SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The first-place Sacramento State baseball team hits the road for the final time in the regular season this weekend, making the trip to Orem, Utah, for a three-game series against Utah Valley. The series kicks-off on Friday (May 9) at 5 p.m. PT, followed by game two on Saturday (May 10) at 3 p.m., and the finale on Sunday (May 11) at Noon PT.

PLAY BALL!
WHAT: Sacramento State (28-21, 12-6 WAC) at Utah Valley (27-22, 12-9 WAC)
WHEN: Friday-Sunday, May 9-11, 2025
TIME: 5 PM PT / 3 PM PT / Noon PT
WHERE: Orem, Utah
STADIUM: UCCU 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 | Utah Valley | Western Athletic Conference

WE'LL DO IT LIVE
• All three games this weekend will be streamed live on the ESPN+ and WAC International platforms
• Live Stats will also be available
• Links to follow along are posted on the baseball schedule page at HornetSports.com

ABOUT THE WOLVERINES
• Utah Valley, which just a week ago was tied atop the Western Athletic Conference standings, enters this weekend's series with a 27-22 overall record and a 12-9 mark in league play
• The Wolverines have lost five straight after falling in the series finale with California Baptist on April 27, swept in a three-game series with UT Arlington last weekend, and dropping a midweek game to in-state rival Utah on Tuesday
• This weekend marks the final WAC series of the year for Utah Valley, which faces non-conference foe San Francisco next weekend to close out the regular season
• UVU is 11-8 at home this year compared to 16-14 on the road
• Senior outfielder Jayden Smith is batting a team-high .421 with a 1.083 OPS, scoring 46 runs, slugging 14 doubles and driving in 34 runs on the year
• He is one of five regulars batting over .300 on the year for the Wolverines
• Utah Valley has slugged a WAC-high 68 home runs on the year, led by junior catcher/outfielder Luke Iverson's 14 and 13 more from senior infielder Landon Frei
• The Wolverines lead the WAC in nearly every major offensive category, including average (.312), slugging (.510), on-base percentage (.422), runs scored (440), hits (545), and RBI (403)
• Utah Valley is scheduled to throw senior LHP Corbin Kirk (3-3, 6.79 ERA), junior RHP Colton Kennedy (4-2, 5.93 ERA), and sophomore LHP Jacob Heppner (4-2, 5.98 ERA)

SERIES NOTES
• Sacramento State leads the all-time series with Utah Valley, 40-22, dating back to 2005
• The two programs have been rivals in the WAC since 2014, with the Hornets leading the series, 27-13, in that span
• Sacramento State has won the last five straight series with the Wolverines dating back to 2021 after Utah Valley took 2-of-3 from the Hornets in 2019
• In that stretch, Sacramento State has won 13 of the last 16 meetings between the two programs
• This weekend marks the first meeting between the schools in Orem since April 1-3 in 2022 as the last nine games between the two have been played in Sacramento
• The Hornets are 11-8 in 19 all-time games at Utah Valley, winning six of the last seven

LUCCHESI EARNS WAC WEEKLY HONORS
• Senior LHP Noah Lucchesi was named the Western Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Week on Monday (May 5) for the first time in his career
• Lucchesi becomes the fourth Hornet pitcher to earn weekly honors from the WAC this season -- the most since 2018 when Tanner Dalton and Parker Brahms each won the award twice that year
• The Elk Grove, Calif., native scattered only three hits over five shutout innings in game two against Grand Canyon, striking out six to pick up the win
• He retired seven straight at one point and stranded five as the Hornets went on to win the series

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"
•  After taking 2-of-3 from Grand Canyon last weekend, Sacramento State posted its 27th and 28th wins of the season, surpassing last season's win total with six regular season contests remaining
• With two 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
• Sacramento State's series win over the Lopes was the team's fifth straight weekend series victory and improved the team to 8-1-3 in weekend series this year
• The five straight series wins is the longest such streak for the Hornets since they won the same number during the 2022 campaign
• A series win this weekend would give Sacramento State six straight -- its longest since winning seven-in-a-row in 2019
• The Hornets have lost only one WAC series this year, dropping 2-of-3 at Tarleton State on March 28-30
• Sacramento State has also 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 eight series wins overall are the most for the Hornets since they won nine in 2022

T.G.I.F.
• Sacramento State has flourished on Friday nights as the Hornets improved to 11-1 in series openers this year thanks to their game one win at GCU
• The victory gave Sacramento State its 10th consecutive series-opening win dating back to a 4-3 loss against Ball State on Feb. 20
• From that point on, it's been a mixed bag of results for Sacramento State, which is 7-5 in game two's and 6-5 in game three's
• The Hornets are outscoring opponents, 88-40, in the first game, 77-64 in game two, and are even on the scoreboard at 59-59 in finales

HISTORIC TRIP TO PHOENIX
• Sacramento State's series win at Grand Canyon was the first against the Lopes since 2019 and the first in Phoenix since 2016 -- winning 2-of-3 both times
• The 23 hits in game two against GCU were the most in a single game since collecting the same number against Dartmouth on March 15, 2003
• The 23 hits were also tied for the third-most in a single game in the program's Division I history (since 1990), matching the 23 against Dartmouth, Wyoming (Feb. 16, 1996), and Arizona (March 16, 1996), and trailing only the 32 hits against Rhode Island (March 8, 1997) and 25 more against Pacific (April 25, 1998)
• Coupled with the 21 hits in the series opener, it marked the first time that the Hornets posted back-to-back 20-hit games as a team in the programs Division I history
• Of the 50 total hits in the series, only 13 went for more than a single

THE HITS JUST KEEP ON COMING
• In the three-game series with Grand Canyon, the Hornets' offense produced a total of 16 multi-hit performances, including seven of the nine starters in the opener and eight of the nine starters in game two
• Among those, junior Jacob Cortez tied his career high with a 4-for-5 effort in game one, scoring twice and adding three RBI as part of his best day at the plate since 2023 against Stephen F. Austin (4-for-5)
• Cortez added two hits in game two for a six-hit weekend -- accounting for more than half of his hit total on the season entering the weekend
• Senior Tyler White also had a career-high tying four-hit game in game two -- his first four-hit performance since going 4-for-5 at UT Arlington a year earlier to the day during the 2024 campaign
• The run included his fifth triple of the year -- ranked No. 13 in the NCAA, just one shy of the school's single-season top 10 and two back of the career list

AND THEN THERE WAS ONE
• Sacramento State has played a total of 17 one-run games through 49 contests this year, posting a 9-8 record in those games
• 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, four more of the Hornets' outings have been decided by two runs (2-2 record)

STRIKE FIRST, STRIKE HARD, NO MERCY SIR!
• Sacramento State has outscored opponents, 86-64, over the first two innings, with the 86 runs standing as the most over any two innings this year
• The 51 runs scored in the second inning alone are the most of any single inning this year
• Sacramento State is 12-7 when scoring in the first inning and 14-10 when scoring first

SMITH IN THE HISTORY BOOKS
• Already the school's career leader in home runs with 45, JP Smith knocked his ninth round-tripper of the year in the fourth inning of the finale against Grand Canyon
• His 45 home runs rank eighth on the WAC's career list, just one behind Wyoming's Sky Smeltzer (1986-89) and two back of Fresno State's Dusty Robinson (2009-11)
• Smith's 135 career RBI are now tied for seventh on the all-time list with Will Fitzpatrick (1990-93), needing one to catch Chris Lewis (2013-16) for sixth and seven to match Dawsen Bacho (2017-22) and Tim Wheeler (2007-09) for fifth
• With 35 career doubles, Smith is seven spots out of the school's top 10, while his 18 doubles this year put him one shy of breaking into the single-season top 10
• Should he accomplish the feat, he would be the first Hornet to reach the single-season top 10 since Steven Moretto (22) and Ryan Walstad (20) both did so in 2021

SETTING THE TABLE
• White continues to be the spark plug atop the Hornet lineup with a big week against UC Davis and GCU
• The senior has hit safely in 11 of his last 12 contests -- including six multi-hit performances
• White is hitting .415 (22-for-53) in that stretch, scoring 14 runs and driving in 11 more while raising his average 32 points to .323 on the year

JAKOB POTUR-"JACK"
• Poturnak's big week at the plate last week was punctuated by the sophomore's team-high 12th home run of the season -- which ranks tied for fourth in the WAC
• The 12 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
• 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
• The round-tripper was part of a larger week that saw Poturnak hit .476 (10-for-21) with four runs scored, four doubles, a triple, and that home run, driving in six
• He had multiple hits in all four contests, including a three-hit, four-RBI performance in a game two win

MASCIANGEL-OW!
• Add another two HBPs to senior Matt Masciangelo's career tally after he was plunked in both game two and three at Grand Canyon
• It gave the senior 35 for his career, keeping his hold on 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 eight times this year, already holds the single-season record with his 27 HBPs in 2024

ROLL OUT THE WELCOME MATT
• Masciangelo welcomed opposing pitching last weekend to the tune of a .429 (9-for-21) average, scoring a team-high seven runs and driving in three more
• After a two-hit night against UC Davis (April 29), he added three-hit games in the first two contests against GCU and added 1-for-3 performance in the finale
• In 19 games, Masciangelo has hit safely in all but six of them and has recorded multiple hits in 10 of the remaining 13

LUIS IS MORE
• Luis Pimentel-Guerrero's 10-game hitting streak came to an end in the finale against Grand Canyon, but the junior remains one of the Hornets' hottest hitters
• The junior has tallied hits in 11 of his last 12 games, batting .476 (20-for-42) with nine runs and nine RBI to go along with 10 walks
• Before going hitless in the GCU finale, Pimentel-Guerrero had multiple hits in four straight games, giving him a  team-high 19 multi-hit contests on the year
• In the process, he has raised his average 40 points to .362 on the season

NOWHERE TO PUT THEM
• The Hornets have taken full advantage with the bases loaded this season, scoring 23 times on free passes (20 bases-loaded walks and three of bases-loaded hit batters) issued by opposing pitchers as of May 7
• Of those walks, Tyler White leads the group with five 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 (twice) 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, ranking tied for third in the nation with 13 sacrifice hits along with The Citadel's Travis Elliott
• 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

EVAN ALMIGHTY
• Senior right-hander Evan Gibbons enters this weekend's series with a 8-1 overall record, leading the WAC in victories -- and ranking tied for No. 11 in the NCAA -- following the Hornets' series-opening win at GCU
• The victory was his sixth in his last seven starts as the senior has posted a 3.69 ERA over his last 46.1 innings, striking out 33 against 10 walks
• Gibbons' eight victories are a career high and make him the first Hornet pitcher to win at least that many since Brady Rodriguez finished 8-2 in 2021
• Now with 19 career wins, he has moved 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 8-0 with three no-decisions, posting a 3.18 ERA in 70.2 innings to go along with a better than 3-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio (53 strikeouts against 15 walks)
• Gibbons has six "quality starts" in his 12 overall this year, giving him 19 in 41 starts as a Hornet
• In WAC play, Gibbons is an unblemished 5-0 with a 3.35 ERA, striking out 29 against eight walks in 40.1 innings and holding opponents to a .248 average

STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
• Along with his league-high win total, Gibbons leads the league in innings pitched (75.1), stands ninth in strikeouts (55), and ranks 10th in the WAC in ERA (3.82) -- one of three Hornets in the top 10 in the latter along with Kade Brown (2nd - 2.45) and Ethan Lay (3rd - 3.49)
• He averages 6.28 innings per start -- which leads the WAC -- while standing fourth in fewest runs allowed per game (3.94)
• Following his last start at GCU, Gibbons now ranks 11th on the program's all-time list in career innings (242), needing 20.1 to match Marshall Plouffe (2001-03, 2005) for 10th place
• Thanks to his seven strikeouts against the Lopes, Gibbons now has 178 career Ks, needing six to match Jeff Groeger (2001-02) for 10th on all-time list
• In terms of innings, Gibbons is the first in the top 10 since Scott Randall finished with 281.2 innings in 2018-21, while his strikeout total makes him the first in the top 10 since Randall finished with 249 from 2018-21

WHAT CAN BROWN DO FOR YOU?
• Thanks to a pair of blowout wins in Arizona last weekend, there wasn't a lot of work for preseason All-American and Stopper of the Year candidate Kade Brown, who stands at 13th saves on the year
• Brown, whose scoreless inning streak ended in the finale at Grand Canyon, has posted a 1-0 record with six saves over his last eight appearances, scattering just eight hits and striking out 16 against four walks
• His save total puts him third in the NCAA as of May 7, trailing Alabama's Carson Ozmer (14) and Clemson's Lucas Mahlstedt (15)
• The 13 saves are 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 opponent batting average (.171), while standing second in the league in ERA (2.45), fewest hits allowed (22), fewest runs allowed (11), and fewest earned runs allowed (10), while standing fifth in strikeouts per game (11.05)

THE BULL-"PEN" IS MIGHTIER
• Over the team's last nine games, the Hornets' bullpen has been solid, surrendering 12 earned runs on 19 hits, while striking out 37 over 38.2 innings
• That equates to an ERA of 2.79 while holding opposing hitters to a .144 (19-for-132) average

APPEARANCE MATTERS
• Senior right-hander Andrew Monson's 24 appearances this year are tied with California Baptist's Cameron Teper for the most in the WAC this season and rank No. 16 in the NCAA entering this weekend's games
• Classmate Noah Lucchesi has made 21 appearances are tied for fifth in the WAC

"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

WALK THE WALK
• The Hornet pitching staff has been stingy when it comes to handing out free passes this year, walking only 153 batters -- a total that ranks second in the WAC
• Walking a league-best average of 3.15 batters per game, Sacramento State ranks No. 6 in the NCAA in walks per game while standing No. 31 in the nation -- and No. 1 in the WAC -- in strikeout-to-walk ratio (2.52)

WINNER, WINNER CHICKEN DINNER
• Matt Masciangelo tallied the game-winning RBI in both wins over Grand Canyon last weekend, giving him three on the year
• All told, he is one of 12 different Hornets to post a 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, Luke Oyler, and Cameron Sewell each have one
• 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

CYCLE SEEKING
• Sophomore Jakob Poturnak came close to hitting for the cycle for a second time this season in game two against Grand Canyon, finishing with a triple and a home run as part of a 3-for-6 night
• Poturnak also missed out on a cycle, needing a triple against Ball State on Feb. 22
• It was the seventh time that a Hornet hitter has had a near miss on one this year
• Tyler White has also come close twice, ending his day 3-for-4 against UT Arlington on March 21 with a double and a triple, missing out on only the home run, while notching a double and home run as part of a 3-for-5 night at UC Davis (April 15)
• Other Hornets to come close in 2025: Perazzo against Abilene Christian on April 6 (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