March 8, 2018
San Jose, Calif. --- The San José State University baseball team (6-6, 0-2 MW) will travel to Reno, Nevada to take on the Wolf Pack (5-6, 2-1 MW) at Don Weir Field in a three game conference series with each game starting at 1:00 p.m.
Games 1-3
San José State (6-6, 0-2 MW) vs Nevada (5-6, 2-1 MW)
Friday • March 8, 2018 • 1:00 p.m. • Don Weir Field
Saturday • March 9, 2018 • 1:00 p.m. • Don Weir Field
Sunday • March 10, 2018 • 1:00 p.m. • Don Weir Field
Pitching Staff
This season, the eight Spartan newcomers that have pitched on the roster have accounted for 70 of the 97 strikeouts this season. They have also recorded three of the teams six wins. In the Spartans last three wins, the San José State pitchers have held 6 of 41 runners in scoring position.
POSSIBLE STARTERS FOR GAME
FRIDAY
(RHP) Josh Goldberg (1-0)
SATURDAY
(LHP) Andrew Mitchel (1-0)
SUNDAY
(RHP) Nicholas Morales (1-1)
Series History: San Diego State
The Spartans are ahead in the all-time series 91-82.
Five of the last six meetings between Nevada and the Spartans have been decided by one point.
Last 6 meetings
4/15/17 AT Nevada L, 6-2
4/14/17 At Nevada L, 5-4
4/13/17 At Nevada W, 6-5
3/19/17 Nevada W, 6-5
3/18/17 Nevada W, 7-6
3/17/17 Nevada W, 6-5
Nevada
Overview: The Pack is 2-1 and in third place in the Mountain West this season under third year head coach T.J. Bruce. The team picked up two wins on the road in New Mexico with scores of 9-5 and 13-8.
Last time out: Nevada last faced off at Pacific where the team lost 10-9 in extra innings. At the top of Nevada's 11th, three players scored to give The Pack a 9-6 lead. In the bottom of the 11th however, Pacific scored four times to win the game 10-9. The last run was scored on a throwing error to home plate.
Pitching: The pitching staff is led by freshman Jake Jackson. The freshman has seen 19.1 innings this season and has a 2-0 record. Through four appearances and three starts, Jackson has 27 strikeouts and only three walks. He has an ERA of .47.
The team has a trio of pitchers that have seen 57.1 of the teams 95.1 innings this season. Jake Jackson, Dalton Gomez and Mark Nowaczewski have a combined ERA of 2.36 heading into their contest with the Spartans.
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 115 of the last 116 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
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 has not recorded a hit since March 1, 2016 has a team leading batting average of .500 through four games with eight hits and six RBI's.
In the last three games Bautista is 8-for-12 with two runs and six RBI's.
Last time out
The San José State baseball (6-6) team defeated PAC-12 opponent Utah, 9-6 in eight innings, Monday afternoon at Municipal Stadium to get back to .500 on the season. The Spartans set a season high 16 hits against the Utes.
Chris Williams had a career day going 4-for-5, scoring three runs, and recording an RBI. He also set a single game career high in doubles with two.
The game swung in San José State's favor in the fifth inning when the Spartans scored five runs on six hits for an 8-2 lead.
In the Spartans' fifth, lead-off hitter Kellen Strahm (1-for-4, R, RBI) recorded his first triple of the season. Brett Bautista (3-for-5, R, RBI) singled to center field and drove home Strahm for a 4-2 lead. Chris Williams doubled to left center sending Bautista home. David Campbell (2-for-5, R, 2RBI) hit a two-RBI single to left field to bring home Williams and Shane Timmons (1-for-5, R). The last run scored when Strahm was hit by a pitch with bases loaded forcing home Aaron Pleschner (1-for-3, R).
Cameron Keup (2-0) picked up his second win of the season pitching just 0.2 innings. He came on in the fifth inning with the Spartans ahead, 3-2, two runners on and one out. Keup induced Utah's clean-up batter Rykker Tom to ground into an inning-ending double play ending the Ute's best chance to take the lead.
Wesley Clawson (0-1) picked up his third save of the season after he entered the game to open the eighth inning. Clawson gave up two singles and a walk to load the bases, but he struck out Utah's Tom to end the Utes' scoring threat and seal the victory for the Spartans.