March 1, 2016
GAMES 9-10
San José State (3-5, 0-0 MW) vs. Pacific Tigers (2-6, 0-0 WCC)
Municipal Stadium (San Jose, Calif.)
Tuesday, March 1 6:00 p.m.
PROBABLE PITCHING MATCHUP
Tuesday: RHP Ross Slaney (0-1, 7.50 ERA) vs. LHP Ricky Reynoso (1-0, 4.76)
Live Video: None
Radio: None
Social Media: @SJSUBaseball (Twitter, Instagram) • facebook.com/SJSUSpartansBaseball
All-Time Series: San José State leads, 88-78
San José State (3-5, 0-0 MW) vs. #20 Michigan Wolverines (6-2, 0-0 Big 10)
Municipal Stadium (San Jose, Calif.)
Wednesday, March 2 6:00 p.m.
PROBABLE PITCHING MATCHUP
Wednesday: TBA vs. TBA
Live Video: Spartan Digital Network (sjsuspartans.com/videos)
Radio: KSJS 90.5 FM
Social Media: @SJSUBaseball (Twitter, Instagram) • facebook.com/SJSUSpartansBaseball
All-Time Series: San José State has never played Michigan
PACIFIC, #20 MICHIGAN UP NEXT IN MIDWEEK DOUBLE DIP
San José State closes its 10-game homestand when it hosts the Pacific Tigers and Michigan Wolverines on Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively. Both the 167th installment of the Spartans versus Tigers and the first-ever meeting between the Spartans and Wolverines are set for 6:00 p.m. first pitches.
SCOUTING PACIFIC/MICHIGAN
Overview: Pacific enters at 2-6 after dropping the first five contests of the year to Cal Poly and Northwestern before winning two of its last three. Michigan did the opposite, winning its first five of the season before losing two of its last three. The Wolverines climbed as high as No. 14 in the national polls before dropping back to No. 20 this week.
Pitching: The Tigers carry a 6.75 team ERA in Tuesday's matchup, and projected starter Ricky Reynoso owns a 4.76 ERA in 11.1 innings of work. Michigan brings a miniscule 1.19 ERA into Wednesday's showdown. Only four of the 13 pitchers the Wolverines have used this season have given up earned runs, and two of the four have only allowed one.
Offense: Pacific has shown some ability to hit early in the year, as it has posted a .272 team average at the dish thus far. Three Tigers have averages over .300, and four have at least two doubles in the early going. Michigan has five players above .300, including two above .400, which contributes to the stellar mark of a .295 team average. Harrison Wenson leads the club with three home runs and 10 RBIs.
SERIES HISTORY
The Spartans lead the all-time series with the Tigers, 88-78. The teams have not played since 2014, when Pacific took both ends of a home-and-home. The Spartans' last wins in the series came in the first two games of the 2013 season. San José State has never played Michigan.
THE WEEKEND THAT WAS
San José State had an up-and-down series against visiting LMU last weekend. The Lions ran away with the opener for a 13-4 win, but the Spartans responded with an 8-5 victory on Saturday behind Logan Handzlik's quality start and a four-run rally in the bottom of the eigth. After leading 3-1 early on in Sunday's finale, LMU climbed back to take the game, 4-3, and the series.
THE SHANE TRAIN
Sophomore first baseman Shane Timmons got his 2016 season off to a tremendous start in the Spartans' four-game series against UC Irvine. Timmons drove in the Spartans' first run of the season with a solo homer in the opener, then followed up with five hits in seven at-bats and two more RBIs in Saturday's doubleheader. For the weekend, he finished 7-for 15 (.467) with two walks, five runs scored, three driven in, one home run and 10 total bases.
SENIOR LEADERSHIP
San José State will lean on its lone two regular starting seniors for both leadership and production this season. Ozzy Braff and Dillan Smith represent the only seniors projected to start in the infield and outfield, respectively, on an everyday basis. Last season, Braff led the team with a .298 average and posted a clean sheet at second base en route to Second Team All-Mountain West honors. Smith started all but three games in right field a year ago and will be counted on to lead off for the Spartans.
YOUTH MOVEMENT
After fielding one of the youngest teams in the country a year ago, the Spartans will again feature a host of youngsters seeing significant playing time in 2016. Four of the probable starting position players and three of the starting pitchers this week are underclassmen. Hunter Tidwell (Fr. - OF), Aaron Pleschner (Fr. - INF), Cal Koga (Fr. - C) and Kyle Morrison (So. - INF) represent four more underclassmen who will compete for starting duties early in the season.
'SUNDAY FUN-DAY' AT MUNI
Youth baseball teams are invited to join the Spartans every Sunday at Municipal Stadium for Sunday Funday. Participating teams will take the field with San José State for the national anthem and get to run the bases after the conclusion of the game. Those interested in reserving a date for their team are encouraged to call the Spartan Ticket Office at 408-924-SJTX (7589)
@SJSUBASEBALL
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