SAN JOSE, Calif. - Looking to get back in the win column, San Jose State baseball welcomes WCC foe LMU to the South Bay for a three-game weekend series beginning on Friday. Fans that can't make it out to Excite Ballpark will be able to watch the series finale on Sunday live on the Mountain West Network. Daniel Barrera will have the call.
San Jose State (5-8) vs. LMU (5-8)
Game #1 | Friday, March 6 | 6:00 p.m.
RHP Spencer Long (0-1, 4.02) vs. RHP Josh Agnew (1-1, 5.00)
Game #2 | Saturday, March 7 | 2:00 p.m.
RHP Kevin Kyle (0-1, 3.07) vs. RHP CJ Fernandeezes (1-1, 2.70)
Game #3 | Sunday, March 8 | 12:00 p.m.
TBA vs. LHP Sean Paquet (0-1, 5.25)
QUICK GLANCE AT THE OPPONENT
» The LMU Lions enter the weekend 5-8 after Tuesday night's loss to UC Riverside. Prior to that they took 2-of-3 from UC Davis. The Lions also opened the season with an impressive series win over the Pac-12's Washington Huskies.
» Senior Cooper Uhl has been the best offensive player on the Lions roster thus far, leading the team in BA (.354), OBP (.484), hits (17) and RBI (8).
» The Lions boast the West Coast Conference's stolen base leader as well in Alex Lambeau, who has swiped eight thus far, good for 12th in the nation.
HISTORY LESSON
» LMU holds the overall series lead at 15-7 including 2-of-3 in the teams' last meeting in 2016. The last time the Spartans had the upper hand in a series was in 2006 (2-1).
LAST TIME OUT
» The Spartans played five games in five days, beginning with a four-game set against Utah Valley and finishing with a midweek at Saint Mary's.
» The series with Utah Valley resulted in a split at 2-2. SJSU won the first game 3-1 before splitting Saturday's doubleheader. Game one of the DH lasted 13 innings and 4:27 as the Wolverines walked away with a 6-5 win. The Spartans got revenge in game two with a 10-1 victory. Utah Valley then closed the series with a 1-0 win in the Sunday finale.
» Tuesday night's midweek contest against the Gaels of Saint Mary's didn't go in the Spartans' favor as well, as two late runs in the eighth inning lifted SMC to a 4-2 win in Moraga.
HE GONE
» The Spartan pitching staff has been working the strikezone well thus far in 2020. As a unit, their 115 strikeouts ranks third in the Mountain West.
» In the 13-inning marathon against Utah Valley, SJSU tallied 17 strikeouts, the most in a single game by any team in the MW this season.
IBARRA'S TRIUMPHANT RETURN
» After having to sIt in the bleachers the entirety of 2019, designated hitter/first baseman Ruben Ibarra was thirsty for his chance to get back on the diamond. He wasted no time getting back into the flow of things as he batted .417 with five hits, a double and a homer over the opening series.
» Ibarra leads the team with a .333 average with a team-best two homeruns. He is also the conference leader in walks with 11 and is tied for the top spot with a .500 on-base percentage.
VIOLA SEEING THE BALL WELL
» Senior third baseman Troy Viola is off to a solid start in his final campaign, batting .269 with 14 hits and five RBI. He also leads the team with five doubles.
» Viola's five doubles is the second-most in the conference.
CLARK RETURNS TO FORM
» Sophomore right-handed pitcher Jonathan Clark has bode in his second year thus far. Clark leads the clubhouse with 17 strikeouts.
» Clark picked up his first-career save in the series opener over Utah Valley.
EBERLE AMONG THE BEST
» Junior right-hander Dom Eberle has had five solid outings in his first couple of weeks with the Spartans. He leads the unit with a 1.84 ERA, good for fourth in the conference and is holding opponent bats to a .176 clip against, the fifth-lowest in the conference.