Fresno State Athletics
Bulldog Baseballers To Open WAC Slate This Weekend
2/24/2000 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Feb. 24, 2000
HOUSTON - No. 23 Fresno State (9-2) begins its second road series of the season Friday night when it opens the WAC slate at No. 21/22 Rice (6-6). First pitch Friday is scheduled for 5 p.m. (PST) at Reckling Park. Saturday's contest is slated for noon (PST) and Sunday's finale is scheduled for a 11 a.m. (PST) start. The three-game set will mark the first time both programs have been ranked in the Top 25 when playing one another.
The Bulldogs, off to their best start since the 1980 season, will be looking to add to their current nine-game winning streak. It is Fresno State's longest winning streak since March 9-21, 1997, when the Bulldogs reeled off 10 wins in a row.
Fresno State has outscored its opponents 75-25 and hit .357 (111-for-311) with 25 doubles and four home runs during the winning streak. The pitching staff has been equally effective, posting a 2.67 ERA and limiting its opponents to a .215 (64-for-297) batting average.
This weekend could result in one of college baseball's greatest milestones. Bulldogs head coach Bob Bennett enters the weekend series with 1,199 career victories. He is one win away from becoming the 10th NCAA Division I head coach and the second this season to reach 1,200 career victories. Texas Tech head coach Larry Hays notched his 1,200th career win on Feb. 2 against West Texas State. Bennett is fifth-winningest active head coach and the 10th winningest coach in NCAA Division I baseball history.
Right-hander Tom Graham (Sr., Modesto, Calif.) is scheduled to take the mound in Friday's lidlifter for the Bulldogs. Graham is 2-1 with a 3.66 ERA in his four starts this season. He is 2-0 with a 2.55 ERA and 10 strikeouts in his past three starts. Rice is scheduled to counter with right-hander Marc Gwyn (1-1, 1.59 ERA). Righty Shawn Hannah (Sr., Clovis, Calif.) is slated to start Saturday's contest. Hannah (2-1, 3.42 ERA) leads the staff with 23.2 innings pitched and 16 strikeouts this season. He is 2-0 with a 1.83 ERA and 14 punchouts in his past three starts. Preseason All-American Jeff Nichols (1-4, 7.20 ERA) is slated to oppose Hannah. Left-hander Beau Hintz (So., Stockton, Calif.) will make his third start of the season in Sunday's finale. Hintz, who tossed a four-hit shutout last Sunday en route to WAC Pitcher of the Week honors, will bring a perfect 2-0 record and a 0.50 ERA into the contest. The Owls are scheduled to counter with Kenny Baugh (2-0, 1.19 ERA).
Shortstop Josh Labandeira (Jr., Porterville, Calif.) is one of several Bulldogs who have been swinging the bats well at the plate. Labandeira brings a nine-game hitting streak into this weekend's series. He has hit .375 (15-for-40) with nine runs scored, five doubles and nine RBIs during the hot streak. First baseman Brandon Gemoll (So., San Jose, Calif.) continues to lead Fresno State in hitting at .488 (21-for-43). Gemoll also leads the Bulldogs in hits (21), multi-hit games (7), home runs (2), RBIs (11), total bases (28) and slugging percentage (.651).
Fresno State trails the all-time series that dates back to 1994, 5-4. The Bulldogs have dropped five consecutive games in the series after winning the first four meetings. Rice swept last year's three-game series in Houston by a combined score of 26-11. The Owls also won a pair of games against Fresno State during the 1998 WAC Tournament.
