SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The regular season stretch run begins on the road for the Sacramento State baseball team this weekend as the Hornets are jockeying for Western Athletic Conference tournament position with two series remaining in 2026.
The Hornets head to Southern California to take on California Baptist in a three-game series on May 8-10 in Riverside, Calif. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Friday, 5 p.m. on Saturday, and Noon for Sunday's finale. All three games will be streamed live on the ESPN+ platform.
PLAY BALL!
WHAT: Sacramento State (22-26, 6-6 WAC) at California Baptist (38-11, 10-5 WAC)
WHEN: Friday-Sunday, May 8-10, 2026
TIME: 6 PM PT (Fri.) / 5 PM PT (Sat.) / Noon PT (Sun.)
WHERE: Riverside, Calif.
STADIUM: Totman Stadium
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 | California Baptist | Western Athletic Conference
PROBABLE STARTERS
Fri.: RHP Ethan Lay (12 GS, 4-2, 2.85 ERA) at RHP Michael Malki (12 GS, 10-0, 2.60 ERA)
Sat.: RHP Kurt Marton (8 GS, 3-3, 4.06 ERA) at RHP Bryan Peck (12 GS, 6-1, 3.30 ERA)
Sun.: RHP Carson Timothy (12 GS, 3-4, 5.20 ERA) at RHP Ryne Palmer (9 GS, 4-2, 4.01 ERA)
RIVALS NOW, RIVALS LATER
• Sacramento State and California Baptist will meet for the final time as WAC rivals this weekend, but the rivalry won't end there are both join the Big West Conference on July 1 along with another WAC rival in Utah Valley
ABOUT THE LANCERS
• California Baptist enters the week with a 38-11 overall record and a 10-5 mark in WAC play, putting them a game back of first-place Tarleton State (11-4) in the standings
• The 38 wins are the most in the conference, while the 11 defeats are the fewest among league members
• The Lancers have won their last six straight games after a 9-7 midweek win at CSUN in Northridge on Tuesday, adding a sweep of Utah Valley, another midweek win over UC Riverside, and taking the final game of a series win over Utah Tech
• CBU is 18-5 at home this season, but has lost three of its last five
• As a team, the Lancers are batting .318 with a combined .918 OPS and averaging 7.76 runs per game
• California Baptist leads the league in six different offensive categories
• Freshman catcher Cole Hansen is one of seven regulars batting better than .300 on the year, hitting .398 with 12 doubles, seven home runs and 39 RBI
• Sophomore infielder Chris Ramirez leads the team with 58 runs scored, while grad outfielder Bryce McFeely paces the squad with 14 home runs and 52 RBI
• Sophomore RHP Michael Malki is a perfect 10-0 on the mound with a 2.60 ERA, striking out 93 in 62.1 innings
• As a staff, the Lancers sport a 3.87 ERA and have struck out 546 over 440 innings, holding opponents to a .239 average
SERIES NOTABLES
• Sacramento State leads the all-time series with California Baptist by an 12-9 count
• The Hornets have won three of the six series between the two schools (with one tie) dating back to 2019 and took 2-of-3 from the Lancers last season at home
• Overall, the series dates back to the 1981 season when Sacramento State posted an 8-2 win in the first-ever meeting and followed that up with a 5-4 win the next year
• The two teams didn't meet again until CBU joined the WAC prior to the 2019 campaign
• Following that initial 1981 meeting in Sacramento, the next eight games were played on the Lancers' home diamond -- including the first two series between the two as members of the WAC
• This weekend marks the first series between the two in Southern California since 2023 when CBU took 2-of-3 from the Hornets
• Sacramento State is 6-5 on the road against California Baptist and 6-4 at home
THE BEST OF THE BEST OF THE BEST
• With its victory over No. 1 UCLA, Sacramento State has added to its resume of big wins in 2026
• Entering the week, the Hornets own wins over conference leaders (as of May 5) in the A-10 (Saint Joseph's), Big South (Winthrop), Big 12 (Kansas), and Big East (Creighton) as well as the Big Ten leaders in the Bruins
• 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 (excluding the 2020 pandemic season), including four wins over top 25 opponents in 2014
• The series win over the Tigers marked the program's first since sweeping No. 6 Long Beach State in 2022
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 1,004-1,065-4 record
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 Wednesday (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 of the season 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 in the Hornets' WAC opening series
• 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
NOW THAT'S A GOOD START
• Sacramento State's six-run first inning in the series finale against Abilene Christian last weekend is tied for the second-highest scoring inning and the highest-scoring first inning of the year
• It was the biggest inning since the Hornets put up six runs in the second in a win over Utah Tech on April 4 and trails only the seven-run second inning of a win at Pacific on March 15
• Sunday also marked the highest-scoring first inning since Sacramento State scored eight in the opening frame of an 11-9 home win over Stephen F. Austin on May 12, 2024
HOMER HAPPY HORNETS
• Sacramento State has homered in seven of its last nine contests -- including a season-best six-game run from April 22-May 1
• Four of those seven 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 25 of its 36 long balls have been multi-run home runs
• The Hornets have hit 11 two-run home runs, 12 three-run blasts, and two grand slams
• 25 of the team's 36 home runs have come in the first four innings and Sacramento State is 16-9 when leaving the yard and just 6-19 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 (not counting the 2020 pandemic year) that the Hornets have hit at least one grand slam, and the seventh time that they have hit multiple grand slams in a single year
• Individually, Dessens' 10 home runs this season give the Hornets a double-digit home run hitter for the fifth consecutive year
SAFETY DANCE
• Junior Erick Dessens enters the weekend having reached base safely in his last 13 games -- tied for the second-longest streak by a Hornet behind only Jace Jeremiah's 19-game run
• Dessens has hit safely in nine of those 10 contests, drawing a walk in the other to keep the run alive, batting .474 (18-for-38) with six multi-hit games, scoring 14 runs and driving in 10 while clubbing seven doubles
RECORD BOOK WATCH
• Entering this week's games, Dessens is on the cusp of breaking into a pair of school top-10 lists
• The junior's 75 hits are 11 shy of moving into a three-way tie for 10th along with Gabe Jacobo (86 in 2008) and La Schelle Tarver (86 in 1980)
• Dessens' team-high 56 RBI are four short of matching Martin Vincelli-Simard (60 in 2023), Chris Kinsey (2002), and Kevin Kobza (1985) for 10th on that list
• His 21 multi-hit games are five shy of breaking into that single-season top-10 list
• Luis Pimentel-Guerrero and his 34 walks are six free passes shy of that top-10 list and a five-way tie for 10th
DEFENSE (CLAP, CLAP)
• Although it's not really a pitching stat, the defense has done it's job behind the hurlers as of late, having committed only three errors over the last 14-plus games (123.0 innings, 485 chances) and posting a .994 fielding percentage
EVERYTHING IS OH-"K"
• After striking out 12 batters on Tuesday at UC Davis, the Hornet pitching staff has now struck out 414 batters on the year
• It marks the sixth straight season that Sacramento State hurlers have struck out at least 400 hitters, while this year's total ranks ninth on the school's single-season list
• The 12 K's against the Aggies marked the fourth straight game that Hornet pitchers have finished with double-digit strikeouts and the 17th time doing so overall this year
NOW WALK IT OFF
• Sophomore Michael Perazzo's bunt single in the bottom of the ninth in game two against Abilene Christian scored Pimentel-Guerrero with the winning run as the Hornets posted a 4-3 win
• It was the Hornets' first true "walk-off" victory of the season and the first since Matt Masciangelo walked Sacramento State off for a win over Seattle U on April 12 of last season
WINNER WINNER, CHICKEN DINNER
• Perazzo's "bunt-off" winner against the Wildcats was his fourth game-winning RBI of the season, tying him with Dessens for the team lead
• Jakob Poturnak, whose three-run home run at Nevada put the Hornets ahead for good, leads all active Hornets with eight career game-winning RBI
• Of Poturnak's eight game-winning RBI, six of those 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 one each by Nikhil Beasley, Ryan Ellis, and Pimentel-Guerrero
LEADING FROM THE TOP
• In 28 games at the top of the Hornet lineup, Harry is batting .319 with 27 runs scored, 13 extra-base hits, and 18 runs driven in
• He is slugging .513 from that spot while reaching base at a .393 clip
CYCLE SEEKING
• Freshman Sam Harry is the latest Hornet to narrowly miss out on hitting for the cycle this season, finishing a double shy as part of a 3-for-5 night at UC Davis on April 22
• He led-off that game with a homer -- the first Hornet to do so since Josh Rolling did so at Nevada on April 5, 2022 -- adding a triple in the fifth and a single in the ninth
• Other Sacramento State players to come close this year: Luis Pimentel-Guerrero (Feb. 22 vs. Saint Joseph's), Jakob Poturnak (March 11 vs. Pacific), Erick Dessens (March 14-15 vs. Pacific), and Brett Ott (March 16 vs. Pacific) -- all missing a triple
TEAM TIDBITS
• The 12 hits in the finale against Abilene Christian were the most since the Hornets finished with 12 at Nevada on April 28
• Sacramento State has now posted 10-or-more hits in 21 games this year and is 15-7 when out-hitting its opponents
• The Hornets have scored first in 21 of their 22 wins and are 10-4 when scoring in the first inning
• Sacramento State has played 12 one-run games this year and 21 decided by two runs or fewer
• The Hornets have started quickly, scoring 123 of its 302 runs (40.7 percent) in the first three innings this season, outscoring opponents by a 123-89 count
• 55 of those 302 runs this year have come in the second inning alone -- the most of than any inning
• Sacramento State has posted a "big inning" (four or more runs) 23 times this season, finishing 13-6 in games in which they have done so
• With it's 11-1 win in seven innings in game two of the series at UT Arlington, Sacramento State improved to 4-4 in run-rule games this year
• Sacramento State is 17-6 this season when scoring six-or-more runs
IN "LAY"-MAN'S TERMS
• Outside of two big swings, senior RHP Ethan Lay's last outing against Abilene Christian wasn't as bad as the stat line would indicate, surrendering just six hits, walking one and striking out eight without those two hits over six innings
• The eight strikeouts marked the fifth time this year that he has struck out at least that many in a game and the eighth time he has done so in his Hornet career
• Lay has thrown eight "quality starts" this year and 15 out of 25 overall starts as a Hornet
• The senior right-hander has walked only 10 batters against 80 strikeouts this season, issuing multiple free passes (two at No. 1 UCLA on April 24) only once in 12 starts
• Of Lay's 10 walks, five have come on full counts and two have been four-pitch walks
• He threw 123 pitches over his eight innings in the win over the Wolverines -- the most pitches by a Hornet starter since Austin Roberts threw 124 in a seven-inning no-decision against Grand Canyon on May 16, 2019
STRIKE THAT
• Lay's 80 strikeouts are the most for a Hornet pitcher since Scott Randall led the team with 103 (against only nine walks) over 14 starts in 2021
• With 15 more strikeouts, Lay would break into the school's single-season top 10, matching Roland DeLaMaza's 95 strikeouts in 1992
MARTON MARCHING ON
• After making his five previous appearances in relief, junior RHP Kurt Marton has found a groove in the weekend rotation once again
• In his last three starts, Marton has thrown a combined 12.2 innings, allowing two earned runs on seven combined hits, while striking out 15 against eight walks
• That's a 1.42 ERA while also holding opponents to a .167 (7-for-42) average
• His seven strikeouts in the game two victory over Abilene Christian marked his second-highest total of the year, trailing only the nine strikeouts he had against Saint Joseph's on Feb. 21 in his second start of the year
WHERE THERE'S A WILSON THERE'S A WAY
• Freshman Trevor Wilson picked up his third win of the year in the game-two victory over Abilene Christian, going 1-0 with a save in this last three appearances
• Over that stretch, Wilson has allowed only one earned run on eight hits over 6.2 innings (1.35 ERA) while striking out five without a walk
• His three innings against ACU marked his fourth appearance of three-or-more innings this year and his 12th multi-inning appearance in a team-high 20 games thrown
• Of Wilson's four 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 the No. 2 Tigers on March 7-8, allowing just one hit in three combined innings, before picking up the save against No. 1 UCLA on April 26
KEEP CALM AND "CAREY" ON
• Junior LHP Sean Carey had quite a weekend against the Wildcats, throwing three shutout innings in games one and three, allowing just two hits and striking out eight against two walks
• Six of those strikeouts came over 2.1 shutout innings in the series finale, setting a new career high and surpassing his five K's at Creighton on March 29
HORNETS IN THE WAC (AS OF 5/5)
TEAM HITTING
• Sacramento State leads the league in fielding (.976), ranks second in sacrifices (27), fourth in triples (7), and is fifth in hits (442) and doubles (89)
TEAM PITCHING
• Sacramento State ranks second in ERA (4.81), innings pitched (426.1), fewest runs allowed (269), batting average against (.256), and strikeouts (414), third in fewest hits allowed (425), and fourth in saves (9)
INDIVIDUAL
• Dessens is second in hits (75), RBI (56) sixth in average (.361), tied for sixth in home runs (10), tied for eighth in doubles (14), 10th in slugging (.591)
• Ellis is 10th in on-base percentage (.457)
• Harry is sixth in runs (44), hits (64), tied for ninth in hit by pitches (10), tied for ninth in sacrifice flies (3)
• Poturnak is tied for eighth in doubles (14)
• Pimentel-Guerrero is tied for fourth in sacrifice flies (4), fifth in walks (33)
• Sewell is tied for sixth in hit by pitches (11)
• Perazzo is tied for seven in sacrifices (5)
• Ott is tied for ninth in stolen bases (11)
• Lay leads the league in innings (72.2) and fewest walks (10), is second in ERA (2.85), opposing batting average (.235), strikeouts (80), and strikeouts looking (22), tied for third in fewest earned runs allowed (23), tied for fourth in fewest runs allowed (32), and is 10th in fewest hits allowed (66)
• Wilson is tied for fifth in saves (4)
HORNETS IN THE NCAA (AS OF 5/5... TOP 100 ONLY)
TEAM
• Ranks No. 47 in walks per nine (3.82), No. 52 in sacrifices (27), No. 56 in strikeout-to-walk ratio (2.29), No. 57 in fielding percentage (.976), No. 61 in WHIP (1.42), No. 63 in ERA (4.81), No. 86 in hits per nine (8.97), No. 96 in doubles (89), and No. 98 in strikeouts per nine (8.70)
INDIVIDUAL
• Lay is No. 10 in strikeout-to-walk ratio (8.00), No. 12 in walks per nine (1.24), No. 36 in WHIP (1.05), No. 51 in strikeouts (80), No. 60 in ERA (2.85)
• Dessens is No. 10 in hits (75), No. 35 in hits per game (1.53), No. 37 in RBI (56), No. 47 in total bases (123), No. 69 in RBI per game (1.14)
