SACRAMENTO — Winners of eight of its last 10 and having gone unbeaten in its last two weekends, the Sacramento State baseball team returns to Western Athletic Conference play with a series against Tarleton State at John Smith Field. First pitch on Friday (April 26) against the Texans is scheduled for 4 p.m., followed by a 1 p.m. start on Saturday (April 27), and 10 a.m. for Sunday's (April 28) finale.

PLAY BALL!
WHAT: Tarleton State (22-19, 12-9 WAC) at Sacramento State (21-21, 9-9 WAC)
WHEN: Friday-Sunday, April 26-28, 2024
TIME: 4 PM / 1 PM / 10 AM
WHERE: Sacramento, Calif.
STADIUM: John Smith Field
FOLLOW:
Game 1 - WAC Digital Network | Live Stats
Game 2 - WAC Digital Network | Live Stats
Game 3 - ESPN+ | Live Stats
GAME NOTES: Sacramento State | Tarleton State | Western Athletic Conference

PROBABLE STARTERS:
FRIDAY: RHP Evan Gibbons (3-4, 4.39 ERA) vs. RHP Piercen McElyea (3-0, 3.86 ERA)
SATURDAY: RHP Tyler Stewart (4-2, 3.11 ERA) vs. LHP Matt Haley (2-6, 5.63 ERA)
SUNDAY: RHP Ian Winterhalder (1-1, 6.91 ERA) vs. RHP Devon Patel (0-0, 5.40 ERA)

ABOUT THE TEXANS
• Tarleton State enters the weekend with a 22-19 overall record and a 12-9 mark in WAC play, tied for fifth in the league and standing a game and a half ahead of the Hornets in the standings
• The Texans are coming off a series win at home against UTRGV, taking 2-of-3 from the Vaqueros over the weekend, before falling to WAC rival Abilene Christian in a non-conference contest on Tuesday by a 7-0 score, limited to just two hits in the game
• Tarleton State has won 13 of its 22 games at home this year, posting just a 9-11 record on the road and going 4-6 in its last 10 games away from home
• Senior Cole Miears leads a group of five regulars batting better than .300 on the year, hitting a team-best .333 with 31 runs scored, four home runs, and 30 RBI while drawing 31 walks
• Sophomore Tyson Drake is hitting .315 with a team-high seven home runs and 10 doubles to go along with 28 RBI
• As a team, the Texans are hitting .281 with 28 home runs, outscoring opponents 266-241
• On the mound, Tarleton State's pitching staff has posted a 5.51 ERA with a 1.52 WHIP, striking out 269 hitters in 351 innings while walking 144 and holding opponents to a .281 average
• Right-hander Piercen McElyea (3-0, 3.86 ERA), left-hander Matt Haley (2-6, 5.63 ERA), and right-hander Devon Patel (0-0, 5.40 ERA) are the scheduled starters this week

SERIES NOTES
• This weekend marks only the second series between the Hornets and the Texans, but the first since 2021 and the first in California
• Sacramento State took 3-of-4 from Tarleton State that season on the road, outscoring the Texans by a 59-21 count in the four-game series
• The Hornets swept a doubleheader to start the series on March 12 by the scores of 6-0 and 17-3, fell in game three a day later by a 16-13 score, and won the finale by a 20-5 count

BROWN EARNS WAC WEEKLY HONORS
• Freshman Kade Brown was named the WAC Co-Pitcher of the Week on April 22 after posting a pair of saves without allowing a hit or a run over 3.1 innings of work in two wins over USC last weekend
• He is the first Hornet pitcher to win the award since Colin Hunter on Feb. 21, 2022, and the first Sacramento State player to pick up weekly honors from the league since Martin Vincelli-Simard was named the conference's hitter of the week on May 16 of that year
• After throwing a perfect ninth inning in Sacramento State's 6-3 win over the Trojans on Friday (April 19), Brown got the final seven outs for the save in Sunday's (April 21) finale, coming in and striking out the first batter he faced to strand a runner in the seventh and, then, leaving the tying run at third base in the bottom of the ninth, finishing off USC with two of this three strikeouts on the day.

WHAT CAN BROWN DO FOR YOU?
• Brown enters the weekend leading the WAC with a .165 average against -- a number that would rank fourth on the school's single-season list -- and tied for the top spot with seven saves
• The seven saves also rank No. 11 in the NCAA
• He is tied for sixth in appearances (17) 10th in strikeouts (a team-high 44), 12th in ERA (2.81)
• Brown has allowed only 19 hits in 32 innings of work, good for the third-fewest in the WAC entering the week, while his 5.34 hits allowed per game are the fewest in the conference
• His 12.38 strikeouts per nine innings are tied for third in the league

SAVING FACE
• Brown's seven saves are the most by a Hornet freshman since Sutter McLoughlin set the school single-season record with 17 in 2013
• Brown needs just one more save to more into a tie for 10th on the school's single-season chart along with Trevor Rodgers (1990), Mitch Lively (2007), and R.J. Davis (2012)

MASCIANGEL-OW!
• When it comes to bruises, junior Matt Masciangelo has had his fair share this season and, now, has his name atop the record book
• Masciangelo was hit for the 19th time this season against Santa Clara, tying the school single-season record now shared with Buddy Morales (2006), Carlos Morales (2000) and Dan Vetter (1995)
• He now stands eight HBPs shy of the career list
• His 19 HBPs rank tied for sixth in the nation behind Northeastern's Luke Beckstein (26)
• Masciangelo enters the week leading the WAC, standing five ahead of Utah Valley's Luke Iverson
• He has reached safely in 31 of his 35 starts
• Masciangelo had quite a debut in the green and gold, 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

COUNT ON CORTEZ
• Sophomore catcher Jacob Cortez enters the weekend having reached safely in his last 10
• Cortez has hit safely in eight of those games, while drawing a pair of walks in the other two
• During that stretch, Cortez is batting .406 (13-for-32) with six runs scored, a pair of doubles, and seven RBI

BYRD'S EYE VIEW
• Sophomore Jaxon Byrd had himself quite a coming out party while helping the Hornets to a 3-1 week, finishing with his first three career multi-hit games in the four contests
• He hit a team-high .538 (7-for-13) with four runs scored, a pair of doubles, and four RBI
• Byrd slugged .923 for the week and posted a .600 on-base percentage with the help of a pair of walks
• He was 2-for-2 at Stanford to start the week, while also throwing a pair of innings
• Three days later, he collected a career-high three hits in the opener against USC on Friday -- including his first career home run that gave the Hornets the lead for good
• Against Santa Clara, he finished 2-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI
• He had entered the week with six career hits, topping that number by one

CAN DO CAM SEWELL
• Freshman Cameron Sewell enters the weekend on a five-game hitting streak and helped power the Hornet offense during their nine-game road trip, collecting hits in seven of those contests
• During his five-game streak, Sewell is batting .350 (7-for-20) with five runs, and eight RBI
• In his last nine, Sewell is hitting .351 (13-for-37) with nine runs scored with 11 RBI and four extra-base hits
• In the process, he has raised his average 51 points

THE ROAD IS WHERE THE RUNS ARE
• The offense didn't leave its bats at home during the team's recent nine-game run on the road
• The Hornets scored eight runs or more six times during that stretch, scoring 81 total and averaging 9.0 runs per game
• In the previous 33 games, Sacramento State had scored eight-or-more runs in a game nine times, averaging 5.36 runs per contest

SMITH SMASHING
• Sophomore JP Smith's home run against Santa Clara (April 20) was his 16th of the year -- just one off Martin Vincelli-Simard's total of 17 last year
• The 16 home runs are tied for sixth on the school's single-season list alongside Chris Kinsey (2002), Jesse Schmidt (2003), and Mikela Olson (2003)
• An 18th homer this season would be the most by a Hornet since Tim Wheeler hit 18 in 2009
• Combined with his 14 home runs from last season, Smith's 30 career home runs are tied for third on the school's all-time list with Will Fitzpatrick (1990-93), Kinsey (2001-03), Steven Moretto (2018-22), and current teammate Cesar Valero
• Smith's 16 home runs this season are tied for first in the WAC and tied for 21st in the NCAA
• 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)

CROOKED NUMBERS
• A five-run eighth inning against Santa Clara on April 20 helped the Hornets pull away from the Broncos for a 12-3 win
• Sacramento State improved to 11-1 in games in which they score four runs or more in an inning
• The Hornets have won their last 11 such games after dropping the second game of the series against LMU despite scoring four runs in the sixth of a 12-10 extra-inning defeat

EXTRA, EXTRA!
• Sacramento State has collected an extra base hit in all but four games after being held to just seven singles in its 5-4 win at USC on Sunday
• The team's 124 combined extra-base hits are fourth in the WAC behind Utah Valley (168), California Baptist (145), and Grand Canyon (133)
• The Hornets rank tied for fifth in the league in doubles (74), fourth in home runs (42) and, thanks to Sewell's triple in the opener against USC, leads the WAC in triples with eight

GO TWO! GO TWO!
• Although his nine-game hitting streak came to an end in the weekend finale against USC, senior Gunner Gouldsmith did well to set the table for the Hornet offense last week
• Of his five hits, four of those went for doubles -- including a pair in the opener against the Trojans -- giving him 11 on the year to rank as one of three players with 10-or-more
• Gouldsmith ranks tied for 11th in the WAC in that category, joined by teammates Cesar Valero (t5th with 13) and Matt Masciangelo (t8th with 12)

STRIKING "GOULD"
• Collecting hits in nine of his last 10 games, Gouldsmith is batting .302 (13-for-43) with nine runs scored, seven walks, and 10 RBI to go along with five doubles and a home run
• The senior has gone without a hit in a game only seven times with a team-high 14 multi-hit contests
• He has also driven in a run in five of his last six
• His 55 hits this season rank tied for second in the WAC entering the week -- just four off the lead -- and are a personal single-season career high (previously 38 in 2023)
• His 18-game hitting streak from Feb. 27 - March 26 is tied for the seventh-longest recorded streak in school history along with Derek Brown (1994) and Blake Crosby (2009)

MOVIN' ON UP
• After setting the school record for runs scored last weekend -- now up to 149 -- senior Jorge Bojorquez has his sights set on moving up a couple more lists
• With three walks over the weekend, Bojorquez became only the fourth Hornet to register 100 free passes in a career, joining Keith Torres (140 from 2018-22), Kenny Smallcomb (105 from 1981-82), and Will Fitzpatrick (103 from 1990-93)
• With two hits on the weekend, Bojorquez now has 208 for his career, tied for 12th on the all-time list and just three shy of a spot in the top 10

WALK IN THE PARK
• Kligman has drawn a walk in 13 of his last 16 games (including a run of nine straight) and leads the Hornets with 23 free passes along with teammate Jorge Bojorquez
• Their 23 walks rank tied for eighth in the WAC heading into the weekend, seven off the lead of Tarleton State's Cole Miears
• Kligman has reached base safely in 16 of his last 17 games, hitting safely in 13 of those contests

YARD WORK
• Sacramento State's run of six straight games with a home run came to an end in the weekend finale at USC, but the Hornets have still embraced the long ball, hitting at least one in seven of the last nine contests (12 total home runs)
• The Hornets rank fourth in the WAC with 42 home runs as a team, has hit at least one home run in 25 of its 42 games this year, including multiple home runs in 10 of those contests
• The Hornets have slugged a season-high four home runs in a game three times: against Fresno State (Feb. 21), against UC Davis (March 5), and in the series finale at Seattle U (April 14)
• Of the Hornets' 42 home runs this year, 23 have been of the solo variety, 14 have been two-run shots, three have been three-run home runs, and two have been grand slams

QUALITY YOU CAN COUNT ON
• Senior right-hander Evan Gibbons and junior right-hander Tyler Stewart have become quite the 1-2 punch on the mound for the Hornets
• Gibbons collected his fourth straight "quality start" in the weekend opener at USC, marking his fifth overall this year and his 10th career
• He has gone at least five innings seven times this season, including a career-high eight innings against California Baptist on April 5
• Stewart narrowly missed out on his fifth of the season, but was still outstanding in game two against Santa Clara, allowing just one run on three hits over five innings, striking out five

GIBB AND TAKE
• Gibbons has been stellar over his last four starts, posting a 3-1 record with a 1.93 ERA and a .189 average against (17-for-90) over 28 innings
• His only loss in that stretch was a 1-0 defeat to California Baptist, allowing just one run on four hits over eight innings and striking out six
• In the start before that, he allowed only one run on three hits over seven innings at league-leading Grand Canyon as part of a 5-4 win
• In the process, the senior from Elk Grove, Calif., has lowered his overall ERA nearly three full runs to 4.39 entering the weekend

TYLER TERRIFIC
• A no-hit bid at Seattle U on April 13 is just the latest highlight for Tyler Stewart, who has gone at least six innings in three of his last five starts
• He is 3-1 in that stretch with a no-decisions in back-to-back games against Grand Canyon (March 29) and California Baptist (April 6)
• Along the way, he has posted a 1.80 ERA and is holding opponents to a .186 (19-for-102) average
• Overall, his .222 average against ranks ninth in the WAC entering the week, while his 2.95 ERA is 13th in the league

"X" GONNA GIVE IT TO YA
• Sophomore right-hander Xavier Richards has been an important piece to the Hornet bullpen's success as of late
• He has allowed only four earned runs on 22 hits -- only four of those going for extra bases -- over his last 24.0 innings (14 appearances) while striking out 28 against seven walks
• Richards has posted a 1.50 ERA in that stretch while holding opposing batters to a .241 (22-for-91) average
• The Reno, Nev., native was credited with the win in the weekend finale against USC on Sunday, improving to 3-0 on the year after allowing an unearned run on a hit in 1.1 innings of work
• The three wins are tied for third on the team along with Evan Gibbons and stand one back of both Tyler Stewart (4-2) and Cooper Rons (4-2)
• In the process, Richards has lowered his ERA by nearly 15 points down to 3.33 on the year 
• His 18 appearances this year are tied for the most in the WAC entering the week

WALK THIS WAY... OR DON'T
• The Hornets' pitching staff has allowed the second fewest walks in the WAC this season (121) and averages only 2.95 walks per nine innings
• The latter also ranks fifth in the NCAA entering the weekend
• If the season ended today, the 2.95 walks per nine innings would rank as the fourth fewest in a season in school history

STRIKE THAT
• The Hornets' pitching staff enters the weekend ranked third in the WAC in total strikeouts (344) and fourth in strikeouts per nine innings (8.40)
• Sacramento State's staff ranks 12th in the nation in strikeout-to-walk ratio (2.84)
• The 344 strikeouts by the staff this year are just 32 shy of the school's single-season top 10, while the 8.40 strikeouts per nine innings would stand fourth on the single-season chart

6+4+3=2
• Three more double plays turned over the weekend in Los Angeles gives the Hornets 33 on the year, ranking tied for fourth in the WAC in that category, but only five off the league lead held by California Baptist
• Sacramento State's defense has turned multiple double plays in a game eight times this season, including three on three occasions against Minnesota (March 2), at Grand Canyon (March 28), and at Oregon (April 10)
• The Hornets rank No. 36 in the NCAA in double plays turned (Michigan leads with 45)

CYCLE SEEKING
• Junior catcher Elie Kligman's big night at Stanford had him within striking distance of hitting for the cycle, finishing 3-for-3 with his second home run of the year and a fourth-inning double
• He is the fourth Hornet to come close to a cycle this year -- three of those missing only the triple
• Junior Matt Masciangelo was the first, finishing 3-for-4 against Pacific on March 3, missing out on the home run
• Sophomore JP Smith followed on March 10 against Utah Valley, finishing 3-for-5 minus the triple
• Senior Jorge Bojorquez was next at Grand Canyon on March 28, finishing 3-for-5 needing only a triple