SACRAMENTO -- A stretch of nine consecutive games on the road finally comes to an end on Tuesday night (May 2) as Sacramento State heads down Highway 99 for a second time this year to pay Fresno State a visit, before returning to John Smith Field for its first home game since mid-April, welcoming Western Athletic Conference rival UT Rio Grande Valley for a three-game series on May 5-7. First pitch in Fresno is scheduled for 6:05 p.m., while the Hornets and Vaqueros open with a 6 p.m. start on Friday, 2 p.m. on Saturday, and Noon on Sunday.

PLAY BALL…
WHAT: Sacramento State (23-21) at Fresno State (21-22)
WHEN: Tuesday, May 2, 2023
TIME: 6:05 p.m.
WHERE: Fresno, Calif.
STADIUM: Pete Beiden Field at Bob Bennett Stadium
WATCH LIVE: Mountain West Network
LIVE STATS: GoBulldogs.com

WHAT: UTRGV (24-18, 10-11 WAC) at Sacramento State (23-21, 9-12 WAC)
WHEN: Friday-Sunday, May 5-7, 2023
TIME: 6 p.m. | 2 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 FRESNO STATE…
The Bulldogs enter the week with a 21-22 overall record and an 11-13 mark in Mountain West Conference play, losing four of their last five after being swept by conference rival New Mexico on the road over the weekend… Fresno State has won its last two midweek games, defeating Pacific by an 8-7 score back on April 18 on the road, and out-slugging San Francisco on the road by a 14-9 on April 26… The Bulldogs are 15-10 at home, last splitting a four-game series with conference rival San Jose State on April 21-23… Freshman Murf Gray leads Fresno State with a .302 average, slugging seven home runs and driving in 25… He shares the team lead in home runs and is second in RBI to junior Tommy Hopfe, who is batting .264 with seven home runs and a team-high 31 runs driven in… As a team, the Bulldogs are hitting .251 over 43 games, averaging 5.12 runs per game… As a staff, Fresno State sports a 5.40 ERA over 383.2 innings, striking out 365 hitters and holding opponents to a .277 average.

SERIES NOTES…
According to available records that date back to 1950, Fresno State holds a 136-39-1 lead in the all-time series, including a 58-22 lead in Sacramento State's Division I history… The Hornets are 15-68 against the Bulldogs on the road, winning the last two overall meetings at Pete Beiden Field following a 9-0 shutout of the 'Dogs back on March 15 of this year after the contest was moved to Fresno due to weather.

SCOUTING UT RIO GRANDE VALLEY…
The Vaqueros enter the week with a 24-18 overall record and a 10-11 mark in WAC play, leading the Hornets by a game in the standings… UTRGV is 5-5 in its last 10, losing 2-of-3 to conference rival UT Arlington on the road last weekend… The Vaqueros are in the middle of a run that will see them play eight straight on the road as they travel to TCU on Tuesday before treking to Northern California… Of its 42 games this season, only 12 have been played on the road as UTRGV is 6-6 away from the friendly confines this year… Senior Brandon Pimental enters the week leading the Vaqueros with a .380 average to go with 13 home runs and 50 RBI, posting a 1.122 OPS… He is one of five Vaqueros hitting better than .300 on the year as the team sports a .300 average and slugs .462 on the season… As a staff, UTRGV's pitchers enter the week with a league-best 5.12 ERA and 423 strikeouts, holding opponents to a .256 average.

SERIES NOTES…
Sacramento State leads the all-time series with UT Rio Grande Valley by a 19-8 count according to records that date back to the first meeting between the schools in 2014… The Hornets are a combined 11-2 at home against the Vaqueros, but the two schools haven't met on campus since the 2021 regular season in Sacramento when Sacramento State took 3-of-4 from UTRGV… The last four meetings between the two schools have all come at the WAC Tournament in Mesa, Ariz., with the Vaqueros eliminating the Hornets in 2021 following a 9-5 win in the opener, and Sacramento State returning the favor with a 9-5 victory last year after losing the opener, 2-1.

CONGRATS, COACH!…
It was a milestone weekend for Sacramento State Head Coach Reggie Christiansen, who picked up career victory No. 500 in the Hornets' 16-10 win at New Mexico State on Sunday (April 30). Christiansen, who has won 393 games at Sacramento State, 96 more at South Dakota State, and 11 at his alma mater Menlo College, has a couple more milestones on the horizon, needing seven more wins to reach No. 400 in his Sacramento State career, 11 more to record 500 Division I victories and 19 more to reach 200 WAC triumphs.

A QUICK LOOK BACK…
Sacramento State wrapped up a winning week thanks to a midweek triumph on the road at Nevada and taking 2-of-3 from WAC rival New Mexico State. Offense ruled the week as the three schools combined for 87 runs and hit a combined .351, but the Hornets out-slugged opponents 12-6 in the home run category and slugged .623 on the week. Four regulars hit better than .400 on the week: Wehiwa Aloy (.450), JP Smith (.444), Martin Vincelli-Simard (.421), and Cesar Valero (.400), combining to hit eight of the 12 home runs and drive in 20 of the team's 43 runs. Freshman Xavier Richards earned a pair of wins in relief and allowed only two hits, closer Jack Zalasky came up with a win and a save against the Aggies, and Max Pettey earned his first career save against Nevada.

HORNET SHORT HOPS…

• Fresh off their second WAC series win of the year — and their fourth overall in 2023 — the Hornets take on Fresno State on the road in midweek action before hosting UT Rio Grande Valley.
• Sacramento State is an impressive 8-2 in midweek games this season, winning four of its last five and 11 of 13 dating back to last season.
• The Hornets have already met Fresno State in a midweek game this year, downing the 'Dogs by a 9-0 score on March 15 – their first shutout in the series since a 4-0 win in 2008.
• Sacramento State is 4-1 in road midweek games this season.
• The 31 runs scored at New Mexico State are tied for the most in a three-game series this season, matching the output against Stephen F. Austin.
• The Hornets' offense came up with four "big innings" against the Aggies, including a pair of five-run innings and another four-run frame in the series finale.
• Sacramento State is a combined 11-5 this year when scoring four-or-more runs in an inning.
• Both wins in the New Mexico State series were of the come-from-behind variety (No. 13 and No. 14 of the season), erasing a one-run deficit in the opener before rallying to break a tie game in the 10th and overcoming a late three-run deficit in the finale with nine unanswered runs.
• Break out the rally hats as six of the Hornets' last eight wins have been of the come-from-behind variety.
• Sacramento State's 12 home runs on the weekend at New Mexico State give them 68 for the season — leading the Western Athletic Conference (California Baptist is second with 58) and ranking No. 37 in the NCAA.
• The 12 home runs against the Aggies are the most in a three-game series this season (the Hornets had nine against both Utah Valley and Stephen F. Austin) and the most since they had 12 at Louisiana Tech on April 3-5, 2008.
• Of the 12 home runs, 10 were solo shots — bringing Sacramento State's total to 40 solo home runs of their 68 total.
• In addition, five of the 12 home runs led off an inning for the Hornets, who have led-off an inning with a long ball 16 times in 2023.
• Sacramento State had hit 12 consecutive solo home runs until Martin Vincelli-Simard hit a three-run shot in the second inning of the finale on April 30.
• With a home run in game two, and another in the finale, freshman Wehiwa Aloy notched his 11th and 12th home runs of the season — breaking a tie with Justin Lamb for the most home runs by a freshman in the program's Division I history (11 in 2009).
• Classmate JP Smith also hit two home runs on the weekend, giving him 10 for the season and placing him in a tie for third on that same list with Rhys Hoskins' total in 2012.

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 and Josh Rolling each notched multi-homer games on the weekend, doing so in the second and third games of the series, respectively, and joining JP Smith (April 6 vs. Utah Valley) as Hornets with multiple home runs in a game this year.
• The Hornets went back-to-back twice in last Saturday's game two at New Mexico State as Aloy and Vincelli-Simard did so to lead off the fifth, followed by Vincelli-Simard and Smith in the sixth — the third and fourth times this year that Sacramento State hitters have gone back-to-back.
• It marked the first time that the Hornets have hit back-to-back home runs twice in the same game since Cesar Valero, Dawsen Bacho, and Jorge Bojorquez did so against New Mexico State on April 9 of last season.
• With their 12 home runs this season, Aloy and Vincelli-Simard are two home runs shy of moving into a tie for ninth on the single season list alongside Gabe Jacobo (2007), Joe Evans (2001), Dan Elorduy (1998), Derek Brown (1994), and Steve Thobe (1994).
• Adding in JP Smith's 10 home runs to Aloy and Vincelli-Simard's total, the Hornets now have three players with double-digit home runs for the first time since 2017: Kody Reynolds (11), James Outman (11), and Vinny Esposito (10).
• With his 52 runs scored, Aloy is just four shy of the single-season top 10 which would match Ian Dawkins (2017), Jack Arroyo (2004), Mike Carpenter (1994), Deron Curran (1986), and Kevin Kobza (1985) for eighth.
• Aloy's 24 multi-hit games are the most since Ian Dawkins finished with 30 in 2018.
• Aloy has reached base in 19 consecutive games, matching his total to start the year and are the most since Ryan Walstad did so in 25 straight games in 2019.
• Smith enters the week with a career-high 10-game hitting streak, batting .409 (18-for-44) with eight runs scored, 13 RBI, two doubles, and three home runs. He has six multi-hit games in that span and an RBI in seven games.
• Aloy matches Smith with a 10-game hitting streak of his own, batting .388 (19-for-49) with 18 runs scored, nine RBI, four doubles, and three home runs. He has seven multi-hit games in that stretch with an RBI in seven games as well.
• Aloy's 10-game hitting streak is the second-longest of his career, trailing only the 13 straight games with a hit to start the year.
• Smith played a key role in both of Sacramento State's wins at New Mexico State, providing the game-winning RBI in the opener with his 10th-inning home run, and scoring the game-winning run in both wins.
• His three game-winning RBI are tied for the most on the team along with Vincelli-Simard, while the two game-winning runs were his first of the season.
• Aloy's 68 hits this year rank No. 30 in the NCAA entering the week, but are just 10 off the national led held by Virginia's Kyle Teel.
• Junior right-hander Evan Gibbons threw his fourth consecutive "quality start" (at least six innings and three earned runs or fewer) in the series opener at New Mexico State despite picking up the no-decision.
• Gibbons has allowed only six runs on 22 hits while striking out 14 over those four starts, posting a 2.08 ERA while holding opponents to a .239 (22-for-92) average.
• Gibbons' last outing against was the eighth "quality start" by a Hornet starter this year — five of those on the arm of Gibbons. Noah Takacs (vs. St. Thomas), Jasper Nelson (vs. Utah Valley), and Noah Lucchesi (at Stephen F. Austin) are also part of that club.
• Closer Jack Zalasky picked up a win and a save in the series against New Mexico State, improving him to 3-1 on the season with nine saves.
• Zalasky's nine saves lead the WAC, rank No. 14 in the NCAA, and are tied for eighth on the school's single-season list with Sutter McLoughlin's 2014 total.
• He is only two saves shy of last year's total of 11 that ranks tied for second on the single-season chart.
• Freshman Xavier Richards picked up the first two wins of his collegiate career last week, earning the win in relief in his homecoming at Nevada and picking up the victory in the series finale at New Mexico State.
• Richards combined to allow just two hits over 5.2 innings, including striking out a career-high five against the Aggies.
• Junior left-hander Max Pettey picked up the first save of his career in the opener against New Mexico State despite allowing a run on two hits, but striking out a pair in the 10th inning of a 6-5 victory.
• With his start in game three at New Mexico State, right-hander Tyler Stewart became the 11th different starting pitcher for the Hornets this year.
• Junior right-hander Cooper Rons appeared in two of the three games against New Mexico State, bringing his team-high appearance total to 23 games — ranking second in the WAC and No. 24 in the NCAA.
• The Sacramento State defense tied a season high with four double plays turned in the opener against New Mexico State.
• The Hornets enter the week ranked No. 6 in the NCAA in double plays turned with 42, standing seven back of national leader Southern Illinois.