SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Home for a little less than 48 hours, the Sacramento State baseball team takes to the skies and makes a trip to the state of Texas for the second consecutive weekend, traveling for a three-game series against Western Athletic Conference rival Abilene Christian. The series opens at 4 p.m. PT on Friday, followed by a 1 p.m. PT first pitch on Saturday, and a 10 a.m. PT start for the finale on Sunday.
PLAY BALL!
WHAT: Sacramento State (15-13, 3-3 WAC) at Abilene Christian (17-11, 2-4 WAC)
WHEN: Friday-Sunday, April 4-6, 2025
TIME: 4 PM PT (Fri.) / 1 PM PT (Sat.) / 10 AM PT (Sun.)
WHERE: Abilene, Texas
STADIUM: Crutcher Scott Field
FOLLOW:
Game 1: ESPN+ | WAC International | Live Stats
Game 2: ESPN+ | WAC International | Live Stats
Game 3: WAC International | Live Stats
GAME NOTES: Sacramento State | Abilene Christian | Western Athletic Conference
PROBABLE STARTERS
Game 1: RHP Evan Gibbons (4-1, 4.14 ERA) at RHP Dominick Reid (4-1, 3.70 ERA)
Game 2: RHP Tyler Stewart (1-2, 4.40 ERA) at LHP Brett Lanman (4-0, 4.46 ERA)
Game 3: RHP Ethan Lay (1-1, 3.72 ERA) at RHP Cade McGarrh (1-3, 5.50 ERA)
WE'LL DO IT LIVE
• The series opener on Friday and Saturday's game two will be streamed live on the ESPN+ platform with Sunday's series finale streamed live via WAC International
• Live stats will also be available for all three games
• Links to follow along are available on the baseball schedule page at HornetSports.com
ABOUT THE WILDCATS
• Abilene Christian enters the weekend with a 17-11 overall record and a 2-4 mark in WAC play after dropping 2-of-3 to conference rival Utah Valley last weekend.
• The Wildcats are 4-6 in their last 10, which included a midweek win over No. 17 Dallas Baptist and a series loss to Grand Canyon
• Of the team's 17 wins this year, 11 of those have come at home as ACU is a 11-4 within the friendly confines of Crutcher Scott Field, while posting a 4-4 road mark and 2-3 on neutral grounds
• The Wildcats are 7-3 in their last 10 at home
• Junior infielder Sam Hardcastle is one of five regulars batting better than .300 on the season, hitting a team-best .377 to go with a pair of home runs and 17 RBI
• Junior infielders Grant Watkins (nine) and Diego Cardenas (eight) have combined for 17 of the team's 29 home runs on the year while driving in 31 and 26 runs, respectively
• The offense ranks fourth in the WAC in average (.292), tied for second in slugging (.470), and third in on-base percentage (.413), while standing third in doubles (57), triples (12), and home runs (29), as well as runs scored (235)
• Abilene Christian's weekend rotation has been pretty steady throughout the first seven weeks of the season with junior RHP Dominick Reid (4-1, 3.70 ERA) going on Friday nights, sophomore LHP Brett Lanman (4-0, 4.46 ERA) throwing on Saturdays, and junior RHP Cade McGarrh (1-3, 5.50 ERA) getting the ball on Sundays
• The Wildcats' staff has struck out 249 batters over 242 innings, standing third in the WAC in that category
SERIES NOTES
• This weekend marks only the third series between the Hornets and the Wildcats in the history of the two programs dating back to ACU joining the WAC prior the 2022 season
• Abilene Christian has won both of the series against Sacramento State, taking 2-of-3 from the Hornets in Abilene in 2023 and winning the final two games of the series last year in Sacramento
• In both of the previous series, Sacramento State has won the Friday night game, posting an 8-4 win in 2023 and an 11-2 victory in 2024
• None of the previous six games in the series have been decided by fewer than three runs (a 3-0 ACU win in last year's series finale)
HORNETS IN THE LONE STAR STATE
• Following last weekend's series at Tarleton State, Sacramento State is now 48-46 against teams from the state of Texas, including an 18-23 road mark
ONE IS THE WINNINGEST NUMBER
• Tuesday's 6-5 defeat at the hands of California marked Sacramento State's 12th one-run decision (in 28 total games)
• The Hornets are 7-5 in those 12 one-run contests
• The seven victories are the most for the Hornets since they posted 10 one-run victories in 17 chances during the 2022 campaign (58 total games)
• Two more of the Hornets' outings have been decided by two runs (1-1 record)
• Nine of the team's last 17 games have been decided by a single run following Tuesday's contest
"SERIES"-OUS BUSINESS
• Friday night's are alright for the Hornets, who improved to 6-1 in series openers this year with their 8-4 win at Tarleton State last weekend
• Sacramento State is 3-4 in game two's and 3-3 in game three's (the Saint Mary's series was shortened to two games due to weather)
• The Hornets are batting .267 / .252 / .253 in games one, two, and three, respectively, while averaging 6.7 runs per game in the opener, 5.29 runs per game in game two, and 4.5 runs per game in the finale
• Sacramento State is outscoring opponents, 47-24, in the first game, but have been outscored in each of the next two games: 41-37 in game two and 36-27 in game three
• On the mound, Sacramento State's pitching staff has been lights out on Friday nights, posting a 3.14 ERA and a .235 average against in opening games of the series
SEWELL STREAKING
• Sophomore Cameron Sewell enters this weekend's series riding a 10-game hitting streak dating back to the second game of a doubleheader against Saint Mary's on March 15
• During that stretch, Sewell is batting .381 (16-for-42) with six multi-hit games, nine runs scored, and 14 RBI, adding two doubles, a triple, and three of his five home runs
• His 10-game streak is currently the longest active streak by a Hornet batter and is the second-longest this season behind Jakob Poturnak's 14-game run from Feb. 17 to March 11
LPG... OMG!
• Junior Luis Pimentel-Guerrero is in the midst of one of his best stretches of the season at the plate, having reached base safely in each of his last 11 games dating back to the doubleheader against Saint Mary's on March 15
• Pimentel-Guerrero has hit safely in eight of those, while walking a combined four times in two games and hit by a pitch in a third to keep the streak alive
• During that stretch, Pimentel-Guerrero is batting a robust .447 (17-for-38), with eight runs scored, a pair of home runs and 10 RBI, along with six multi-hit games
• He now has 11 multi-hit games on the year, trailing only teammate Jakob Poturnak for the team lead
• Batting a team-high .356, Pimentel-Guerrero is sixth in the WAC in batting average, just ahead of teammate Jakob Poturnak, who is seventh at .350
FOUR!
• Pimentel-Guerrero finished 4-for-4 at the plate in the second game of the series against Tarleton State last weekend in Texas, setting a new career high after a pair of three-hit contests against Nevada (March 10) and Fresno State (March 25)
• The performance was the best day at the plate by a Hornet since Gunner Gouldsmith finished 5-for-5 against Stephen F. Austin on May 11 of last year
"JUST A WALK IN THE PARK KAZANSKY"
• The Texans were handing out free bases like they were candy to Hornet hitters in the series finale between the two teams, walking a total of 13 batters and hitting seven more (more on that in a minute) for a total of 20 free bases
• The 13 walks by the offense were a season high and the most since Sacramento State drew 13 against UTRGV on March 24, 2019
• Seven Hornet starters finished with at least one walk on the day, including freshman Orlando Cobarrubias, who drew four of the 13 free passes -- the most by a Sacramento State hitter since Keith Torres walked five times at Northern Colorado on May 5, 2019
GET THESE GUYS AN ICE PACK
• The seven hit by pitches against Tarleton State also set a new high bar for the Hornets, who were plunked the most times since being hit eight times against Loyola Marymount on Feb. 16 of last season
• Senior Tyler White was hit twice to bring his season total to six -- tied for third on the team behind JP Smith's and Jacob Cortez's seven
HOME IS WHERE THE WINS ARE
• Sacramento State's win over Fresno State on March 25 gave the Hornets their 12th victory of the year at John Smith Field, just one win shy of its home win total from all of 2024 (13-18) and nine back of the 2023 campaign when Sacramento State finished 20-11
TITANIC TRIO OF TOWERING TATERS
• Sacramento State slugged five home runs on the weekend at Tarleton State -- three of those coming in the team's series-opening win
• The trio off the bats of Poturnak, Pimentel-Guerrero, and Ryan Christiansen tied a single-game season high, matching the long ball output at San Francisco (Feb. 17), against South Dakota State (Feb. 27), and against Pacific (March 18)
• It also represented the team's eighth game with multiple home runs this year
• For Poturnak, the round-tripper was his eighth of the season -- ranking him tied for fourth in the WAC
FILL MY EYES WITH THAT DOUBLE VISION
• Senior JP Smith tied his career high with his 3-for-6 day at the plate in the finale at Tarleton State -- a performance that included his team-high 10th double of the season
• Smith has hit at least one double in four of his last six games, while all 10 of his doubles have come in the last 15 games
• The junior enters the weekend ranked tied for seventh in the WAC in the category
BETCHA CAN'T HIT JUST ONE
• Poturnak will gladly take that bet as the sophomore has collected three hits in each of his last two games to bring his team-high total to 12 multi-hit games on the year
• He also leads the team with seven, three-hit games this season -- three more than Christiansen in second place
• Poturnak has gone hitless in a game only five times in 28 total contests and has more multi-hit games (12) than he has games with only one hit (11)
• It's a big part of the team's performance at the plate as of late as the Hornets have collected 10-or-more hits in seven of their last 10 games, averaging 10.2 hits per contest in that stretch
WE DEMAND... A SACRIFICE!
• Freshman Michael Perazzo has given himself up more than all but one other player in the NCAA entering this weekend's games, tying for the national lead with 11 sacrifice hits
• He is matched only by NC State's Matt Heavner nationally and leads the WAC by six in front of three others
• Perazzo's 11 sacrifices moved him into a tie for fourth alongside Everet Rincon (2006) on the school's single-season list
• With two more, Perazzo will tie Dane Fujinaka (2014), Blake Crosby (2008), and Bob Stevens (1975) for the program's single-season record
• Four more sacrifices this year will tie Perazzo with Fujinaka and Kyle Moses (2012-15) for 10th on the career list
PERAZZO AT THE PLATE
• When he's not moving runners into scoring position, Perazzo has been heating up at the plate as of late
• The freshman posted three multi-hit games last week in the series against Tarleton State and the midweek game against California -- one more than he had entering last week's trip to Texas
• During that stretch, Perazzo is batting .400 (6-for-15) with two doubles, three runs scored, and three more runs driven in
BRIGHT AND EARLY
• Sacramento State has seized control of the game early thus far this year, outscoring opponents by a 51-26 count in the first two innings -- including 30 of those runs in the second inning alone
• The 30 runs in the second inning are the most in any inning this year, edging out the 27 runs scored in the fourth inning
• The 51 runs in the first two innings are the most in any two-inning span this season
• However, the Hornets are only 8-7 when scoring first this year
WINNER, WINNER CHICKEN DINNER
• Elie Kligman's RBI single in the opener against Tarleton State was his third game-winning RBI of the year, tying him with Tyler White for the most by a Hornet this season
• Nine different Sacramento State players have posted game-winning RBI this year
• Following White and Kligman, Poturnak and Christiansen have two each, while Sewell, Pimentel-Guerrero, Perazzo, Luke Oyler, and Jacob Cortez each have one
WHAT CAN BROWN DO FOR YOU?
• Preseason All-American and Stopper of the Year candidate Kade Brown notched his seventh save of the season in the opener at Tarleton State, striking out the only batter he faced with the bases loaded to nail down the 8-4 win
• His save total puts him in a eight-way tie for fifth in the NCAA, just two back of Clemson's Lucas Mahlstedt and Oklahoma's Dylan Crooks for the national lead as of April 3
• Brown's latest save was the 15th of his career, putting him in sole possession of sixth on the school's career list, just one back of Tanner Dalton (2018-19) and Michael Penbera (1999-01) for fourth
• His seven saves this year are one shy of his 2024 total, which is tied for 10th on the single-season list
• Brown leads the WAC with a .179 average against and ranks fifth in the league at 11.51 strikeouts per nine
DON'T WALK
• As a staff, Sacramento State has walked only 89 batters in 251 innings and ranks No. 11 in the NCAA with walks allowed per nine innings (3.19)
• Offensively, the Hornets have walked nearly twice as much (141) as their pitchers have allowed (89)
• Sacramento State's staff also ranks No. 39 in the nation in strikeout-to-walk ratio at 2.54
MONSON THE MAGNIFICENT
• Senior right-hander Andrew Monson has been one of the more reliable arms out of the Hornet bullpen as of late, allowing just one earned run over his last five appearances (4.2 innings)
• In addition to posting his second win of the season and his first career save, Monson has a 1.93 ERA in that stretch, scattering eight hits while striking out four without a walk
BUYING STOCK IN BRYCE
• Sophomore right-hander Bryce Stockton has made the most out of his last four appearances out of the bullpen, posting a 2.09 ERA while allowing just one run on four hits in 4.1 innings of work
PLEASE HOLD
• Senior left-hander Noah Lucchesi ranks second on the team in wins with his 3-1 record, but it has been his work late in games that has helped the Hornets pull off some wins this year
• Lucchesi leads the team with four "holds" on the year and has allowed just one run over his last five appearances (6.1 innings) for a 1.42 ERA
• He has allowed six hits and struck out five in that same stretch
• Going back even further, Lucchesi has surrendered only three runs over his last 11 games (10.2 innings) for a 2.61 ERA
SHUT(OUT) THE FRONT DOOR
• The Hornets' 1-0 extra-inning win over UT Arlington on March 22 marked the team's third shutout of the season -- the most for the program since the 2023 squad blanked St. Thomas (Feb. 25), Fresno State (March 15), and Seattle U (April 21), that year
• A fourth shutout this year would be the most in a season since shutting out four opponents in 2022: Northern Illinois (twice on Feb. 19), No. 6 Long Beach State (Feb. 25), and Seattle U (March 18)
• The three shutouts this year ranked tied for No. 15 in the NCAA entering the week behind national leader Northeastern, which has seven
CYCLE SEEKING
• Prior to his 11th-inning heroics against UT Arlington, White nearly completed hitting for the cycle in the series opener with the Mavericks, finishing 3-for-4 while missing only the home run
• It marked the fourth near-miss of a cycle by a Hornet this season after Jakob Poturnak needed a triple in game four against Ball State on Feb. 22, Ryan Christiansen needed a triple in game three against South Dakota State on Feb. 28, and Pimentel-Guerrero's three-hit night against Nevada on March 10 left him just a triple short of the cycle
• The last Hornet to hit for the cycle was Jason Beeman at CSUN on April 24, 1994, who finished 4-for-6 with two runs scored and six RBI, while also throwing a complete game, allowing six runs on 13 hits and striking out three in a 14-6 victory
"QUALITY" YOU CAN COUNT ON
• Sacramento State pitchers have thrown nine "quality starts" this season, four of those by senior right-hander Evan Gibbons, three from just righty Ethan Lay, and one each by senior right-hander Tyler Stewart and junior right-hander Colin Hunter
• Gibbons allowed three earned over 6.2 innings, striking out six in his start against UT Arlington, giving him his 17th such performance in 38 career starts as a Hornet
• Lay has "quality starts" in games against South Dakota State, Pacific, and UT Arlington, while Stewart (March 8 at Pacific) and Hunter (March 18 at Pacific) accomplished the feat for the first time this year
• All told, the Hornets are 7-2 in those nine "quality starts," including a 4-0 record in all four of Gibbons' outings this year
