WAC TEAM-BY-TEAM NOTES
Bakersfield (20-27, 12-9 WAC)
Bakersfield went 3-1 last week ... the team dropped a 9-8 decision to Cal State Northridge in non-conference play before the team picked up its third series sweep of the season, winning all thre games at Northern Colorado ... Chance Gusbeth and Soloman Williams became the sixth and seventh Roadrunners to hit two home runs in a game May 3 at Northern Colorado ... both were a triple away from hitting for the cycle in the 19-7 victory over the Bears ... both now hold the school record for most total bases in a game with 11 ... Gusbeth reset the school record for most RBI’s against UNC when he posted seven against the Bears ... the old mark of six was set by Martin Medina during the 2009 season ... Bakersfield dropped a 5-3 decision to UC Santa Barbara to open the week and now hosts Fresno State on Wednesday before hosting NM State for a three-game WAC series.
Chicago State (15-32, 3-15 WAC)
Chicago State went 0-4 last week ... the Cougars fell 8-3 at Valparaiso before being swept in a three-game series at Sacramento State ... CSU dropped the games at Sacramento State by scores of 6-0, 11-6 and 3-2 ... Chase Matheson led the Cougars through the four games last week, tallying five hits, three runs, two doubles, one RBI and a walk ... Sanford Hunt hit .286 with four hits, one run, one walk and an RBI ... the Cougars close out the home schedule this weekend with a three-game series against Northern Colorado ... Chicago State is 2-15 all-time against Northern Colorado ... one of the two wins came last year as the Cougars defeated Northern Colorado 7-4 on April 7 ... Northern Colorado defeated Chicago State 13-1 and 11-7 in the Great West Conference Tournament last season ... the second loss eliminated CSU from the tournament ... three Cougars will be honored on senior day Sunday.
Grand Canyon (25-20, 14-7 WAC)
The Antelopes won two of three games against Seattle U in Bellevue, Wash., over the weekend to win their sixth Western Athletic Conference series in seven tries ... Andrew Naderer opened the weekend by guiding the Lopes to a 12-2, 8.0-inning victory in the series opener before GCU dropped a 2-1 decision in the second game of a doubleheader that was scheduled late due to inclement weather ... the series finale took over 24 hours to complete, but GCU came out victorious 10-6 ... Michael Pomeroy hit .533 (8-for-15) over the three games to extend his hit streak to 9 games, while Chad De La Guerra (6-for-10, .600) and David Walker (3-for-11, .273) both hit safely in all three games as they extended their hitting streaks to 14 and 10 respectively ... GCU will now play a single, non-conference game at No. 13 Washington before hitting the road again for a three-game series at North Dakota beginning on May 9.
New Mexico State (18-25, 9-9 WAC)
New Mexico State went 1-3 last week ... the team opened the week with a 2-0 setback at Arizona State ... the team then returned home where it went 1-2 in a three-game series against Utah Valley ... the Aggies dropped the opener to the Wolverines, 8-1, before rallying to win game two, 11-3 ... the team then dropped the finale 4-1 ... Chad Ramsey hit .333 at the plate over the four games, recording four hits, one run and one hit by pitch ... Kevin Carswell also hit .333 with two hits ... Michael Paulson hit .250 with four hits, two runs scored, one double, two RBi and a walk ... Michael Medina scored three runs and recorded three walks ... Billy Conrad picked up the win on the mound, working 7.1 innings with seven strikeouts ... this week, NM State travels to play Bakersfield in a three-game WAC series.
North Dakota (9-23, 8-10 WAC)
North Dakota defeated arch-rival North Dakota State, 4-3, in a thrilling come-from-behind win Tuesday ... UND trailed 3-0 in the 3rd, but rallied to post three in the 5th and the eventual game-winner in the 6th ... senior Patrick Riewer threw a 135-pitch complete game in his first career start on the mound in a UND uniform ... he had totaled just three innings combined in three relief appearances coming into the game ... Taylor Petersen notched six hits on the week, including a pair of doubles to push his team lead in that category to 12 ... North Dakota dropped all three games at Texas-Pan American, setting up a key series against the first and second place teams the end the season ... UND opens a five-game homestand with NDSU Wednesday before welcoming in Grand Canyon Friday through Sunday ... Monday’s home finale comes against South Dakota State the final tuneup before a huge regular season-ending series at Sacramento State.
Northern Colorado (7-40, 1-20 WAC)
Northern Colorado went 1-3 last week ... the Bears defeated Air Force 6-2 at home in a non-conference game to open the week ... the Bears then dropped all three games in a three-game series at home against Bakersfield ... UNC dropped the games by scores of 7-3, 19-7 and 4-3 ... Jake Garcia led the Bears at the plate during the week, batting .500 with four hits and two runs scored ... Andrew Coffman hit .400 with two hits and an RBI ... Jensen Park hit .385 at the plate over the four games, recording five hits, three runs scored, two doubles, one triple, and three RBI ... Josh Tinnon picked up the win on the mound over Air Force ... Tinnon made two appearances on the week and tallied six strikeouts while walking only one batter in 8.0 innings of work ... this week, Northern Colorado travels to play Chicago State in a three-game WAC series that starts on Friday.
Sacramento State (31-18, 17-4 WAC)
Sacramento State went 4-1 last week ... the team reached its third straight 30-win season, a feat the program had not accomplished since nine straight 30-win seasons from 1985-1993 ... the Hornets recorded their fourth WAC series sweep of the year and are now 11-1 in WAC games on their home field ... sophomore Sutter McLoughlin tied the program record for career saves with his 26th on Sunday ... Clay Cederquist led the Hornets over the five games on the week, leading the team in both RBIs (6) and runs (5) for the week ... he had a .706 slugging percentage and .500 on-base percentage with one sacrifice ...Brennan Leitao was simply dominant against Chicago State on Friday, limiting the Cougars to just four base runners (three singles, one walk) and striking out six ... Sacramento State does not have a midweek game this coming week for just the second week this season.
Seattle U (22-21, 10-8 WAC)
Seattle U went 2-2 during the week, starting with its second straight victory over nationally-ranked Washington, this time a 6-3 victory over the Huskies ... SU scored five runs in the fourth inning, highlighted by a bases-clearing triple hit by Cullen Hendrickson with two outs and the bases loaded ... Grant Gunning settled down after a rough start, pitching seven innings for the victory, while Andrew Olson pitched the final two innings for his first save of the season ... the Redhawks then faced Grand Canyon in a three-game conference series, losing two of three to the Antelopes ... with rain in the forecast for the weekend, the teams agreed to play a doubleheader Friday ... GCU won the first game, 12-2, before the combination of Skyler Genger and Garrett Anderson held the ‘Lopes to one run in the second game ... GCU took the series finale, 10-6 SU plays a key conference series at Utah Valley next weekend.
Texas-Pan American (22-27, 12-9 WAC)
Texas-Pan American went 3-1 last week ... the Broncs dropped a non-conference matchup at Incarnate Word 6-2 before sweeping North Dakota at home by scores of 3-1, 8-5 and 13-4 ... Alex Howe led the Broncs over the four games at the plate, hitting .563 with nine hits, four runs scored, one double, two triples, one home run, nine RBI and a walk ... Howe was named WAC Hitter of the Week for his performance last week ... senior Sam Street pitched his fifth-straight complete game and NCAA-leading ninth of the season to improve to an NCAA-best 11-0 ... Street is one of just two pitchers in the NCAA to be 11-0, along with Florida Gulf Coast’s Mike Murray ... Street struck out eight (five looking) while allowing six hits and three walks ... this week, UTPA hosts league-leader Sacramento State in a three-game WAC series that begins on Friday.
Utah Valley (22-24, 13-8 WAC)
Utah Valley took two of three at New Mexico State last week after being edged in a midweek contest against BYU, 6-4 ... against the Aggies, Danny Beddes and Andrew Freter both pitched complete games to give the Wolverines the series win ... Beddes struck out 10 and did not allow a walk in the opening game, an 8-1 win, and Freter allowed just four hits in the finale, a 4-1 victory ... Sean Moysh was 6-for-12 in the series, with two home runs and two doubles ... Moysh’s two home runs came in the middle game of the series, UVU’s first multi-home run game since the 2012 season ... Beau Kallas also homered twice in the series as the Wolverines hit five home runs overall ... the Wolverines host Seattle U this weekend in the final home series of the year.
WAC NOTES
TEXAS-PAN AMERICAN’S HOWE NAMED WAC HITTER OF THE WEEK
Texas-Pan American right fielder Alex Howe has been named the Western Athletic Conference Baseball Hitter of the Week for April 28-May 4.
Howe, a senior from Unanderra, Australia (Edmund Rice College), hit .563 (9-for-16), to lead Texas-Pan American to a 3-1 record last week. Howe drove in a then career-high four runs in Saturday’s 8-5 win over North Dakota. He then drove in a career-high five runs in Sunday’s 13-4 win over UND. Howe was just a single short of the cycle while hitting his first career inside-the-park home run. Over his four games last week, Howe tallied four runs, one double, two triples, one home run, nine RBI, and one walk. He recorded a 1.063 slugging percentage and a .588 on-base percentage.
The other pitcher of the week nominations: Bakersfield sophomore Austin Davis … Grand Canyon junior Andrew Naderer … New Mexico State junior Billy Conard … North Dakota senior Patrick Riewer … Seattle U sophomore Skyler Genger … Texas-Pan American senior Sam Street … Utah Valley sophomore Danny Beddes.
SACRAMENTO STATE’S LEITAO NAMED WAC PITCHER OF THE WEEK
Sacramento State right-hander Brennan Leitao has been named the Western Athletic Conference Baseball Pitcher of the Week for April 28-May 4.
Leitao, a junior from Irvine, Calif. (Woodbridge HS), limited Chicago State to just four base runners (three singles, one walk) and registered six strikeouts in 8.0 innings of work. Leitao did not allow a runner past second base in the game and did not allow a hit over his last four innings of work, throwing 103 pitches (74 strikes). Leitao earned his seventh win of the season with the victory.
The other hitter of the week nominations: Bakersfield senior second baseman Oscar Sanay … Grand Canyon senior first baseman Michael Pomeroy … New Mexico State freshman first baseman Chad Ramsey … North Dakota senior catcher Taylor Petersen … Sacramento State senior designated hitter Clay Cederquist … Seattle U senior outfielder Chase Fields … Utah Valley senior outfielder Sean Moysh.
TEXAS-PAN AMERICAN’S STREET NAMED TO COLLEGE BASEBALL HALL OF FAME PITCHER OF THE YEAR WATCH LIST
Texas-Pan American senior Sam Street is one of 47 pitchers of the Pitcher of the Year Award Watch List. The award is presented by the National College Baseball Hall of Fame. Street is the only WAC pitcher and one of only four pitchers in the State of Texas on the list. Texas-Pan American senior pitcher Sam Street has pitched an NCAA-best nine complete games this season. He recently moved his record to an NCAA-best 11-0 with a win over North Dakota last week. He has made 12 appearances this season and holds a 1.63 ERA. Street has recorded 71 strikeouts and has given up only 79 hits in 104.2 innings pitched this year.
WAC TEAMS AMONG NATIONAL STAT LEADERS
Teams from the WAC rank in the top-10 nationally in three statistical categories ... New Mexico State is just one of eight teams this year to record a triple play. Bakersfield ranks sixth in the nation with 20 triples this season , while Northern Colorado ranks 10th in the same category with 19. Bakersfield also ranks seventh in the nation in triples per game at 0.43. Individually, players from the WAC rank in the top-10 in four different statistical categories. Texas-Pan American’s Sam Street ranks first nationally with nine complete games. Street also ranks first in the nation with 11 wins. Northern Colorado’s Josh Tinnon is first nationally with 14 games started. Sacramento State’s Alex Palsha currently ranks sixth in the nation with 29 appearances on the mound.
SACRAMENTO STATE DEFEATS HIGHEST-RANKED OPPONENT IN PROGRAM HISTORY
Sacramento State stunned No. 4 Oregon State on April 21, rallying from a 6-1 deficit for a 7-6 win at Raley Field. At No. 4 in the country at the time of the win, Oregon State was the highest ranked opponent that the Hornets have defeated in program history. Sacramento State pounded out 16 hits in the game, all singles, while four relievers combined to throw seven shutout innings after the Beavers scored six runs in the first two innings. Five Hornets scored runs and five had RBIs in a complete team effort in front of 1,569 fans, including several MLB scouts. The win was the third of the year for the Hornets over a ranked team, having also defeated No. 21 Texas A&M and No. 24 Fresno State, and the team is 3-3 vs. top-25 squads this year. Oregon State is now ranked No. 1 in the NCBWA Top-30 poll.
SACRAMENTO STATE’S MCLOUGHLIN CLOSING IN ON WAC CAREER SAVES RECORD
Sophomore pitcher Sutter McLoughlin leads the WAC with nine saves this season. He now has 26 career saves in just his second season. He has now tied Sacramento State’s all-time saves record of 26-a mark that was set during the 1989 season by Mike Frame. McLoughlin is now just four saves away from breaking the WAC career saves record of 29, set by Louisiana Tech’s Caleb Dudley (2010-13). McLoughlin already holds the WAC single season saves record of 17, which he set last season during his freshman campaign.
STREAKIN’
Sacramento State’s Nathan Lukes’ WAC-best hitting streak came to a rest last week against Oregon State. Lukes hit safely in 20-straight games, the best streak in the WAC by four games this season. The 20-game hitting streak is a career high for Lukes. Grand Canyon’s Chad De La Guerra holds the best current hitting streak in the WAC at 15 games.
MCLOUGHLIN NAMED TO NCBWA’S MID-SEASON STOPPER OF THE YEAR WATCH LIST
Sacramento State sophomore closer Sutter McLoughlin has been named to the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Mid-Season Stopper of the Year watch list. McLoughlin, who was named to the preseason watch list in February, is one of 50 of the top collegiate relievers in the country named to the mid-season watch list. The award is given annually to the top relief pitcher in NCAA Division I baseball.
SEATTLE U’S OLSON NAMED TO JOHNNY BENCH AWARD WATCH LIST
Brian Olson was named to the official watch list for the Johnny Bench Award, given annually by the Greater Wichita Area Sports Commission to the top Division I collegiate catcher in the country. The watch list will be narrowed down to the semifinalists, whom will be announced May 15, 2014. Ballots will be sent to the national voting panel at the end of May for a vote to determine the three finalists. The finalists will be announced June 3, 2014. A final vote among the national committee will occur during the College World Series. All finalists will be brought to Wichita and the winner will be announced at the 17th Annual Greater Wichita Sports Banquet on June 26, 2014.
WAC TOURNAMENT HEADS TO MESA, ARIZONA’S CUBS PARK
The WAC has awarded Mesa, Ariz. the WAC Baseball Tournament for the 2014 season. The event will be played at the Chicago Cubs new Spring Training complex in Mesa. Visit Mesa, the destination marketing organization for the city, worked to secure the event which will feature the WAC’s top six baseball teams in May. In May of 2014, 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 12 times (1963, 65, 67, 69, 71, 73, 75, 76, 78, 2010, 11, 12) and the event was held in Mesa in 1971, 1973, 2010, 2011 and 2012. The $99 million new winter home of the Chicago Cubs is major league baseball’s newest stat-of-the-art spring training venue. The stadium will feature a 15,000 seat ballpark reminiscent of historic Wrigley Field; a state-of-the-art team clubhouse facility; a cluster of top-notch baseball practice fields; pristine youth soccer fields and a sparkling public lake that will boast an exciting new design.