Feb. 26, 2018
San Jose, Calif.--- The San José State Baseball team (4-4) will return home Tuesday, February 27 to play Cal Poly (3-4) at 5:00 p.m. inside Municipal Stadium. The Spartans are coming off a 2-1 weekend road trip in San Francisco where the team played the Dons (4-3) and the Hornets (2-5).
San José State (4-4) vs Cal Poly (3-4)
Tuesday • Feb 27, 2018 • 5:00 p.m. • Municipal Stadium
LIVE VIDEO: Mountain West
LIVE STATS:
SOCIAL MEDIA: @SJSUBaseball
PITCHING STAFF
This season, the biggest question facing the Spartans is the unproven pitching staff. The team has five returning pitchers, and seven who are pitching division I baseball for the first time.
POSSIBLE STARTERS FOR GAME
RHP Walker Brinkman (1-0) vs RHP Austin Dondaville (0-0)
Series History: Cal Poly
The Spartans are winning the all-time series at 50-44-1.
The Mustangs are visiting San Jose for the first time since 2015. In the last meeting on April 3, 2016 the Spartans outlasted the Mustangs for a 9-7 win. In that game, Shane Timmons reached base for the 20th consecutive time.
Last 5 meetings
4/3/16 at Cal Poly W, 9-7
4/2/16 at Cal Poly W, 8-5
4/1/16 at Cal Poly L, 7-4
5/5/15 at Cal Poly L, 5-1
3/10/15 Cal Poly W, 5-2
Cal Poly Mustangs
Overview: Cal Poly finished 28-28 overall and second place in the Big West Conference a year ago. Head coach Larry Lee welcomes back 19 letter winners, including eight position players who made 25 or more starts in 2017, and nine pitchers, six of whom pitched 25 or more innings.
Last time out: The last time the Mustangs competed they beat Michigan 8-1. Myles Emmerson went 4-for-4 with a triple and three singles. The sophomore drove in four runs, while true freshman right-hander Darren Nelson tossed seven scoreless innings for his first collegiate win at the Tony Gwynn Legacy inside San Diego State's Tony Gwynn Stadium.
Pitching: This season the Mustangs are led by Darren Nelson and Trent Shelton. Nelson leads the Mustangs in ERA this season posting a .79 through 11.1 innings. Shelton is a senior southpaw who went 1-1 in 2017. This season he has 16 strikeouts through 12 innings.
Starting against the Spartans will be Austin Dondaville (0-0). He has pitched 3.2 innings and holds a 4.92 ERA. He has allowed four runs this season with two being earned.
Fresh Faces
This season, the Spartan baseball team features four fresh faces in the coaching staff: Interim head coach Brad Sanfilippo, assistant coach Tyler LaTorre, volunteer assistant coach Clay Cederquist, and volunteer assistant coach Michael Breen.
Brad Sanfilippo is making his second stint with the Spartans after serving two seasons as recruiting coordinator and third base coach during the 2013 & 14 seasons. Sanfilippo has coached more than 20 players into the MLB draft.
Tyler LaTorre comes to the Spartans after two seasons at San Francisco State as the team's pitching coach and recruiting coordinator. He brings nearly a decade of professional baseball experience to the San José State baseball team. LaTorre has helped players such as Tim Lincecum, Hunter Strickland, and 2014 World Series MVP Madison Bumgarner.
Clay Cederquist joins the Spartan squad after serving as head coach of the Dodge City A's summer collegiate baseball team. Currently he is an associate scout for the Miami Marlins. He is also the first base and hitting coach at American River Community College in Sacramento, California.
Michael Breen is a 2017 graduate of San José State. He started games at second base, third base, shortstop, right field, left field and designated hitter in his Spartan career. Breen was a three-time Academic All-Mountain West honoree.
Shane "Timbo" Timmons
The three-time letter winner from Mission Viejo, California has started in 111 of the last 112 games for the Spartans. No San José State baseball player has more homers the last four seasons than Timmons with 19. He is currently fifth in all-time in home runs. The current record was set nearly 20 years ago by John Fagan with 25 home runs. The 2017 second team All-Mountain West first baseman finished in the top-10 in several MW conference categories: ninth in slugging percentage (.648), tied for seventh in triples (2), fifth in home runs (7), tied for sixth in hit by pitches (6), first in sacrifice flies (5) and tied for eighth in stolen bases (5).
He is the first Spartan to lead the team in batting average two consecutive seasons since Kevin Frandsen in 2003 and 2004 seasons. Frandsen would become a 12th round pick in the 2004 MLB Draft, and play nine seasons of major league baseball. He would later be inducted into the San José State Sports Hall of Fame in 2014.
San José State Career All-Time Home Runs
- 25 John Fagan 2000-01
- 23 Robert Berns 1996-97
- 21 Adam Shorsher 1999-02
- 20 Kyle Bellows 2007-09
- 19 Shane Timmons 2015-P.
- 18 Brandon Macchi 1999-01
- 16 Ryan Angel 2004-07
LAST TIME OUT
The San José State baseball team swept their doubleheader Sunday at Benedetti Diamond to improve to 4-4 on the season. The Spartans took down Sacramento State, 5-4, and then beat University of San Francisco, 6-1.
In the 5-4 win over Sacramento State, Brett Bautista (3-for-3, R, 2RBI, BB) was involved with all three Spartan run-scoring innings in the game.
The winning pitcher, Josh Goldberg (1-0), would enter the game to relieve Fineas Del Bonta-Smith with one out in the fourth. Goldberg got the final two outs in the Hornets' four-run fourth and blanked Sacramento State for the next four innings. He struck out six and walked three for his first win of the season.
Tevin Cadola entered the game in the ninth inning to get his second save of the season. Sacramento State's Bronson Grubbs' soft liner to shortstop Aaron Pleschner turned into a game-ending double play when pinch runner Ian Dawkins was tagged out to end the game.
In game two against the Dons, the Spartans allowed just one run to a USF team (4-3) that shut them out 10-0 the day before. Three San Jose State pitchers scattered seven hits in the 6-1 win.
In the Spartans' second, Chris Williams (1-for-5, R) hit the first San José State triple of the season to right field. David Campbell (1-for-3, RBI, BB) then singled to right field to drive home Williams on the play.
At the top of the fifth, Strahm's (0-for-3, RBI, BB) sacrifice fly would send home Jace Duty (0-for-3, R). Bautista (3-for-5, 3 RBI) singled to center field sending Morrison (2-for-3, 2R, BB) and Pleschner (2-for-3, 2R) home for a 4-0 lead.
In the Spartans' ninth, Bautista singled up the middle with one out to score Pleschner. The next play, Timmons' (2-for-4, RBI) infield single scored Morrison for a 6-1 lead.
Nicholas Morales (1-0) picked up the first win of his Spartan career in the nightcap. He pitched 5.1 innings, allowing five hits. He walked four and struck out three. Cameron Keup pitched 2.1 innings of shutout ball and Wesley Clawson finished up getting the final four outs of the game. Keup and Clawson each allowed a single in their time on the mound.
The last San José State baseball team that beat the Dons in San Francisco on the road by five runs was the 2000 Spartan Collegiate World Series team.