SACRAMENTO, Calif. — After closing the regular season with victories in four of its final five games, the Sacramento State baseball team rolls into the Western Athletic Conference Tournament this week at Hohokam Stadium in Mesa, Ariz.

The Hornets finished tied for third in the regular season standings with Utah Tech at 10-8 in league games, but Sacramento State will be the No. 4 seed after the Trailblazers won the head-to-head tiebreaker by virtue of their series win over the Hornets. 

Sacramento State opens tournament play on Wednesday (May 20) at 3 p.m. PT against the No. 5 seed Abilene Christian, with the winner earning a date against top-seeded Tarleton State on Thursday (May 21) at the same time. The loser immediately plays an elimination game on Wednesday night at 7 p.m. PT against either Utah Tech or UT Arlington.

PLAY BALL!
2026 WESTERN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT
WHAT: #4 Sacramento State (26-30, 10-8 WAC) vs. #5 Abliene Christian (25-29, 8-10 WAC)
WHEN: Wednesday, May 20, 2025
TIME: 3 PM PT
WHERE: Mesa, Ariz.
STADIUM: Hohokam Stadium
WATCH: ESPN+ | WAC International (outside of the U.S.)
LIVE STATS: WACSports.com
TOURNAMENT CENTRAL: WACSports.com

TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
WEDNESDAY, MAY 20 - FIRST ROUND
G1: #3 Utah Tech vs. #6 UT Arlington - 11 AM
G2: #4 Sacramento State vs. #5 Abilene Christian - 3 PM
G3: Loser G1 vs. Loser G2 - 7 PM

THURSDAY, MAY 21 - QUARTERFINALS
G4: #2 California Baptist vs. Winner G1 - 11 AM
G5: #1 Tarleton State vs. Winner G2 - 3 PM
G6: Winner G3 vs. Loser G4 - 7 PM

FRIDAY, MAY 22 - SEMIFINALS
G7: Winner G4 vs. Winner G5 - 11 AM
G8: Winner G6 vs. Loser G5 - 3 PM
G9: Winner G8 vs. Loser G7 - 7 PM

SATURDAY, MAY 23 - CHAMPIONSHIP
G10: Winner G7 vs. Winner G9 - 3 PM
G11: Winner G10 vs. Loser G10 - TBD*

* if necessary

PASSING THE RP-"EYE" TEST
• At No. 111 in the nation, Sacramento State enters this week's conference tournament standing No. 10 among California schools in the latest RPI rankings behind UCLA (1), USC (8), UC Santa Barbara (35), California (55), California Baptist (65), Cal Poly (80), San Diego State (101), Stanford (103), and UC San Diego (106)
• Among WAC schools, the Hornets are third behind the Lancers and Tarleton State (68)

BACK TO THE WAC (TOURNEY)
• Sacramento State returns to the WAC Tournament for the third consecutive season and its 16th appearance overall in the league's postseason event
• This year marks the Hornets' 13th trip to the conference tournament in 16 seasons under the direction of Head Coach Reggie Christiansen
• The program's 16 appearances in the tournament are the most of any current league member, outpacing Utah Valley (nine)
• Sacramento State's three tournament championships are also the most of any active league member
• The Hornets are a combined 30-25 in tournament play since rejoining the WAC in 2006, while the 30 wins are the most among active members (Utah Valley, 17)
• Sacramento State has taken a few different roads en route to its three tournament titles
• The Hornets lost their first game in 2014 before rallying to win four straight en route to the 2014 crown and advance to the NCAA Regional in San Luis Obispo, Calif., hosted by Cal Poly
• Sacramento State followed a similar path in 2019, falling to Utah Valley before winning six straight elimination games to claim the title and advance to the NCAA Stanford Regional
• In 2017, the Hornets went a perfect 4-0 with wins over Seattle U, Northern Colorado, and Cal State Bakersfield (twice), en route to the title, scoring double digits in three of the four wins

PLANTING THE SEED
• Sacramento State is the No. 4 seed in the league's postseason tournament for the third time in the program's history, but the first since doing so in back-to-back years in 2015-16
• The Hornets have been the No. 1 seed twice in 2014 and 2025, while standing as the No. 2 seed three times (2012, 2018, 2022), a No. 3 seed three times (2017, 2019, 2021), a No. 5 seed once (2013), and a No. 6 seed three times (2006, 2007, 2008)
• The Hornets were a No. 8 seed in 2024; however, the tournament was limited to the top six teams in the league from 2006-22 before eight teams were then invited to participate

AGAINST THE FIELD
• Sacramento State finished the year with wins in four of its six league series -- including both against the top-two teams in the standings -- going 2-1 in series both at home and on the road
• The Hornets took 2-of-3 at home against Utah Valley and Tarleton State, while doing the same on the road at UT Arlington and California Baptist
• The team's two series losses came at Utah Tech and at home against Abilene Christian, dropping 2-of-3 on each of those weekends

TRIO PICKS UP ALL-LEAGUE LAURELS
• Senior right-hander Ethan Lay and junior outfielder Erick Dessens were named to the All-WAC first team, while freshman Sam Harry picked up second-team honors
• All three players picked up all-league laurels for the first time in their respective careers
• The first-team awards for Lay and Dessens give the Hornets multiple first-team honorees for the second straight season (they had four in 2025) and the 11th time since 2012
• Harry becomes the first Sacramento State freshman to make the all-league team since both JP Smith and Wehiwa Aloy -- who was also the WAC Freshman of the Year -- in 2023
• He is also only the 10th Hornet freshman to earn all-league honors since 2006, joining first-teamers Chris Lewis (2013 Freshman of the Year), Sutter McLoughlin (2013), Parker Brahms (2017), JP Smith (2023), and second-teamers Jesse Darrah (2009), Rhys Hoskins (2012 Freshman of the Year), Sam Long (2014 Freshman of the Year), Keith Torres (2018), and Aloy

RETURN TO THE VALLEY OF THE SUN
• This week's trip to Mesa for the tournament marks a homecoming of sorts for a trio of Hornets, who all hail from the state of Arizona and will be making the trip: Ryan Ellis (Peoria / Mountain Ridge HS), Erick Dessens (Scottsdale / Notre Dame Prep) and Colin Hunter (Scottsdale / Chaparral HS)
• Sacramento State also lists two more Arizonans on the roster, but who are injured: Orlando Cobarrubias (Tucson / Sunnyside HS) and Aaron Kniffin (Scottsdale / Notre Dame Prep)

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 1,008-1,067-4 record

THE BEST OF THE BEST OF THE BEST
• With its victory at No. 1 UCLA on April 26, Sacramento State added to its resume of big wins during the 2026 season
• Entering the week (as of May 17), the Hornets own wins over the A-10 regular season champions (Saint Joseph's), Big 12 regular season champions (Kansas), and Big Ten regular season champions (UCLA)
• Sacramento State has also defeated the Big South second-place team in Winthrop and Creighton in the Big East, which finished fourth and two games 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
• In those 20 games, Sacramento State is 11-9

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

RECORD BOOK WATCH
• Entering this week's games, Erick Dessens is on the cusp of breaking into a trio of school top-10 lists
• The junior's 84 hits are two shy of moving into a three-way tie for 10th along with Gabe Jacobo (2008) and La Schelle Tarver (1980)
• His 16 doubles are three back of 10th on the single-season chart and a tie with Josh Kirtlan (1994) and Harvey Hargrove (1996)
• Dessens' team-high 60 RBI moved him into a tie for 10th on that single-season list along with Martin Vincelli-Simard (2023), Chris Kinsey (2002), and Kevin Kobza (1985)
• His 25 multi-hit games are also one 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 52 runs are four shy of a seven-way tie for 10th, his 17 doubles are two 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
• Ryan Ellis and his 33 walks are seven free passes shy of that single-season top-10 list

EVERYTHING IS OH-"K"
• With 28 strikeouts on the weekend in the series win over Tarleton State, Hornet pitchers have now struck out 466 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 third on the school's single-season list -- 21 ahead of last year's total (445)
• This year's total ranks behind only the 2019 squad that struck out 537 and the 2021 team that finished with 532
• Meanwhile, the 8.80 strikeouts per nine innings would be the second-highest average in school history behind only the 2021 squad that averaged 10.11 strikeouts per nine
• The 14 K's in the finale against Tarleton State on Saturday (May 16) marked the sixth time in the last 10 games that the staff has finished with double-digit strikeouts and the 19th time doing so overall this season
• Sacramento State's 14 K's in that game were the most since it struck out 15 as a staff against Abilene Christian on May 1 and tied for the fifth most in a game this year

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 six errors over the last 20-plus games (173.0 innings, 685 chances) en route to a .991 fielding percentage
• Overall, the Hornets lead the league in fielding percentage (.977) and fewest errors (45)
• If the season ended today, the team's 45 errors would be the fewest since committing record-low 34 in 2021 en route to a .982 fielding percentage
• Meanwhile, the team's .977 fielding percentage would be the sixth-best in a single season in school history

AND, AS OF NOW, WE ARE KEEPING SCORE
• The Hornets have scored first in 21 of their 26 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 351 runs (38.2 percent) in the first three innings this season, outscoring opponents by a 134-110 count
• 60 of those 351 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) 26 times this season, finishing 15-6 in games in which they have done so
• The Hornets are 5-5 in run-rule games
• Sacramento State is 20-6 when scoring six-or-more runs in a game

HOMER HAPPY HORNETS
• Sacramento State has homered in 10 of its last 15 contests -- including a season-best six-game run from April 22-May 1
• Four of those 10 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 27 of its 39 long balls have been multi-run home runs
• The Hornets have hit 12 two-run home runs, 13 three-run blasts, and two grand slams
• 28 of the team's 39 home runs have come in the first four innings and Sacramento State is 17-11 when leaving the yard and just 9-19 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

HE'S GOING STREAKING... AGAIN
• Even though his nine-game hitting streak came to an end in game two against Tarleton State, Dessens has continued to be one of the most consistent batters in the Hornet line-up
• The junior has collected hits in nine of his last 10 games dating back to a win at No. 1 UCLA on April 26, batting .364 (16-for-44) with 14 runs and eight RBI, adding a trio of doubles and six walks
• His nine-game hitting streak was his fourth streak of six-or-more games this year along with a 12-game streak from March 6-21, a seven-game run from April 11-24, and a six-game streak from April 2-10
• Overall, he has reached base safely in 18 of his last 19 contests, with his recent 17-game run ranking as the second-longest on the team this year behind only Jace Jeremiah's 19-game run
• Dessens hit safely in all but two of those 19 games while batting .400 (30-for-75) with 10 multi-hit games, scoring 23 runs and driving in 16 while clubbing 11 extra-base hits

IN YOUR "JACE"!
• There may be no hotter hitter in the Hornet lineup than Jeremiah, who has collected a hit in each of his last eight games, including five straight multi-hit contests and six such performances overall
• During his run, Jeremiah is batting .567 (17-for-30) with 11 runs scored, three doubles, a home run, and five RBI, raising his batting average 46 points to .328 on the year
• In the final series of the regular season, Jeremiah hit .700 (7-for-10) against Tarleton State, scoring four times and driving in four more
• He posted an OPS of 1.650 for the series, slugging .900 on the weekend with a .750 on-base percentage after also drawing a walk and being hit by a pitch against the Texans
• His current streak followed an 11-game hitting streak from April 11-May 1

IN A "HARRY" TO HIT
• Like his teammate Jeremiah, freshman Sam Harry also enters the tournament on an eight-game hitting streak of his own
• During his current run, Harry is batting .361 (13-for-36) with nine runs scored, four doubles, and six RBI while also walking three times
• Harry has four multi-hit performances in that stretch, giving him 22 on the year -- good for second on the team behind Erick Dessens' 25 games
• He has also been adept in the lead-off spot for the Hornets, batting .322 (47-for-146) in 34 games atop the lineup with 35 runs, 17 extra-base hits, and 24 RBI
• He is slugging .521 in the lead-off spot while reaching base at a .394 clip

WALKING PRIVATE RYAN
• Senior Ryan Ellis has reached base in each of his last nine games, hitting safely in eight of those while walking a total of nine times in six of those contests -- including three games with two walks
• Ellis, who ranks second on the team behind Luis Pimentel-Guerrero in that category, has drawn at least one walk in 21 of his 41 appearances and posting 11 games with multiple walks
• During his nine-game streak, Ellis is batting .314 (11-for-35) with three doubles, 12 runs scored and nine RBI
• Those performances have helped him rank seventh in the WAC in on-base percentage (.467) entering the week

YOU "OTT"-TA KNOW
• Brett Ott has also been a pest on the basepaths for the Hornets, reaching base safely in each of his last eight contests while hitting .417 (10-for-24) with four runs scored and six RBI while walking five times
• The Hornets' leader in stolen bases has also swiped a pair in that stretch, giving him 12 in 13 attempts this year
• Ott's 12 steals are the most by a Sacramento State player since Matt Smith (13-for-17), PJ Floyd (13-for-16), and James Outman (12-for-14) reached double figures together in 2018

LPG... OMG!
• Pimentel-Guerrero enters the postseason having collected hits in seven of his last nine games, including four multi-hit games, while batting .333 (13-for-39) with eight runs scored and 11 RBI 
• He has hit safely and driven in at least one run in each of his last four games -- including a six-RBI performance in the finale against California Baptist (May 10)

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

DOUBLE-DIGIT DAMAGE
• Sacramento State is 10-2 in games in which it scores 10-or-more runs and 16-7 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
• The eight runs in the sixth inning of the finale against Tarleton State were the second-most in an inning this year behind the 10-run eighth inning against California Baptist on May 10
• It 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
• The 19 runs in that game against the Lancers are the second-most this year for Sacramento State, trailing only the 21-2 victory over Saint Joseph's on Feb. 22
• Meanwhile, the 18 hits against CBU 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

WINNER WINNER, CHICKEN DINNER
• Jeremiah, thanks to his bases-clearing three-run double in the eighth, and Harry, with a two-run single in the sixth, each logged game-winning RBI in the series victory over Tarleton State
• It was Jeremiah's first on the year while Harry logged his fourth
• Harry is now tied with Erick Dessens and Michael Perazzo for the team lead in that category, followed by three for Jakob Poturnak, two each from Cameron Sewell and Ryan Ellis, and one by Nikhil Beasley and Luis Pimentel-Guerrero
• Poturnak has eight game-winning RBI during his Hornet career -- the most of any active Sacramento State player
• Of Poturnak's eight game-winning RBI, six have come via the home run

IN "LAY"-MAN'S TERMS
• Senior RHP Ethan Lay has thrown eight "quality starts" this year and 15 out of 27 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 in his Sacramento State career
• The senior has walked only 13 batters against 85 strikeouts this season, issuing multiple free passes only twice in 14 starts: two at No. 1 UCLA on April 24 and two vs. Tarleton State on May 14
• Of Lay's 13 walks, six have come on full counts and four have been four-pitch walks
• Six of Lay's 14 starts this year have eventually been decided by one 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 85 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 10 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 2-0 with two saves in his last six appearances
• Over that stretch, Wilson has allowed only one earned run on 12 hits over 12.2 innings (0.71 ERA) while striking out 10 and walking one
• He combined for three innings over two appearances against Tarleton State, posting his fourth win of the year in the opener and pitching a perfect ninth with two strikeouts in the finale
• His two-inning performance against the Texans in the opener was his 14th multi-inning game of the year in a team-high 23 appearances
• 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 getting the save against No. 1 UCLA on April 26

THE DEVIN'S IN THE DETAILS
• Since making his first start of the year with three innings against Nevada on April 6, freshman Devin James has been a key man out of the bullpen
• James has appeared in seven times in that stretch, allowing two earned on eight hits over 11.0 innings, posting a 1.64 ERA and walking just three while striking out nine
• He is 2-0 in that stretch while dropping his ERA by more than four runs down to 3.45 and holding opponents to a .195 (8-for-41) average

KEEP CALM AND "CAREY" ON
• Junior LHP Sean Carey has been nearly untouchable over his last six outings, allowing two earned on five hits over his last 12.0 innings (1.50 ERA), walking five and striking out 20 while holding opponents to a .122 (5-for-41) average
• Carey hasn't allowed a run in his last four appearances dating back to April 25 at No. 1 UCLA
• He has pitched multiple innings in four of his last six, matching his season high with three scoreless, hitless innings in the opener against California Baptist and striking out five
• 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
• Last week, he pitched three more scoreless, hitless frames against Tarleton State, picking up the win in relief while striking out five

BULLISH IN THE 'PEN
• In the four victories over the top two teams in the league standings over the last two weekends, the Hornets' bullpen was stingy
• Over a combined 20.0 innings, Hornet relievers scattered five runs (four earned) on 12 hits, walking five and striking out 19
• That's a 1.80 ERA and a combined .176 (12-for-68) average against in those four contests

HORNETS IN THE WAC (AS OF 5/16)
TEAM HITTING
• Ranks 2nd in sacrifices (30) and tied for 3rd in triples (9)

TEAM PITCHING
• Ranks 2nd in ERA (4.93), innings (476.1), fewest runs allowed (305), fewest walks (203), strikeouts (466), and average against (.260), is 3rd in fewest hits allowed (483), and 4th in saves (10)

INDIVIDUAL
• Dessens ranks 2nd in hits (84) and RBI (60), 6th in average (.362), 8th in doubles (16) and home runs (10), 10th in slugging (.578) and OPS (.991)
• Ellis ranks 7th in on-base percentage (.467)
• Harry is tied for 5th in doubles (17), 6th in hits (73), 7th in runs (52)
• Sewell is tied for 4th in hit by pitch (13)
• Perazzo is tied for 5th in sacrifices (7)
• Pimentel-Guerrero is tied for 6th in sac flies (4) and tied for 9th in walks (34)
• Lay leads the league in innings (80.2) and fewest walks allowed (13), is 2nd in strikeouts (85), is 4th in ERA (3.57) and average against (.255), is 7th in fewest runs allowed (41)
• Wilson is tied for 5th in saves (5)

HORNETS IN THE NCAA (AS OF 5/16)
TEAM
• Ranks 49th in fewest walks allowed per nine (3.84), 52nd in fielding percentage (.977) and strikeout-to-walk ratio (2.30), 59th in sacrifices (30), 63rd in WHIP (1.44), 68th in ERA (4.93), 84th in strikeouts per nine (8.8), 86th in doubles (102), and 89th in fewest hits per nine (9.13)

INDIVIDUAL
• Dessens is 9th in hits (84), 29th in hits per game (1.53), 53rd in RBI (60), 72nd in total bases (85), 93rd in RBI per game (1.09)
• Harry is 95th in doubles (17)
• Perazzo is 96th in sacrifices (7)
• Wilson is 95th in saves (5)
• Lay is 16th in strikeout-to-walk ratio (6.54) and fewest walks per nine (1.45), 79th in strikeouts (85), 97th in WHIP (1.17)