cypress HS), pitched 5.1 shutout innings, allowing just four hits while striking out five to get the win in UH’s 1-0 victory over Nevada in the second game of its May 1 doubleheader. Sisto retired 12 of 13 batters between the second and sixth innings, posting four three-batter innings between the third and sixth stanzas.
The other pitcher of the week nominations: Nevada senior Chris Garcia … New Mexico State senior DJ Simon … Sacramento State junior Brandon Sandoval … San Jose State junior Luke Mazzanti.
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 RE-ENTERS NATIONAL POLL
The Collegiate Baseball Newspaper (CBN) released its weekly NCAA Division I Top-30 Baseball
Poll and New Mexico State came in at No. 25, Monday, May 3. NM State has won 10 straight games and has won 24 of its last 27 with a tie coming against Nevada, April 11. The Aggies are also receiving votes in the USA Today Coaches Poll and the NCBWA Polls.
NEW MEXICO STATE FRONTS NATION IN TEAM HOME RUNS, FRESNO STATE’S RIBERA LEADS NATION INDIVIDUALLY IN HOME RUNS
As of May 2, teams from the WAC rank in the top-10 nationally in 11 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 (536), hits (646), home runs (96), slugging percentage (.610) and walks (326). Individually, Fresno State’s Jordan Ribera leads the nation in both home runs (21) and home runs per game (0.47). New Mexico State’s Ryan Aguayo fronts the country in runs with 68.
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.
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 first 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. 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.