Feb. 28, 2014
SPARTANS RESUME MW PLAY AT NEVADA
San José State gets back into Mountain West action this weekend on the road at Nevada. Both teams fell in their opening MW series, with SJSU losing two of three to SDSU and Nevada being swept by Fresno State.
Pitching Matchups: TBA
Live Streaming: MW Digital Network (NevadaWolfPack.tv)
Radio: KSJS 90.5 FM, Jess Knaster & Jonathan Wold
Live Stats: www.nevadawolfpack.com
Social: @SJSUAthletics | @SJSUBaseball | #SpartanStrong
facebook.com/SJSUSpartans
SCHEDULE NOTE
SJSU will continue a heavy home schedule heading into March. After the upcoming weekend series at Nevada (2/28-3/2) the Spartans play eight of the next nine games at home. To get your tickets in advance call the Spartan Ticket Office at 408-924-SJTX (7589).
SPARTANS FALL 5-3 TO No. 13 CAL POLY
San José State got out to a hot start with three runs in the first two innings, but then the bats were silenced and #13-Cal Poly came back to win the game 5-3. The Spartans had just one base runner beyond the second inning.
BAUTISTA ESTABLISHES RANK
Spartans' left fielder/designated hitter Brett Bautista began the week ranked second among all Mountain West hitters with a .381 batting average. He currently ranks ninth at .360 following Tuesday's game against #13-Cal Poly. Bautista was 5-for-10 (.500) in three games versus UC Santa Barbara (2/21-23). San Diego State's Tim Zier leads the conference with a .432 average.
CONTRADES AN EARLY ERA LEADER
In two appearances out of the Spartan pen Kalei Contrades has a 0.96 ERA which ranks him third among all Mountain West pitchers. The opponents are hitting just .138 against Contrades who has six strikeouts on the year.
SJSU TOPS MW IN FIELDING
After eight games San José State's .977 fielding percentage is tops in the Mountain West. New Mexico is a close second at .973.
GALLEGOS HAS ACTION PACKED WEEK
Catcher Kyle Gallegos hit .300 in five games last week (2/18-23) with three RBI and two runs scored. He had a go-ahead 2-run double in the Spartans' victory over UC Santa Barbara on 2/22. Gallegos' 10 hits this season ranks him sixth in the Mountain West.
LOPEZ HAS EARLY TOP-10 RANKING
Matt Lopez has come around to score six runs this season, ranking him seventh in the Mountain West Conference. The Spartans' outfielder scored four of those runs in the weekend series against UC Santa Barbara while hitting .400.
OLIVET SHOWS A GOOD EYE
Spartans' second baseman Tyler Olivet has struggled to get hits this season, but his .414 on base percentage ranks him fourth on the team. He has reached base in seven consecutive games. His seven walks this year are second most for any individual in the Mountain West.
SCOUTING NEVADA
The Wolf Pack has a new leader for the first time in 31 years. Jay Johnson took over as the head coach for 2014, replacing the retired Gary Powers. Nevada won the first two games of its season and has now dropped six in a row coming into the series versus SJSU. The Wolf Pack have the fifth-best hitting mark in the conference with a .240 batting average compared to the Spartans' .233 average. Jordan Devencenzi leads the team in hitting with a .500 average during Mountain West play. He is currently on an eight-game hit streak.
NEW SPARTANS CONTRIBUTING EARLY
Head coach Dave Nakama has wasted no time getting his new and young players in the mix this season. In the first eight games, 15 Spartans have made an appearance in their first major college game. Nine of the 15 have started at least one game.
RETURNING CONFERENCE HONOREES
Spartans' center fielder Andre Mercurio and first baseman Matt Carroll were second-team All-Western Athletic Conference selections in 2013. Mercurio was SJSU's hits leader with 74 and Carroll knocked in a team-high 40 runs.
NEW TERRITORY
In its first season of Mountain West play, San José State joins some familiar foes in Fresno State and Nevada whom the Spartans have played a combined 378 times. 109 games have been played between the Spartans and the other four MW programs: San Diego State, Air Force, New Mexico and UNLV combined. SJSU is 199-288 (.409) all-time against its MW competitors.
MW DIGITAL NETWORK COVERAGE
All home SJSU baseball games will be streamed live on the Mountain West Digital Network. Fans can access the live streams at www.sjsuspartans.com/videos. Due to conflicting home games with men's and women's basketball the following baseball contests will not be streamed live: February 15 vs. SDSU, February 26 vs. Pacific and March 4 vs. Saint Mary's.
Jason Armstrong JOINS SJSU AS VOLUNTEER ASSISTANT
Jason Armstrong comes to the Spartans after serving as UC Davis' hitting coach from 2010-2013. He helped turn around the Aggies hitting statistics from worst in the Big West to the top-three marks in 2013. Armstrong teaches from experience as he was an NCAA All-American shortstop for Trinity (2004).
YOUTH GET IN FREE
All season long youth under 12 years old will receive free admission to Spartan baseball games. Tickets for adults are just five bucks and can be purchased at the ticket window beginning one and a half hours prior to first pitch. For advanced ticket sales call the Spartan Ticket Office at 408-924-SJTX (7589).
FAN PROMOTIONS
Fans of all ages can look forward to fun and engaging action at Spartans baseball games this year. Each Sunday at home will be "Sunday Fun Day" where fans can collect baseball cards featuring the 2014 Spartans. As part of Sunday Fun Day, fans can bring their cards on the field for postgame autographs. Little League baseball teams get to take the field with the Spartans for the National Anthem on every Sunday Fun Day and run the baseball following the game. To sign your team up for these fun activities call Promotions & Fan Experience Coordinator Dan Hackett at 408-924-1596. California Pizza Kitchen and Rubios are just a few of the in-game sponsors that provide giveaways. Be sure and pick up a Spartan Gameday Program to have a chance at winning.