SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The Sacramento State baseball team is home for the final week of the regular season still with an outside shot at claiming a share of the Western Athletic Conference regular season title. After taking 2-of-3 from second-place California Baptist last weekend, the Hornets host first-place Tarleton State for three at John Smith Field beginning Thursday (May 14) and running through Saturday (May 16). Game times are scheduled for 6 p.m. on both Thursday and Friday, followed by a 1 p.m. start on "Senior Day" Saturday.

PLAY BALL!
WHAT: Tarleton State (33-17, 11-4 WAC) at Sacramento State (24-29, 8-7 WAC)
WHEN: Thursday-Saturday, May 14-16, 2026
TIME: 6 PM PT (Fri.) / 6 PM PT (Sat.) / 1 PM PT (Sun.)
WHERE: Sacramento, Calif.
STADIUM: John Smith Field
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 | Tarleton State | Western Athletic Conference

PROBABLE STARTERS
Thurs.: RHP Matthew McCullough (7 GS, 5-2, 5.26 ERA) at RHP Ethan Lay (13 GS, 4-3, 3.24 ERA)
Fri.: RHP Ethan Wendel (11 GS, 4-3, 5.95 ERA) at RHP Kurt Marton (9 GS, 3-3, 4.75 ERA)
Sat.: RHP Cort Lowry (10 GS, 1-3, 3.95 ERA) at RHP Carson Timothy (13 GS, 4-4, 4.76 ERA)

WAC BIG PICTURE
• A series win over California Baptist was huge in the Hornets' favor, making the final weekend of the regular season an important three-game stretch for four different teams
• Tarleton State (at Sacramento State) enters the week in first place at 11-4, followed by California Baptist (at UC Davis) at 11-7, and both Sacramento State (vs. Tarleton State) and Abilene Christian (at Utah Tech) at 8-7
• It is possible that all four schools finish in a four-way tie for the regular season title with identical 11-7 records if the Hornets sweep the Texans and the Wildcats sweep the Trailblazers, with tiebreakers determining the final seedings for next week's WAC Tournament in Mesa, Ariz.
• The field for the tournament is set with Utah Tech and UT Arlington joining the aforementioned quartet, with seeding the only thing left to be decided

ABOUT THE TEXANS
• Tarleton State enters the final week of the regular season with a 33-17 overall record and an 11-4 mark in WAC play for first place -- 1.5 games ahead of California Baptist and three games ahead of both Abilene Christian and Sacramento State
• The Texans are coming off a non-conference series win over former league rival UT Rio Grande Valley, taking 2-of-3 from the Vaqueros in their final home weekend of the year
• Prior to that, Tarleton State has won its last eight WAC games, taking the final two from California Baptist and sweeping both Utah Valley and Utah Tech
• The Texans are 13-6 in road games this year and 1-3 on a neutral field, including a 5-5 mark in their last 10 away from home dating back to a midweek loss at Baylor on March 31
• As a team, Tarleton State is batting .290 and averaging 6.98 runs per game, slugging .461 on the year and posting a .389 on-base percentage while stealing a league-high 106 bases -- which also ranks among the top 40 in the nation
• Four Texan regulars are hitting better than .300 on the year led by sophomore utility Rayner Heinrich, who is batting .380 with 44 runs, 20 doubles, 11 home runs and 53 RBI -- all team highs
• As a staff, Tarleton State pitchers have recorded a 5.57 ERA over 439.1 innings, striking out 371 against 213 walks and holding opponents to a .267 average

SERIES NOTABLES
• Tarleton State leads the all-time series with Sacramento State, 7-4
• This week marks only the fourth series ever between the two schools -- all coming as WAC rivals -- beginning in 2021
• The Hornets took 3-of-4 in that initial series, but the Texans have won six of the last seven games to take series in 2024 and 2025
• All four of Sacramento State's wins in the all-time series have come on the road, going 0-3 at home during that 2024 series
• Five of the 11 games have had at least one of the schools reach double-digit runs, with only three of the meetings decided by two runs or fewer
• The Hornets lead the scoring in the series, 96-78,  averaging 8.73 runs per game against the Texans' 7.09 runs per game

KEEPING IT 1,000
• With its win in the series opener at UT Arlington last week, Sacramento State reached 1,000 all-time Division I victories in the program's history
• Since it's first full Division I season in 1990, the Hornets have posted a 1,006-1,066-4 record

THE BEST OF THE BEST OF THE BEST
• With its victory over No. 1 UCLA, Sacramento State added to its resume of big wins in 2026
• Entering the week, the Hornets own wins over conference leaders (as of May 10) in the A-10 (Saint Joseph's), Big 12 (Kansas), and Big Ten (UCLA)
• Sacramento State has also defeated the Big South second-place team in Winthrop, which is a game behind High Point, and Creighton in the Big East, which is fourth and one game behind a three-way tie for the top spot
• On top of that, Sacramento State also went into Baton Rouge, La., and took 2-of-3 from defending national champion LSU
• Sacramento State is 11-9 in those 20 games

HORNETS VS. THE TOP 25
• Facing its first No. 1-ranked opponent in nearly two decades, the Hornets' win over top-ranked UCLA in the series finale on April 26 marked the program's first-ever victory over a No. 1 team
• The last time Sacramento State faced a No. 1-ranked team was a three-game series against Arizona on Feb. 29-March 2, 2008
• The Bruins were the second top-five opponent for Sacramento State this year after it took 2-of-3 from defending national champion LSU in early March
• Following the weekend, the Hornets are now 23-39 against nationally ranked opponents under Head Coach Reggie Christiansen dating back to 2011
• Sacramento State has won at least one game against a nationally ranked opponent in 12 of the 15 full seasons under Christiansen, including four wins over top 25 opponents in 2014
• The series win over the Tigers marked the program's first against a ranked opponent since sweeping No. 6 Long Beach State in 2022

AND THE AWARD GOES TO
• Senior RHP Ethan Lay was named as one of 43 semifinalists from across the country for this year's College Baseball Foundation National Pitcher of the Year Award on April 22
• Lay and teammate junior RHP Kurt Marton were two or more than 140 Division I pitchers named to the initial watch list back on March 11
• This week, Lay earned his second Western Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Week award -- and the third of his career -- following his performance in the series opener at UT Arlington
• He won his first award back on March 23 following eight shutout innings vs. Winthrop
• Junior outfielder Erick Dessens was named the Western Athletic Conference Player of the Week for the first time in his career on April 6 following a red-hot weekend at Utah Tech
• It was the first award for a Sacramento State player since Tyler White was named the league's player of the week on March 3, 2025

HANG TEN
• In one of it's most offensive (in a good way) performances of the year in the series finale with California Baptist, the Hornets put up 10 runs in the eighth inning of their 19-2 victory over the Lancers
• It was the most runs scored in a single inning this year (previous high was seven in the second innings at Pacific on March 15) and marked the first time that Sacramento State has scored double digits in a single inning since a 10-run second against Nevada on March 19, 2024

DOUBLE-DIGIT DAMAGE
• There was little that could stop the Sacramento State bats in the finale against CBU as the Hornets racked up 19 runs on 18 hits in the win
• The run total is the second-highest of the year for Sacramento State, trailing only the 21-2 victory over Saint Joseph's on Feb. 22
• Meanwhile, the 18 hits are tied for the second-most in a game (22 in the aforementioned game against the Hawks) and the most since the Hornets put up 18 at Utah Tech back on April 4
• Sacramento State is 10-2 in games in which it scores 10-or-more runs and 15-7 when it has double digits in the hits column
• On the flip side, the Hornets are 13-2 this year when holding opponents to two-or-fewer runs

HE'S GOING STREAKING... AGAIN
• Junior outfielder Erick Dessens is on another of his hitting binges, entering the week on an eight-game run that began at No. 1 UCLA on April 26
• During this stretch, Dessens is batting .382 (13-for-34) with 10 runs and six RBI, adding a pair of doubles and four walks
• It is his fourth streak of six-or-more games this year along with his 12-game streak from March 6-21, a seven-game run from April 11-24, and a six-game streak from April 2-10

SAFETY DANCE
• In addition to his hitting streak Dessens enters the week having reached base safely in his last 16 games -- the second-longest streak by a Hornet this year behind only Jace Jeremiah's 19-game run
• Dessens has hit safely in all but one of those 16 contests -- drawing a walk in the other to keep the run alive -- while batting .415 (27-for-65) with nine multi-hit games, scoring 19 runs and driving in 14 while clubbing 10 extra-base hits
• During that run, he has raised his average 21 points to .365 on the year entering the week

RECORD BOOK WATCH
• Entering this week's games, Dessens is on the cusp of breaking into a trio of school top-10 lists
• The junior's 81 hits are five shy of moving into a three-way tie for 10th along with Gabe Jacobo (2008) and La Schelle Tarver (1980)
• His 15 doubles are four back of 10th on the single-season chart and a tie with Josh Kirtlan (1994) and Harvey Hargrove (1996)
• Dessens' team-high 58 RBI are two short of matching Martin Vincelli-Simard (2023), Chris Kinsey (2002), and Kevin Kobza (1985) for 10th on that list
• His 24 multi-hit games are also two shy of breaking into that single-season top-10 list
• Freshman Sam Harry is also close to a trio of single-season top 10 lists: his 49 runs are seven shy of a seven-way tie for 10th, his 16 doubles are three back of a spot in the top 10, and his 11 hit by pitches and three shy of that list
• Luis Pimentel-Guerrero and his 34 walks are six free passes shy of that single-season top-10 list and a five-way tie for 10th
• With 13 hit by pitches this season, Cameron Sewell is one back of Derrick Chung (2011), Brent Hottman (2009), and Josh Powers (2009) for 10th

WE'VE GOT YOUR BACK
• It a tremendous relief to a pitcher knowing the defense has his back and the Hornets' defense has been playing exceptionally clean as of late
• Sacramento State has done it's job behind the hurlers, having committed only four errors over the last 17-plus games (148.0 innings, 588 chances) en route to a .993 fielding percentage
• Overall, the Hornets lead the league in fielding percentage (.977) and fewest errors (43)

CYCLE SEEKING
• For the second time this season, senior Luis Pimentel-Guerrero came this close to the cycle in his 4-for-5 outing in the finale against California Baptist
• After being hit by a pitch in the second, he singled in the third, doubled in the fifth, singled in the seventh, and tripled in his second at-bat of a 10-run eighth inning
• Pimentel-Guerrero had his first brush with the cycle against Saint Joseph's (Feb. 22), missing out on a triple while going 4-for-6 with three runs and four RBI
• Other Sacramento State players to come close this year: Jakob Poturnak (March 11 vs. Pacific), Erick Dessens (March 14-15 vs. Pacific), and Brett Ott (March 16 vs. Pacific) -- all missing a triple -- while Sam Harry finished a double shy as part of a 3-for-5 night at UC Davis on April 22
• The last Hornet to hit for the cycle was Jason Beeman on April 24, 1994, at CSUN, finishing 4-for-6 with two runs and six RBI while also throwing a complete game (9.0IP-13H-6R-3BB-3K) in a 14-6 win over the Matadors

AND, AS OF NOW, WE ARE KEEPING SCORE
• The Hornets have scored first in 21 of their 24 wins and are 11-4 when scoring in the first inning
• Sacramento State has played 14 one-run games this year and 24 decided by two runs or fewer
• The Hornets have started quickly, scoring 134 of its 331 runs (40.5 percent) in the first three innings this season, outscoring opponents by a 134-99 count
• 60 of those 331 runs this year have come in the second inning alone -- the most of than any inning
• When scoring first, the Hornets are 21-11 
• Sacramento State has posted a "big inning" (four or more runs) 25 times this season, finishing 14-6 in games in which they have done so
• With it's 19-2 win in eight innings in game three of the series at California Baptist, Sacramento State improved to 5-4 in run-rule games this year
• Sacramento State is 18-6 when scoring six-or-more

HOMER HAPPY HORNETS
• Sacramento State has homered in nine of its last 12 contests -- including a season-best six-game run from April 22-May 1
• Four of those nine contests featured multiple home runs -- something that has happened only nine times this season
• When Sacramento State hits a home run this season, it is definitely getting its money's worth as 26 of its 38 long balls have been multi-run home runs
• The Hornets have hit 11 two-run home runs, 13 three-run blasts, and two grand slams
• 27 of the team's 38 home runs have come in the first four innings and Sacramento State is 17-10 when leaving the yard and just 7-19 when it doesn't
• Both of the team's grand slams have come in the eighth inning or later
• This marks the ninth consecutive season that the Hornets have hit at least one slam, and the seventh time that they have hit multiple grand slams in a year
• Individually, Dessens' 10 home runs this season give the Hornets a double-digit home run hitter for the fifth consecutive year

EVERYTHING IS OH-"K"
• With 24 strikeouts on the weekend, Hornet pitchers have now struck out 439 batters this year
• It marks the sixth straight season that Sacramento State hurlers have struck out at least 400 hitters, while this year's total ranks seventh on the school's single-season list -- six behind last year's total (445)
• The 11 K's in game two against California Baptist marked the fifth time in the last seven games that the staff has finished with double-digit strikeouts and the 18th time doing so overall this season

IN "LAY"-MAN'S TERMS
• Senior RHP Ethan Lay has thrown eight "quality starts" this year and 15 out of 26 starts as a Hornet
• Lay has struck out eight or more hitters five times this year -- including a trio of double-digit performances against Saint Joseph's (13), Winthrop (11), and Utah Valley (10) -- and eight times overall in his Sacramento State career
• The senior has walked only 11 batters against 83 strikeouts this season, issuing multiple free passes (two at No. 1 UCLA on April 24) only once in 13 starts
• Of Lay's 11 walks, five have come on full counts and three have been four-pitch walks
• Six of Lay's 13 starts have eventually been decided by a single run
• He threw 123 pitches over eight innings in the win over the Wolverines -- the most by a Hornet starter since Austin Roberts threw 124 in a seven-inning no-decision against Grand Canyon on May 16, 2019

STRIKE THAT
• Senior RHP Ethan Lay's 83 strikeouts are the most by a Hornet since Scott Randall led the team with 103 (against only nine walks) over 14 starts in 2021
• With 12 more strikeouts, Lay would make his way into the school's single-season top 10, matching Roland DeLaMaza's 95 strikeouts in 1992

WHERE THERE'S A WILSON THERE'S A WAY
• Freshman RHP Trevor Wilson has been a menace at the end of games as of late, going 1-0 with two saves in his last four appearances
• Over that stretch, Wilson has allowed only one earned run on 11 hits over 9.2 innings (0.93 ERA) while striking out six without a walk
• He has gone three innings in each of his last two outings against Abilene Christian and California Baptist -- his 12th and 13th multi-inning appearances in a team-high 21 games pitched
• Of Wilson's five saves this year, three have come against the top two teams in the nation as Wilson also earned the save in games two and three against No. 2 LSU on March 7-8, allowing just one hit in three combined innings, before picking up the save against No. 1 UCLA on April 26

YOU "OTT"-TA KNOW
• Brett Ott extended his modest hitting streak to five games with hits in each of the team's four contests last week, including a 4-for-5 day in the CBU finale
• Ott hit .538 (7-for-13) in those games, scoring three times, walking three times, and driving in four, while batting .529 (9-for-17) during his five-game hitting streak
• His four hits in the finale tied his career high set against Saint Joseph's (Feb. 22)

IN YOUR "JACE"!
• Like his teammate Ott, senior Jace Jeremiah also extended his hitting streak to five games with his performances over the weekend -- with three of those five games of the multi-hit variety
• Jeremiah hit .467 (7-for-15) with four walks and four runs scored over the weekend, adding a double and a home run
• His current streak followed an 11-game hitting streak from April 11-May 1
• During this current five-game run, Jeremiah is batting .500 (10-for-20) with seven runs scored, raising his batting average 25 points to .307 on the year

HARRY'S HITS COME IN BUNCHES
• Harry enters the week having collected multiple hits in four of his last five games, including a trio of two-hit games in each of the three contests last weekend at California Baptist
• Harry's 22 multi-hit games are just two of his teammate Dessens (24) for the most on the team
• During his current five-game hitting streak, Harry is batting .455 (10-for-22) with six runs scored and four driven in, adding three doubles and a home run to a total of three walks
• He has also been adept in the lead-off spot for the Hornets, batting .333 in 31 games atop the lineup with 32 runs, 16 extra-base hits, and 22 RBI
• He is slugging .545 in the lead-off spot while reaching base at a .411 clip

DEEP SIX
• Pimentel-Guerrero's six-RBI day in the finale against California Baptist set a new career high for the senior and put his name in the record book, tying him for eighth on the school's single-game list
• It is the second time this year that a Hornet has driven in six runs in a game, joining Harry's six-RBI game against Nevada on April 6 at home

KEEP CALM AND "CAREY" ON
• Junior LHP Sean Carey has been nearly untouchable over his last five outings, allowing two earned on five hits over his last nine innings (2.00 ERA), walking four and striking out 15 while holding opponents to a .152 (5-for-33) average
• He has pitched multiple innings in three of those five, matching his season high with three scoreless, hitless innings in the opener against California Baptist and striking out five without a walk
• Five days earlier, he struck out a career-high six in 2.1 shutout innings in the finale against Abilene Christian, surpassing his previous best of five K's at Creighton on March 29

WINNER WINNER, CHICKEN DINNER
• Brett Ott's sacrifice fly proved to be the winner in game two against California Baptist -- his first game-winning RBI of the season -- while Ryan Ellis logged his second game-winning RBI with a two-run single in game three
• Jakob Poturnak and Michael Perazzo are tied for the team lead with four game-winning RBI this season, while Poturnak leads all active Hornets with eight career game-winning RBI
• Of Poturnak's eight game-winning RBI, six have come via the home run
• After Perazzo and Dessens, Sam Harry and Poturnak have three this season, followed by two from Cameron Sewell and Ellis, and one each by Nikhil Beasley and Pimentel-Guerrero

HORNETS IN THE WAC (AS OF 5/10)
TEAM HITTING
• Sacramento State ranks second in sacrifices (29), and stands fourth in runs scored (478), triples (8), and sacrifice flies (21)

TEAM PITCHING
• Sacramento State ranks second in ERA (4.79), innings pitched (451.1), fewest runs allowed (281), fewest walks allowed (187), batting average against (.257), and strikeouts (438), third in fewest hits allowed (451), and fourth in saves (10)

INDIVIDUAL
• Dessens is second in hits (81) and RBI (58), fifth in average (.365), tied for seventh in doubles (15), tied for eighth in runs (44) and home runs (10), and ninth in slugging (.586) and OPS (.999)
• Ellis is sixth in on-base percentage (.464)
• Harry is tied for fourth in hits (70), tied for fifth in runs (49) and doubles (16), tied for seventh in hit by pitches (11), and tied for ninth in sacrifice flies (3)
• Pimentel-Guerrero is tied for fifth in sacrifice flies (4) and tied for eighth in walks (33)
• Sewell is tied for third in hit by pitches (13) and tied for ninth in sacrifice flies (3)
• Perazzo is tied for fifth in sacrifices (7)
• Lay leads the league in innings (77.2) and fewest walks allowed (11), second in strikeouts (83) and strikeouts looking (24), is third in ERA (3.24), fifth in average against (.248), and tied for fifth in fewest runs allowed (37)
• Marton is 10th in strikeouts (52)
• Wilson is tied for fifth in saves (5)

HORNETS IN THE NCAA (AS OF 5/10... TOP 100 ONLY)
TEAM
• Ranks No. 40 in fewest walks per nine (3.73), No. 46 in strikeout-to-walk ratio (2.34), No. 51 in fielding percentage (.977), No. 55 in sacrifices (29), No. 56 in WHIP (1.41), No. 57 in ERA (4.79), No. 84 in fewest hits per nine (8.99), No. 91 in doubles (96), and No. 93 in strikeouts per nine (8.7)

INDIVIDUAL
• Lay is No. 9 in strikeout-to-walk ratio (7.55), No. 11 in fewest walks per nine (1.27), No. 66 in WHIP (1.12), No. 67 in strikeouts (83), No. 94 in ERA (3.24)
• Dessens ranks No. 7 in hits (81), No. 22 in hits per game (1.56), No. 46 in RBI (58), No. 48 in total bases (130), No. 83 in RBI (1.12)
• Harry ranks No. 85 in hits (70), No. 92 in doubles (16)
• Perazzo is No. 75 in sacrifices (7)
• Wilson is No. 87 in saves (5)