March 22, 2018
San Jose, Calif. --- The San José State University baseball team (9-10) will play UC Santa Barbara (6-11-1) in a three game non-conference series starting Friday, March 23 at 3:00 p.m. in Caesar Uyesaka Stadium.
Games 1-3
San JoséState (9-10, 2-6 MW) vs UC Santa Barbara (6-11-1, 0-0 BIG WEST)
Friday • March 23, 2018 • 3:00 p.m. • Caesar Uyesaka Stadium
Saturday • March 24, 2018 • 2:00 p.m. • Caesar Uyesaka Stadium
Sunday • March 25, 2018 • 1:00 p.m. • Caesar Uyesaka Stadium
Live Stats: Sidearm Stats
Live Video: BigWest.TV
Pitching Staff
This season, the eight Spartan newcomers that have pitched on the roster have accounted for 95 of the 144 strikeouts this season. They have also recorded four of the teams nine wins.
Big innings have plagued the San José State baseball team. The Spartans have given up 69 runs in innings 4-6, but only 56 through innings 1-3 & 7-9.
POSSIBLE STARTERS FOR GAME
Friday
RHP Josh Goldberg (2-1)
Saturday
LHP Andrew Mitchel (2-0)
Sunday
RHP Nicholas Morales (1-3)
UC Santa Barbara
Overview: The UC Santa Barbara Gauchos are led by head coach Andrew Checketts who is in his seventh season with the team. The Gauchos are 5-5-1 at home this season earning wins against Fresno State, Nicholls St., Penn St., Dartmouth, and Sacramento State. Leading the team in hits with 23 is Clay Fisher. Fisher has five doubles this season and is batting .295.
Last time out: The last time UC Santa Barbara competed, they were shut out 2-0 by Sacramento State. Hornets pitcher, Austin Root, took a no-hitter into the seventh inning at Caesar Uyesaka Stadium.
Pitching: The left-handed pitcher, Jack Dashwood, has made the most starts for the Gauchos this season with five. The freshman leads the team with 26.2 innings played. Dashwood was named the No. 99 collegiate prospect for the 2019 MLB First-Year Draft. Chris Lincoln leads the Gauchos in appearances with nine and ERA with 2.16 in 16.2 innings played.
Series History: UC Santa Barbara
The Spartans are ahead in the all-time series 54-49.
Spartans have won one of the last six meeting against the Gauchos. Three of those meetings have been decided by one run.
Last 6 meetings
2/23/14 UC Santa Barbara L, 10-1
2/22/14 UC Santa Barbara W, 7-5
2/21/14 UC Santa Barbara L, 3-2 (10)
3/3/13 at Uc Santa Barbara L, 2-1 (10)
3/2/13 At Uc Santa Barbara L, 7-2
3/1/13 At Uc Santa Barbara L, 5-4
Flash
Kellen Strahm was the 2017 Mountain West leader in steals with 18. He had three multi-steal games including a season-high three steals versus New Mexico 3/11/17. After going 3-for-30 (.100 avg) through the first 10 games of the season, Kellen Strahm, has returned to his 2017 form, going 13-for-37 (.351 avg) the last 9 games. He also leads the team in walks with 13, triples with two, and stolen bases with three.
Shane "Timbo" Timmons
The three-time letter winner from Mission Viejo, California has started in 122 of the last 123 games for the Spartans. No San José State baseball player has more homers the last four seasons than Timmons with 20. He is currently tied for fourth in all-time home runs with Kyle Bellows. 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.
Bautista is Back
After Bautista redshirted the 2017 season and played only 10 games of 2016, the senior returns to the Spartan lineup without missing a step. Bautista, who had not recorded a hit since March 1, 2016, has a team leading batting average of .500 through 14 games with 28 hits and 13 RBI's.
This season, the senior has seven three hit games (four of them being consecutive). In Nevada he hit his first home run in nearly three years...then he hit another the very next day.
Last Time Out
The San Jose State University baseball (9-10, 2-6 MW) team defeated Dartmouth (3-9) Monday afternoon at Municipal Stadium to get their third win in the last four games. Relief pitcher, Wesley "clutch" Clawson (0-1), induced Matt Feinstein (0-for-3, R) to hit into a game-ending double play to secure the 4-3 victory.
Clawson pitched the ninth inning for the Spartans and struck out one batter to tally his fourth save on the year.
In the Spartan's sixth, Ruben Ibarra (1-for-2, 2RBI) entered the game as a pinch hitter and had the game winning hit to secure the Spartans win. In the freshman's first career hit, he had his first career game winner. Ibarra went 1-for-2, 2 RBI to help the Spartans win 4-3.
Also starring offensively was Chris Williams who continued his hot streak going 3-for-4 and scoring two runs. In the last four games, Williams is 8-for-14 with five RBI and three runs.
The Big Green would answer in the third scoring two runs with hits from Kyle Holbrook (3-for-4, RBI) and Dustin Shirley (1-for-4, RBI) to take the lead at 2-1. The Spartans would tie things up in their fourth when Jace Duty (0-for-2, RBI) squeezed home and scored Shane Timmons (1-for-3, 2R, BB.)
Josh Zanger (1-0) entered the game as a relief pitcher and pitched three shutout innings to record his first win of the season.