Fresno State Athletics
Baseball Preview: vs. Nevada [April 10-12]
4/9/2015 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
By: Matt Burkholder
mburkholder@csufresno.edu
GoBulldogs.com
Games 34-36: Nevada Wolf Pack (26-7, 12-3 MW) at Fresno State Bulldogs (16-17, 7-5 MW)
Fresno State Game Notes 
| Nevada Game Notes
First Pitch: April 10-12 - Fri: 6:35pm; Sat: 6:35pm ; Sun: 1:05pm
Stadium: Beiden Field
Surface: Grass
Dimensions: 330 (LF), 400 (CF), 330 (RF)
All-Time Series: Fresno State leads 95-56
Last Meeting: NEV defeated FS, 7-4 (Feb. 22, 2015)
Radio: AM 790 ESPN
Play-by-play: Paul Loeffler
Analyst: Bryan Marsoobian
Video: Mountain West Network
Live Stats: Statbroadcast.com
Twitter: @FresnoStateBSB
Bulldog Headlines
• Fresno State enters the weekend series as the No. 3 seed in the Mountain West (7-5), behind Nevada who sits atop the conference with San Diego State at 12-3.
• Nevada swept Fresno State in Reno to open MW play, Feb. 20-22.
• Fresno State swept Nevada the last time it visited Beiden Field (2014).
• The `Dogs own a five-game losing streak, matching a season-high.
• Fresno State was ranked No. 65 in the season's first RPI rankings released on April 7.
• Austin Guibor leads Fresno State with a .347 batting average.
• Fresno State's only four home losses are by one run in each game.
Fresno State vs. Nevada - The Series
• The Wolf Pack have won four-straight games over the Bulldogs, which includes a 2015 sweep in Reno that opened Mountain West action for the 'Dogs (Feb. 20-22). Nevada ended the Bulldogs season in 2014 in the MW Championship tournament to start its string of wins.
• The last Fresno State win was on May 21, 2014, the opening game of the MW Championship tournament for both teams.
• Fresno State swept Nevada the last time it visited Beiden Field (Feb. 21-23, 2014).
• Fresno State and Nevada have played 151 times, the fourth longest rivalry Fresno State has behind San Jose State, Cal Poly and Sacramento State.
• Both schools departed the WAC for the MW after the 2012 season, since that time Fresno State owns an 11-9 advantage in 20 games - the Bulldogs have not played any other team more over that span.
• Fresno State and Nevada last shared conference affiliation in the WAC from 2000-12.
The Second Time Around
Fresno State will play the second half of a home-and-home with a Mountain West opponent for the first time in 2015 when it hosts Nevada this weekend, April 10-12. The Bulldogs opened conference action against the Wolf Pack in Reno Feb. 20-22, four games into the 2015 slate. Nevada swept the MW series 3-0 - starting with a walk-off win in the 10th inning from the bat of Austin Byler (HR). Fresno State led the series opener 7-1 before Nevada battled back for the 9-8 win. The Wolf Pack won game two 12-7 and game three 7-4. The last time Nevada traveled to Beiden Field, the Bulldogs swept the series 3-0, Feb. 21-23, 2014.
'Dogs Look to End Skid at Home
By virtue of being swept at then-ranked No. 15 UC Santa Barbara in four games and falling to New Mexico in the Sunday finale in Albuquerque on March 29, Fresno State has matched its longest losing streak of the season at five games. Nevada was a part of the `Dogs previous longest losing skid that started on Feb. 17 at home to Cal Poly, continued at Nevada, and was extended with an extra inning loss to USC on Feb. 24. The Bulldogs broke the streak on a Friday at home vs. MW opponent UNLV (W, 4-0).
12 Games Decided By One Run
Fresno State has been involved in 12 games decided by one run out of 33 games in 2015 and owns a 3-9 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 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.
Bulldogs Pegged No. 65
The NCAA released its first RPI (rating percentage index) rankings of the 2015 season on April 7 and Fresno State ranked No. 65 out of 301 teams. That ranking places fourth among Mountain West teams as New Mexico (No. 42), San Diego State (No. 48) and Nevada (No. 50) solidified the MW as a strong contender to place multiple teams in the NCAA postseason.
Home Sweet Home
Fresno State returns home on Friday where they are 14-4 in 2015 to take on Nevada. Of the four games the Bulldogs have lost, each one was decided by one run. In their 18 home games thus far, the `Dogs own a .298 team batting average and 2.48 team earned run average at Beiden Field, contrasted by a .250 team batting average and a 6.39 team ERA in 15 games on the road.
Sophomore Austin Guibor Having Breakout Season
Despite some struggles on Fresno State's recent season-long seven game road trip, sophomore Austin Guibor kept pace with what's shaping up to be a breakout year. In seven road games, Guibor led Fresno State with a team best .375 (9-for-24) batting average - Guibor posted two hits in each of the three games he played in at UC Santa Barbara. For the season, the Bulldog sophomore leads Fresno State with a .347 average through 33 games, boasting 35 hits (second to Taylor Ward - 38). Guibor has served primarily as the 'Dogs leadoff hitter in 2015, starting 21 of 27 games in that spot. As a freshman, Guibor sported a .241 batting average in 18 starts and 43 games played in.
Surprising Lack of Production
Two of Fresno State's main offensive sources, Taylor Ward and Manny Argomaniz, had a difficult time connecting against the UC Santa Barbara pitching staff. The two Bulldog stars combined to go 1-for-31 in the four game series. Ward entered the series with a .359 batting average and left it with a .322 average, while Argomaniz entered the series vs. UCSB with a .309 average and left it with a .270 average. The two Bulldogs account for 72 of Fresno State's 300 hits in 2015.
Around the Mountain West
Fresno State enters the weekend as the No. 3 seed in the Mountain West with a 7-5 record, and have gone 7-2 in conference action since traveling to Nevada to open conference play (Feb. 20-22). The Wolf Pack are tied atop the MW with San Diego State at 12-3. Other conference action over the weekend includes two teams tied for the No. 4 seed, Air Force at New Mexico, who both own 8-7 conference marks (Air Force also traveled to UNM to open conference play Feb. 20-22 to play its home series on the road due to snow in Colorado Springs). No. 1 San Diego State will travel to San Jose State, who is tied with UNLV at the bottom of the MW standings with identical 2-13 records. The Rebels are the only team playing out of conference - at Ohio State.
The Long Ball
Fresno State and Nevada enter the weekend series No. 1 and No. 2 in home runs in the Mountain West. The Wolf Pack boasts 30 homers while the Bulldogs own 22. Of all the 'Dogs home runs, 19 of 22 took place at Beiden Field. Fresno State homered once during its recent seven-game road trip thanks to Austin Guibor ripping one to right field at UC Santa Barbara on April 1. Taylor Ward leads the Bulldogs individually with six homers. Prior to the Bulldogs hitting the road for New Mexico to start its seven-game road trip, Fresno State sported a five-game winning streak, and in all five wins Fresno State accounted for at least one home run in each game.
Watch for the Bunt
Fresno State and Nevada enter the weekend series No. 1 and No. 2 in sacrifice hits in the Mountain West. The Wolf Pack has registered 36 sac hits, one more than Fresno State at 35. Those figures both rank inside the Top 15 among all teams in the NCAA.
Bulldogs Find Depth with Kenny Corey
Redshirt freshman Kenny Corey has made 11 starts, including two in the Bulldogs last series at UC Santa Barbara, and has seen action in 25 of 33 games as a first-year player. Corey owns a .349 batting average (15-for-43). At UCSB he went 4-for-9 and registered his first career triple in a pinch-hit situation, the ball was only a few feet shy of being his first career home run. Corey has made five starts at second base, four in left field and two as the designated hitter.
Record Day in Pac-12 Country
The Bulldogs started its season-best five-game win streak at then-ranked No. 8 USC on March 17. 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.
Scouting Nevada
• Nevada is 12-3 in the Mountain West, tied atop the conference with San Diego State. • Nevada owns the Mountain West's best overall record at 26-7.
•.Nevada is 9-5 on the road vs. 17-2 at home.
• Nevada ranks third in the RPI (No. 50) among Mountain West teams.
• Nevada is ranked three national polls - Collegiate Baseball (No. 19), D1Baseball.com (No. 24) and the National Collegiate Baseball Writers' Poll (No. 27).
• Senior Austin Byler and junior Ryan Howell were named to the midseason Golden Spikes Award watch list on Thursday, April 9 - a 60-player watch list that will recognize college baseball's top player at the end of the season.
• Ryan Howell leads the MW with 10 home runs and ranks T-5 in the NCAA.
• Closer Adam Whitt is tied for the nation's lead in saves with 11.
• Nevada leads the nation in doubles with 89.
• Nevada ranks fourth in the NCAA with 39 double plays turned.
• Nevada leads the MW in team batting average (.302), slugging percentage (.477), on base percentage (.403), runs scored (239), RBI (223), doubles (89), home runs (30), walks (152), sac bunts (36), hit by pitch (53) and total bases (541).
• Nevada owns the top team earned run average at 3.65.
• The Wolf Pack is 19-0 when scoring six or more runs.
Where Fresno State Ranks Offensively in the Mountain West [Through 33 Games]
• .275 Batting Average: No. 5 [Leader, NEV - .302]
• .401 Slugging Pct: No. 5 [Leader, NEV - .477]
• .355 On base Pct: No. 5 [Leader, NEV - .403]
• 165 Runs: No. 5 [Leader, NEV - 239]
• 300 Hits: No. 4 [Leader, SDSU - 345]
• 146 RBI: No. 5 [Leader, NEV - 223]
• 51 Doubles: No. 5 [Leader, NEV - 89]
• 10 Triples: No. T-3 [Leader, UNM - 14]
• 22 Home Runs: No. 2 [Leader, NEV - 30]
- information current for games played through April 9
Where Fresno State Ranks Pitching in the Mountain West [Through 33 Games]
• 4.18 ERA: No. 3 [Leader, NEV - 3.65]
• .255 Opposing bat avg: No. 3 [Leader, AFA - .251]
• 218 strikeouts: No. 5 [Leader, SDSU - 290]
• 57 strikeouts looking: No. 5 [Leader, UNLV - 89]
• 278 Hits allowed: No. 2 [Leader, AFA - 252]
• 66 doubles allowed: No. 5 [Leader, UNM - 49]
• 9 triples allowed: No. T-4 [Leader, UNLV/AFA - 7]
• 24 home runs allowed: No. T-6 [Leader, AFA - 9]
• 131 walks allowed: No. 6 [Leader, UNLV - 95]
- information current for games played through April 9
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