SACRAMENTO, Calif. — With Mother Nature threatening to put a damper on the Hornets' season for the first time this year, the Sacramento State baseball team will take on Saint Mary's in an abbreviated series this weekend at John Smith Field.
Originally scheduled to play single games on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, the forecast has condensed the series into a doubleheader on Saturday (March 15) at 1 p.m. in Sacramento. A make-up date for the third game of the series has yet to be determined.
PLAY BALL!
WHAT: Saint Mary's (10-7, 0-0 WCC) at Sacramento State (9-8, 0-0 WAC)
WHEN: Saturday, March 15, 2025
TIME: 1 PM / 4 PM
WHERE: Sacramento, Calif.
STADIUM: John Smith Field
TICKETS: HornetSports.com
FOLLOW:
Game 1: ESPN+ | WAC International | Live Stats
Game 2: ESPN+ | WAC International | Live Stats
LET'S PLAY TWO!
• Whether its scheduled or Mother Nature forces their hand, the Hornets will be playing in their 12th doubleheader since 2022 when they take on Saint Mary's on Saturday
• It's the ninth time in those 12 that Sacramento State will be hosting the twinbill
• Saturday also marks the seventh doubleheader against a non-conference foe in that same span
• The Hornets are a combined 12-10 in the previous 11 doubleheaders, posting a 9-2 record in the first game of the twinbill and 3-8 in the nightcap.
• Sacramento State has swept three of those previous 11 double-dips and has been swept twice
ABOUT THE GAELS
• Saint Mary's enters the week with a 10-7 overall record and are coming off a weekend that saw the Gaels drop 2-of-3 against Utah Tech over the weekend
• When it comes to weekends, Saint Mary's owns series wins over Saint Louis (3-of-4) and San Diego State (sweep), while falling to No. 15 Vanderbilt (swept) and Utah Tech
• The Gaels also own midweek wins over No. 21 UC Santa Barbara, Fresno State, and San Jose State
• Saint Mary's is an impressive 8-1 at home, but just 2-5 away from Louis Guisto Field
• Junior infielder Cody Kashimoto is batting a team-high .400 on the year, leading the team in runs scored (18) and hits (22) to go with seven RBI
• The Gaels have slugged 17 home runs on the year, led by four apiece from junior catcher/infielder Eddie Madrigal -- who leads the team with 19 RBI -- and junior infielder Ryan Pierce
• For the doubleheader, Saint Mary's is scheduled to throw LHP Dylan Delvecchio (1-0, 1.42 ERA) and RHP Donovan Chriss (2-1, 5.66 ERA)
SERIES NOTES
• The series between Sacramento State and Saint Mary's is quite close with the Hornets leading the series by a 64-60-2 count dating back to the first recorded meeting in 1950 and the two teams are tied during Sacramento State's Division I era, 39-39-1
• Sacramento State is 36-34-1 at home against the Gaels
• Even though this weekend's series has been abbreviated due to the forecast, it will be the first time that the two programs will meet in a weekend series since a home-and-home split series in 2009
• This weekend marks the first meeting between the two programs since splitting a pair of midweek contests during the 2022 campaign with Saint Mary's posting an 8-2 win in Sacramento on March 8 and the Hornets returning the favor with an 8-6 victory in Moraga on April 26
• The Hornets' win in April snapped a three-game winning streak by the Gaels (two midweek wins in 2019 and the first meeting in 2022), which followed a six-game winning streak by Sac State from 2012-18
• Saint Mary's has won the last two meetings in Sacramento in 2019 and 2022 as the Hornets haven't beaten the Gaels at home since a 10-3 win on April 2, 2018 -- the last of three straight wins at John Smith Field
CONFERENCE CALL
• Sacramento State has faced all eight members of the current West Coast Conference baseball alignment, posting a 285-303-4 (.485) all-time mark according to available records
• This week's series against Saint Mary's is the third against a WCC school this year after the Hornets split a season-opening four-game series with San Francisco to kick-off the 2025 campaign and took 2-of-3 from Pacific last weekend
• Sacramento State was 4-3 against the WCC in 2024, going 1-2 against Loyola Marymount, 1-1 against Pacific, and 1-0 against both the Dons and Santa Clara
• The 101 wins against Pacific are the most by the Hornets over any other WCC school
• The Hornets are scheduled to play one more game against WCC opponents this year facing the Tigers in Stockton, Calif., on March 18
LAY EARNS WAC WEEKLY HONORS
• Junior right-hander Ethan Lay earned his first Western Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Week award on March 10 following his stellar outing in the series finale against Pacific
• It was the second award for a Hornet pitcher this year (Evan Gibbons on Feb. 24) and the first time that the Hornets have had two pitchers win the award in the same season for the first time since 2021 when Travis Adams (March 8 and April 26) and Scott Randall (March 29) combined for three awards
• Lay was nearly perfect on the mound against Pacific, throwing seven shutout innings while allowing one hit, one walk, and striking out a career-high 11 batters in a no-decision that eventually ended in a walk-off win
• In his third start of the year, he retired 12 consecutive batters at one point from the third to the sixth innings, allowing only three baserunners and stranding two in scoring position in a scoreless duel
IN "LAY"-MAN'S TERMS
• Over his last two starts, Lay has allowed only one run on five hits over 13 innings of work, walking one and striking out 14
• The two performances have dropped his ERA from 10.80 down to 2.76, allowing only one extra-base hit out of the five hits allowed and holding opponents to a .114 (5-for-44) average
MY HERO ZERO
• Senior right-hander Evan Gibbons extended his run of innings without allowing an earned run to 16.2 innings in his last start against Pacific on March 7 before the Tigers struck for three runs in the sixth inning of a 6-5 Hornet win
• It was the longest streak by a Sacramento State pitcher since Travis Adams went 18.1 scoreless innings (four appearances) from April 10 to April 30, 2021: the last 2.1 innings vs. New Mexico State, 7.0 innings against SeattleU, 7.2 innings against Northern Colorado, and 1.1 innings against Grand Canyon
• Sophomore closer Kade Brown now owns the longest active streak by a Hornet pitcher at 9.0 innings, allowing just one unearned run over his last four appearances
• Senior Andrew Monson also has a 8.0 inning streak over his last six appearances, also allowing only an unearned run in that stretch, including a two-inning, three strikeout performance at Fresno State on Tuesday night (March 11)
SPECIAL K'S
• When Tyler Stewart struck out a career-high 10 batters in a no-decision at Pacific on March 8, we thought that might stick for a while as the most by a Hornet this season
• That was until Ethan Lay came along and one-upped his teammate with 11 strikeouts in the series finale against the Tigers en route to conference pitcher of the week honors
• The 11 strikeouts were the most since the aforementioned Travis Adams punched out 13 Bears at Northern Colorado on April 14, 2021
• According to available records, the back-to-back double-digit strikeout performances also marked the first time that a pair of Hornet starters finished with 10-or-more strikeouts in back-to-back starts since Mike Eby and Willie Rivera did so in a doubleheader against CSUN at home on March 19, 1995
• Eby struck out 10 Matadors over seven innings in a 17-6 game one win, followed by Rivera's 10 strikeouts in a complete-game effort in a 13-3 game two victory in the nightcap
MONSON WITH THE "W"
• Now in his second season with the Hornets since transferring from Spokane Falls CC, Monson finally put his name in the win column, picking up his first career win in the Hornets' walk-off victory against Pacific in the series finale
• The native of Liberty Lake, Wash., went the final two innings of that game, allowing just one hit and striking out one in the victory
POTURNAK PUTTING IT IN PLAY
• Opposing pitching seemingly can't stop Jakob Poturnak this year as the sophomore enters the weekend on a team-high 14-game hitting streak
• During his current run, Poturnak is batting .408 (24-for-59) with 13 runs scored and 15 RBI, slugging three doubles and five of his seven home runs
• The streak has helped him improve his overall season average by 144 points to a team-high .375
• His is the longest hitting streak by a Hornet since Gunner Gouldsmith hit safely in 18 straight games from Feb. 27 to March 26 last season
• With hits in each of his next two games, Poturnak will break into the top 10 for the longest single-season hitting streaks in school history
WHAT CAN BROWN DO FOR YOU?
• Preseason All-American and Stopper of the Year candidate Kade Brown is a perfect 5-for-5 in save opportunities to start the year after shutting down Pacific for 2.0 innings in the series opener last week
• Brown gave up a hit and a walk while striking out a pair to notch his fifth save of the year
• That total puts him in a seven-way tie for second in the NCAA, just one back of Houston's Richie Roman for the national lead as of March 12
• Opponents are hitting just .091 (4-for-44) against the right-hander
• His latest save was the 13th of his career, putting him in sole possession of sixth on the school's career list, just three back of Tanner Dalton (2018-19) and Michael Penbera (1999-01) for fourth
WHITE WALKERS
• Senior outfielder Tyler White enters this weekend's series with one of the most discerning eyes at the plate in the nation, ranking in a four-way tie for eighth in the NCAA with 20 walks and a tie for 18th with 1.18 walks per game
• This after a 2024 campaign that saw him walk only 12 times in 56 games
• White has drawn at least one walk in 13 of the team's 17 contests this year
• He has drawn multiple bases on balls five times, including a career-high three walks in games one and four against San Francisco
• White's .447 on-base percentage is second on the team behind only the injured Matt Masciangelo (.667) and has helped set the table atop the lineup, coming around to score a team-high 15 runs
• His efforts have helped the Hornets rank No. 46 in the NCAA in walks (91)
IT ONLY TAKES ONE
• The Hornets have played to the slimmest of margins as of late as five of their last six games -- and seven games overall -- have been decided by a single run, with Sacramento State finishing 4-3
• Another of the Hornets' outings have been decided by two runs (1-0 record) while four have been decided by three runs (1-3 record)
BRIGHT AND EARLY
• Sacramento State has seized control of the game early thus far this year, outscoring opponents by a 34-10 count in the first two innings -- including 23 of those runs in the second inning alone
• The 23 runs in the second inning are the most in any inning this year, edging out the 20 runs scored in the fourth inning
• The Hornets are 3-2 this season when scoring in the first inning and 4-5 when scoring first
NOWHERE TO PUT THEM
• The Hornets have taken full advantage with the bases loaded this season, scoring 12 times on free passes issued by opposing hitters
• Teammates White and JP Smith have been the recipients of three of those walks, while Poturnak and Ryan Christiansen have done so twice
• Christian Perez and Michael Perazzo round out the group with one each
NOW WALK IT OFF (NOW WALK IT OFF)
• It may have taken an extra inning to do so, but Poturnak sent the Hornet faithful home happy in the series finale against Pacific, slamming his seventh home run over the wall in left for a 1-0 win
• The victory was the second of the walk-off variety for Sacramento State this year after Ryan Christiansen provided the dramatic finish against Ball State in the first game of a doubleheader on Feb. 21
BONUS BASEBALL
• The finale against Pacific marked the second extra-inning game for the Hornets this year after falling in 10 innings in the series finale against South Dakota State on March 1
• Sunday's game against the Tigers -- that ended on Poturnak's walk-off home run -- was the first scoreless game to go into extra innings for Sacramento State since Feb. 25, 2022, at No. 6 Long Beach State and ended in a similar fashion when Cesar Valero slugged a home run in the top of the 10th in an eventual 1-0 win
• Sunday also marked the Hornets' first extra-inning win in nearly two years since a 6-5 triumph at New Mexico State on April 28, 2023
SHUT(OUT) THE FRONT DOOR
• With the dramatic 1-0 finish in walk-off fashion against Pacific, Sacramento State posted its second shutout of the 2025 season after the Hornets posted a 2-0 win over Ball State on Feb. 21
• The two shutouts this year are most since the 2023 campaign when Sacramento State posted a 2-0 win vs. St Thomas (Feb. 25), a 9-0 victory at Fresno State (March 15), and a 6-0 shutout of Seattle U (April 21)
DON'T WALK
• The Hornet trio of Lay, Halverson and Monson combined for 13 strikeouts without a walk in the finale against Pacific -- the first time that the Sacramento State pitching staff did not walk a batter in a game since April 13, 2024, against SeattleU
LPG... OMG!
• Junior Luis Pimentel-Guerrero had himself a night against Nevada on Monday, collecting a Sacramento State career-high three hits (just a triple shot of the cycle) and four RBI against the Wolf Pack
• The three-hit performance was his fifth multi-hit game of the year -- tied for second on the team in the category -- while also logging his team-best fourth double of the campaign
• His biggest hit of the night came in the fourth inning, slugging his first home run as a Hornet -- a three-run shot -- to give the Hornets a 4-3 lead at the time
• That blast made him the eighth different player to hit a home run this year and the third to collect their first in the green and gold
BENE FATTO, PERAZZO!
• While Poturnak keeps his rather lengthy hitting streak alive, freshman Michael Perazzo is doing his best to keep pace, extending his personal streak to eight games after an RBI single at Fresno State on Tuesday
• Perazzo's streak dates back to the series finale against Ball state on Feb. 22, batting .385 (10-for-26) with a pair of runs scored and seven RBI
• He has a pair of multi-hit performances in that stretch and posted a career-high three RBI against South Dakota State on Feb. 27
• Thanks to his hitting streak, Perazzo has raised his overall season average an astounding 296 points after collecting just one hit in his first seven games
THESE HORNETS DIG THE LONG BALL
• Sacramento State has slugged 20 home runs through its first 17 games, ranking them No. 60 in the NCAA entering this weekend's series
• Overall the Hornets have homered in all but five of their 17 games thus far this season, including multiple home runs in a game six times
• Poturnak's team-high seven home runs -- which includes a pair of two-home run games against San Francisco (Feb. 15) and South Dakota State (Feb. 27) -- has him tied for No. 21 in the NCAA, just four off the lead of Alabama's Justin Lebron (11 in 18 games)
• The Hornets slugged seven home runs in the series against South Dakota State -- the most since hitting seven in a three-game series at Seattle U on April 12-14 last season
• All but two of Sacramento State's 20 home runs this year have come in the fourth inning or later, with the only holdouts Ryan Christiansen's first inning solo shot in the Hornets' 4-1 win over South Dakota State on Feb. 28 and Cameron Sewell's second-inning solo home run in the series opener against Pacific on March 7
SPEEDY SEWELL
• Don't blink of you might just miss him
• Sophomore Cameron Sewell is off to a perfect start on the basepaths this year, going a team-best 5-for-5 in stolen bases
• The five steals are one better than his total from all of last year and are the most since Gunner Gouldsmith led the team with nine steals in 2024
