Fresno State Athletics
Baseball Hosts No. 11 Pepperdine In Home Opener This Weekend
2/9/2006 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Feb. 8, 2006
Fresno, Calif. -
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On Deck
Fresno State makes their first home defense this weekend, welcoming No. 11 Pepperdine to Beiden Field for the home opener of the 2006 season. The Bulldogs picked up a split in their first home series last season against UCLA, and will be looking to jump out of the gate as the team looks for a spark with the start of a 25-game homestand, going through the Pepsi/Johnny Quik classic through a first-week WAC contest against new affiliate member Sacramento State. This is the first matchup for the Bulldogs against the Waves since 2003, when Fresno State was swept in three games. All three games will be broadcast on KMJ 580, with Paul Loeffler calling the action and 1988 All-American Steve Hosey providing analysis. The games can also be followed live on the web with Gametracker, provided through Fresno State's official website, www.gobulldogs.com
In The Hole
Fresno State continues their first homestand of the year with a three-game set against Utah Valley State beginning at 6:35 p.m. This is the first meeting with the Wolverines for Fresno State, who are making the trip as an independent to help fill out their schedule. Utah Valley State, located in Orem, Utah, has become a common opponent for Fresno State in other sports as well, previously facing both basketball teams.
Scouting Pepperdine
The Waves picked up a series win in their first set this past weekend, taking two games out of three from UNLV at Eddy D. Field Stadium in Malibu, winning a close 5-4 opener before losing on Saturday and picking up a 8-2 win on Sunday behind three hits from freshman Chase D'Arnaud. Pepperdine is home to a host of Major League offspring, with Justin Sandberg (Ryne Sandberg), Chad Tracy (Jim Tracy), Drew Saberhagen (Brett Saberhagen) all having fathers that have made their mark in the pros. Chad Tracy is becoming a star in his own right, being named a second-team All-American last season as well as winning the WCC player of the year award. The team ended last year 41-23, winning the Coast division title of the WCC and entering the NCAA tournament. The team finished the year in the top 25, and began this season ranked No. 11 in the Baseball America poll.
