SACRAMENTO — After playing on the road for the first time in 2024, the Sacramento State baseball team continues a run that sees them play 15 of their first 16 at home with three games this weekend at John Smith Field.
The Hornets open on Friday (March 1) at 1 p.m. against local rival Pacific before the Tigers take on Minnesota in a neutral site game that night at 6 p.m. Sacramento State then closes with back-to-back games against the Golden Gophers on Saturday (March 2) at 6 p.m. and Sunday (March 3) at 1 p.m.
PLAY BALL!
WHAT: Pacific (2-6) at Sacramento State (3-5)
WHEN: Friday, March 1, 2024
TIME: 1 p.m. PT
WHAT: Minnesota (2-4) at Sacramento State (3-5)
WHEN: Saturday & Sunday, March 2-3, 2024
TIME: 6 p.m. PT / 1 p.m. PT
WHERE: Sacramento, Calif.
STADIUM: John Smith Field
FOLLOW:
Game 1 - WAC Digital Network | Live Stats
Game 2 - WAC Digital Network | Live Stats
Game 3 - WAC Digital Network | Live Stats
TICKETS: HornetSports.com
GAME NOTES: Sacramento State | Pacific | Minnesota | Western Athletic Conference
PROBABLE STARTERS:
FRIDAY: RHP Tyler Stewart (1-1, 2.45 ERA) vs. Pacific RHP Ethan Shaver (1-0, 2.70 ERA)
SATURDAY: RHP Evan Gibbons (0-0, 1.64 ERA) vs. Minnesota LHP Connor Wietgrefe (0-0, 5.40 ERA)
SUNDAY: RHP Bryce Stockton (0-1, 5.79 ERA) vs. Minnesota LHP Tucker Novotny (0-1, 6.75 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 one win 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 home runs
• 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
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 TIGERS
• Pacific enters the weekend with a 2-6 overall record after it fell to UC Davis on Tuesday, 17-3
• The Tigers own wins over UNLV and North Dakota State, winning the opener of both series before dropping the final two games
• Friday's game against Sacramento State will be only the second true road game for Pacific
• The Tigers have lost three straight heading into Friday's meeting
• Sophomore outfielder Kaden Petersen leads the Pacific offense, batting .333 on the year with a pair of doubles, a home run, and two RBI
• Sophomore infielder Jack Metcho is batting .310 with a team-high six RBI
• Pacific has gone with a rotation of RHP Ethan Shaver (1-0, 2.70 ERA), LHP Josh Souza (0-1, 3.38 ERA), and RHP Jakob Guardado (0-1, 5.40 ERA), through the first two series of the year
• Shaver has started both Friday night contests, striking out a team-high nine over 10.0 innings
SERIES NOTES
• Sacramento State leads the all-time series with Pacific by a 98-80-1 count according to records dating back to 1950
• The Hornets have won the last three meetings and six of the last eight
• Sacramento State has reached double figures in each of those three wins, outscoring the Tigers 42-29, including a wild 18-15 victory at home last year
• The 18 runs scored by the Hornets were the most in the series since a 23-9 win at home in 1998
ABOUT THE GOLDEN GOPHERS
• Minnesota enters the weekend with a 2-4 overall record after opening with a 2-2 record at the College Baseball Classic in Arizona and dropping a pair of games against Northeastern in Florida
• The three games this weekend are just a small part of a stretch of 22 games away from home to start the season the Golden Gophers, who aren't scheduled to play at home until April 2 against South Dakota State
• A pair of Jakes -- Perry and Larson -- lead the team offensively, both batting .333 on the year, combining for five extra-base hits and driving in seven
• Probable starters for the weekend include RHP Will Semb (1-0, 0.93 ERA), LHP Connor Wietgrefe (0-0, 5.40 ERA), and LHP Tucker Novotny (0-1, 6.75 ERA)
SERIES NOTES
• Minnesota leads the all-time series with Sacramento State by a 6-4 count
• This weekend marks the first meeting between the two schools since 2017 when the Golden Gophers took two of three in Sacramento
• All 10 meetings between the two schools have been played in Sacramento
• The Hornets' last win in the series came on March 16, 2017, by a 3-2 score
CONFERENCE CALL
• Sacramento State is 278-299-4 all-time against the West Coast Conference
• The 98 wins over Pacific are the most by the Hornets over any WCC team
• The Hornets are 5-9 all-time against the Big Ten
• Sacramento State has only faced Minnesota, Iowa (0-1), and Penn State (1-2)
EXTRA, EXTRA!
• Nearly half of the Hornets' 46 hits have gone for extra bases as Sacramento State has slugged 12 doubles, a pair of triples, and six home runs
GIBBONS HAS BEEN GOOD
• Senior right-hander Evan Gibbons has been stingy in his first two starts of the season, holding opposing hitters to a .189 average while posting a 1.64 ERA (3rd in the WAC) over 11 innings
• He leads the team with 11 strikeouts -- seven of those coming in a no decision against UC Santa Barbara, which were one shy of his career high
• His .189 average against is third in the league
DON'T WALK
• Right-hander Tyler Stewart has yet to walk a batter through 11 innings of work this season
• The junior hasn't walked a batter in his last 20.0 innings of work (four appearances) dating back to his last two appearances of 2023, striking out 20 batters in that span
• He is one of 11 pitchers in the nation with at least 11.0 innings pitched without a walk
• Stewart ranks eighth in the league with a 2.45 ERA
QUALITY YOU CAN COUNT ON
• Both Gibbons and Stewart each came through with "quality starts" against No. 22 UC Santa Barbara
• Stewart collected the first such start of his career with six strong innings in the series opener, allowing just one earned on six hits and striking out three in six innings
• Gibbons, meanwhile, has picked up right where he left off, collecting his sixth career "quality start" in game two against the Gauchos, allowed just one run on three hits and striking out seven
• Gibbons led the staff with five "quality starts" during the 2023 season
WHAT CAN BROWN DO FOR YOU?
• After a rough debut in the second game of a doubleheader against Loyola Marymount, freshman right-hander Kade Brown has been lights out in the bullpen for the Hornets
• Brown has not allowed a run or a hit over his last four relief appearances (6.1 innings), walking three and striking out eight hitters
• He picked up his first career save in the win over Fresno State on Feb. 21, getting the final four outs in an 8-6 Hornet victory
TAKE YOUR BASE
• Junior Elie Kligman has been able to get his steps in during his six appearances this year
• The Las Vegas native nearly has as many walks (9) as at-bats (13) this year, collecting at least one base on balls in every game except for the season opener and multiple walks in three of those five games
• Kligman ranks No. 52 in the NCAA in overall walks, but No. 13 in the nation with 1.50 walks per game, while standing second in the WAC in walks
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
• After being hit for the ninth time at California on Tuesday (Feb. 27), Masciangelo enters the weekend ranked No. 1 in the nation in both hit by pitches (9) and hit by pitches per game (1.12)
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 eight double plays through the first eight games
• The Hornets' defense enters the weekend ranked No. 28 in the nation with eight double plays and No. 33 in double plays per game (1.00)
• On the flip side, Sacramento State batters have hit into a double play only twice this year
TYLER TERRIFIC
• Newcomer Tyler White has enjoyed a stellar start in the green and gold after transferring from Long Beach State, batting a team-best .290 with seven runs scored and six RBI
• Of his nine hits this year, six have gone for extra bases, slugging four doubles -- including a pair in the series finale with Loyola Marymount -- and home runs against Fresno State and UC Santa Barbara
• His four doubles are tied for fourth in the league along with teammate Cesar Valero and three others
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 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
• 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
• 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
