Fresno State Athletics
Baseball Preview: vs. San Diego State [April 24-26]
4/23/2015 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
By: Matt Burkholder
mburkholder@csufresno.edu
GoBulldogs.com
Games 42-44: San Diego State Aztecs (27-15, 14-7 MW) at Fresno State Bulldogs (20-21, 10-8 MW)
Fresno State Game Notes 
| San Diego State Game Notes
Bulldog Baseball Promotions (April 24-26)
First Pitch: April 24-26 - Fri: 6:35pm; Sat: 6:35pm ; Sun: 1:05pm
Stadium: Beiden Field
Surface: Grass
Dimensions: 330 (LF), 400 (CF), 330 (RF)
All-Time Series: Series tied 88-88
Last Meeting: SDSU defeated FS, 4-3 (2014)
Radio: AM 790 ESPN
Play-by-play: Paul Loeffler
Analyst: Steve Hosey (Sat.) & Bryan Marsoobian (Sun.)
Video: N/A
Live Stats: Statbroadcast.com
Twitter: @FresnoStateBSB
Bulldog Headlines
• The 'Dogs return home where they are 16-5 after playing the last 12 of 15 games on the road.
• Fresno State (10-8) enters this weekend's series one game back from the Aztecs (14-7) in the Mountain West loss column.
• The Bulldogs are seeking its first MW series win over the Aztecs - 0-for-4.
• The Bulldog pitching staff sports a .256 opposing batting average, tops in the MW.
• Taylor Tempel has six multi-hit games over the last eight contests.
• Fresno State will use a different weekend rotation for the fourth weekend in a row.
• SDSU is one of two MW schools the 'Dogs play just three times in regular season.
Home Field Advantage
Fresno State averages a Mountain West best 1,452 fans per game at Beiden Field, which ranks No. 44 in the NCAA. It shows by the Bulldogs 16-5 home record, that the 'Dogs have taken full advantage of the Red Wave. Furthermore, all five losses suffered at home in 2015, each is 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), March 15 vs. UC Davis (1-0) and April 10 vs. Nevada (6-5). Statistically at home, Fresno State owns a .279 team earned run average and .295 team batting average.
Breakout Player of the Year Candidate?
Sophomore Austin Guibor leads Fresno State with a .351 batting average (40-for-114), which also ranks as the No. 8 batting average in the Mountain West - going by the conference's minimums of 2.5 at-bats per game and 75 percent games played in. Hitting leadoff, the sophomore has a team-best .571 batting average (28-for-59) and is one of four Bulldogs to have registered double-digit multi-hit games. He leads the team with three triples. Guibor is currently riding a team-best seven-game hit streak, and has reached base in 16-straight games. Taylor Ward leads both categories this season having had an 11-game hit streak and reached base in 17-straight games. As a freshman, Guibor owned a .241 batting average, going 21-for-87 from the plate.
Keeping Its Lead
When Fresno State is up late, they've almost been perfect closing out its games. The Bulldogs have a 13-2 record when they own the lead after the sixth inning. Additionally, the late innings have been productive offensively. The 'Dogs have scored 73 runs between the seventh, eighth and ninth innings - of 208 runs scored in 2015. The Bulldogs have scored more runs in the seventh inning, 32, than any other inning this year.
Best Opposing Batting Average in the Mountain West
The Fresno State pitching staff leads the Mountain West with the lowest opposing batting average in the conference at .256. Two Bulldog pitchers, Garrett Mundell and Jimmy Lambert, rank inside the Top 10 individually in that category (No. 7 Mundell - .244 & No. 10 Lambert - .262) - using the conference's statistic minimum of 1.0 IP/Game. Two Fresno State pitchers carry sub .200 opposing batting averages - Jake Shull (.193/37.0 IP) and Mark Reece (.172/18.1 IP).
Strikeout to Walk Ratio - Taylor Ward
With 145 plate appearances this season, preseason All-American Taylor Ward has struck out just 23 times and walked a team-high 33 times. The 33 bases on balls rank No. 21 in the NCAA. All those walks have aided to a .454 on-base percentage and to 32 runs scored - both team leads. Ward owns a .317 batting average this season with a team-high 46 hits.
A New Friday Night Gun
Fresno State has turned to one-time closer Jake Shull to be its Friday night ace. Shull made his first start since May 24, 2013 in the MW Championship tournament against San Diego State on Friday, April 10 vs. Nevada. He made his second start the following week at Air Force on April 18. In his second start, last weekend at the Air Force Academy, Shull pitched a career-high 8.0 innings and allowed only two runs off five hits. The fifth hit was a walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth that secured the Falcons their first win of a Saturday doubleheader. Shull leads the team with six saves and owns a 2-5 record. Shull has a 1.95 ERA over 37.0 innings in 2015. For his career he has now made five career starts and has 61 career appearances.
Watch for the Bunt
Fresno State ranks No. 20 in the NCAA with 40 sacrifice hits. There are 12 different Bulldogs who have registered at least one sac hit while sophomore Ryan Dobson leads the team with six. Kenny Corey and Austin Guibor have five, and there are three tied with four each. Nevada leads the Mountain West with 43 sacrifice hits, which ranks 11th in NCAA.
15 One-Run Games
Of Fresno State's 21 losses, 11 are by one run. The Bulldogs have been involved in 15 one-run games in all this season and have a 4-11 record in those games. At 16-5 at home, all five losses were 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), March 15 vs. UC Davis (1-0) and April 10 vs. Nevada (6-5). The Bulldogs have a recent history with close games having played in 17 of them (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.
Taylor Tempel Dominating Senior Campaign
Taylor Tempel, who owns a .361 season batting average, is on a tear right now, the senior leads the team with 14 hits over the last eight games, which is six more than the next Bulldog, Taylor Ward (8). Tempel has six multi-hit games over the last eight games and recorded a single-game career-high three hits on April 19 at Air Force. Tempel is tied with senior teammate Manny Argomaniz for the most multi-hit games this season - each with 12. Tempel also has had a knack for being clutch in two-out situations as he leads team with a .500 batting average (12-for-24), batting with two-outs. Tempel's senior season has been a stark turnaround after finishing his junior season with a .196 batting average in 38 games played.
Career Bests Set in Last Two Wins
Over the last two games that Fresno State won on the road, at Air Force (Sunday, April 19) and at Sacramento State (Wednesday, April 22), both wins were led by career performances. At Air Force, Manny Argomaniz registered a career-high five RBIs to score Fresno State a 6-5 win. Argomaniz was 3-for-4 in that game and a home run shy of hitting for the cycle - he recorded his first career triple in that game. At Sacramento State, starting pitcher Ricky Thomas guided the Bulldogs over a career-high five innings on the mound for his first career win as a starter. He held the Hornets scoreless and allowed just four hits. Thomas struck out a career-high seven batters and walked one of the 19 batters he faced.
Kevin Viers Clutches Up, Again
In Fresno State's 8-0 win at Sacramento State, Kevin Viers broke open a 1-0 game in the eighth inning with a bases loaded triple, giving the 'Dogs a 4-0 lead. Viers has 23 RBI this season, tied for the second-most on the team, but leads the team with 13 RBI in plate appearances with two outs. He also leads the team with seven multi-RBI games.
Keys to Victory
In 2015, Fresno State is 14-6 when it scores first in a game, and when scoring in the first inning, Fresno State is 7-3. Another difference maker has been the home run, a category Fresno State ranks No. 2 in the MW with 25. The Bulldogs are 14-3 when registering at least one home run, but are 6-18 when held without a home run.
Scouting San Diego State
• San Diego State is currently the No. 2 seed in the Mountain West with a 14-7 conference mark. The Aztecs owned the top spot until Nevada traveled to San Diego last weekend and won all three games in Southern California to take over the No. 1 seed.
• SDSU will use the same weekend rotation it has utilized the past four weekends.
• Bubba Derby, the Aztecs Friday night starter, leads the Mountain West with 89 strikeouts, 34 more than the No. 2 MW leader, teammate Mark Seyler (55). 89 Ks ranks tied for the fourth-most in the NCAA.
• San Diego State freshman outfielder Chase Calabuig leads the Mountain West with a .388 batting average.
• SDSU has lost four games in a row, its longest losing streak of the season.
• SDSU is 26-0 when leading after six innings.
• Ty France has been hit by pitch 12 times in 2015, three shy of a school record.
• CJ Saylor leads SDSU with nine saves, its the second-most in the MW.
Where Fresno State Ranks Offensively in the Mountain West [Through 41 Games]
• .273 Batting Average: No. 5 [Leader, NEV - .303]
• .389 Slugging Pct: No. 5 [Leader, NEV - .480]
• .353 On base Pct: No. 4 [Leader, NEV - .408]
• 208 Runs: No. 5 [Leader, NEV - 317]
• 368 Hits: No. 5 [Leader, NEV - 434]
• 182 RBI: No. 5 [Leader, NEV - 297]
• 56 Doubles: No. 6 [Leader, NEV - 110]
• 13 Triples: No. 3 [Leader, UNM - 16]
• 25 Home Runs: No. T-2 [Leader, NEV - 38]
- information current for games played through April 22
Where Fresno State Ranks Pitching in the Mountain West [Through 41 Games]
• 4.36 ERA: No. 3 [Leader, NEV - 3.89]
• .256 Opposing bat avg: No. 1
• 271 strikeouts: No. 5 [Leader, SDSU - 356]
• 67 strikeouts looking: No. 5 [Leader, UNLV - 108]
• 349 Hits allowed: No. 2 [Leader, AFA - 325]
• 82 doubles allowed: No. 5 [Leader, UNM - 62]
• 14 triples allowed: No. 7 [Leader, UNLV - 7]
• 27 home runs allowed: No. T-5 [Leader, AFA - 9]
• 162 walks allowed: No. 5 [Leader, UNLV - 133]
- information current for games played through April 22
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