Spartan Baseball Starts 2002 Season at Home against St. Mary's
THIS WEEK
| Blethen Field |
The Spartan baseball team opens the 2002 season this weekend in a three game series with St. Mary’s. The Spartans will host the games on Friday (2:30 p.m. at Municipal Stadium) and Sunday (1:00 p.m. at Blethen Field). The Gaels will host Saturday’s game (1:00 p.m. at Louis Guisto Field).
Series Probable Starters
Friday, Feb 1 at SJSU
LHP Mike Byer (5-6, 4.49 ERA) vs. RHP Jeremy Rogelstad (5-5, 4.18 ERA)
Saturday, Feb. 2 at SMC
RHP Mike Malott (2-1, 4.91) vs. RHP Kevin Trochez (2-5, 7.90 ERA)
Sunday, Feb. 3 at SJSU
RHP Eric Bowden (4-8, 7.17 ERA) vs. TBA
UPCOMING GAMES
Wednesday, February 6 at California – 2:00 p.m. (KSJS – 1:45 p.m.)
Friday, February 8 vs. Cal Poly – 2:30 p.m.
Saturday, February 9 vs. Cal Poly – 1:00 p.m.
Saturday, February 10 vs. Cal Poly – 1:00 p.m.
SPARTANS VS. GAELS
The Spartans lead the all-time series against the Gaels, 115-47-3. The series began in 1936, with the Spartans winning the first game 12-8. The teams have faced off almost every year since then. In last year’s match-ups, the Spartans swept all three games stretching their winning streak against St. Mary’s to 11 games. The last time the Gaels won a game against San Jose State was in 1997.
2001 Game Results
Feb. 13 at SJSU (SJSU 12, SMC 4)
Mar. 20 at SMC (SJSU 15, SMC 2)
May 8 at SMC (SJSU 6, SMC 3)
SPARTAN RADIO
KSJS (90.5 FM) will broadcast a majority of the Spartan baseball team’s road games and a selection of home games during the 2002 season. KSJS will broadcast its first baseball game of the season when the Spartans travel to Berkeley to face the Cal Golden Bears.
Michael Thomas, sports director at KSJS, returns for his third season broadcasting Spartan baseball. This is his first season as the primary play-by-play voice for the Spartans. Thomas, a senior in broadcast journalism has experience with other Spartan sports including football, volleyball and men’s soccer.
RECRUITING CLASS RANKED 17th IN NATION
The San Jose State Baseball team’s 2001 recruiting class was ranked No. 17 in the nation, according to the October 5 issue of the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper. The last time the Spartans were ranked in the top 30 was in 1998, which was the nucleus of the team that went to the College World Series in 2000.
PRESEASON ALL-AMERICAN
Senior second baseman Gabe Lopez was named to the 2002 Louisville Slugger pre-season All-American baseball team as selected by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper. Lopez, who finished the 2001 campaign with a .353 batting average, 91 hits and 40 RBIs, was named to the third team All-American squad. The three teams named features a "who’s who" of NCAA Division I baseball players.
WESTERN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE OUTLOOK
Gabe Lopez and senior catcher Adam Shorsher were named to the Western Athletic Conference Preseason All-WAC Team. The Spartans were also picked to finish behind Rice, Fresno State and Nevada in the 2002 WAC Baseball Coaches’ Poll. Lopez finished the 2001 campaign with a .353 batting average, 91 hits, 18 doubles and 40 RBIs. Shorsher, who batted .269 with 45 hits, 10 doubles, 6 home runs and 31 RBIs last season, is better know for his defensive abilities behind the plate.
TENACIOUS "D"
Piraro had demanded solid defensive play from his teams over the years. Last season the Spartans were ranked second in the NCAA with a .975 fielding percentage. Catcher Adam Shorsher led the defensive charge with just 6 errors and throwing out 23-of-44 stolen base attempts (52.7%). Shorsher has gained a reputation on the West Coast as one of the best defensive catchers and in the recent College Preview issue of Baseball America, Shorsher was ranked as the best defensive catcher in the Western Athletic Conference. The right side of the infield was solid last season as well. Between second baseman Gabe Lopez and first baseman John Fagan, the two combined for just six errors all season.
VARSITY BEATS ALUMNI
The 2002 San Jose State University baseball team beat the Spartan alumni, 14-1, in a rain-shortened game at Blethen Field on Saturday, January 26. The teams played four innings before the game was called. The Spartans scored 10 runs in the third inning to put the game out of reach for the Alumni. Senior catcher Adam Shorsher had three RBIs on two hits in the inning. Senior Shortstop Ryan Adams and sophomore third baseman Kevin Frandsen each had two RBIs. Adams hit a two-run double in the bottom of the first to open the scoring for the Spartans.
2002 SPARTAN BASEBALL TEAM
Despite the loss of key players such as Junior Ruiz, John Fagan, Chris Sherman and Tim Adinolfi, San Jose State University head baseball coach Sam Piraro has great anticipation for this year’s squad. The baseball team has addressed these areas with a solid recruiting class and the maturation of the team’s returning players.
"We have the capabilities for more offense and more productivity this year. This team has more speed, power and bat control than last year. Plus, there is more depth at almost every position."
The Spartans addressed the team’s losses with this year’s recruiting class. San Jose State’s 2001 recruiting class was ranked 17th nationally by Collegiate Baseball. The last time the Spartans were ranked in the top 30 was in 1998 – the nucleus of the team that went to the College World Series in 2000. Building on a defense that was ranked second in the country last year, Piraro is hoping the addition of a more productive offense will help result in a team that will be a top contender in the Western Athletic Conference and make the NCAA tournament.
"We have all the pieces to be a top-notch team," continues Piraro. "It is just a matter of putting it all together, and I feel we compete with anyone with this team."
The Spartans will have plenty of competition in the WAC this year, with three teams, Fresno State, Rice and Nevada, ranked in Collegiate Baseball’s top 40. Last season Piraro reached a milestone in his career. With a 9-8 win over the University of San Francisco Piraro recorded his 468th win, surpassed his mentor Gene Menges as the all-time winningest coach in Spartan history. This season Piraro, 491-367-4 in his 15 seasons with the Spartans, needs nine wins to reach the 500 win mark.