SACRAMENTO — Fresh off its second consecutive victory, the Sacramento State baseball team will remain at home this weekend, hosting UC Santa Barbara in a three-game series at John Smith Field on Feb. 23-25. This came after the series had been moved from Santa Barbara to Chukchansi Park in Fresno, Calif., only to have the Fresno Grizzlies cancel the contract, forcing the move to Sacramento. First-pitch times are scheduled for 2 p.m. on Friday (Feb. 23), 6 p.m. on Saturday (Feb. 24), and 1 p.m. on Sunday (Feb. 25).

PLAY BALL!
WHAT: UC Santa Barbara (1-2, 0-0 Big West) at Sacramento State (2-2, 0-0 WAC)
WHEN: Friday-Sunday, Feb. 23-25, 2024
TIME: 2 p.m. / 6 p.m. / 1 p.m. (All Times Pacific)
WHERE: Sacramento, Calif.
STADIUM: John Smith Field
FOLLOW:
Game 1 - Live Stats
Game 2 - Live Stats
Game 3 - ESPN+ |  Live Stats
TICKETS: HornetSports.com
GAME NOTES: Sacramento State | UC Santa Barbara | Western Athletic Conference

PROBABLE STARTERS:
FRIDAY: RHP Tyler Stewart (0-1, 3.60 ERA) vs. RHP Matt Ager (0-0, 4.50 ERA)
SATURDAY: RHP Evan Gibbons (0-0, 1.80 ERA) vs. LHP Mike Gutierrez (0-0, 6.75 ERA)
SUNDAY: RHP Bryce Stockton (0-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. RHP Ryan Gallagher (0-0, 0.00 ERA)

HORNET HEADLINES
• Head Coach Reggie Christiansen enters his 16th year with the program and his 14th as head coach in 2024
• Christiansen earned both his 500th career win (April 30 at New Mexico State) and his 400th win as a Hornet (May 20 vs. Utah Tech) last season
• He is also closing in on another milestone, needing just two wins to reach 500 for his Division I coaching career. Christiansen entered the season with a 496-444 (.528) record at the Division I level which includes 96 wins at South Dakota State (2005-08) and 400 wins at the helm of Sacramento State
• Christiansen traded in his green and gold for the red, white, and blue, over the summer as the bench coach for the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team
• Sacramento State finished the 2023 season with a 30-26 overall record and a 14-16 mark in the WAC
• The 30-win season marked the 11th consecutive 30-win season for the Hornets dating back to 2012 -- the only Division I program in the state of California to do so
• Sacramento State has won 382 games in that span to rank fifth among California's Division I programs, trailing only Stanford (431), UCLA (430), UC Santa Barbara (409), and UC Irvine (383)
• There will be a lot of new faces in new places for Sacramento State in 2024 as the Hornets welcome back 14 letterwinners and a pair of redshirts while adding 19 newcomers -- including 12 transfers -- to the fold
• Of those 19 newcomers, 10 of those will be featured on the mound
• Of the 12 transfers, three hail from the Division I ranks (UC Santa Barbara, CSU Bakersfield, and Long Beach State) while nine come from junior college programs
• Sacramento State slugged a school-record 92 home runs (No. 36 in the NCAA) in 2023, but only 34 of those long balls return led by sophomore JP Smith, who tied the school Division I freshman record with 14
• The Hornet coaching staff features three new additions -- all former standouts in the green and gold: Director of Operations Jack Zalasky, Director of Video & Pitching Analysis Wesley Harper, and Player Development Coordinator David Del Grande

IN THE RANKINGS
• UC Santa Barbara is ranked No. 22 according to the most recent D1Baseball poll, while picking up votes according to the NCBWA
• The Gauchos were ranked No. 18 according to the USA Today coaches preseason poll
• Sacramento State is unranked

FEELS LIKE HOME
• With the addition of the home series against UC Santa Barbara, 31 of the Hornets' 56 games will be played within the friendly confines of John Smith Field, including 15 of the team's first 16 contests
• Sacramento State was 20-11 at home in 2023 -- the 12th consecutive season that the Hornets have posted a winning record at home since 2012
• The 20 wins are tied for the third-most in that span trailing only the 2014 (25-8) and 2019 (22-7) campaigns and tied with the 2015 (20-11) squad
• Since Head Coach Reggie Christiansen took over in 2011, the Hornets are a combined 223-141 (.613) at home entering 2024

ABOUT THE GAUCHOS
• UC Santa Barbara enters the weekend with a 1-2 overall record after losing 2-of-3 at Campbell
• The Gauchos won the opener in dominating fashion by a 20-8 score, but fell in the final two games by the scores of 5-4 and 7-3
• Senior catcher Brendan Durfee leads the team with a .417 average, scoring three times and driving in a pair
• Junior infielder Zander Darby is batting .308 while slugging a team-high three home runs and driving in five thus far
• UCSB is scheduled to throw junior RHP Matt Ager (0-0, 4.50 ERA) on Friday, senior LHP Mike Gutierrez (0-0, 6.75 ERA) on Saturday, and sophomore RHP Ryan Gallagher (0-0, 0.00 ERA) on Sunday

SERIES NOTES
• UC Santa Barbara holds a 33-28-1 lead in the series with Sacramento State dating back to 1982
• This weekend marks the first meeting between the two programs since the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign when the Hornets opened with a 6-1 win before the Gauchos took the final two by the scores of 1-0 in 11 innings and 4-2
• This marks the second straight series played in Sacramento, where the Hornets are 14-16
• All but one of the meetings have come as Division I rivals, with the lone exception a 6-6 tie in the first-ever meeting on Feb. 11, 1982, in Santa Barbara
• Four of the last five meetings have been decided by two runs

CONFERENCE CALL
• Sacramento State has faced all 11 members of the current Big West alignment, posting a 294-377-2 record against the group
• Aside from local long-time rival UC Davis, the Hornets' 28 wins against UC Santa Barbara are the second behind only the 29 wins against Hawai'i

LAST TIME OUT
• Sacramento State rallied from a two-run deficit thanks to six unanswered runs in the sixth and seventh innings on Wednesday to post a 8-6 win over Fresno State
• The Hornets slugged four home runs in the game -- including a pair by sophomore JP Smith
• Senior Cesar Valero and junior Tyler White also slugged their first home runs of the season as part of the go-ahead four-run sixth inning
• Max Pettey picked up his first win of the year thanks to 1.1 perfect innings, while freshman Kade Brown nailed down his first career save

MASCIANGEL-OW!
• Newcomer Matt Masciangelo had quite a debut in the green and gold after being hit by a pitch in eight of his first nine plate appearances during the Hornets' opening weekend
• Masciangelo was hit three times in the opener against LMU, four more times in game two, and was plunked in his first appearance in the finale
• His four HBP's in game two set a program Division I single-game record
• He finished the weekend with a .682 on-base percentage
• The performance gained national attention with the video of his first seven HBPs garnering close to 10 million views on social media
• Masciangelo enters the weekend ranked No. 1 in the nation in both hit by pitches (8) and hit by pitches per game (2.00), while the team enters the weekend standing No. 7 in the NCAA with 13 total

MIDWEEK MADNESS
• Thanks to the Hornets' 8-6 win over Fresno State on Wednesday, Sacramento State improved to 11-3 in midweek contests in the last two seasons
• The win was the Hornets' third straight midweek victory dating back to 2023

6+4+3=2
• Sacramento State's defense turned 50 double plays in 2023, ranking No. 21 in the NCAA and No. 22 with 0.89 double plays per game
• The 50 double plays were the most since 2016 when the Hornets finished with 51 at the end of the season
• Sacramento State has picked up right where it left off in 2023, already turning a WAC-leading five double plays through the first four games
• The Hornets enter the weekend ranked No. 15 in the nation with five double plays and No. 22 in double plays per game (1.25)

GOOD AS GOULDSMITH
• Thanks to his hit against Fresno State on Wednesday, senior Gunner Gouldsmith extended his hitting streak to seven games dating back to the final three games of 2023
• During his run, Gouldsmith has collected nine hits -- including a pair of multi-hit games -- scored eight times and has driven in four

SMITH SENDS IT
• Sophomore JP Smith tied his career high with his second straight three-hit game against Fresno State, finishing with four RBI to go with his two home runs
• The pair of long balls marked Smith's third career multi-homer game and his first since slugging a pair against Utah Tech on May 20 of last season
• Smith's three home runs are tied with Abilene Christian's Gino D'Alessio for the WAC lead entering the weekend and rank tied for No. 7 in the NCAA
• Smith, who also leads the team with six RBI, now has 17 career home runs, ranking just eight shy of the career top 10
• Dating back to last year, Smith has a hit in eight of his last nine, batting .405 (15-for-37) with 12 runs, six home runs, and 13 RBIs while walking five times

NOT ONE, NOT TWO...
• How about three straight home runs for the Hornets in the sixth against Fresno State, helping erase a two-run deficit and power Sacramento State to the win
• Smith, senior Cesar Valero, and junior Tyler White all left the yard in the inning, turning a 4-2 deficit into a 5-4 lead
• The feat marked the first time that the Hornets have gone back-to-back-to-back in a game since doing so against New Mexico State on May 3, 2007, when Tim Wheeler, Gabe Jacobo, and current Sacramento State assistant coach David Flores accomplished the feat

GET HIM ON, GET HIM AROUND, GET HIM HOME
• With his home run against Fresno State, senior Cesar Valero has now reached base safely in his last 18 games when you include the final 14 contests of 2023
• In that stretch, Valero has hit safely in 15 of those 18 -- including six multi-hit games and a pair of four-hit contests -- while drawing a walk in the final three
• Over his last 18 games, Valero is batting .370 (27-for-73) with 18 runs scored, 27 RBI, nine doubles, and five home runs while walking nine times
• His home run on Wednesday against Fresno State gave him 24 for his career, moving him to within one of Rhys Hoskins for 10th on the school's career list

TYLER TERRIFIC
• Newcomer Tyler White has enjoyed a stellar start in the green and gold after transferring from Long Beach State, batting .312 (second on the team) with five runs scored and four RBI
• Of his five hits this year, four have gone for extra bases, slugging three doubles -- including a pair in the series finale with Loyola Marymount -- and collecting his first Hornet home run against Fresno State on Wednesday
• His three doubles are tied for second in the league entering the weekend and are tied for No. 23 in the NCAA

PRESEASON PROGNOSTICATIONS
• Sacramento State was picked to finish seventh in the WAC standings according to a vote of the league's head coaches released on Feb. 6
• The Hornets picked up 54 points to stand 15 points ahead of SeattleU and just five points back of UTRGV in sixth
• Grand Canyon received nine of the 11 first-place votes and 99 points overall to finish first, while Utah Valley (75 points) and California Baptist (74 points) also earned first-place nods
• Abilene Christian (70) and UT Arlington (68) rounded out the top five

VALERO PICKS UP PRESEASON ALL-WAC HONORS
• Senior Cesar Valero was named to the preseason All-Western Athletic Conference team according to a vote of the league's head coaches
• Valero is the 23rd Hornet to earn preseason all-conference honors since Sacramento State rejoined the WAC in 2006
• In 2023, Valero slashed .281 / .384 / .519 with 12 doubles, 10 home runs and 49 RBI, ending the year on a seven-game hitting streak
• It marks the second straight season that the Hornets have had a representative on the preseason all-league team after closer Jack Zalasky was named to the squad prior to the 2023 season
• Sacramento State has had at least one player named to the preseason All-WAC team in 13 of their 19 seasons since rejoining the conference (preseason teams from 2013 and 2014 are unavailable at this time)
• The Hornets have had multiple preseason All-WAC selections six times (2008, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2020) and a program-best five preseason All-WAC selections prior to the 2015 campaign: Nathan Lukes, Brennan Leitao, Sam Long, Sutter McLoughlin, and Scotty Burcham

THE SCHEDULE
• Sacramento State's 56-game 2024 schedule features three teams that reached last year's NCAA Tournament and seven schools that finished in the top 100 of last year's final NCAA RPI rankings
• Stanford advanced to the College World Series, Oregon hosted a Super Regional against Oral Roberts, and Santa Clara reached the NCAA Regional at Fayetteville, Ark.
• Among this year's opponents, the Cardinal ranked No. 16 in the final RPI, followed by Oregon (No. 28), USC (No. 53), UC Santa Barbara (No. 55), Grand Canyon (No. 72), Santa Clara (No. 77), and California (No. 83)

LOCAL FLAVOR
• This year's Hornet roster will have a definite local flair, featuring 10 student-athletes from Sacramento and the surrounding area
• JP Smith (Granite Bay HS), Brett Ott (Granite Bay HS), Ryan Christiansen (Rio Americano HS), Elijah Rogalski (Rio Americano HS), Jaxon Byrd (Alpha Charter HS) all hail from Sacramento
• Sean Carey (Folsom HS) is from Folsom
• Evan Gibbons (Franklin HS), Noah Lucchesi (Laguna Creek HS), and Kade Brown (Elk Grove HS) hail from Elk Grove
• Max Pettey (Whitney HS) is from Rocklin

STATE OF THE HORNETS
• Sacramento State's 2024 roster will represent eight different states entering the season: California (22 players), Nevada (5), Arizona (2), Idaho (1), Oregon (1), Texas (1), Utah (1), and Washington (1)
• The eight states represented are the most in the program's Division I history (since 1990), surpassing the previous mark of seven states in 2017
• Freshman Cameron Sewell from Medford, Ore., is the first player to hail from Oregon since Ty Fox (Central Point, Ore.) in 2018
• Freshman Dylan Torres from El Paso, Texas, is the first player to hail from Texas since Ricky Martinez (Pflugerville, Texas) in 2017
• Junior Ian Winterhalder is the first player to hail from Utah in the program's Division I history
• Bryce Stockton, originally from the Sacramento area before moving to Idaho during his freshman year of high school, is the first player from Idaho since Jason Haselhahn (Moscow, Idaho) in 1996
• All told, Sacramento State rosters have featured student-athletes from 17 different states in the program's Division I history: California, Nevada, Oregon, Arizona, Washington, Texas, Utah, Idaho, Hawai'i, Georgia, Alaska, Tennessee, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Minnesota, Kansas, and Missouri
• Only once in the program's Division I history has the Hornet roster featured all Californians, that coming during the 2009 campaign