SACRAMENTO -- It will be "Home, Sweet Home" for the Hornets in the final week of the 2023 regular season as the Sacramento State baseball team will close out the schedule with a four-game homestand at John Smith Field. The Hornets open on Tuesday (May 16) at 6 p.m., as they host Pacific in the final midweek contest of the year. That precedes a three-game Western Athletic Conference series against Utah Tech, which begins on Thursday (May 18) and runs through Saturday (May 20). First pitch times for the Trailblazers' series are 6 p.m. on Thursday and Friday, with a Noon start on "Senior Day" Saturday.
PLAY BALL…
WHAT: Pacific (14-31) at Sacramento State (26-26)
WHEN: Tuesday, May 16, 2023
TIME: 6 p.m.
WHERE: Sacramento, Calif.
STADIUM: John Smith Field
WATCH LIVE: ESPN+
LIVE STATS: HornetStats.com
BUY TICKETS: HornetSports.com
WHAT: Utah Tech (13-36, 8-19 WAC) at Sacramento State (26-26, 11-16 WAC)
WHEN: Thursday-Saturday, May 18-20, 2023
TIME: 6 p.m. | 6 p.m. | Noon
WHERE: Sacramento, Calif.
STADIUM: John Smith Field
WATCH LIVE: ESPN+ - Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3
LIVE STATS: HornetStats.com - Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3
BUY TICKETS: HornetSports.com
SCOUTING PACIFIC…
The Tigers enter the week with a 14-31 overall record and a 6-18 mark in West Coast Conference play… Pacific is coming off an 11-5 victory over BYU in the series finale between the two schools, ending a six-game losing streak in the process… The Tigers are 7-16 on the road this season — having lost eight of their last 10 — and they will travel to Los Angeles to finish the year with a three-game WCC series at Loyola Marymount… Graduate outfielder Ben Nevimant is the team's leading hitter, batting .410 entering the week to go with 31 runs and 34 RBI… Junior infielder Chaz Myers leads the team with seven home runs… As a staff, the Tigers have a 7.46 ERA, striking out 294 in 388.1 innings, while opponents are batting .310 against them this year.
SERIES NOTES…
According to available records that date back to 1950, Sacramento State leads the all-time series with Pacific, 97-80-1, including a 46-38 lead in the series in the Hornets' Division I era… Sacramento State posted a come-from-behind 11-8 win in 10 innings in Stockton earlier this year and has won the last two meetings… The Hornets are 56-35-1 at home against the Tigers in that span (the location of four games in the series is unknown) and the two teams have split the last 10 meetings at John Smith Field… Pacific posted a 5-2 win in Sacramento last year on March 29 in the last meeting on the Hornets' home field… Tuesday marks the sixth time in the last seven meetings that the two schools will meet in Sacramento.
SCOUTING UTAH TECH…
The Trailblazers enter the week with a 13-36 overall record and an 8-19 mark in Western Athletic Conference play, standing three games back of Sacramento State in the standings… Utah Tech does not have a midweek game heading into the final weekend of the regular season… The Trailblazers took the finale of their series against SeattleU at home last weekend, ending a four-game skid in the process… Utah Tech has lost its last two series dating back to a win over Utah Valley three weeks ago when they tool 2-of-3… The Trailblazers are just 2-18 away from home this season, losing 10 of their last 11 with the only win coming at Abilene Christian on May 5… Junior infielder Shane Taylor leads the team with a .319 average to go with 12 doubles, seven home runs, and 25 RBI… The pitching staff sports a 7.88 ERA, striking out 346 in 409 innings.
SERIES NOTES…
Sacramento State leads the all-time series with Utah Tech (formerly Dixie State) by a 6-4 count… The Hornets took 2-of-3 from the Trailblazers on the road after Utah Tech did the same at John Smith Field in 2022… Sacramento State won three of the first four meetings with Utah Tech during the 2021 season at home… This weekend marks the third time in four series that the two teams will meet in Sacramento… The Hornets are 4-3 at home against the Trailblazers.
CONGRATS, COACH!…
Head Coach Reggie Christiansen picked up career victory No. 500 in the Hornets' 16-10 win at New Mexico State on April 30, and is closing in on a couple more. Christiansen, who has won 396 games at Sacramento State, 96 more at South Dakota State, and 11 at his alma mater Menlo College, needs four more wins to reach No. 400 in his Sacramento State career, eight more to record 500 Division I victories and 18 more to reach 200 WAC triumphs.
HORNET SHORT HOPS…
• Sacramento State enters the final week of the regular season needing four consecutive wins to secure its 11th consecutive 30-win season and remain the only program in California to accomplish that feat.
• The Hornets enter Tuesday's game against Pacific with a 9-3 record in midweek games, winning five of their last seven overall (and 12 of 15 dating back to last year) and posting a perfect 5-0 record at home in midweek contests.
• This year's nine midweek wins are the most since the 2014 squad finished with the same number and the highest since the 2013 squad won 11 midweek games.
• Sacramento State has outscored the opposition, 102-82, in 12 midweek games this year, averaging 8.5 runs per game and batting .291, while allowing 6.8 runs per game and a .270 average. As a pitching staff, the Hornets have a 5.75 ERA and 112 strikeouts in 108 innings, while the opposition's ERA is more than a run higher (6.77).
• Freshman Jacob Cortez (.440), senior Martin Vincelli-Simard (.438), and sophomore Jeffery Heard (.424) are all batting over .400 in midweek games.
• When Jorge Bojorquez slugged his sixth home run of the year in the ninth inning of the finale at California Baptist, it marked the 83rd home run of the year for the Hornets — who tied the school record set by the 1998 Sacramento State squad.
• The 83 home runs (so far) matches last year's WAC-leading total of Abilene Christian, while one more would be the most by a WAC school since New Mexico State hit 104 and Fresno State hit 88 in 2010.
• Sacramento State slugged nine home runs in the series at California Baptist — tied for the second most in a single series this year along with the nine at Stephen F. Austin and against Utah Valley, while trailing the 12 hit at New Mexico State.
• The Hornets have homered in 10 of their last 11 games — including eight multi-home runs contests in that span — and scored 15 of their 22 runs against California Baptist via the long ball.
• Of Sacramento State's 83 home runs this year. 47 of those have been solo home runs, while 30 have come with two outs, and 19 have come in the seventh inning or later.
• The Hornets' 83 home runs are 12 better than second-place New Mexico State and they will face a pitching staff in Utah Tech that has surrendered the second-most home runs this year (85).
• Sacramento State ranks No. 36 in the nation in home runs and No. 45 in home runs per game (1.60), trailing Florida Gulf Coast (120 and 2.35, respectively) in both categories.
• Speaking of records, senior Martin VIncelli-Simard homered in each of the first two games of the series against California Baptist, giving him 15 on the year and 33 in his career.
• The 33 career home runs are just two shy of the all-time record held by Harvey Hargrove (1995-97).
• Meanwhile, the 15 home runs this year are tied with Gabe Jacobo (2008) for eighth on the single-season list and are the most by a Hornets since Tim Wheeler slugged 18 in 2009.
• Freshman JP Smith had his hitting streak ended at 16 games after an 0-for-4 in the second game of the series with the Lancers — a run that ranks tied for ninth in school history.
• Smith responded with a hit in the finale and is batting .364 (28-for-77) with 14 runs scored, four home runs, eight multi-hit games, and 16 RBI dating back to April 15.
• With Smith's streak coming to an end, Aloy and Vincelli-Simard now own the longest active hitting streaks on the team at seven games each.
• Vincelli-Simard is batting .367 (11-for-30) with six runs scored, three home runs, and seven RBI.
• Aloy is hitting .333 (11-for-33) with nine runs scored, a pair of doubles, a home run, and seven RBI.
• Aloy has scored a run in each of the team's last seven games and 17 of his last 18.
• In addition to his hitting streak, Vincelli-Simard has reached base safely in each of his last 12 contests (his longest such streak of the year), while Cesar Valero has done so in a season-high 10 straight games.
• With a home run each on the weekend, Wehiwa Aloy extended his program Division I freshman record to 13, while Smith moved into a tie with former record-holder Justin Lamb for second place with 11.
SINGLE-SEASON HOME RUNS AS A FRESHMAN (Division I only)
1. Wehiwa Aloy, 2023 - 12
2. Justin Lamb, 2009 - 11
t3. JP Smith, 2023 - 10
t3. Rhys Hoskins, 2012 - 10
5. Steven Moretto, 2018 - 8
t6. Martin Vincelli-Simard, 2019 - 7
t6. Vinny Esposito, 2015 - 7
t6. Chris Kinsey, 2001 - 7
t9. Brandon Hunley, 2014 - 6
t9. Tim Wheeler, 2007 - 6
t9. Bret LeVier, 2002 - 6
• Vincelli-Simard (15), Aloy (13), Smith (11), Jeffery Heard (10), and Josh Rolling (10) — with Cesar Valero and his nine on deck — give Sacramento State five players with at least 10 home runs for the first time in the history of the program, surpassing the quartet of Josh Payne (18), Dan Elorduy (14), Jason Bolton (13), and Mike Dominisse (11) in 1998.
• Aloy's 61 runs scored this season rank him fifth on the school's single-season list, just one shy of Kevin Ohama (1986) in fourth and six back of Hunter Martinez (2009) in third.
• Bojorquez and his 50 runs scored are just six shy of five different players for a tie for ninth on the single-season chart.
• Aloy's 79 hits rank third in the WAC and are just four shy of Blake Crosby (2009), Jason Bolton (1998), and Mark Gieseke (1988) for a tie for 10th on the single-season list.
• Vincelli-Simard's 51 RBI are nine shy of a tie for 10th on the single-season list (Chris Kinsey in 2002 and Kevin Kobza in 1985).
• Aloy's 27 multi-hit games this season are three behind Ian Dawkins' 2018 total for the most in the program's Division I history.
• With his go-ahead home run in the finale against California Baptist, Josh Rolling became the 12th different Hornet to tally a game-winning RBI, while Bojorquez — who was responsible for the go-ahead run — collected his fifth game-winning run of the year, matching Vincelli-Simard for the team lead.
• Bojorquez wrapped up the series against California Baptist with a season-high four hits, tying his career high in the process. The junior last had four hits against Tarleton on March 13, 2021.
• The offense has been on a tear as of late, posting double-digit hits twice in last weekend's series and 13 times in the team's last 18 games.
• Senior right-hander Jack Zalasky nailed down his WAC-leading 11th save of the season in the series finale with California Baptist, ranking tied for sixth in the nation entering the week and tied for second on the school's single-season list with his total from 2022, Tyler Beardsley's 11 saves in 2016 and Mike Frame's 11 in 1989.
• Zalasky's 26 career saves matches Frame's total from 1987-89 for second on the school's career list and trails only Sutter McLoughlin (2013-15) and his 33 saves.
• Junior right-hander Kevin Haynes has been efficient in his last five outings, allowing only one unearned run while scattering two hits over his last five innings, striking out six and walking only two.
• Junior left-hander Max Pettey became the 12th different Hornet to start a game this year, finishing with six strikeouts in the series opener against CBU. It marked the third time he has struck out at least six this year — also doing so against Utah Valley on April 7 and UTRGV on May 5 — and has struck out 13 hitters over his last eight innings of work.
• The Hornet pitching staff has struck out 428 batters this season, ranking fifth on the single-season list and just two back of last year's total of 430. After that, the 2018 squad and its 456 strikeouts.
• The 8.56 strikeouts per nine innings entering the week would rank second on the all-time list, behind only the 10.11 strikeouts per nine in 2021.
• Hornet pitchers have combined to strikeout 10-or-more batters in each of the last four games, totaling 43 over the last 34 innings while walking just 13.
• With their two double plays in the finale against the Lancers, the Hornets have now turned 48 double plays on the year, ranking No. 8 in the NCAA behind Southern Illinois' nation-leading total of 56.
