Fresno State Athletics
Bulldogs travel to San Jose State [March 24-26]
3/23/2016 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
By: Travis Blanshan
tblanshan@csufresno.edu
GoBulldogs.com
SAN JOSE, Calif. - The 'Dogs look to extend their three-game winning streak this weekend in a three-game Mountain West series at San Jose State Thursday through Saturday.
Game 22-24: Fresno State (14-7, 4-2 MW) at San Jose State (6-13, 2-6 MW)
Fresno State Notes 
| MW Release
First Pitch: Mar. 24-26 - Thurs.: 6:00 p.m., Fri: 6:00 p.m., Sat: 1:00 p.m.
Stadium: Municipal Stadium (5,200)
All-Time Series: Fresno State leads 156-82
Last Meeting: Fresno State defeated San Jose State 3-0 on May 3, 2015 (San Jose, Calif.)
Radio: AM 940 ESPN
Play-by-Play: Paul Loeffler
Video: Mountain West Network
Live Stats: GoBulldogs.com
Twitter: @FresnoStateBSB
Bulldog Headlines
• Fresno State plays its third Mountain West series of the season traveling to San Jose State for a Thursday through Saturday series at Municipal Stadium.
• It will be the `Dogs second MW road series of the year after winning two of three at San Diego State March 4-6.
• The Bulldogs hold a 156-82 lead all-time against the Spartans. With 238 games between the two schools all-time, SJSU is the most commonly played opponent for Fresno State.
• The `Dogs and Spartans have played nine times since SJSU joined the MW in 2014 with Fresno State leading 6-3, including a 3-3 mark at San Jose State.
• Fresno State's 14-7 start to the season is the second-best 21-game start under head coach Mike Batesole eclipsed only by a 19-2 start by the 2011 team.
• The `Dogs 2.65 ERA, 187 strikeouts, .231 opponents' batting average and 55 earned runs allowed lead the Mountain West.
• Junior pitcher Jimmy Lambert leads the MW in wins (4), ERA (0.79), innings pitched (34.0), earned runs allowed (3) and walks allowed (3).
• On Tuesday (Mar. 8) it was approved by the CSU Committee on Institutional Advancement to name Fresno State's baseball facility, Pete Beiden Field at Bob Bennett Stadium.
Fresno State vs. San Jose State - The Series
• Fresno State leads the all-time series over San Jose State 156-82.
• SJSU is the most commonly played opponent for the `Dogs with 238 games between the two schools.
• The Bulldogs defeated the Spartans in five of the team's six matchups in 2015. (H 3-0, A 2-1).
• The `Dogs are 3-3 at SJSU in the last two years since the Spartans joined the MW in 2014.
• Head coach Mike Batesole is 16-13 at San Jose State since his first year in 2003.
Where Fresno State Ranks Offensively in the Mountain West in 2016 (as of 3/21/16)
• .255 Batting Average: No. 6 [Leader, AFA - .353]
• .357 Slugging Pct: No. 4 [Leader, AFA - .502]
• .340 On base Pct: No. 4 [Leader, UNM - .426]
• 28 sacrifice bunts: No. 1
• 105 Runs: No. 3 [Leader, UNM - 160]
• 171 Hits: No. 3 [Leader, UNM - 223]
• 89 RBI: No. 3 [Leader, UNM - 143]
• 32 Doubles: No. 3 [Leaders, UNM- 43]
• 6 Triples: No. T-3 [Leader, NEV- 13]
• 8 Home Runs: No. T-2 [Leader, UNM- 22]
Where Fresno State Ranks Pitching in the Mountain West in 2016 (as of 3/21/16)
• 2.65 ERA: No. 1
• .231 Opposing bat avg: No. 1
• 9 saves: No. 1
• 187 strikeouts: No. 1
• 55 Earned runs allowed: No. T-1
• 162 Hits allowed: No. 2 [Leader, AFA - 120]
• 66 walks allowed: No. 4 [Leader, SDSU- 51]
• 26 doubles allowed: No. 2 [Leader, AFA- 19]
• 4 triples allowed: No. 2 [Leader, AFA - 2]
Where Fresno State Players Rank in the Mountain West/NCAA in 2016 (as of 3/23/16)
Sacrifice flies: Jake Stone - 1st (5)/3rd in NCAA
Plate appearances - Austin Guibor - 2nd (96)
Doubles: Aaron Arruda - T-3rd (7)
Triples: Ryan Dobson - 3rd (3)/23rd in NCAA
Home Runs: Arruda - T-4th (4)
Sacrifice bunts: Stone -1st (8)/5th in NCAA
Strikeouts: Ricky Tyler Thomas - 1st (39)/23rd in NCAA
Lambert - 2nd (32)
ERA: Jimmy Lambert - 1st (0.79)/ 14th in NCAA
Thomas - 3rd (2.78)
Opposing batting avg: Lambert - 1st (.208)
Thomas - 3rd (.222)
Innings pitched: Lambert - 1st (34.0)
Thomas - 3rd (32.1)
Wins: Lambert - T-1st (4)/ 10th in NCAA
Saves: Tim Borst - 1st (6)/T-6th in NCAA
Walks allowed: Lambert - 1st (3)
Earned runs allowed: Lambert - 1st (3)
Appearances: Borst & Brennon Williams - T-1st (11)
Taking a look at the San Jose State Spartans
The San Jose State Spartans enter this weekend's Mountain West series with a 6-13 overall record after being swept at MW foe New Mexico last weekend. The Spartans own a 2-6 mark in the Mountain West splitting a pair of games at home against Air Force and took one of three at UNLV.
The Spartans, predicted to finish seventh in the MW preseason coaches poll, rank fifth in the MW in batting average (.262), runs scored (88), hits (167) and RBIs (79). Sophomore infielder Shane Timmons leads the team with a .377 average, 26 hits, 11 runs scored, four doubles and 14 RBIs.
The pitching staff has a staff ERA of 5.91, seventh in the MW, but ranks fourth in the conference in runs allowed (117). Sophomore right-hander Matt Brown leads the team with a 3.24 ERA posting a 1-1 record tossing 25.0 innings and has a team-high 19 strikeouts. Junior left-hander Graham Gomez has a 1-1 record with a 3.31 ERA in 16.1 innings along with 13 strikeouts.
Pitching Dominance
Fresno State continues to get outstanding pitching from its pitching staff as both the starters and relievers have started off hot. After the first 21 games, the `Dogs rank first in the Mountain West in ERA (2.65), opposing batting average (.231), strikeouts (187), earned runs allowed (55) and saves (9).
In addition, the `Dogs rank second in hits allowed (162), doubles allowed (26), and triples allowed (4).
The `Dogs team ERA of 2.65 ranks 21sr in the nation and Fresno State is 46th in hits allowed per nine innings at 7.81.
Lambert off to a great start to his junior season
Jimmy Lambert has gotten off to a phenomenal start to his junior season leading the Mountain West in wins (4), ERA (0.79), innings pitched (34.0), earned runs allowed (3), and walks allowed (3).
The San Dimas native is coming off a six-inning outing last Saturday (March 19) as he picked up his fourth win allowing five hits, one earned run and tied his career-high with nine strikeouts in a 6-2 win over UNLV. The win snapped the `Dogs seven-game losing skid; its longest losing streak since 2013.
Lambert started the season tossing 6.1 innings and allowing one earned run against Creighton on Feb. 20. He tossed a complete game shutout over Youngstown State on Feb. 27 and followed that up with seven innings and a career-high nine strikeouts in a 10-5 win over San Diego State on March 5 to earn back-to-back MW Pitcher of the Week honors.
Gonzalez moves into weekend rotation
Freshman right-handed pitcher Edgar Gonzalez moved into the weekend rotation on Sunday making his first weekend start as a Bulldog against UNLV. Gonzalez made four of his first five starts in the midweek, and after pitching four innings with six strikeouts in each of his last two midweek starts against LBSU and Oklahoma, has made his move into weekend rotation.
The freshman from Newark has six starts to rank first in the MW and third in the nation. He is 1-0 with a 3.38 ERA throwing 21.1 innings and ranks fourth on the club with 21 strikeouts.
Ashford moves into leadoff role
After dropping seven straight games after opening the season winning 11 straight, the `Dogs looked for a jumpstart at the top of the lineup against UNLV on March 19.
Moving Austin Guibor down to fifth in the order, the `Dogs elevated Zach Ashford into the leadoff role. In three games since the move, the freshman is 5-for-7 with a double, four runs scored, three RBIs and has drawn four walks. He has a .714 batting average, .833 on-base percentage and a .857 slugging percentage.
`Dogs sacrificing for the team
Fresno State leads the Mountain West and ranks fourth in the nation with 28 sacrifice bunts.
Getting at least one sacrifice hit in 14 of the Bulldogs 21 games, Jake Stone leads the MW and ranks fifth in the country with eight. The `Dogs had a season-high five in Tuesday's 6-4 win at Saint Mary's and have got at least one sacrifice hit from 10 different players.
Lee & Williams having strong senior seasons in relief
Brennon Williams and Dylan Lee, a pair of senior relievers for the `Dogs, have combined for 21 appearances with two saves for the Bulldogs in relief. The pair has allowed only six earned runs with 27 strikeouts in 30.1 innings.
Borst ranks sixth in the NCAA in saves
Senior pitcher Tim Borst ranks sixth in saves with six. He is tied with Williams with 11 appearances to lead the MW and has a 1.12 ERA and 23 strikeouts in 16.0 innings His six saves are tied for 10th-most in a single season in program history and the Moreno Valley native now has 11 in his career to tie for sixth-most all-time.
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