Fresno State Athletics
Baseball Preview: at New Mexico [March 27-29]
3/27/2015 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
By: Matt Burkholder
mburkholder@csufresno.edu
GoBulldogs.com
Games 27-29: Fresno State Bulldogs (15-11, 6-3 MW) at New Mexico Lobos (12-10, 5-4 MW)
First Pitch: March 27-29 - Fri: 5pm; Sat: 1pm ; Sun: 11am (all times Pacific)
Stadium: Lobo Field
Surface: FieldTurf
Dimensions: 338 (LF), 420 (CF), 338 (RF)
All-Time Series: New Mexico leads 16-11
Last Meeting: UNM defeated FS, 4-1 (2014)
Radio: AM 940 ESPN
Play-by-play: Paul Loeffler
Video: Mountain West Network
Live Stats: GoBulldogs.com
Twitter: @FresnoStateBSB
Bulldog Headlines
• Fresno State enters its series vs. New Mexico on a season-best five-game win streak.
• Fresno State has won six-straight Mountain West games.
• The 'Dogs have wins over then-ranked No. 8 USC and No. 21 Cal over the last eight days.
• The Bulldogs are 0-9 at New Mexico all-time.
• Fresno State owns the lowest ERA in the Mountain West - 3.77.
• Kevin Viers named MW Player of the Week on Monday: 4GS -.582 BA, 9 RBI, 4R, 3 HR.
• Fresno State is 14-4 at home vs. 1-7 on the road.
• The Bulldogs begin longest road trip of the season Friday at UNM, seven games.
Fresno State vs. New Mexico - The Series
• In Mountain West play (since 2013), New Mexico owns an 11-1 advantage against Fresno State.
• The Lobos swept both three-game series in 2014.
• Head Coach Mike Batesole is 2-13 all-time against New Mexico at Fresno State. • The first matchup between the two schools was in 1960, Fresno State defeated New Mexico, 9-2.
• Fresno State has never won on the road at New Mexico (0-9). • The last time Fresno State swept a series over the Lobos was in 1998.
• Fresno State and New Mexico share the NCAA record for most hits by two teams in a single game - 68 - set on April 1, 1999.
• Fresno State set its all-time hits record against New Mexico with 36 on April 1, 1999.
Streaky 'Dogs
Fresno State heads into its series at New Mexico owning a season-best five-game win streak following wins at then-ranked No. 8 USC, a sweep over San Jose State and most recently a Wednesday night win at home against No. 21 California. A win on Friday night against the Lobos would match the Bulldogs season-best streak for win in 2014 - six. Since opening the season with three wins over UC Irvine, it's been an up-and-down streak one way or the other. 2015 season results in order - W3, L5, W4, L4, W3, L2, W5.
Kevin Viers Named MW Player of the Week on Monday
Junior first baseman Kevin Viers was announced the Mountain West Player of the Week on Monday for games played March 17-22. It is the first weekly honor for Viers and third individual honor for the Bulldogs this season (Brody Russell and Jake Shull). Viers led Fresno State to a 4-0 record with a nonconference victory over nationally-ranked USC, and a MW sweep over San Jose State. Starting at first base in all four games, Viers posted a batting average of .562 (9-for-16) with four runs scored, nine runs batted in, one double, one sacrifice hit and three home runs. He had a minimum of two hits in each of the four games and owned a 1.188 slugging percentage.
Bulldogs Sport Top ERA in Mountain West
With a team earned run average of 3.77, the Bulldogs' pitching staff owns the No. 1 ERA in the conference. Over the past 10 games, the staff has a collective 2.20 ERA, the Bulldogs are 8-2 in those games.
Tim Borst Finding his Form
Once a weekend starter for Fresno State in 2014, Tim Borst has started to play his way back to be in line for a starter role. Over the last 10 games, Borst has made one midweek start and appeared in five games. In that span, he leads Fresno State with 15.1 innings pitched. Borst owns a 0.59 ERA in those games while opponents have a .208 batting average against the Bulldog junior.
Not One, Not Two, Not Three, But Four
With Fresno State's recent resurgence hitting the ball, it has been a true team effort. Entering the New Mexico series four Bulldogs will carry respective five-game hitting streaks into Albuquerque - Taylor Ward, Austin Guibor, Kenny Corey and Brody Russell.
Mountain West Sweeps
Thus far into the season, it's been one way or the other. At 6-3 in Mountain West play, the Bulldogs have gotten there by either winning every game or losing every game of their conference tilts. To open the season, Fresno State traveled to Nevada (Feb. 20-22) and lost all three to the Wolf Pack. Since then, Fresno State has captured back-to-back home series sweeps over UNLV (Feb. 27-March 1) and San Jose State (March 20-22).
Take Two
Senior Manny Argomaniz leads Fresno State with 11 doubles while junior Taylor Ward is at his heels with 10. Argomaniz is tied with San Diego State's Steven Pallares for the Mountain West lead in that department. Ward ranks No. 3 in the MW. With 11 RBIs, that number ranks nationally as the 11th best in the NCAA. Nick Lynch of UC Davis leads the country at 15. As a team, the Bulldogs have 44 doubles and rank No. 5 in the conference. That gives the Bulldogs' 3-4 hitters almost half of the team's total. New Mexico leads the MW as a pitching staff having allowed the least amount of the doubles in the conference at 43.
Road Trouble
While Fresno State has taken care of business at home, posting a 14-4 record in home games, it's another story away from Beiden Field. Fresno State carries a 1-7 record to New Mexico. Although, its first road win sparked Fresno State's current five-game win streak that began at then-ranked No. 8 USC on March 17.
10 Games Decided By One Run
Fresno State has been involved in 10 games decided by one run in 2015 and owns a 3-7 record in those contests. At 14-4 at Beiden Field, all four home losses for the `Dogs have been by one run - Feb. 17 vs. Cal Poly (7-6), Feb. 24 vs. USC (3-2 F/10), March 14 vs. UC Davis (4-3) and March 15 vs. UC Davis (1-0). The Bulldogs have a recent history with close games having played in 17 (7-10) out of 57 games in 2014. In 2013, the `Dogs played 12 (5-7) one run games out of 56 games. The last season Fresno State owned a record above .500 in one-run games was in 2012 when they went 7-6.
Record Day in Pac-12 Country
The Bulldogs started its current five-game win streak at then-ranked No. 8 USC. In a 14-7 onslaught on the road, Fresno State set season-high numbers for runs (14) and hits (17). Junior Taylor Ward posted a career-high five RBI while teammate Kevin Viers tied a career-high with three RBI.
Johnny All-Staff
The Bulldogs have not been afraid to unload all their weapons from the bullpen. Fresno State is averaging 6.4 pitchers per game on the mound over the last five games. A max used at USC (9) on March 17 and a minimum vs. San Jose State (2) on March 21.
Shut Down Bullpen
In particular, the lineup of either left-handed Casey Rodriguez or righty Mark Reece as middle relievers and RHP closer Jake Shull has proven to be a lethal combination from the bullpen in 2015. Rodriguez leads the team with 15 appearances. He has a 0.93 ERA and is holding opponents to a .103 batting average. Reece has a 2.87 ERA and is holding opponents to a .145 batting average, and leads the bullpen with 16 strikeouts. Shull leads the Mountain West with 13 games finished and is No. 3 on the MW saves list with a Bulldog-best six. With a bullpen high 21.2 IP, Shull owns a 1.25 ERA and is holding opponents to a .190 batting average.
Argomaniz Moves to Cleanup
Another item in common with the Bulldogs five-game win streak is that Manny Argomaniz was moved up from the No. 5 hitter position to the No. 4 hitter. As the cleanup hitter, Argomaniz is hitting 7-for-20 (.350) after preseason All-American Taylor Ward who is hitting 9-for-18 (.500) at the three-hole. Ward (13) and Argomaniz (12) are No. 1 and No. 2 on the team for current reach base streaks.
Wins - Starters vs. Bullpen
The Fresno State bullpen has accumulated 10 of the 'Dogs 15 wins this season. The last win recorded by a starter was Anthony Arias vs. Wagner on March 11.
Scouting New Mexico
• New Mexico is 12-10 overall in 2015.
•.New Mexico is 5-4 in MW play and one seed below Fresno State (No. 3) in the conference rankings at No. 4.
• The Lobos are 7-6 at home this season, a far cry from protecting Lobo Field like they did in 2014, posting a 22-8-1 record last year at home.
• The Lobos have played in five-straight one-run games and have lost all five.
• New Mexico has 16 newcomers on its squad. 65 percent of the plate appearances made by the Lobos this season are by underclassmen.
• The weekend rotation of Boardman, Stevens and Schneider owned one start collectively entering 2015. Although Schneider is no stranger to the bump, posting a Lobo freshman record 24 appearances last year in relief.
• A California native of Northridge leads the Lobos from the dish. Sophomore Chris DeVito owns team-best marks in batting avg. (.342), on-base pct. (.443), slugging pct. (.646) doubles (7), RBI (26) and home runs (5).
• The Lobos have had their leadoff man reach in 82 of their 195 innings, good for an inning-starting on-base percentage of .421.
• New Mexico was voted the preseason favorite to win the Mountain West for the third-consecutive season in February.
Where Fresno State Ranks Offensively in the Mountain West [Through 26 Games]
• .285 Batting Average: No. 3 [Leader, SDSU - .308]
• .428 Slugging Pct: No. 2 [Leader, NEV - .466]
• .366 On base Pct: No. 4 [Leader, NEV - .402]
• 138 Runs: No. 3 [Leader, SDSU - 181]
• 244 Hits: No. 3 [Leader, SDSU - 271]
• 123 RBI: No. 3 [Leader, SDSU/NEV - 166]
• 44 Doubles: No. 4 [Leader, NEV - 60]
• 8 Triples: No. 3 [Leader, LV - 10]
• 21 Home Runs: No. 2 [Leader, NEV - 24]
- information current through games played March 26
Where Fresno State Ranks Pitching in the Mountain West [Through 26 Games]
• 3.77 ERA: No. 1
• .236 Opposing bat avg: No. 1
• 192 strikeouts: No. 2 [Leader, SDSU - 225]
• 48 strikeouts looking: No. 3 [Leader, UNLV - 68]
• 204 Hits allowed: No. 2 [Leader, AFA - 195]
• 43 doubles allowed: No. 4 [Leader, UNM - 33]
• 5 triples allowed: No. T-1 [UNLV]
• 23 home runs allowed: No. 7 [Leader, AFA - 8]
• 105 walks allowed: No. 6 [Leader, UNLV - 56]
- information current through games played on March 26
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