SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Following a stretch that saw the Hornets play 12 games in a span of 16 days to start the year, the Sacramento State baseball team has had a few days away from competition before opening another run of five games in five days beginning this weekend with a three-game series against Pacific.
The Hornets and Tigers open at John Smith Field in Sacramento on Friday (March 7) at 2 p.m., before playing game two under the lights at 6 p.m. at Klein Family Field in Stockton, Calif., on Saturday (March 8). The finale will be contested on Sunday (March 9) at 2 p.m. in Sacramento.
After that series, Sacramento State hosts Nevada in a single non-conference contest on Monday (March 10) at 6 p.m., before heading down Highway 99 to take on Fresno State on Tuesday (March 11) at 6 p.m.
PLAY BALL!
WHAT: Pacific (7-6, 0-0 WCC) at Sacramento State (7-5, 0-0 WAC)
WHEN: Friday-Sunday, March 7-9, 2025
TIME: 2 PM (Fri.) / 6 p.m. (Sat.) / 2 p.m. (Sun.)
WHERE: Sacramento, Calif. (March 7 & 9) and Stockton, Calif. (March 8)
STADIUM: John Smith Field & Klein Family Field
TICKETS: HornetSports.com (https://hornettickets.evenue.net/events/BSBSING)
GAME NOTES: Sacramento State (https://hornetsports.com/documents/2025/3/6/25-BSB-PAC-notes-030725.pdf) | Pacific (https://pacifictigers.com/sports/baseball) | Western Athletic Conference (https://wacsports.com/sports/baseball?path=baseball)
FOLLOW:
Game 1: ESPN+ (https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/id/c62b79f0-27c2-4656-b1f3-1849c70d0838) | WAC International (https://wacinternational.tv/?S=hornetsports) | Live Stats (https://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=564112)
Game 2: ESPN+ (TBA) | Live Stats (https://pacifictigers.com/sidearmstats/baseball/summary)
Game 3: WAC International (https://wacinternational.tv/?S=hornetsports) | Live Stats (https://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=564113)
PROBABLE STARTERS
Game 1: RHP Ethan Shaver (1-0, 1.00 ERA) at RHP Evan Gibbons (2-1, 3.94 ERA)
Game 2: RHP Tyler Stewart (1-0, 5.52 ERA) at RHP Adan Perez (3-0, 0.00 ERA)
Game 3: RHP Jakob Guardado (1-1, 4.60 ERA) at RHP Ethan Lay (1-0, 4.82 ERA)
ABOUT THE TIGERS
• Pacific enters the weekend with a 7-6 overall record after falling to Cal State Bakersfield in a midweek game on Tuesday, 6-0, and dropping 2-of-3 to Seattle U in last weekend's series in the Pacific Northwest
• The Tigers are a solid 6-3 at home this season, but just 1-3 away from home
• Pacific was picked to finish ninth in the preseason West Coast Conference coaches poll
• Fifth-year outfielder/pitcher John-Howard Bobo leads the team with a .345 average to go with eight runs scored, a home run, and six RBI
• Senior JT Waldon and grad infielder Kordell Brown pace the squad with 10 RBI apiece, while Waldon and senior DJ Scott have a team-high 13 hits each
• Pacific's weekend rotation is scheduled to be: RHP Ethan Shaver (1-0, 1.00 ERA) for Friday's opener, RHP Adan Perez (3-0, 0.00 ERA) on Saturday, and RHP Jakob Guardado (1-1, 4.60 ERA) for Sunday's finale.
SERIES NOTES
• Sacramento State leads the all-time series with Pacific, 99-81-1, according to records that date back to the 1950 season, and leads the series between the two as Division I rivals by a 48-39 count
• The Hornets and the Tigers are scheduled to meet one more time this season following this weekend's series, playing a single midweek contest on March 18 in Stockton, Calif.
• Sacramento State is 58-35-1 against Pacific at home, but just 39-44 on the road
• The two programs split a pair of midweek games in 2024, with the Hornets posting an 11-4 win at John Smith Field on March 3 and the Tigers winning in walk-off fashion in Stockton by a 3-2 score on March 20
• The loss ended a run of four-straight victories for Sacramento State in the series, but the Hornets have won seven of the last 10 overall -- with seven of those 10 games played at John Smith Field -- dating back 2020
• This weekend marks the first series between the two Northern California rivals since Pacific won 3-of-4 in a home-and-home four-game series in 2019
• Sacramento State as won two straight in the series at home, with the Tigers' last win in Sacramento coming on March 29, 2022, by a 5-2 score
CONFERENCE CALL
• Sacramento State has faced all eight members of the current West Coast Conference baseball alignment, posting a 283-302-4 (.484) all-time mark according to available records
• This week's series against Pacific is the second 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
• 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 99 wins against Pacific are the most by the Hornets over any other WCC school
• The Hornets are scheduled to play four more games against WCC opponents this year: one against the Tigers on March 18 and a three-game series against Saint Mary's on March 14-16
WHITE EARNS WAC WEEKLY HONORS
• Senior outfielder Tyler White helped lead the Hornets' offensive explosion in a four-game series with South Dakota State, picking up weekly honors from the WAC for the first time in his career
• He is the first Hornet to win player of the week honors since Gunner Gouldsmith on May 13, 2024
• Atop the Sacramento State lineup, White hit .471 (8-for-17) with five runs scored, a double, two home runs, and 11 RBI, posting a 1.453 OPS and walking four times to bring his team-high total to 18
• He had a hit in all four games against the Jackrabbits to extend his hitting streak to five games, including multiple hits in each of the first three games of the series
WHITE WALKERS
• Winter is coming and, with it, Tyler White walking to first base
• The Hornets' senior outfielder enters this weekend's series with one of the most discerning eyes at the plate in the nation, ranking third in the NCAA with 18 walks and fourth with 1.50 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 11 of the team's 12 contests this year, going without for the first time in 2025 in game three of last week's series against South Dakota State
• 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 .532 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. 14 in the NCAA in walks (82)
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 nine-game hitting streak
• During his current run, Poturnak is batting .410 (16-for-39) with 10 runs scored and 12 RBI, slugging three doubles and four of his six home runs
• The streak has helped him improve his overall season average by 134 points to a team-high .365 on the year
THESE HORNETS DIG THE LONG BALL
• Sacramento State has slugged 17 home runs through its first 12 games, ranking them No. 32 in the NCAA entering this weekend's series
• Poturnak's team-high six 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. 15 in the NCAA, just three off the lead of ETSU's Grant Gallagher (9)
• The Hornets slugged seven home runs in last week's 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 one of Sacramento State's 17 home runs this year have come in the fourth inning or later, with the only holdout Ryan Christiansen's first inning solo shot in the Hornets' 4-1 win over South Dakota State on Feb. 28
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
WHAT CAN BROWN DO FOR YOU?
• Preseason All-American and Stopper of the Year candidate Kade Brown is a perfect 4-for-4 in save opportunities to start the year after shutting down South Dakota State for 3.1 innings in the third game of their series last week
• Brown did not give up a hit and was charged with an unearned run in that outing, striking out six to notch his fourth save of the year
• That total puts him in a five-way tie for second in the NCAA, just two back of Houston's Richie Roman for the national lead
• It marked the third straight appearance that Brown has thrown at least three innings this season after going 3.1 innings at San Francisco on Feb. 17 and striking out a career-high eight and his 3.0 innings against Ball State on Feb. 21, striking out four
• Opponents are hitting just .079 (3-for-38) against the right-hander
• His latest save was the 12th of his career, tying him with Tyler Beardsley (2015-16) and Trevor Rodgers (1990-91) for sixth
SAFETY DANCE
• White enters the weekend having reached base safely in all 12 games this year, having hit safely in nine of the 12 contests
• White has also hit safely in each of the last five (the second-longest active hitting streak on the team), batting .500 (10-for-20) with 7 runs scored and 11 RBI
• Smith also has a rather lengthy streak of reaching base safely, doing so in each of his last 10 games
• The junior has hit safely in eight of those 10 contests, collecting a trio of multi-hit games and driving in all 14 of his runs on the year
• Poturnak, who is currently riding his aforementioned nine-game hitting streak, and Christian Perez rank third on the team having reached base safely in nine straight
BETCHA CAN'T HIT JUST ONE
• When junior outfielder Ryan Christiansen gets a hit, it's been a pretty safe bet another one is to follow
• Christiansen enters the week with at least one hit in eight of the team's 12 games and multiple hits in a team-best five of those eight contests, sharing the lead in the latter with teammate Jakob Poturnak
• He collected his third, three-hit game in the Hornets' game-three victory, including his third home run of the season to stake the Hornets to a 1-0 lead in the very first inning
• His five multi-hit games this season are tied with his total for all of 2024
BRIGHT AND EARLY
• Sacramento State has seized control of the game early thus far this year, outscoring opponents by a 27-7 count in the first two innings -- including 17 of those runs in the second inning alone
• The 17 runs in the second innings are tied for the most in any inning this year along with the 17 fourth-inning runs
• The Hornets are 3-1 this season when scoring in the first inning and 3-2 when scoring first
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
HE GIBBONS AND HE TAKETH AWAY
• Senior right-hander Evan Gibbons produced his second straight stellar start in helping the Hornets to their first series win of the year
• Gibbons carried a shutout into the sixth inning of game three against South Dakota State, finishing up by allowing just four hits over 5.1 innings of work
• He also struck out seven hitters -- falling just one shy of his career high accomplished on four occasions
• Gibbons hasn't allowed a run over his last 11.1 innings, walking only two and striking out 15 while holding opponents to a .143 average (6-for-42)
BULLPEN BULLIES
• Senior right-hander Andrew Monson hasn't allowed an earned run over his last four innings of work, scattering just three hits and striking out two
• The stingy stretch has lowered Monson's ERA down to 3.86 on the year while holding opponents to a .235 average overall
• Senior left-hander Noah Lucchesi is on a similar streak, holding opponents scoreless over his last 3.0 innings of work (4 games), scattering just three hits and striking out three
• He picked up his second win of the year against Ball State on Feb. 21, allowing a hit in his inning of work as the Hornets walked it off in the ninth
DOUBLE-DIGIT DAMAGE
• The Sacramento State offense has produced double-digit runs four times in its last five contests, posting a 3-1 record in those four games
• Coupled with their 10 runs scored in the finale against Ball State on Feb. 22, the Hornets scored 14 runs in back-to-back wins to start the South Dakota State series -- the longest stretch since doing so in four straight games against Pacific (18) and Utah Tech (13, 12, and 11) from May 16-20, 2023
• The two 14-run outbursts were the second-highest single-season total of the year by the Hornets, who put up 19 runs in the series finale at San Francisco
• The 43 runs scored in the series with the Jackrabbits were the most in a four-game series by Sacramento State since it scored 56 runs at Tarleton State on March 12-14, 2021
"OH!"-P-S
• The top of the Hornets' lineup has been raking to start 2025, listing three players with an OPS above 1.000 entering the weekend
• Jakob Poturnak leads the way with a 1.200 OPS to go with his team-high .365 average, slugging a robust .769 with an on-base percentage of .431
• Ryan Christiansen is second with a 1.104 OPS, followed closely by Tyler White and his 1.044 OPS powered by a team-high .532 on-base percentage
• Matt Masciangelo is the fourth member of the club with a team-best 1.394 OPS over his first four games of the year before suffering an injury in the series finale against San Francisco
A WEEKEND OF FIRSTS
• Redshirt freshman catcher Nikhil Beasley made his Hornet debut in the series opener and earned his first career start in the series finale against South Dakota State, collecting his first career hit and RBI in that game
• Freshman Orlando Cobarrubias collected his first hit with a double in the series finale with SDSU
• Right-hander Ethan Lay earned his first career Division I win in the series opener against the Jackrabbits, allowing a run on four hits and striking out three over six innings
• Freshman Jameson Mullin collected his first two career hits as part of a 2-for-2 day in the SDSU opener and added a hit in the finale
• Sophomore right-hander Bryce Stockton earned his first career win in game two against the Jackrabbits, throwing 1.2 scoreless innings while scattering just three hits
IT'S ABOUT TIME
• Already half of the Hornets' 12 games this season have surpassed the three-hour mark, including a season-long 3:51 marathon in the series finale against South Dakota State last week
• That contest was the longest nine-inning game for Sacramento State since it took 3:53 to decide the Hornets' NCAA Regional opener at Stanford on May 31, 2019
• In 2024, Sacramento State played a total of nine (out of 56) games that went three hours or longer
• On the flip side, the Hornets' needed just 2:20 to finish off a 2-0 win in the nightcap of a doubleheader against Ball State on Feb. 21
THE BROTHERS KLIGMAN
• Elie and Ari Kligman are the first brothers in over a decade to play for the Hornets in the same season -- the first since Nathan and Shea Lukes were on the same Sacramento State team in 2013
• Additional research has shown that the Kligman brothers are among a group of 16 confirmed brother duos to have played for the Hornets in the same season, with another two possible brother combinations that are unconfirmed at this time
