SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Winners of two straight and five of its last eight overall, the Sacramento State baseball team comes home to host a tough out-of-region rival at John Smith Field this weekend, welcoming Winthrop out of the Big South for a three-game series in Sacramento, Calif.
The series begins Thursday (March 19) at 6 p.m., followed by a 6 p.m. start on Friday (March 20), and a 2 p.m. first pitch on Saturday (March 21). The first two games will be streamed live on the ESPN+ platform, with Saturday's finale exclusively streamed on WAC International.
PLAY BALL!
WHAT: Winthrop (15-6, 3-0 Big South) at Sacramento State (8-13, 0-0 WAC)
WHEN: Thursday-Saturday, March 19-21, 2026
TIME: 6 PM PT (Thurs.) / 6 PM PT (Fri.) / 2 PM PT (Sat.)
WHERE: Sacramento, Calif.
STADIUM: John Smith Field
TICKETS: HornetSports.com
GAME NOTES: Sacramento State | Winthrop | Western Athletic Conference
FOLLOW:
Game 1: ESPN+ | WAC International | Live Stats
Game 2: ESPN+ | WAC International | Live Stats
Game 3: WAC International | Live Stats
PROBABLE STARTERS
Game 1: RHP Brayden Gilley (5 GS, 3-1, 3.54 ERA) at RHP Ethan Lay (5 GS, 1-1, 2.93 ERA)
Game 2: LHP Luke Earnhardt (5 GS, 2-1, 4.43 ERA) at RHP Kurt Marton (4 GS, 1-2, 3.52 ERA)
Game 3: RHP Randy Guzman (5 GS, 0-2, 7.71 ERA) at RHP Carson Timothy (5 GS, 2-1, 3.05 ERA)
ABOUT THE EAGLES
• Winthrop enters the weekend series with a 15-6 overall record after posting an 8-2 win at Pacific on Tuesday to extend its winning streak to five games
• The game against the Tigers was only the fifth road contest for the Eagles this season and the team's first win away from home where they are 13-2
• The preceded the win over Pacific with a three-game sweep of Radford to open Big South Conference play, winning a pair of one-score games and the finale by two runs
• Winthrop has won four of its five weekend series this year with the only exception a sweep at the hands of No. 7 Auburn
• Junior pitcher/infielder Corey Wouters leads a quartet of Eagles batting better than .300 on the year, hitting .356 with 11 runs scored, six doubles, and five RBI
• Junior utility Jaylen Hernandez is part of that quartet, batting .314 to go with team high's in home runs (seven) and RBI (24)
• As a staff, the Eagles have combined for a 3.85 ERA over 189.1 innings while holding opponents to a .255 average, striking out 165 against 78 walks
• Saturday starter LHP Luke Earnhardt leads the team with 30 strikeouts, while Friday starter RHP Brayden Gilley is second with 24
SERIES NOTABLES
• This will be the first-ever meeting between Sacramento State and Winthrop on the diamond in the history of the two programs
• It will also be the Hornets' first-ever meeting with a Big South Conference school
• Winthrop is the third first-time opponent for Sacramento State this season along with Saint Joseph's and UMass Lowell
• The Hornets and Eagles have met head-to-head only one other time in any sport with women's volleyball posting a five-set, reverse-sweep victory by the scores of 20-25, 18-25, 25-13, 25-20, 15-9, on Sept. 8, 2023, at the Gator Invitational in Gainesville, Fla.
MILLENNIAL MILESTONE
• Sacramento State enters the 2026 season needing just 10 more victories to reach 1,000 all-time wins in the program's Division I history
• Since it's first full Division I season in 1990, the Hornets have posted a 990-1,072-4 record
TWO TO WATCH
• Senior RHP Ethan Lay and junior RHP Kurt Marton were two of more than 140 Division I pitchers from across the country named to the College Baseball Foundation's initial National Pitcher of the Year watch list for 2026 the organization announced on March 11
• The duo are two of four total hurlers honored from the WAC, joined by California Baptist right-handers Michael Malki and Bryan Peck on this year's list
DOUBLE-DIGIT DARLINGS
• Thanks to the 10 runs on March 11 against Pacific and 18 more against the Tigers on March 15, the Hornets have now reached double-digit runs three times this season, while also collecting double-digit hits in three of the four contests against Pacific
• The 18 runs and 18 hits in Sunday's finale are also the second-most in either category against an opponent this year behind the 21 runs and 22 hits in the finale against Saint Joseph's
• With 10 hits in Tuesday's win over San Francisco, the Hornets have now recorded double digits in that category for the fourth time in the last five games and seven times overall in 2026
GOING BIG
• Sacramento State has posted a "big inning" (four or more runs) nine times this season, finishing 5-2 in games in which they have done so
• The seven-run second inning in the series finale against Pacific on March 15 were the most in single inning this season and the most since the Hornets put up seven in the seventh inning of a 9-2 win at Utah Valley on May 11 of last year
EASY AS 1-2-3
• Junior outfielder Erick Dessens is on quite a streak, having homered in each of the team's last three games en route to his team-high total of five
• The last Hornet to leave the yard in three straight games was Steven Moretto, who accomplished the feat in a series at Utah Valley on March 19-21, 2021
NINE TIMES? NINE TIMES...
• With a home run and a double at San Francisco on Tuesday, Dessens extended his team-best hitting streak to nine games dating back to the opener at No. 2 LSU
• During his streak, the junior is batting .400 (16-for-40) with five runs scored, four doubles, a triple, three home runs, and 14 RBI
THIS OTT-A BE GOOD
• Sophomore Brett Ott nearly had himself a share of a long-time Sacramento State baseball single-game record in the finale against Pacific, scoring five runs from the lead-off spot as part of a three-hit day
• Ott fell one score shy of the record of six runs scored set by Shawn McGuire against Pacific on March 8, 1997
IN YOUR JACE!
• Senior Jace Jeremiah has reached base safely in each of his last 14 games, hitting safely in 13 of those while drawing a walk in the series opener against No. 2 LSU to keep the streak alive
• It is the longest such streak by a Hornet this year and the longest since Jakob Poturnak's 14-game run in 2025, while a reach in his next game would be the longest since Gunner Gouldsmith did so in 18 straight games in 2024
• As part of his current run, Jeremiah has built an eight-game hitting streak dating back to the second game of the LSU series, batting .379 (11-for-29) with five runs scored, eight RBI, and five walks
WE'RE GOING STREAKING!
• In addition to the streaks by Dessens and Jeremiah, Jakob Poturnak (seven games) and Luis Pimentel-Guerrero (six games) also extended their own runs following Tuesday's game against the Dons
• Poturnak is batting .385 (10-for-26) with nine runs scored, a pair of doubles, a home run, and two RBI
• Pimentel-Guerrero is batting .429 (9-for-21) with three runs scored, six walks, and a pair of RBI
CYCLE SEEKING
• Both Dessens and Ott came achingly close to hitting for the cycle over the weekend with Dessens falling a triple short in both games two and three against the Tigers and Ott missing out on the triple in the finale
• Those two join Pimentel-Guerrero (Feb. 22 vs. Saint Joseph's) and Poturnak (March 11 vs. Pacific) as Hornets who have come close to hitting for the cycle this year -- all missing the accomplishment by a triple
• The last Sacramento State player to hit for the cycle was Jason Beeman at CSUN on April 24, 1994, finishing 4-for-6 with two runs and six RBI while also throwing a complete game on the mound in a 14-6 victory over the Matadors
WALK THIS WAY
• When they weren't slapping the ball all around the field in the finale against Pacific, the Hornets were busy drawing nine walks against Tiger pitching, tying the team's season high in the category set against Saint Joseph's (Feb. 22) and matches in the first meeting of the year against Pacific (Feb. 25)
• The nine walks were the most as a team since Sacramento State walked nine times in the series finale against UC Riverside on April 27, 2025
• On the flip side, Hornet pitchers walked only two San Francisco batters on Tuesday (March 17) -- the 11th time in 21 games that Sacramento State has walked two-or-fewer hitters in a game this year
NEW TO THE LIST
• Two Hornets clubbed the first home runs of their Sacramento State careers recently as Brett Ott slugged the first of his collegiate career in the finale at Pacific, while Ryan Ellis joined the party with his three-run shot at San Francisco on Tuesday
• It was also Ellis' first home run since he left the yard against Abilene Christian on March 16, 2024, while he was at UT Arlington
THIS CLOSE
• Of Sacramento State's 13 defeats this year, seven of those have been decided by two runs or fewer, with five of those coming by a single run
DE-FENSE (CLAP, CLAP)
• Sacramento State's defense has been solid as of late, not committing an error in its last five-plus games (166 chances) entering this week's series against Winthrop
"FIRE" STARTERS
• Sacramento State's usual weekend rotation of senior RHP Ethan Lay, junior RHP Kurt Marton, and sophomore RHP Carson Timothy have been fairly untouchable to start the season
• The Hornet trio has combined for a 3.01 ERA over 68.1 innings of work (14 starts), allowing just 23 earned runs and striking out 65 against only 13 walks
• Combined, opposing batters are hitting just .228 (61-for-267) against those three arms
STRIKE FIRST! STRIKE HARD! NO MERCY, SIR!
• Sacramento State has gotten out of the gates quickly this year, scoring 40 percent (46) of its 115 runs in the first three innings thus far
• 28 of those 115 runs this year have come in the second inning alone -- the most of than any other inning
• The Hornets have scored first in all eight of their victories, going 8-4 this season when they crack the runs column first
HIGH FIVE!
• Speaking of scoring, when the Hornets score five-or-more runs this season, that usually portends a victory for the good guys as they are a combined 6-2 when scoring at least five runs in a game
• On the other hand, when scoring four runs or fewer, Sacramento State has struggled, posting a 2-11 record
WALK THE WALK
• The Hornets' staff enters the weekend having walked only 60 hitters while striking out 182 through the first 21 games, ranking No. 11 in the NCAA in fewest walks allowed per nine innings (2.99)
• Sacramento State also ranks No. 26 in WHIP (1.22), No. 23 in strikeout-to-walk ratio (3.03), and No. 49 in fewest hits allowed per nine (7.97)
TAKE A WALK... TO THE DUGOUT
• The 1-2 punch of right-handers Ethan Lay and Kurt Marton have combined for a 9-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio entering the weekend, striking out 54 hitters against only 6 walks
• Lay (31 strikeouts, 3 walks) is No. 19 in the NCAA with a league-best 10.33 ratio, while Marton (23 strikeouts, 3 walks) is No. 34 in the nation at 7.67
• Lay also ranks No. 26 in the nation in fewest walks per nine innings (0.98), just ahead of teammate Marton, who is No. 36 in the country (1.17)
"QUALITY" YOU CAN COUNT ON
• Lay logged his third "quality start" of the year on March 11 against Pacific -- his 10th such start of his career after doing so a team-high seven times in 2025
• Marton has thrown a pair in four starts as a Hornet, throwing six shutout innings against UC Irvine (2/14) and allowing just two runs over 6.2 innings with nine strikeouts against Saint Joseph's
• Timothy's start in the series finale at No. 2 LSU was his first "quality start" as a Hornet
YOU COMPLETE ME
• Lay followed up that announcement by throwing a gem in the Hornets' 10-0 victory over Pacific on Wednesday (March 11), scattering just two hits and allowing four baserunners while striking out six
• At one point, Lay retired 16 straight Tiger hitters from the first through sixth innings before Pacific was able to work hits only walk of the game to lead off the seventh
• It was the first shutout by a Hornet pitcher since Colin Hunter no-hit Northern Illinois on Feb. 19, 2022, in his first career start
• It was the first complete-game effort for a Sacramento State hurler since Evan Gibbons gave up just one run on two hits in seven innings while striking out eight against Stephen F. Austin on May 10, 2024
IN "LAY"-MAN'S TERMS
• Fresh off that stellar outing against Pacific on March 11, Lay enters the weekend ranked among the top 10 in the WAC in numerous categories
• He ranks fourth in the league in ERA (2.93), sixth in batting average against (.213), second in innings (27.2), second in strikeouts (31), ninth in fewest hits and fewest runs allowed (23), and is tied for the top spot along with teammate Kurt Marton for fewest walks allowed
• The senior bolstered his total with 13 strikeouts -- without a walk -- while carrying a perfect game into the seventh inning in game two against Saint Joseph's, setting a new career high
• He became the 16th Hornet in school history to strikeout at least 13 batters in a game and the first since Travis Adams (who made his Major League debut with the Minnesota Twins last summer) finished with 13 at Northern Colorado in 2021
• That performance marked Lay's second double-digit strikeout game of his Sacramento State career after striking out 11 against Pacific on March 9 of last year
• He has also struck out eight-or-more batters in a game five times as a Hornet
DON'T WALK
• Junior RHP Kurt Marton was back to his old tricks in his last start against Pacific, striking out a pair of Tigers without issuing a walk
• The Roseville, Calif., native enters the week still with only three walks on the year -- all three of those coming in his game two start against No. 2 LSU on March 7
• Among qualifying pitchers, the three walks by both Lay and Marton rank tied for 18th in the NCAA
LET'S GEAUX!
• After taking 2-of-3 in Baton Rouge against No. 2 LSU, the Hornets posted their first series win over a nationally ranked opponent for the first time since sweeping No. 6 Long Beach State -- also on the road -- in 2022
• With its 5-4 win in game two against the Tigers, the Hornets had their highest ranked victory under Head Coach Reggie Christiansen, surpassing a 2-1 win over No. 3 UCLA on March 3, 2019
• That also marked the highest-ranked victory for the Hornets since they defeated No. 2 Stanford, 2-1, on April 24, 2004
• Thanks to the weekend's results, Sacramento State improved to 22-37 against nationally ranked opponents under Christiansen since 2011, including winning eight of the last 13 such games
