SACRAMENTO, Calif. — After a week away from conference play, the Sacramento State baseball team returns to league action with the first of two key weekend match-ups in Arizona with a three-game set against WAC co-leader Grand Canyon this weekend in Phoenix on May 2-4. The first two games in the series are scheduled for 7 p.m. starts, with Sunday's finale scheduled for Noon.

Following their bye week, the Hornets trail the league-leading Lopes and Utah Valley by 1.5 games heading into the weekend and are half a game behind Abilene Christian, which sits in third.

Having played 10 of their last 13 at home, this weekend starts a run that will see Sacramento State play six of its next seven away from John Smith Field, playing its first road weekend series since a trip to ACU on April 4-6.

PLAY BALL!
WHAT: Sacramento State (26-19, 10-5 WAC) at Grand Canyon (26-18, 12-6 WAC)
WHEN: Friday-Sunday, May 2-4, 2025
TIME: 7 PM PT / 7 PM PT / Noon PM PT
WHERE: Phoenix, Ariz.
STADIUM: Brazell Field at GCU Ballpark

FOLLOW:
Game 1: ESPN+ | WAC International | Live Stats
Game 2: ESPN+ | WAC International | Live Stats
Game 3: ESPN+ | WAC International | Live Stats

GAME NOTES: Sacramento State | Grand Canyon | Western Athletic Conference

WE'LL DO IT LIVE
• All three contests will be shown on both the ESPN+ and WAC International live streaming platforms
• 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 LOPES
• Grand Canyon enters the weekend with a 26-18 overall record and a 12-6 mark in WAC play to stand tied for first in the league standings with Utah Valley
• The Lopes have lost two straight after dropping the series finale with UT Arlington on April 27 (17-5) and falling one run short of a comeback win over BYU (10-9) on Monday
• Entering the weekend, the Lopes are 16-7 at home, but are just 5-5 in their last 10 after winning 11 of their first 13
• Junior outfielder/pitcher Josh Wakefield leads the team with a .372 average (fifth in the WAC), scoring 27 runs, slugging five doubles, and driving in 14 runs
• He leads a group of three regulars batting better than .300 on the year along with sophomore infielder Cannon Perry (.342) and junior infielder Zach Yorke (.340), while Emilio Barreras, who has started 27 games, is hitting .360
• Junior RHP Isaac Lyon (3-3, 3.79 ERA) and sophomore RHP Garrett Ahern (6-2, 4.15 ERA) have anchored the weekend rotation, striking out 69 and 64 batters respectively
• Lyon's strikeout total is third in the WAC, while Ahern stands fifth entering the week

SERIES NOTES
• Grand Canyon holds a narrow, 24-23, lead in the all-time series with Sacramento State
• The Lopes have won two straight in the series and have won the last five series with the Hornets since 2021
• GCU has taken 2-of-3 in the series in each of the last four years after winning 3-of-4 in 2021
• Sacramento State last won a series against Grand Canyon in 2019, winning 2-of-3 and defeating the Lopes twice at the WAC Tournament later that year
• This marks the second straight year that the two teams will play in Phoenix after GCU won 2-of-3 there in 2024
• Only 18 of the 47 all-time meetings have been played in Arizona with the Lopes winning 11 of them

PERAZZO ON BROOKS WALLACE WATCH
• Freshman infielder Michael Perazzo was named as one of the top 100 shortstops from across the nation named to the initial watch list for the 2025 Brooks Wallace Award on April 18
• The award honors the nation's top shortstop and will be presented by the College Baseball Foundation later this year and is named after former Texas Tech shortstop Brooks Wallace, who passed away at the age of 27 from leukemia
• Perazzo is one of 11 true or redshirt freshmen out of the group of 100 and is one of four from the Western Athletic Conference along with Abilene Christian's Nick Arias, Grand Canyon's Emilio Barreras, and Tarleton State's Ike Shirey

BROWN MAKES MIDSEASON STOPPER LIST
• Sophomore Kade Brown was one of 56 relievers from across the country named to the midseason watch list for the NCBWA Stopper of the Year Award on April 23
• Brown is one of nine pitchers on the midseason list that were named to the initial watch list back in February and one of two that also earned NCBWA Preseason All-America honors along with Tennessee's Nate Snead
• He is also one of four Hornets to make the midseason list for the award since its inception in 2005 joining Sutter McLoughlin (2013-14), Tyler Beardsley (2016), and Jack Zalasky (2023)
• The finalists will be announced on June 4, with the winner named on June 13 at the College World Series

ONLY A MATTER OF "WIN"
•  Thanks to the sweep of UC Riverside, Sacramento State ended with its 26th win of the season at the end of the weekend, matching last season's win total with 10 regular season contests remaining
• With four more wins this year, the Hornets will post their 12th season with 30-or-more wins in 14 full seasons under Head Coach Reggie Christiansen

"SERIES"-OUS BUSINESS
• The team's second weekend sweep of the season gave the Hornets their fourth consecutive series victory and improved them to 7-1-3 in weekend series in 2025
• The four-series winning streak is the longest for Sacramento State since it won five straight in 2022
• The only series loss came against Tarleton State on the road (March 28-30), while Sacramento State split a pair of four-game series against San Francisco (Feb. 14-17) and Ball State (Feb. 20-22) as well as a weather-shortened two-game set with Saint Mary's (March 15)
• The seven series wins are the most for the Hornets since they won nine weekend series in 2022
• Friday night's are alright for Sacramento State, who improved to 10-1 in series openers this year with their 8-4 win over the Highlanders last weekend
• The Hornets have won their last nine series openers dating back to a 4-3 loss against Ball State on Feb. 20
• Sacramento State is 6-5 in game two's and 6-4 in game three's
• The Hornets are outscoring opponents, 73-35, in the first game, 63-60 in game two, and 57-50 in finales

HOME IS WHERE THE WINS ARE
• Sacramento State's three wins over UC Riverside gave the Hornets their 18th and 19th victories of the year at John Smith Field, surpassing last year's win total and putting them one win shy of their first 20-win season at home since 2023 (20-11)
• Under Head Coach Reggie Christiansen, Sacramento State has won 20-or-more games at home four times

AND THEN THERE WAS ONE
• In five games last week, three of them were decided by a single run, giving the Hornets a total of 17 one-run decisions this year (9-8 record)
• The nine one-run victories are the most for the Hornets since they posted 10 one-run victories in 17 chances during the 2022 campaign (58 total games)
• Meanwhile, three more of the Hornets' outings have been decided by two runs (2-1 record)

STRIKE FIRST, STRIKE HARD, NO MERCY SIR!
• Sacramento State has outscored opponents, 83-57, over the first two innings, with the 83 runs standing as the most over any two innings this year
• The 49 runs scored in the second inning alone are the most of any single inning this year
• Sacramento State is 11-7 when scoring in the first inning and 13-10 when scoring first

TAKE TWO
• Junior JP Smith knocked his team- and career-high 18th double of the year on Monday night at Stanford, putting him just one shy of breaking into the top 10 on the school's single-season chart
• Should he accomplish the feat, he would be the first Hornet to reach the top 10 since Steven Moretto (22) and Ryan Walstad (20) both did so in 2021
• Already the program's career record holder for home runs with 43, Smith needs seven more doubles to reach the all-time top 10 in that category
• His 131 career RBI are now eighth on the all-time list, four shy of Will Fitzpatrick (1990-93) for the No. 7 spot

WE'RE GOING STREAKING
• Junior Luis Pimentel-Guerrero enters the weekend with a team-best eight-game hitting streak, batting .480 (12-for-25) with six runs scored and driving in six
• Junior JP Smith is also on a little run of his own, collecting hits in seven straight games while batting .407  (11-for-27) with five runs scored and nine RBI, slugging four doubles and a pair of home runs

WALK THIS WAY
• Pimentel-Guerrero has accounted for just over a third of his 28 walks this season in the team's last six games, collecting nine in that stretch -- including a season-high tying three in the opener against UC Riverside
• His is one of four Hornets who have walked 20-or-more times this year, trailing team leader Tyler White by a single base on balls
• Ryan Christiansen is third on that list with 26, while JP Smith has walked 21 times to rank fourth 
• Sacramento State enters the weekend ranked third in the WAC with 207 walks on offense as a team, while White (tied for sixth) and Pimentel-Guerrero (tied for 10th) are among the top 10

SETTING THE TABLE
• Although his 20-game streak of reaching base safely came to an end at Stanford, senior Tyler White continues to be the spark plug atop the Hornet lineup
• White has hit safely in seven of his last eight contests -- including a run of four straight multi-hit games last week against Nevada and UC Riverside
• The senior is hitting .394 (13-for-33) in that stretch, scoring 10 runs and driving in five more

NOWHERE TO PUT THEM
• The Hornets have taken full advantage with the bases loaded this season, scoring 21 times on free passes (19 bases-loaded walks and a pair of bases-loaded hit batters) issued by opposing pitchers as of April 29
• Of those walks, Tyler White leads the group with four RBI in that situation, followed by JP Smith and Ryan Christiansen with three, and two each by Jakob Poturnak and Luis Pimentel-Guerrero
• Christian Perez, Michael Perazzo, Orlando Cobarrubias, Myles Walton, and Elie Kligman round out the group with one each
• Perez and White are the two Hornets that have driven in a run after being hit by a pitch

WE DEMAND... A SACRIFICE!
• Freshman Michael Perazzo has given himself up more than all but two other players in the NCAA entering this weekend's games, ranking third with 13 sacrifice hits
• He trails only NC State's Matt Heavner (15) and Yale's Jeff Pierantoni (14) nationally and leads the WAC by seven over three other players
• Perazzo's 13 sacrifices are now tied with Dane Fujinaka (2014), Blake Crosby (2008), and Bob Stevens (1975) for the program's single-season record
• Two more sacrifices ties Perazzo with Fujinaka and Kyle Moses (2012-15) for 10th on the career list

MASCIANGEL-OW!
• Add another two HBPs to senior Matt Masciangelo's career tally after he was plunked in game two against UC Riverside and, again, Tuesday against UC Davis
• It gave the senior 33 for his career, moving him all the way up to third on the all-time list behind only current Hornet assistant David Flores (38 from 2005-08) and record holder David Del Grande (43 from 2011-14)
• Masciangelo, who has been hit a total of six times this year, already holds the single-season record with his 27 HBPs in 2024

EVAN ALMIGHTY
• Senior right-hander Evan Gibbons enters this weekend's series with a 7-1 overall record, leading the WAC in victories -- and ranking No. 20 in the NCAA -- following the Hornets' series-opening win over UC Riverside
• The victory was his fifth in his last six starts as the senior has posted a 3.20 ERA over his last 39.1 innings, striking out 26 against nine walks
• Gibbons' seven victories are a career high and make him the first Hornet pitcher to win at least seven games since Brady Rodriguez finished 8-2 and Scott Randall (7-2) and Jack Zalasky (7-2) each won seven in 2021
• Now with 18 career wins, one more victory moves Gibbons into a tie for 10th on the school's all-time list with Sam Long (2014-16) and Rocco Buffolino (1986-87)
• Since losing his first start of the year against San Francisco, Gibbons has gone 7-0 with three no-decisions, posting a 2.83 ERA in 63.2 innings to go along with a better than 3-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio (46 strikeouts against 14 walks)
• Gibbons has six "quality starts" in his 11 overall this year, giving him 19 in 41 starts as a Hornet

STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
• Gibbons leads the league in innings pitched (68.1) and ranks eighth in the WAC in ERA (3.56) -- one of four Hornets in the top 10 in the latter along with Brown (1st - 2.06), Ethan Lay (3rd - 3.09), and Andrew Monson (6th - 3.28)
• He averages 6.21 innings per start -- which leads the WAC -- while standing fifth in fewest runs allowed per game (3.69)

WHAT CAN BROWN DO FOR YOU?
• Preseason All-American and Stopper of the Year candidate Kade Brown notched his 12th and 13th saves of the season in the first two games against UC Riverside
• Brown hasn't allowed a run over his last 12.2 innings, posting a 1-0 record with six saves over his last seven appearances, scattering just four hits and striking out 14 against three walks
• His save total puts him in a tie for in the NCAA as of April 29, matching Alabama's Carson Ozmer and trailing only Clemson's Lucas Mahlstedt (15)
• The 13 saves are now second on the school's single-season list, trailing only Sutter McLoughlin, who set the record with 17 as a freshman in 2013
• Now with 21 career saves, Brown ranks fourth on the school's all-time list -- five back of both Mike Frame (1987-89) and Jack Zalasky (2019-23) for second
• Entering the weekend, Brown leads the WAC in ERA (2.06), opponent batting average (.150), fewest hits allowed (18), fewest runs allowed (nine), and fewest earned runs allowed (eight), while standing fifth in strikeouts per game (11.06)

"LAY"-MAN'S TERMS
• Junior right-hander Ethan Lay put up Pitcher of the Week-type numbers in his last start against UC Riverside, collecting his fourth win of the year in game two
• Lay allowed just one run on four hits over eight innings, striking out nine without walking a batter
• After surrendering a run in the first, the Colusa, Calif., native retired 12 straight hitters at one point and 22 of the final 23 hitters he faced save for a fifth-inning single
• The start was his sixth "quality start" of the year and his third straight when you include his outings against Seattle U (April 13) and California Baptist (April 19)
• In his four wins this year, Lay has posted a 2.10 ERA and a .228 (21-for-92) average against in 25.2 innings, allowing just six earned on 21 hits, walking five, and striking out 21
• In his six "quality starts," Lay is 3-2 with a no-decision and a 1.82 ERA, scattering just 28 hits over 39.2 innings while striking out 39 and walking only five

THE BULL-"PEN" IS MIGHTIER
• Over the team's last five games, the Hornets' bullpen has been stellar, surrendering only three runs on seven hits, walking five, and striking out 19 over 21 innings
• That equates to an ERA of 1.29 while holding opposing hitters to a .104 (7-for-67) average

MONSON THE MAGNIFICENT
• A big part of that bullpen as been senior right-hander Andrew Monson, who has been one of the most reliable arms out of the Hornet bullpen as of late
• The Washington native has allowed just three earned over his last 14 appearances (15 innings) for a 1.80 ERA
• During that stretch, Monson has scattered 15 hits, walking only two and striking out 12 while going 1-0 with a pair of saves
• Monson's 22 appearances rank second in the WAC -- and No. 19 in the NCAA -- entering the week, just ahead of teammate Noah Lucchesi, who is sixth with 20

"QUALITY" YOU CAN COUNT ON
• Sacramento State pitchers have thrown 14 "quality starts" this season, with Gibbons and Lay accounting for six apiece and one each by senior right-hander Tyler Stewart and junior right-hander Colin Hunter
• All told, the Hornets are 11-3 in those 14 "quality starts," including a 6-0 record in all six of Gibbons' "quality" outings this year

PLEASE HOLD
• Working late into games this season, Andrew Monson leads the team with six "holds" on the year, followed closely by Noah Lucchesi and his five
• Brady Chavez is next on the list with three, Bryce Stockton has a pair, and Sean Carey has one

BUYING STOCK IN BRYCE
• Stockton has made the most out of his last nine appearances out of the bullpen, posting a 1.59 ERA while allowing just two runs on 12 hits in 11.1 innings of work

WALK THE WALK
• The Hornet pitching staff has been stingy when it comes to handing out free passes this year, walking only 140 batters -- a total that ranks second in the WAC • Walking an average of 3.13 batters per game, Sacramento State ranks No. 5 in the NCAA in walks per game while standing No. 34 in the nation -- and No. 1 in the WAC -- in strikeout-to-walk ratio (2.54)

JAKOB POTUR-"JACK"
• Poturnak slugged his team-best 11th home run of the season as part of the Hornets' game one victory over California Baptist, providing Sacramento State with all the runs it would need in a 3-0 win
• The 11 home runs are the most by a Hornet newcomer since then-freshmen JP Smith and Wehiwa Aloy set the school's Division I era freshman record with 14 apiece in 2023
• Poturnak's 11 round-trippers are tied for fourth in the WAC entering the weekend
• With Poturnak's 11 home runs, the Hornets have now had at least one player reach double digits in the category for the fourth consecutive season

WINNER, WINNER CHICKEN DINNER
• Elie Kligman and JP Smith each tallied the eighth game-winning RBI of their Hornet careers last weekend against UC Riverside -- Smith doing so as part of a career-high five-RBI performance in the opener and Kligman following suit in the finale
• Pimentel-Guerrero accounted for the other with an RBI single in game two
• All told, 12 different Hornets have posted game-winning RBI this year
• This season, Kligman leads the team with six game-winning RBI, followed by four from Jakob Poturnak, three by Tyler White, and two apiece from Ryan Christiansen, Michael Perazzo, Luis Pimentel-Guerrero, and JP Smith
• Orlando Cobarrubias, Jacob Cortez, Matt Masciangelo, Luke Oyler, and Cameron Sewell have one apiece
• All four of Poturnak's game-winning RBI this year have come via the home run, while 10 of the Hornets' 26 have come via the long ball

SHUT(OUT) THE FRONT DOOR
• The Hornets' 3-0 victory in the series opener against California Baptist was the fourth shutout of the season for Sacramento State -- the most since the 2021 and 2022 squads also blanked four opponents in back-to-back seasons
• A fifth shutout at any point this year would be the most since the Hornets blanked five opponents during the 2019 campaign
• The most shutouts in a single season under Head Coach Reggie Christiansen is nine in 2013
• Entering the weekend, Sacramento State's four shutouts rank No. 20 in the NCAA

CYCLE SEEKING
• For the second time this season, Tyler White has come close to hitting for the cycle, finishing with a double and a home run as part of a 3-for-5 night at UC Davis (April 15)
• It was the sixth time that a Hornet hitter has had a near miss on one this year
• White ended his day 3-for-4 against UT Arlington on March 21 with a double and a triple, missing out on only the home run
• Other Hornets to come close in 2025: Perazzo against Abilene Christian on April 6 (triple), Jakob Poturnak in the finale against Ball State on Feb. 22 (triple), Ryan Christiansen in game three against South Dakota State on Feb. 28 (triple), and Luis Pimentel-Guerrero against Nevada on March 10 (triple)
• 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