SACRAMENTO -- A home-heavy start to the 2023 season comes to a close this week as the Sacramento State baseball team welcomes San Jose State to John Smith Field on Wednesday (March 22) in an earlier-than-originally-scheduled clash at 6 p.m., before opening a spring break trip in Texas with a three-game Western Athletic Conference series at Abilene Christian on March 24-26.

PLAY BALL…
WHAT: San Jose State (7-8, 4-2 Mountain West) at Sacramento State (10-9, 1-2 WAC)
WHEN: Wednesday, March 22, 2023
TIME: 6 p.m.
WHERE: Sacramento, Calif.
STADIUM: John Smith Field
WATCH LIVE: ESPN+
LIVE STATS: HornetStats.com
BUY TICKETS: HornetSports.com
COMPLETE WEEKLY RELEASE: Sacramento State Game Notes

WHAT: Sacramento State (10-9, 1-2 WAC) at Abilene Christian (16-4, 5-1 WAC)
WHEN: Friday-Sunday, March 24-26, 2023
TIME: 4:05 p.m. | 1:05 p.m. | 11:05 a.m. (All Times Pacific)
WHERE: Abilene, Texas
STADIUM: Crutcher Scott Field
WATCH LIVE: ESPN+ - Game 1 | Game 2
LIVE STATS: ACUSports.com - Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3

ON THE MOUND...
3/22 vs. San Jose State - RHP Zach Gagnon (1-0, 12.86 ERA) vs. TBA
3/24 at Abilene Christian - RHP Jasper Nelson (0-1, 2.81 ERA) vs. RHP Tyler Morgan (1-0, 2.57 ERA)
3/25 at Abilene Christian - LHP Noah Lucchesi (2-2, 3.93 ERA) vs. RHP Breck Eichelberger (2-0, 4.87 ERA)
3/26 at Abilene Christian - RHP Evan Gibbons (1-2, 8.31 ERA) vs. RHP Austin Glaze (1-0, 5.40 ERA)

BE A FOLLOWER...
Fans can keep up with the latest in Sacramento State athletics by following us on Facebook (/SacramentoStateAthletics), Twitter (@HornetSports), and Instagram (@sacstateathletics). You can also follow the Hornets' baseball program on Twitter (@SacStBaseball) as well as on Facebook and Instagram (@SacStateBaseball).

IN THE RANKINGS...
Neither the Hornets, the Spartans, nor the Wildacts, are ranked among the top 25 in the any of the national polls… Abilene Christian is, however, receiving votes in the NCBWA Division I poll released on March 20.

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 SAN JOSE STATE...
The Spartans enter the week with a 7-8 overall record and a 4-2 mark in the Mountain West Conference following a series loss against Air Force last weekend... San Jose State is 3-1 on the road this season, having played 11 of its 15 at home thus far... Junior infielder Dalton Bowling leads the team with a .315 average, a pair of home runs and 17 RBI... As a staff, the Spartans sport a 4.21 ERA and 113 strikeouts in 139 innings, holding opponents to a .247 average.

SERIES NOTES...
San Jose State leads the all-time series with Sacramento State, 70-47-2, according to available records dating back to 1951, including a 40-27 lead as Division I foes... The Hornets, however, have won eight of the last 12 meetings, including two of the three head-to-head meetings last season and a 14-4 win on the road to end the regular season... Sacramento State is 32-26-2 at home against the Spartans, winning the last three straight at John Smith Field and four of the last five.

SCOUTING ABILENE CHRISTIAN...
The Wildcats enter the week with a 16-4 overall record and are tied for second in the WAC with a 5-1 record after taking two of three from UT Arlington on the road last week... ACU has won six of its last seven dating back to a conference-opening series sweep of Stephen F. Austin... Abilene Christian takes on TCU on Tuesday (March 21) before hosting Sacramento State... The Wildcats have played 16 of its first 20 at home with the game against the Horned Frogs only their fourth true road game of the season... Junior infielder Garrett Williams leads the lineup with a .390 average -- one of six regulars batting over .300 on the year... Right-hander Tyler Morgan is 1-0 in five starts, but a 2.57 ERA and a .190 average against, striking out 38 in 28.0 innings... Opponents are hitting .257 against the staff, which sports a 5.67 ERA.

SERIES NOTES...
After joining the WAC from the Southland Conference for the 2022 season, this will be the first-ever meeting on the diamond between Sacramento State and Abilene Christian.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS...
With Mother Nature doing her best to thwart the Hornets' ability to get games in, the coaching staff has been busy putting together additional contests to make up those that have been missed. In addition to Wednesday's game against San Jose State that was originally scheduled for April 4, the Hornets have also added home games against Saint Mary's on May 10 and Pacific on May 16 at home, both scheduled for 6 p.m. starts at John Smith Field.

THE ROAD LESS TRAVELED...
Through the first 19 games of the season thus far, 15 of those for the Hornets have been played within the friendly confines of John Smith Field. Of the four remaining, only three have been true road contests (at USC, at UCLA, and at Fresno State) with the other a neutral site contest against Tulane at UCLA.

MONSTERS OF THE MIDWEEK...
Thanks to their 9-0 victory over Fresno State last Wednesday, the Hornets improved to 3-0 in midweek contests this year -- adding wins over Nevada and UC Davis -- and winning six of their last seven midweek clashes dating back to the end of last year.

HORNETS DIG THE LONG BALL...
Sacramento State has hit a home run in 14 of its 19 games this season -- including a run of six straight games from Feb. 25 - March 5 and in each of the team's last five games dating back to March 11 in the finale against Central Michigan. The power has been spread throughout the lineup as nine different players have cleared the fence this season led by Martin Vincelli-Simard's team-high four blasts, and the 21 as a team -- which rank tied for third in the WAC entering the week -- are three more than last year's pace when the Hornets slugged 18 home runs through the first 19 games of 2022.

EXTRA! EXTRA!...
Over the weekend against Grand Canyon, 12 of the team's 36 hits went for extra bases as the Hornets have collected an extra-base hit in all 19 contests this year. The four doubles in a win at Fresno State on March 15 were a season high, while Sacramento State has slugged a season-high three home runs three times this year against Nevada (March 2) and twice against the 'Lopes (March 17-18).

PLAYING ONLY THE HITS...
Hitting .336 (36-for-107) in the series against Grand Canyon, the Hornets' offense was clicking, outscoring the 'Lopes, 25-24, in the three-game set at home. The 13 hits in game two against GCU was the second-highest total of the year (14 vs. Nevada), while Sacramento State has banged out double-digit hits in each of the last four games (48 total), averaging 12.0 hits per game -- to go with 8.5 runs per game -- in that stretch.

GOOD AS GOULD!...
Junior Gunner Gouldsmith has been one of -- if not THE -- hottest hitter for the Hornets since returning from injury, collecting a hit in 12 of his 13 games (batting .488), including a career-high four hits in the second game of the series against Central Michigan, a career high-tying three RBI in the opener against the Chippewas that brought Sacramento State back from a 3-1 deficit for a 5-3 win, and a pair of three-hit games last week against Fresno State and in game two against Grand Canyon. He has hits in each of his last five games, batting .526 (10-for-19) with 10 runs scored, three walks, four extra-base hits, and a pair of RBI near the top of the Hornets' order.

CAN'T KEEP A GOOD MAN DOWN...
Despite having his 13-game hitting streak snapped, freshman Wehiwa Aloy continues to pester opposing pitchers, collecting hits in each of his last four games and reaching base safely in all 19 games thus far this season after collecting walks in each of his two hitless games this year. Aloy, batting .351 overall, is hitting .375 (6-for-16) in his recent hitting streak, raising his average six points from last week.

IN GRAND FASHION...
It's a rare enough sight to witness a grand slam... but two in the same game? Now, we're looking at the history books. JP Smith slugged his first career slam (and second career home run) as part of a six-run first inning in game two against Grand Canyon, while teammate Martin Vincelli-Simard put the game out of reach as part of a decisive five-run eighth inning later that night. It was the first time that Sacramento State has hit two grand slams in a single game since March 30, 2014, when Brandon Hunley and Will Soto accomplished the feat at New Mexico State in a 20-6 victory.

THINK BIG...
The Hornets' six-run first inning in the second game of the series against Grand Canyon was their highest-scoring single inning of the year and their best since a seven-run fourth against San Jose State on May 21 last year. Later in that same game, Sacramento State put up five runs in the eighth -- its fourth inning this season of five runs or more and seventh of at least four runs this year. The Hornets are 5-1 in games this year when they score at least four runs in an inning, with the only loss coming at USC on March 3 after a five-run fifth in an 8-7 loss.

MARTIN MASHING...
If you can get Martin Vincelli-Simard to the plate with runners on base as of late, there's a better than good chance that he will be bringing them home. Vincelli-Simard wrapped up last week hitting .471 (8-for-17) while driving in nine of the team's 34 runs -- five of those coming in the game-two win over Grand Canyon on March 18. Vincelli-Simard's RBIs have all come in bunches as, of his nine games with an RBI, a team-high six of those have featured multiple RBI performances.

NO RUNNING!...
Runners beware... junior catcher Carson Blatnick is watching. The Roseville, Calif., native has thrown out six would-be basestealers entering the week, ranking third in the WAC behind only California Baptist's Michael Carpenter (8) and New Mexico State's Nick Gore (7). As a team, the Hornets have caught 10 batters trying to steal this season, tying the Lancers for the second-highest total in the league behind the 12 thrown out by the Aggies.

WINNER, WINNER, CHICKEN DINNER...
When Jorge Bojorquez scampered home on a wild pitch to break an 8-8 tie against Grand Canyon, he notched his second game-winning run of the season -- one of eight Hornets that have scored to put the team ahead for good and tied with Gouldsmith for the most on the team this season. Five different players have accounted for game-winning hits, three of those off the bat of Vincelli-Simard.

VERY GOOD VALERO...
Valero continues to swing a hot bat, picking up hits in six of his last seven games and batting .360 (9-for-25) in that stretch with four runs scored and three RBI. Among those performances are three multi-hit games (giving him four overall on the year) and his fourth multi-RBI contest of the season in the finale against Grand Canyon -- the second-most on the team.

WELCOME TO THE CLUB...
Junior Sam Gilliam became the latest Hornet to collect a couple of firsts this season, getting his first hit and driving in his first run in the opener against Grand Canyon on March 17.

GETTING RESULTS...
Senior closer Jack Zalasky is all about results. The Elk Grove, Calif., native has made seven appearances thus far this season and come away with a result in six of them, picking up his first win of the year in game two against Grand Canyon with 1.1 innings of scoreless, hitless relief to go along with his five saves. His only non-result was a "hold" at USC back on March 3 where he gave up a hit and struck out one in an inning of work.

ABC - ALWAYS BE CLOSIN'...
If you see Zalasky jogging in from the bullpen, chances are, the game is over. Zalasky has made seven appearances this season and posted a save in five of them, allowing just one run and two hits in nine innings combined while holding opponents to an .067 average. His five saves are tied for third in the nation (as of March 16), one behind Georgia Tech's Terry Busse and Oklahoma State's Nolan McLean.

SAVING HISTORY...
Zalasky's five saves this year give him 20 for his career, placing him third on the school's all-time list behind only Sutter McLoughlin (33 from 2013-15) and Mike Frame (26 from 1987-89).