SACRAMENTO -- Following a season-opening series victory at home over North Dakota State, the Sacramento State baseball team continues its home heavy start to the 2023 campaign with another four-game series at John Smith Field, this time hosting the University of St. Thomas from Friday (Feb. 24) to Sunday (Feb. 26). The series begins with a 4 p.m first pitch on Friday, followed by a Saturday doubleheader at 1 p.m. Sunday's first pitch has been tentatively moved up to 11 a.m. due to rain in the forecast for the region on that day.

PLAY BALL…
WHAT: University of St. Thomas (1-3, 0-0 Summit League) at Sacramento State (3-1, 0-0 WAC)
WHEN: Friday-Sunday, Feb. 24-26, 2023
TIMES: 4 p.m. / 1 p.m. (DH) / 11 a.m. (tentative)
WHERE: Sacramento, Calif.
STADIUM: John Smith Field (1,200)
WATCH: TBA
LIVE STATS: HornetStats.com
BUY TICKETS: HornetSports.com
WEEKLY RELEASE: Sacramento State Game Notes

ON THE MOUND…
FRIDAY: RHP Noah Takacs (1-0, 1.80 ERA) vs. RHP Kolby Gartner (0-1, 5.06 ERA)
SATURDAY (Game 1): RHP Kevin Haynes (0-0, 13.50 ERA) vs. RHP Jacob Mrosko (0-0, 1.69 ERA)
SATURDAY (Game 2): LHP Noah Lucchesi (1-0, 1.80 ERA) vs. LHP Evan Esch (1-0, 5.40 ERA)
SUNDAY: RHP Xavier Richards (0-0, 13.50 ERA) vs. RHP Walker Retz (0-1, 10.80 ERA)

BE A FOLLOWER...
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IN THE RANKINGS...
Neither Sacramento State, nor St. Thomas, are ranked in the top 25 nationally entering the 2023 season.

THE BUZZ ON THE HORNETS...
Sacramento State is coming off a 2022 season that saw the Hornets finish 32-26 overall and 17-14 in Western Athletic Conference play, ending the year third in the league's West Division and finishing the conference tournament with a 2-2 record. Sacramento State returns 15 letter winners, six position starters, and eight pitchers for the 2023 campaign, while welcoming 20 new faces -- 13 freshmen and seven transfers -- for the upcoming season.

SCOUTING ST. THOMAS...
The first athletic program to reclassify directly from Division III to Division I, the Tommies are in their second year of the transition to full Division I status in 2022-23... St. Thomas is a member of the Summit League and was picked to finish fifth in the conference in the preseason coaches' poll, picking up 17 points to finish ahead of Northern Colorado and Western Illinois... Freshman Dylan O'Connell was picked as the Summit League Preseason Freshman of the Year by D1 Baseball and Perfect Game... The Tommies opened their season in Southern California and dropped a four-game series to CSU Bakersfield, 3-1, winning the second game of a double header on Feb. 18 for their first victory of the season... Sophomore outfielder Brigs Richartz hit .438 with four runs scored to lead the offense, while sophomore outfielder Ben Vujovich drove in a team-high five runs on the weekend... Junior right-hander Kolby Gartner struck out eight in the Friday night opener, while sophomore left-hander Evan Esch earned the win, allowing three earned on six hits over five innings on Saturday to close out the doubleheader.

AGAINST THE SUMMIT...
Entering this weekend's contests, the Hornets are a combined 37-15-1 against the current Summit League baseball alignment, having faced four of the league's seven teams: North Dakota State (9-2-1), Northern Colorado (24-10), Omaha (0-1), and South Dakota State (4-2)... St. Thomas will be the second-straight Summit League opponent for Sacramento State, one of three members of the conference that the Hornets have never faced along with Oral Roberts and Western Illinois... Of the 34 all-time meetings with Northern Colorado, 25 of those came as league rivals when both were members of the Western Athletic Conference from 2014-21, including a 2-0 record against the Bears in the WAC Tournament.

HORNETS PICKED FOURTH IN THE WAC...
According to a vote of the league's head coaches released on Feb. 9, Sacramento State was picked to finish in a tie for fourth in the new-look WAC standings, receiving 100 points to match Abilene Christian and UT Rio Grande Valley. Reigning regular season champion Grand Canyon picked up 10 first-place votes and 141 points overall to out-pace Sam Houston, which received three first-place votes and 131 points. California Baptist was third with 115 points.

ZALASKY NAMED PRESEASON ALL-WAC...
Senior right-hander Jack Zalasky was one of 14 players named to the WAC's preseason all-conference team in advance of the 2023 season after finishing 3-4 with a 3.21 ERA and 11 saves on the year -- the latter stat tied for second on the school's single-season list, third in the league, and No. 18 in the NCAA at the end of 2022. Zalasky struck out 53 against only 11 walks over 47.2 innings and held opponents to a .226 average as the Hornets' closer.

D1 BASEBALL ACCOLADES...
Sacramento State receiving some national attention in advance of the 2023 campaign as D1 Baseball highlighted a number of Hornets in its preseason WAC preview. Newcomer Wehiwa Aloy was the site's pick for league Freshman of the Year, while outfielder Cesar Valero, infielder/outfielder Josh Rolling, and infielder Jorge Borjorquez, were among its top 25 prospects for the 2023 Major League Baseball Draft. Aloy and fellow newcomer Xavier Richards were among their top 10 list of impact first-year freshman as well. You can read their entire conference preview at D1Baseball.com (subscription required).

THE SCHEDULE...
The old mantra of, "in order to be the best you have to play the best," rings true for the Hornets in 2023 as they will face six programs that reached last year's NCAA Tournament (Stanford, UCLA, Louisiana Tech, Central Michigan, Grand Canyon, and New Mexico State) and seven schools that finished in the top 100 in the final NCAA RPI rankings (Stanford, Louisiana Tech, UCLA, Grand Canyon, Central Michigan, Nevada, and Tulane).

FEELS LIKE HOME...
The Hornets will enjoy the comforts of home to start 2023 as they will play nine straight -- and 17 of their first 21 -- within the friendly confines of John Smith Field. All told, 32 of the team's 58 games (55 percent) this season will be at home.

CHANGES IN THE WAC...
The Western Athletic Conference baseball landscape looks a little different than it did in 2022. Gone are the West and Southwest Divisions as the league now consists of a single 13-team table for 2023. Gone is Lamar, which returned to the Southland Conference, replaced by UT Arlington. Also gone is Dixie State, but in name only, as they enter the year rebranded as Utah Tech. California Baptist is now eligible for the WAC Tournament, while Utah Tech and Tarleton have two seasons remaining on their transition to the Division I level.

NEW KIDS ON THE BENCH...
The Sacramento State bench will feature a new face and a familiar face in a new position in 2023 as former Grand Canyon pitching mentor Jon Wente joins the Hornets in a similar role while all-time great Matt Smith with serve as a volunteer coach this season. The two take the places of the departed Tyler LaTorre, who is now the head coach at NAIA Westmont College in Santa Barbara, Calif., and Victor Sanchez, who accepted a full-time position as the pitching coach at Queens University in Charlotte, N.C. Also joining the staff is Tyler Wente, the son of Jon, who assumes the role as the program's Director of Baseball Operations.

MILESTONE APPROACHING...
With just one more victory this year, Sacramento State will claim its 900th Division I victory since making the jump from Division II in 1990. The Hornets have won 30-or-more games in that stretch a total of 15 times and finished with 40-or-more wins three times, including a 41-23 mark in 1991.

AND A COUPLE MORE...
Head Coach Reggie Christiansen is only 20 wins away from 500 for his career, entering this week's games with a 480-448 (.517) career record at Sacramento State, South Dakota State, and Menlo College, while standing just 27 victories shy of 400 at the helm of the Hornets, entering the week with a 373-306 (.549) record at Sacramento State -- the second-most wins by a head baseball coach in school history behind only John Smith, who won 882 games in 32 seasons (1979-2010).

PERFECT 10...
No other Division I program in the state of California has been the picture of consistency quite like Sacramento State has over the last 10 years as the Hornets have won 30 games in each of the last 10 full seasons dating back to 2012 -- something no other Division I school has done in that span -- while also winning 40 games twice (2014 and 2019) and claiming the WAC Tournament title and subsequent NCAA Tournament berth three times (2014, 2017, 2019).

CAL-I-FORN-IA WINNING...
It's no dream on such a winter's day for the Hornets, whose 352 wins during their 10-year streak of 30-or-more wins in a season ranks fourth among California schools in that span, trailing only UCLA (402), Stanford (387), and UC Santa Barbara (374).

FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS...
The Hornets just don't lose on Friday's. Thanks to its 5-3 victory over North Dakota State last weekend, Sacramento State has now won its last 18 consecutive regular season series openers dating back to a four-game series against Western Athletic Conference rival California Baptist on May 7, 2021, and has not lost a series opener since April 30, 2021, against league foe Grand Canyon. Sacramento State finished a perfect 14-0 in series openers in 2022, standing as the lone Division I school to not lose an opener after UConn started 11-0 before falling to Xavier on May 13, 2022.

IT'S IN THEIR BLOOD...
The green and gold runs strong in the veins of these Hornets, who have connections to Sacramento State:
• Carson Blatnick is the third in his family to attend Sacramento State after both his brothers, Connor and Chase, graduated from the University.
• Ryan Christiansen is the son of Head Coach Reggie Christiansen.
• Conor Hourigan's father, Daniel, was a pitcher at Sacramento State in 1982-83.
• Kevin Haynes' sister, Lexi, was a four-year letter winner for the Hornets' rowing team (2015-18).
• Evan Gibbons' mother, Raechelle, graduated from Sacramento State.
• Trey Goodrich's older brother, Trent, was an infielder for the Hornets in 2016-17.
• Jack Zalasky's father, Patrick, was a pitcher for the Hornets in 1992-93, while his grandfather, Vince, played football at Sacramento State in 1962-63.

ABC - ALWAYS BE CLOSIN'...
Zalasky is making his case to go down as one of the top closers in Sacramento State baseball history. Thanks to saves in games two and three against North Dakota State last weekend, the senior right-hander collected career saves No. 16 and 17 to jump past both Tanner Dalton (2018-19) and Michael Penbera (1999-01) for sole possession of third on the school's all-time list behind only Sutter McLoughlin (33 from 2013-15) and Mike Frame (26 from 1987-89). Zalasky's 70 career appearances are also closing in on the top 10, needing just one more to match Frame for 10th on that list.

ALLEZ LES QUEBECOIS!...
One of the elder statesmen on the Hornets' roster in 2023, senior Martin Vincelli-Simard returns for a fifth season in the green and gold, chasing a number of top-10 lists in the Sacramento State record book:
• His 11 sacrifice files are tied for eighth on the all-time list, needing one more to match Gabe Jacobo (2006-08) for seventh.
• His 18 home runs are five away from tying James Outman (2016-18), Joe Evans (2000-02), and Derek Brown (1994-95) for 10th.
• His 27 doubles are 13 away from Scotty Burcham (2012-15) for 10th.
• His 94 RBI are 32 behind Vinny Esposito (2015-18) for 10th.

HERE HE GOES AGAIN...
After hitting safely in 11 consecutive games at one point last season, senior infielder Jorge Bojorquez is up to his old tricks once again in 2023, hitting safely in all four games last weekend against North Dakota State and extending his hitting streak to nine games overall when you include the final five contests of 2022. In that span, Bojorquez is batting .395 (15-for-38) with 10 runs scored, four doubles, a home run, and five RBI.

ROUND AND ROUND HE GOES...
No one rounded the bases to touch home plate more than Borjorquez did on opening weekend, scoring a WAC-high seven runs from his lead-off spot -- including three of those in the Hornets' win in game two on Saturday (Feb. 18).

LUCCHESI THE FIRST...
After struggling on the mound during his freshman season in the green and gold, sophomore left-hander Noah Lucchesi was stellar in his first start of 2023, picking up his first collegiate victory in the Hornets' 3-2 victory in game three of the series against North Dakota State. The Elk Grove, Calif., native allowed only one run while scattering five hits over five innings in the win, retiring the first seven batters he faced en route to the victory. His five innings of work tied his career high set in back-to-back starts at Long Beach State and against Houston Christian (formerly Houston Baptist) last season.

GIVE 'EM SOMETHING TO TAKACS ABOUT...
The only returning pitcher with significant starting experience from last year's Hornet staff, junior right-hander Noah Takacs shined on opening day, handcuffing the North Dakota State bats in Sacramento State's 5-3 win. After allowing a first-inning run, Takacs settled down to allow just one hit over his final 4.2 innings of work and retire 10 of 11 at one point before giving up a single to lead-off the fifth. The Victoria, B.C., native struck out seven Bison without a walk -- his highest total since striking out the same number against Utah Tech (formerly Dixie State) on April 23 of last season and falling just one short of his career high of eight on the road at New Mexico State on April 10.

"STEW"ING IN THE BULLPEN...
Sophomore right-hander Tyler Stewart was solid in relief despite taking the loss in the series finale, striking out a career-high seven over four innings -- including entering the game and striking out the side in the third to escape a jam -- while allowing a single-run on three hits. He faced the minimum through the fifth before surrendering his first hit and struck out at least two batters in three of his four innings of work. Along with Takacs' seven strikeouts, the duo ranks tied for third in the WAC in strikeouts after the first week of play.

WELCOME TO THE CLUB...
A number of Hornets made their debuts in the green and gold in the opening weekend, including the first career hits for newcomers Wehiwa Aloy, Garet Crenshaw, and Braden Frank. On the mound, newcomers Cooper Rons, Jasper Nelson, Conor Hourigan, Xavier Richards (his first career start), and Zach Gagnon, all ate up innings.

AHOY, ALOY!...
Freshman Wehiwa Aloy had quite a debut for the Hornets, starting all four games at shortstop and finishing second on the team with a .333 (5-for-15) average on opening weekend, including a pair of doubles, three runs scored, and two RBI. He hit safely in all four games and picked up his first career hit with a single up the middle in the season opener just one day before collecting two hits in game two.

GUESS WHO'S BACK?...
After missing the second half of the 2022 season due to injury, junior Cesar Valero made his return to the lineup on opening weekend against the Bison, reaching base safely in all four contests while recording an early season-high three hits in game two, also scoring twice and driving in a pair. His four walks on opening weekend matched Jeffery Heard for team-high honors.

THE TREE GROWS STRONGER...
Head Coach Reggie Christiansen has three former members of the Sacramento State staff who are now Division I head coaches: Jake McKinley, who was an assistant with the Hornets from 2010-13), takes over as head coach at Nevada this season; Tommy Nicholson, who served two stints as an assistant in 2011-12 and 2017, is in his second year at Causeway rival UC Davis; and Steve Holm, who was an assistant/associate head coach from 2013-16, is in his fifth year as head coach at Illinois State. In addition, Jake Angier, who was an assistant and associate head coach for the Hornets from 2014-19, is an assistant at Oregon, while former players Trevor Paine and Grant Kukuk are head coach at William Jessup and assistant coach Utah Valley, respectively.