Fresno State Athletics
Baseball Begins Four-Game Road Trip
4/2/2012 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
April 2, 2012
FRESNO, Calif. - The Fresno State baseball team hits the road for four games this week, beginning with a Tuesday afternoon game against Santa Clara at 1 p.m. The Bulldogs (14-13) then head to Hawaii to open WAC play with a three-game series beginning Thursday in Honolulu.
After being home for 10 straight games, the Bulldogs hit the road for just the fourth time this season. Fresno State faces Santa Clara (16-9) for the first time since 2010 on Tuesday. The game will not be on radio. WAC play begins at Hawai`i (17-12) on Thursday, with all three games on 940 AM KYNO.
WAC OPENER
Fresno State begins WAC play Thursday night at Hawai`i. The Bulldogs were picked as the preseason WAC favorite, while the Rainbows were picked to finish third. Fresno State has either won the WAC regular season or WAC tournament title for six straight years.
HIGHLIGHTS ON THE BRONCOS
Santa Clara comes into the midweek game with a 16-9 overall record and a 1-5 West Coast Conference mark in head coach Dan O'Brien's first season at the helm. Offensively, Lucas Herbst leads the team with a .402 batting average, with 14 RBI. Pat Stover and Andrew Biancardi each have three home runs, which is tied for the team lead. The staff is led by reliever Max Deering, who has a 1.46 ERA in 24 2/3 innings pitched. The Broncos are 11-4 at home this season.
HIGHLIGHTS ON THE RAINBOWS
Hawai`i comes into the week with a 17-12 overall record, including winning three-straight this past weekend against UC Davis. Head Coach Mike Trapasso is in his 11th season at the helm. The Rainbows are 17-8 at home, dropping four games on the road during their only road trip of the season. Hawai`i is led by Stephen Ventimilia, who is batting .323 with nine RBI and eight stolen bases. Pi`ikea Kitamura is batting .317 with 14 RBI and Collin Bennett is batting .312 with 16 RBI. The pitching staff is led by Jarrett Arakawa, who is 3-2 with a 1.32 ERA.
1,000 AND COUNTING...
Mike Batesole coached his 1,000th career NCAA Division I game on Wednesday, March 21. The Bulldogs defeated Kent State 5-2.
IT'S KIND OF A BIG DEAL
With a 598-407-1 overall record, head coach Mike Batesole is just two wins away from reaching 600 for his career. He has amassed over 300 wins at Fresno State in nine seasons at the helm and is 169-102 overall in Western Athletic Conference play.
"We Are Your Team!" - Check out the action on game day from AM 940 KYNO, the flagship station for Bulldog baseball. Follow us on Facebook (fresnostateathletics) and Twitter (@FSAthletics).
