April 12, 2016
GAME 32
San José State (10-21, 3-12 MW) at Stanford (17-9, 6-3 Pac-12)
Klein Field at Sunken Diamond (Stanford, Calif.)
Tuesday, April 12 5:30 p.m.
PROBABLE PITCHING MATCHUP
Tuesday: LHP Jonathan Hernandez (1-0, 1.59 ERA) vs. RHP Chris Viall (1-1, 2.45 ERA)
Live Video: Pac-12 Networks (http://pac-12.com/live/stanford-university)
Radio: KSJS 90.5 FM
Social Media: @SJSUBaseball (Twitter, Instagram) • facebook.com/SJSUSpartansBaseball
All-Time Series: San José State trails, 93-35
SAN JOSÉ STATE HEADS NORTH FOR REMATCH WITH STANFORD
The Spartans travel north to take on the Stanford Cardinal in their second road midweek contest of the season. The game, a 5:30 p.m. start at Klein Field at Sunken Diamond, also marks the back end of a home-and-home with the Cardinal.
SCOUTING STANFORD
Overview: Stanford, led by 40th-year head coach Mark Marquess, sits at 17-9 overall and 6-3 in Pac-12 action. The Cardinal has won five of its last six games, including series wins over USC and UCLA and a midweek victory over rival Cal. Stanford is 11-5 in the friendly confines of Klein Field at Sunken Diamond this season.
Pitching: The Cardinal has posted a .251 average thus far. Alex Dunlap leads the club with a .333 batting average to go with six doubles and a home run. Tommy Edman (.316) joins Dunlap above the .300-mark, leads the team with three triples in addition to his four doubles and 12 RBIs. Quinn Brodey's 20 RBIs represent a team high, and Jonny Locher leads with three home runs.
Offense: Stanford brings a 2.53 ERA into Tuesday's matchup. Four Cardinal with more than 16.0 innings have posted sub-2.00 ERAs thus far, led by Tyler Thorne's 1.08 ERA in 13 appearances out of the bullpen. Colton Hock isn't far behind with a 1.65 ERA and leads the club with three saves.
SERIES HISTORY
The Spartans trail the all-time series with the Cardinal, 93-35. In their first meeting this season, a March 28 contest at Municipal Stadium, San José State scored four runs in the bottom of the ninth to earn a walk-off 10-9 win. The teams combined for 26 hits in a game that featured 12 total pitchers.
THE WEEKEND THAT WAS
San José State traveled to Air Force over the weekend and ran into one of the top offenses in the country. The Falcons, who entered the weekend with the 6th-best batting average in the nation, slugged out 10-plus hits in each of the four contests en route to a sweep. Sunday , San José State rallied in the ninth to tie the game but Air Force walked off in the bottom half.
WHAT'S ON DECK
San José State takes the field at Municipal Stadium for the first time in nearly three weeks when it hosts the New Mexico Lobos this weekend. The series kicks off Friday at 6:00 p.m. and continues Saturday at 2:00 p.m. before wrapping up Sunday at 1:00 p.m.
THE SHANE TRAIN
Sophomore first baseman Shane Timmons has gotten off to a tremendous start in 2016. He has hit safely in 23 of the 27 games he has played in this season, including multi-hit outings in 13 of those. His 52 total bases, 38 hits and 17 RBIs are among the top-20 in the Mountain West in their respective categories. Timmons is also alone or tied for the top spot on the team in batting average (.365) and on-base percentage (.431). He is currently riding a 22-game reached-base streak, and has just one error in 264 defensive chances at first base after playing primarily as the designated hitter last season.
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. Six of the probable starting position players and three of the starting pitchers this week are underclassmen. Corey Olvet (So. - OF), Cal Koga (Fr. - C) and Kyle Morrison (So. - INF) represent three more underclassmen who will compete for time throughout the season.
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