WAC NOTES
NEW MEXICO STATE’S EDWARDS AND LOUISIANA TECH’S MATON NAMED VERIZON WAC BASEBALL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
New Mexico State designated hitter Cody Edwards and Louisiana Tech pitcher Phil Maton have been named the Verizon Western Athletic Conference Baseball Hitter and Pitcher of the Week, respectively, for Feb. 20-26.
Edwards, a junior from Yakima, Wash. (West Valley HS), hit .467 (7-of-15) playing in six games this past week. Edwards’ best outing came in the second game of a doubleheader on Feb. 25 against Sacred Heart as he hit for the cycle, becoming only the second player in school history to achieve the feat. Edwards started with a double in the first inning, then posted a single to centerfield in the third inning, tallied a three-run triple that the third and completed the cycle with a grand-slam in the bottom of the sixth inning. Edwards had 11 RBI in the 23-11 victory over the Pioneers, which was just one short of the NM State record. Edwards also went 1-for-3 with an RBI against No. 4 Rice as the Aggies fell 7-5 on Feb. 21. Overall on the week, Edwards played in six games with six runs, seven hits, 14 RBI, one double, one triple, two home runs, one walk and a stolen base.
Maton, a freshman from Chatham, Ill. (Glenwood HS), recorded the first win of his collegiate career on Wednesday after pitching four scoreless innings in relief. Maton also pitched four innings of relief on Saturday, striking out five, allowing only three base runners. Maton held opposing hitters to a .115 batting average on the week. Overall on the week, Maton made two appearances, pitched 8.0 innings, struck out nine, and allowed only three hits without giving up a run.
The other hitter of the week nominations: Fresno State freshman outfielder Jordan Luplow … Hawai‘i senior centerfielder Breland Almadova … Louisiana Tech senior first baseman Alex Williams … Nevada junior first baseman Brett Jones … Sacramento State junior utility Andrew Ayers.
The other pitcher of the week nominations: Fresno State sophomore Tyler Linehan … Hawai‘i freshman Scott Squier … Nevada sophomore Bradey Shipley … New Mexico State junior Ryan Beck … Sacramento State sophomore Tanner Mendonca.
2012 WAC TOURNAMENT RETURNS TO MESA’S HOHOKAM STADIUM
After succesful 2010 and 2011 tournaments, the WAC baseball tournament will return to Mesa, Arizona this 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 for a third-straight season, which features Hawai‘i, Fresno State, Louisiana Tech, Sacramento State, Nevada, New Mexico State and San Jose State. The City of Mesa will once again 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 11 times (1963, 65, 67, 69, 71, 73, 75, 76, 78, 2010 and 2011) and the event was held in Mesa in 1971, 1973, 2010 and 2011. Mesa has fast become the third largest metropolitan city in the state of Arizona offering 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 offering 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.
WAC TEAM-BY-TEAM NOTES
Fresno State Bulldogs (4-5, 0-0 WAC)
Fresno State has gone 1-4 since the last weekly WAC release ... the team dropped a 4-0 decision at CSU Bakersfield before dropping two of three games at Pepperdine ... the Bulldogs dropped a 7-1 decision on Tuesday night at home against UC Santa Barbara ... over its last five games, Trent Garrison has led the Bulldogs at the plate, batting .278 with five hits and one RBI ... Jordan Luplow has been impressive at the plate over his last five games, batting .250 with three runs, three doubles and four RBI ... on the mound, Tyler Linehan had an impressive outing, going 7.2 innings with six strikeouts while giving up only one earned run ... this week, Fresno State hosts second-ranked Stanford in a three-game series at home.
Hawai‘i Rainbows (6-3, 0-0 WAC)
Hawai‘i went a perfect 5-0 in a five-game series at home against Wagner ... the Rainbows won by scores of 9-2, 5-2, 6-2, 2-0 and 19-3 ... Breland Almadova led the Rainbows at the plate during the series, hitting .438 with seven runs, seven hits, one double, one home run, five RBI and three walks ... Stephen Ventimilia hit .357 with seven runs, five hits, one triple, four RBI and five walks ... Collin Bennett also hit .357 during the series against Wagner with four runs, four RBI and three walks ... Matt Sisto had the most impressive appearance on the mound for the Rainbows, pitching 8.0 innings with six strikeouts and no earned runs ... this week, Hawai‘i continues play at home when the team hosts Wichita State for a four-game series.
Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (6-3, 0-0 WAC)
Louisiana Tech went 2-1 in a three-game series against McNeese State at home this past week ... the team won the first two games of the series by scores of 13-2 and 5-4 before dropping the finale 4-3 ... the team also picked up an 11-6 win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Tuesday night ... in the series against McNeese State, Justin Gordey led the Bulldogs at the plate, hitting .556 with three runs, five hits, one double and one walk during the three-game set ... Alex Williams led Tech at the plate in Tuesday’s win over Arkansas Pine Bluff ... Williams went 3-for-5 at the plate with one run, one double and one RBI ... Phil Maton was impressive on the mound during the McNeese State series, pitching 4.0 innings without giving up a run with five strikeouts.
Nevada Wolf Pack (5-3, 0-0 WAC)
Nevada went 2-1 in a three-game series at home against Utah Valley last week ... the Wolf Pack then dropped an 8-4 decision at Santa Clara on Tuesday night ... in the series against Utah Valley, Nevada won the first two games by scores of 6-4 and 9-1 before dropping the finale 6-1 ... Brett Jones led the Pack during the UVU series, hitting .462 with two runs, six hits, one double and one RBI ... Austin Byler also played well, batting .364 with two runs, four hits, two doubles and an RBI ... Tyler Wells pucked up a win on the mound after going 6.1 innings without giving up a run ... Braden Shipley also got a win in 6.0 innings of work with nine strikeouts without giving up a run ... Nevada continues play this week at UNLV for a three-game series.
New Mexico State Aggies (7-3, 0-0 WAC)
The Aggies just wrapped up a four-game series with Sacred Heart ... the team swept the Pioneers by scores of 11-6, 21-3, 23-11 and 16-2 ... the team compiled 71 runs during the four-game set ... Zac Fisher led the Aggies at the plate during the series, batting .643 with eight runs, nine hits, four doubles and eight RBI ... Cody Edwards hit for the cycle in one of the games and finished the series with six runs, six hits, one double, one triple, two home runs and 13 RBI ... Zach Voight finished the series with a .571 batting average, compiling six runs, two doubles, one home run and seven RBI ... Casey Collins had the best outing on the mound during the series, pitching 5.0 innings without giving up an earned run with four Ks ... NMSU will play in the Dairy Queen Classic in Minneapolis this week against Minnesota, Nebraska and West Virginia.
Sacramento State Hornets (4-4, 0-0 WAC)
Sacramento State swept a series at home last week against Seattle U ... the team won by scores of 9-6, 6-5 and 8-7 ... the Hornets then dropped a 13-10 decision at Pacific on Tuesday night ... during the Seattle U sweep, Justin Higley led the Hornets at the plate, batting .444 with four runs and four hits ... Will Soto had seven RBI and a home run during the series ... Andrew Ayers hit .400 with four runs, four hits, three doubles and three RBI ... Tanner Mendonca had an impressive outing on the mound, going 7.0 innings with three strikeouts while giving up only one earned run ... RJ Davis picked up a pair of saves during the series ... in the loss at Pacific, Rhys Hoskins hit a grand slam ... the Hornets continue play this week at UCLA for a three-game series.
San Jose State Spartans (2-5, 0-0 WAC)
The Spartans dropped three games in a three-game series at home against UC Santa Barbara ... SJSU lost by scores of 3-1, 3-2 and 5-2 ... the Spartans rebounded on Tuesday night to pick up a 5-3 road win at Saint Mary’s ... during the three-game series against UCSB, Jacob Valdez led the Spartans at the plate with a .400 batting average with four hits ... Anthony Bona hit .333 with three hits ... Andre Mercurio hit .250 with three hits and an RBI ... Johnny Melero had the best outing on the mound, going 5.0 innings with five strikeouts while giving up only one earned run ... in the win at Saint Mary’s, Kyle Gallegos went 3-for-3 with an RBI ... this week, San Jose State continues play at Santa Clara on Friday, at home against Santa Clara on Saturday and at Santa Clara on Sunday.