SACRAMENTO — After playing a pair of midweek games in Eugene against nationally ranked Oregon, the Sacramento State baseball team extends its stay in the Pacific Northwest with a three-game Western Athletic Conference series at Seattle U this weekend at Bannerwood Ballpark in nearby Bellevue, Wash. First pitch for Friday's (April 12) series opener is scheduled for 4 p.m., followed by a 2 p.m. start on Saturday (April 13), and Noon on Sunday (April 14).
PLAY BALL!
WHAT: Sacramento State (15-20, 6-9 WAC) at Seattle U (8-24, 3-9 WAC)
WHEN: Friday-Sunday, April 12-14, 2024
TIME: 4 PM / 2 PM / Noon
WHERE: Bellevue, Wash.
STADIUM: Bannerwood Ballpark
FOLLOW:
Game 1 - WAC Digital Network | Live Stats
Game 2 - WAC Digital Network | Live Stats
Game 3 - WAC Digital Network | Live Stats
GAME NOTES: Sacramento State | Seattle U | Western Athletic Conference
PROBABLE STARTERS:
FRIDAY: RHP Evan Gibbons (1-4, 4.91 ERA) vs. RHP Blake Smith (3-3, 3.83 ERA)
SATURDAY: RHP Tyler Stewart (2-2, 3.86 ERA) vs. LHP Peter Chronowski (0-4, 6.64 ERA)
SUNDAY: RHP Ian Winterhalder (1-1, 6.46 ERA) vs. RHP Jarek Woodward (1-4, 5.14 ERA)
ABOUT THE REDHAWKS
• Seattle U enters the week with an 8-24 overall record and a 3-9 mark in Western Athletic Conference play, entering the weekend in 10th place in the league standings
• The Redhawks snapped a 10-game losing streak with a midweek win over Washington, 7-6, on Tuesday and are coming off being swept in a WAC series by Tarleton State last weekend
• Seattle U has won only one conference series this year, taking 2-of-3 from UTRGV back on March 15-17 at home
• The Redhawks have played only 10 of their 32 games this season at home, posting a 4-6 record in those contests having not won since taking the series opener against Utah Tech on March 22
• The series against the Trailblazers marks the last time that Seattle U has played at home, having played its last nine games on the road
• Senior utility Derek Gellos is one of four Redhawk regulars batting better than .300 on the year, leading the team with a .368 average and a 1.004 OPS, slugging three home runs and driving in 17
• Freshman utility Sam Kane leads the team with 12 doubles, seven home runs, and 27 RBI while batting .344 on the year to go with a .602 slugging percentage
• As a team, Seattle U is hitting .260 while being outscored 242-121 this year
• Sophomore right-hander Blake Smith has started the majority of the Friday nights for the Redhawks, posting a 3-3 record and a 3.83 ERA in eight starts, striking out 24 against seven walks while holding opponents to a .264 average
• Graduate left-hander Peter Chronowski has thrown mainly on Saturday's, but is 0-4 overall with a 6.64 ERA, striking out 31 over 42 innings with a .333 average against
SERIES NOTES
• Sacramento State leads the all-time series with Seattle U by a 25-19 count according to records dating back to the 2011 season
• The first seven meetings between the two programs were non-conference affairs, with the Hornets winning six of the first seven
• The Redhawks won the three-game series last season in Seattle, taking 2-of-3
• This year marks the eighth time that Sacramento State will travel for a WAC series against Seattle U, hosting the Redhawks only four times since 2013
• The Hornets hold a slim 13-12 edge in the series in games played at the Redhawks' home field, having lost the last two series in Seattle despite winning the opener both times
• Sacramento State's last series win in Seattle was in 2019, taking the final two games of the set
PULLING RANK
• Tuesday's victory at No. 17 Oregon marked the Hornets second against a nationally ranked opponent this year after a win in the opener against No. 22 UC Santa Barbara
• Sacramento State is 6-4 in its last 10 games against nationally ranked opponents dating back to 2022 with wins over No. 17 Oregon, No. 22 UCSB, No. 9 Stanford, and No. 6 Long Beach State -- the latter a three-game road sweep
• Under head coach Reggie Christiansen, the Hornets have 20 wins over nationally ranked opponents since 2011 -- seven of those against opponents in the top 10
• Sacramento State posted a 2-1 win at No. 3 UCLA in 2019 -- the highest-ranked opponent that the Hornets have defeated in that span
CROOKED NUMBERS
• The Hornets wasted little time in jumping out to a lead at No. 17 Oregon on Tuesday, scoring seven runs in the first inning en route to the 15-8 victory
• The seven runs were the second-highest single-inning total by Sacramento State this year (10 in the second inning against Nevada on March 19)
• It was also the highest-scoring first inning since it put up eight runs in the opening frame of a 16-13 loss at Tarleton State on March 13, 2021
• When the Hornets have a "big inning" (four runs or more) they have "big success" as they are 8-1 in games in which they score four-or-more runs in a single frame this year
PASS GO, COLLECT 200 HITS
• Thanks to a 3-for-5 effort at the plate in the opener against the Ducks, senior Jorge Bojorquez collected career hits No. 199, 200, and 201
• That made him only the 15th recorded player in school history to reach that plateau and the first since Dawsen Bacho (215) and Steven Moretto (209) did so in 2022
• Bojorquez is now just 10 hits shy of breaking into the all-time top 10, trailing Derrick Chung (2008-12) and Tim Wheeler (2007-09) for a tie for ninth
RUN, BOJO, RUN!
• Thanks to a pair of runs scored in the finale against California Baptist and three more in the opener against Oregon, Bojorquez enters the weekend with 139 career runs, ranking third on the all-time list
• Bojorquez now stands just three runs shy of the all-time record of 142 shared by Derrick Chung (2008-12) and Matt Smith (2016, 2018-21)
OUT FOR A WALK
• Bojorquez ranks fifth on the school's career walks list with 97, just three free passes shy of becoming only the fourth Hornet with 100 in a career: Keith Torres (140 from 2018-22), Kenny Smallcomb (105 in 1981-82), and Will Fitzpatrick (103 in 1990-93)
GREAT WHITE
• Junior outfielder Tyler White has returned to the Hornets' lineup with a vengance after missing nearly a month due to injury
• Since debuting with a 3-for-5 performance at the plate against San Francisco on April 1, White has collected hits in each of his last seven contests
• Of those seven games, White has collected multiple hits in five of those and has eight multi-hit games on the year (tied for fifth on the team)
• During his streak, White is hitting .448 (13-for-29) with nine runs scored, four walks, and three RBI, raising his average 44 points to a team-best .324 on the year
• White's seven-game hitting streak is the second-longest by a Hornet this year, trailing only Gunner Gouldsmith's 18-game hitting streak
• He has also reached base safely in each of his last eight games after drawing a walk against Utah Valley on March 9 -- his last appearance before his injury.
YOU CAN GO HOME AGAIN
• Freshman Cameron Sewell made that abundantly clear in the opener against the Ducks on Tuesday
• Playing just three hours away from his hometown of Medford, Ore., Sewell led the Hornets' offense with a career-best 4-for-6 day at the plate, adding a pair of doubles and two runs scored
• It was Sewell's fourth career multi-hit game and the fourth, four-hit game by a Sacramento State hitter this year: Matt Masciangelo vs. Utah Valley (March 10) and Gunner Gouldsmith vs. Nevada (March 19) and Grand Canyon (March 30).
BYE, BYE RY
• Sophomore Ryan Christiansen had himself quite a series in Eugene earlier this week, finishing 2-for-2 in the opener and adding a hit in game two while driving in five runs combined
• Both of his hits in game one left the yard over the right field fence at PK Park -- the first two home runs of Christiansen's career
• It marked the sixth multi-home run game of the season by a Hornet, joining four such performances by JP Smith and another by Cesar Valero
WALK IN THE PARK
• Junior catcher Elie Kligman has drawn a walk in 10 of his last 12 games (including a run of nine straight) and leads the Hornets with 20 free passes
• His 20 walks rank tied for sixth in the WAC heading into the weekend, five off the lead of UT Arlington's Ryan Ellis
• Kligman has reached base safely in 12 of his last 13 games
WE HAVE COME TO PRAISE CESAR
• Senior Cesar Valero enters the weekend riding a four-game hitting streak, batting .438 (7-for-16) with six runs scored, three doubles, two walks, and five RBI
• Going back a bit further, Valero has hits in 13 of his last 16 games dating back to the March 19 win over Nevada, hitting .317 (19-for-60) with 13 runs scored, seven doubles, three home runs, and 13 RBI, while walking 12 more times
• His solo home run at Grand Canyon on March 30 marked the 29th of his career, moving hm into a tie for sixth on the all-time list with Gabe Jacobo (2006-08)
• Valero is six shy of the career record of 35 shared by Harvey Hargrove (1995-97) and Martin Vincelli-Simard (2019-23)
DOUBLES TROUBLE
• Having posted a double in each of his last three games, Valero enters the weekend ranked third in the league in the category, trailing California Baptist's Michael Carpentier's 18
• Junior Matt Masciangelo is also among the top doubles threats in the league, ranked tied for 12th with nine of his own
TOP GUN-NER
• Although his 18-game hitting streak came to an end in the opener at Grand Canyon, senior Gunner Gouldsmith has begun to regain that groove
• Gouldsmith, who has been held to without a hit in a game only six times in 35 games this year, enters the weekend with hits in his last three games, batting .364 (4-for-11) with a double, four walks, and three RBI
• Going back a bit further, he has hits in six of his last eight games dating back to the series finale at Grand Canyon, batting .333 (11-for-33) with four runs scored, five walks, and five RBI
• He tied his career high in the finale against the Lopes, finishing 4-for-5 -- which included his first home run since April 1, 2023, at Stephen F. Austin
• His 46 hits this season rank tied for second in the WAC entering the weekend and are a personal single-season career high (previously 38 in 2023)
• His 11 multi-hit games are the most on the team
• The 18-game hitting streak by the Reno, Nev., native is tied for the seventh-longest recorded streak in school history along with Derek Brown (1994) and Blake Crosby (2009)
HORNETS HITTING IN BUNCHES
• With 19 hits in the opener against Oregon, the Hornets collected their 14th double-digit hit total in their last 21 games
• Prior to that, Sacramento State had 10-or-more hits only three times in its previous 14 contests
• The 19 hits were a season high, surpassing the previous high of 17 in that March 19 win over Nevada and the most since they had 22 against Pacific on May 16 of last season
• Eight of the nine Hornet starters had at least one hit against the Ducks, with seven of those eight recording multiple hits
• Sacramento State enters the weekend ranked third in the WAC in hits (304) behind only Grand Canyon (340) and Utah Valley (337)
EXTRA, EXTRA!
• Thanks to a pair of doubles on Wednesday at Oregon, the Hornets have collected an extra base hit in all but three games this year
• Sacramento State's 100 combined extra-base hits ranks fourth in the WAC behind Utah Valley (145), California Baptist (120), and Grand Canyon (108)
SMITH SMASHING
• Sophomore JP Smith's 13 home runs this season are one shy of his total for all of last year, which were tied for 10th on the single-season chart and shared the single-season record for home runs by a freshman in the program's Division I history
• His 27 career home runs are tied for eighth along with Vinny Esposito (2015-18) and Tim Wheeler (2007-09)
• Smith's 13 home runs are tied for the top spot in the WAC with Utah Valley's Daniel Dickinson entering the weekend
• Should Smith end the year atop the WAC leaderboard for home runs, he would become only the third Hornet to lead the league, joining a pair of Major Leaguers: Rhys Hoskins (12 in 2014) and James Outman (11 in 2018)
MASCIANGEL-OW!
• It's been a while since we had news about a Masciangelo bruise to report, but the junior was plunked for the 17th time this year in the opener at Oregon on Tuesday
• His 17 HBPs are ranked tied for fifth in the nation behind Northeastern's Luke Beckstein (23)
• Masciangelo's total is now tied for fifth on the school's single-season list along with Aurelio Jackson (2001) and Tim Wheeler (2009), and stands three shy of the school record shared by Buddy Morales (2006), Carlos Morales (2000) and Dan Vetter (1995)
• Masciangelo entered the week leading the WAC in the category, standing five ahead of Abilene Christian's Maddox Miesse and Utah Valley's Burke Camper, who are second with 12
• He has reached base safely in 28 of his 30 starts
• 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
• He 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
• The performance gained national attention with the video of his first seven HBPs garnering close to 10 million views on social media
STRIKE THAT
• The Hornets enter the weekend ranked second in the WAC in both strikeouts (299) and fewest walks allowed (106)
• Sacramento State's staff has the eighth best walks allowed per nine innings mark (3.10), while standing No. 15 in strikeout-to-walk ratio (2.82)
• Three Hornets have more than 30 strikeouts on the season -- two of them among the top 13 in the league in Kade Brown (eighth with 38) and Evan Gibbons (tied for 13th with 35
"X" GONNA GIVE IT TO YA
• Sophomore right-hander Xavier Richards has been a big part of the bullpen's success as of late, allowing just three runs on 17 hits -- only four of those for extra bases -- over his last 19.1 innings (11 appearances) while striking out 25 against four walks
• Richards has posted a 1.40 ERA in that stretch while holding opposing batters to a .239 (17-for-71) average
• In the process, Richards has lowered his ERA by more 14 points down to 3.63 on the year
• His 15 appearances this year are tied for third in the WAC
QUALITY YOU CAN COUNT ON
• Senior right-hander Evan Gibbons and junior right-hander Tyler Stewart threw back-to-back "quality starts" against California Baptist last weekend, each notching their third such starts of the year
• For Gibbons, it was his eighth career "quality start" after he finished with five such performances in 2023
• Gibbons went eight innings, allowing just one run on four hits and striking out six against the Lancers, posting the longest outing by a Hornet pitcher since Eli Saul (now with the Arizona Diamondbacks organization) went the distance in a win at Grand Canyon on May 6, 2022
• A day later, Stewart left with a one-run lead atfer a career-high seven innings against CBU, but picked up a no-decision after striking out five
GIBB AND TAKE
• Gibbons' last two starts against Grand Canyon and California Baptist have looked quite similar to his first two starts of the season against Loyola Marymount and No. 22 UC Santa Barbara
• Over his last two appearances, Gibbons has posted a 1.20 ERA and a .156 average (7-for-45) against over 15 innings of work
ARMS CONTROL
• Thanks to those gems on the mound by Gibbons and Stewart against California Baptist last weekend, the Hornets used only six total pitchers in the three-game weekend series with the Lancers
• It was the fewest pitchers used in a three-game series since 2018 against Chicago State when Parker Brahms and Austin Root each threw seven-inning complete games followed by a finale that saw Scott Randall, Austin Roberts, and Austin Ragsdale combine on a four-hit shutout
NOTHING AGAINST NOAH
• Junior left-hander Noah Lucchesi ranks tied for second in the league with only four walks allowed
• He has allowed only three earned runs total over his last 15.2 innings of work (10 appearances), holding opponents to a .262 (16-for-61) while collecting 16 of his 18 strikeouts on the year in that span
• He also ranks tied for ninth in fewest runs allowed (9), tied for 10th in fewest earned runs allowed (8)
MONSON SEASON
• Junior Andrew Monson has emerged as one of the most reliable arms out of the bullpen as of late for the Hornets
• Over the last month (nine appearances), Monson has allowed only three earned runs over the last 9.1 innings for a 2.89 ERA, scattering eight hits, walking three, and striking out 16
WHAT CAN BROWN DO FOR YOU?
• Freshman Kade Brown enters the weekend ranked fourth in the WAC with a .167 average against, while his five saves are also second in the conference
• He has allowed only 16 hits in 26.1 innings, ranking tied for fifth in the WAC in fewest hits allowed and fourth in hits allowed per nine innings
• His 38 strikeouts are a team-high (and rank eighth in the league) while his 12.99 strikeouts per nine innings is second in the league after he struck out all four batters that he faced in game one at Oregon on Tuesday
6+4+3=2
• The Hornets turned three double plays for the third time this season in Wednesday's game at No. 17 Oregon, matching the three "twin-killings" against Minnesota on March 2 and at Grand Canyon on March 28
• Sacramento State's 27 double plays turned are tied for third in the WAC entering the weekend behind only California Baptist and Utah Valley, which have 30 apiece
• Sacramento State has turned multiple double plays in a game seven times
• The Hornets rank No. 37 in the NCAA in double plays turned (Georgetown, Michigan, and Purdue are tied for the lead with 37)
