Fresno State Athletics
Bulldogs host San Jose State [April 22-24]
4/21/2016 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
By: Travis Blanshan
tblanshan@csufresno.edu
GoBulldogs.com
FRESNO, Calif. - Fresno State will see its first Mountain West opponent for the second time this season welcoming San Jose State to Pete Beiden Field for three-game series starting Friday.
Game 39-41: San Jose State (11-25, 4-14 MW) at Fresno State (24-14, 12-6 MW)
Fresno State Notes 
| SJSU Notes
Probable Pitching Matchups:
Friday: Graham Gomez (1-4, 5.97) vs. Ricky Tyler Thomas (5-3, 2.17)
Saturday: Logan Handzlik (1-2, 8.00) vs. Jimmy Lambert (7-0, 2.26)
Sunday: Josh Nashed (0-4, 5.94) vs. Edgar Gonzalez (2-1, 3.35)
Weekend Promotions:
Friday: Facial Hair Friday - Wear real or fake facial hair and get into the game for free.
Saturday: Like Mike Night - Any fan named Mike (or female variation) receives free admission.
Sunday: Autism Awareness Day & Salute to Sunday with all active or military veterans getting into the game for free.
First Pitch: - Fri: 6:05 p.m., Sat: 6:05 p.m., Sun: 1:05 p.m.
Stadium: Beiden Field (5,757)
Surface: Grass
Dimensions: 330 (LF), 400 (CF), 330 (RF)
All-Time Series: Fresno State leads 158-83
Last Meeting: San Jose State won 3-2 in 10 innings (March 26, 2016 at Fresno State)
Radio (Fri. & Sat.): AM 940 ESPN
Radio (Sun.): AM 790 ESPN2
Play-by-play: Paul Loeffler
Video: N/A
Live Stats: GoBulldogs.com
Twitter: @FresnoStateBSB
Bulldog Headlines
• Fresno State fell 7-1 at Cal Poly on Tuesday for only its third defeat of 2016 by six or more runs.
• The Bulldogs swept Nevada at home April 15-17 taking down the Wolf Pack by scores of 5-4, 8-3 and 7-6 for their second Mountain West series sweep of the season.
• The Bulldogs have a 19-3 record at home this season and are one of just six teams in the nation with at least 22 home games and fewer than three losses.
• Fresno St. has won five of this year's six MW series and sits in second place in the MW with a 12-6 mark, two games behind New Mexico, entering this weekend.
• The 'Dogs won two games at SJSU in March and have won seven of the last nine meetings.
• The 'Dogs 3.48 ERA, 318 strikeouts, .253 opponents' batting average, 131 earned runs and 15 saves lead the Mountain West.
• Junior pitcher Jimmy Lambert leads the MW in wins (7) and walks allowed (5), while ranking second in innings pitched (63.2), third in ERA (2.26) & fourth in strikeouts (49).
• Senior outfielder Brody Russell is third in the MW in slugging percentage (.641) and hits (54) and is fourth in batting average (.412), RBIs (35) and doubles (14).
• Lambert is now one of six pitchers in the nation who have started at least nine games and are perfect 7-0.
Fresno State vs. San Jose State - The Series
• Fresno State leads the all-time series over San Jose State 158-83.
• SJSU is the most commonly played opponent for the 'Dogs with 241 games between the two schools.
• The Bulldogs downed the Spartans in two of three games in San Jose in March with the 'Dogs winning 13-4 and 9-4 before falling 3-2 in 10 innings.
• The 'Dogs are 3-0 at home against SJSU since the Spartans joined the MW in 2014 sweeping the three-game series at Pete Beiden Field in 2015 by scores of 6-4, 9-2 and 6-3.
• Head coach Mike Batesole is 42-23 against San Jose State as the head coach at Fresno State.
Where Fresno State Ranks Offensively in the Mountain West in 2016 (as of 4/21/16)
• .286 Batting Average: No. 3 [Leaders, AFA - .318]
• .408 Slugging Pct: No. 3 [Leader, UNM- .489]
• .357 On base Pct: No. 4 [Leader, UNM - .413]
• 51 sacrifice bunts: No. 1 [2nd in the nation behind Texas]
• 219 Runs: No. 3 [Leader, UNM - 297]
• 362 Hits: No. 3 [Leader, UNM - 437]
• 191 RBI: No. 3 [Leader, UNM - 275]
• 69 Doubles: No. 3 [Leader, UNM- 95]
• 11 Triples: No. T-4 [Leader, NEV & AFA- 15]
• 21 Home Runs: No. 2 [Leader, UNM- 39]
Where Fresno State Ranks Pitching in the Mountain West in 2016 (as of 4/21/16)
• 3.48 ERA: No. 1
• .253 Opposing bat avg: No. 1
• 15 saves: No. 1
• 318 strikeouts: No. 1
• 131 Earned runs allowed: No. 1
• 328 Hits allowed: No. 3 [Leader, AFA - 287]
• 124 walks allowed: No. 3 [Leader, NEV - 94]
• 50 doubles allowed: No. 2 [Leader, AFA - 45]
• 6 triples allowed: No. 1
• 20 home runs allowed: No. T-3 [Leader, AFA - 13]
Where Fresno State Players Rank in the Mountain West/NCAA in 2016 (as of 4/21/16)
Batting average: Brody Russell - 4th (.412)/21st in NCAA
Slugging percentage: Russell - 3rd (.641)/51st in NCAA
Doubles: Russell - 4th (14)/ 37th in NCAA
RBI: Russell - 4th (35)
Walks: Guibor - 3rd (24)
Sacrifice flies: Jake Stone - 1st (6)/5th in NCAA
Sacrifice bunts: Guibor - 1st (10)/13th in NCAA
Strikeouts: Ricky Tyler Thomas - 1st (67)/32nd in NCAA
Jimmy Lambert - T-4th (49)
ERA: Thomas - 2nd (2.17)
Lambert - 3rd (2.26)
Innings pitched: Lambert - 2nd (63.2)
Earned runs allowed: Thomas & Edgar Gonzalez -T-2nd (15)
Lambert - 4th (16)
Walks allowed: Lambert - 1st (5)
Doubles allowed: Gonzalez - 1st (3)
Starts: Edgar Gonzalez - 1st (10)/4th in NCAA
Wins: Lambert - 1st (7)/3rd in NCAA
Saves: Tim Borst - 3rd (6)/55th in NCAA
Appearances: Brennon Williams - T-1st (19)
Taking a look at the San Jose State Spartans
The San Jose State Spartans enter this weekend's Mountain West series with an 11-25 overall record and a 4-14 mark in the Mountain West. They have dropped their last three games and eight of their last 10 dating back to April 8.
The Spartans rank fourth in the MW in hits (343), fifth in batting average (.281) and RBIs (79) and check in sixth in runs scored (173) and slugging percentage (.363). Sophomore infielder Shane Timmons leads the team with a .358 average from the plate, ranks second on the club in hits (39) and home runs (2) and is third in RBIs (17) and doubles (6).
The pitching staff has an ERA of 6.39 and opposing batters are hitting .334 against the Spartans; marks that both rank last in the MW. The Spartans have also allowed a league-leading 221 earned runs and 96 doubles.
Sunday starter Josh Nashed has tossed a team-high 53.0 innings and leads the Spartans with 30 strikeouts on the season. Junior left-hander Graham Gomez will make his fifth start on Friday followed by junior right-hander Logan Handzlik, a Fresno native, scheduled to start on Saturday.
Jimmy Lambert & Korby Batesole named to Watch Lists
A pair of Bulldogs were named to initial watch lists for Player of the Year Awards given to the top pitcher and shortstop in college baseball annually.
Junior right-hander Jimmy Lambert was named to the College Baseball Hall of Fame National Pitcher of the Year Watch List on Wednesday as the lone representative from the Mountain West.
Sophomore shortstop Korby Batesole followed that up on Thursday being named to the Brooks Wallace Watch List given to the nation's top shortstop.
Bulldogs continue to flourish at Pete Beiden Field
The Bulldogs continue to play well at home this season after a three-game sweep of Nevada last weekend moved the 'Dogs record to 19-3 at Pete Beiden Field in 2016.
The Bulldogs are now one of only six teams in the country with at least 22 home games to have lost three or fewer games on the season. They are joined by Louisville (24-1), South Carolina (22-1), Texas A&M (22-1), Florida (23-2), South Alabama (20-2) in exclusive company.
Lambert stays perfect in 2016
Lambert stayed perfect in 2016 on Saturday tossing seven innings allowing eight hits, two earned runs, no walks and notched seven strikeouts in an 8-3 win over the Nevada Wolf Pack.
He remains one of only six pitchers in the nation with at least nine starts to have an unblemished 7-0 mark joining Dustin Beggs (Kentucky), Robby Howell (UCF), Kade McClure (Louisville), Michael Rucker (BYU) and Logan Shore (Florida).
Pitching duo dominating strikeout-to-walk ratio
Lambert and sophomore southpaw Ricky Tyler Thomas continue to pile up the strikeouts on the season, while limiting the number of free passes issued.
On the season, Lambert leads the MW and ranks seventh in the NCAA with a 9.8 strikeout-to-walk ratio with 49 strikeouts to only five walks allowed. Thomas counters with a MW-leading 67 strikeouts and only 10 walks issued for a 6.7 mark to rank 24th in the country.
Lambert among top 10 in country in two other pitching categories
Lambert also ranks in the top 10 in the nation in victories ranking third with seven and is sixth in walks allowed per nine innings at 0.71.
Fresno State ranks second in the Mountain West in the RPI
After debuting at No. 41 in the first release of the RPI on April 5, the 'Dogs find themselves 65th on April 21 to rank second in the Mountain West behind New Mexico (53).
Nevada (139), UNLV (149), Air Force (156), San Diego State (186) and San Jose State (202) round the Mountain West.
The 'Dogs have played 11 games against top 100 programs in Texas A&M (5), Saint Mary's (35), Creighton (41), Long Beach State (64), Oklahoma (96) and Cal Poly (99).
Brody Russell continues his 2016 offensive tear
Senior outfielder Brody Russell has stayed hot from the dish for the 'Dogs since March 18 hitting .471 (40-85) over his last 20 games with 12 doubles, a triple, three home runs, 19 runs scored, 23 RBIs along with a .741 slugging percentage & a .505 on-base percentage.
Entering the season as a career .243 hitter, Russell has improved to .272 after hitting .412 so far as a senior. He has already matched or surpassed single-season career highs in hits (54), runs (29), doubles (14), triples (2), home runs (4), runs (29), RBIs (35) and total bases (84).
Viers plays in his 200th game as a Bulldog
Senior first baseman/designated hitter Kevin Viers played in his 200th game as a Bulldog after coming in as a defensive replacement in Tuesday's contest at Cal Poly.
He is now only seven games shy of moving into the top 10 in career games played and is 15 away from moving into seventh-place with Matt Curtis (1993-96) at 215.
He has appeared in 29 games this season after playing in 171 of the Bulldogs 172 games from 2013-15 missing only one game as a sophomore in 2014.
A career .237 hitter, Viers has 158 hits in 666 at-bats with 34 doubles, six triples, 15 home runs, 86 RBIs and 90 runs scored in his Bulldog career.
Russell also rapidly approaching 200 games
Senior outfielder Brody Russell is nearing his 200th game played as well having played in 194 games at Fresno State, including 36 as a senior.
For his career, he has made 165 starts and has 164 hits in 604 at-bats for a .272 average. He has 34 doubles, two triples, 12 home runs, 88 RBIs and 90 runs scored as a Bulldog.
'Dogs sacrificing for the team
Fresno State continues to lead the Mountain West and rank second in the nation behind Texas with 51 sacrifice bunts. Getting down at least one sacrifice hit in 29 of 38 games, the 'Dogs have laid down at least one in 19 of its last 22 contests dating back to March 19 vs. UNLV.
Austin Guibor leads the MW and ranks 13th in the country with 10. Jake Stone is right behind him with nine followed by Brody Russell and Korby Batesole with five apiece.
The 'Dogs had a season-high five on March 22 in a 6-4 win at Saint Mary's and have got at least one sacrifice hit from 11 different players.
'Dogs rank third in MW in extra-base hits
For the season, the 'Dogs have 101 extra-base knocks to rank third in the MW behind New Mexico (146) and Air Force (104). UNLV (81), Nevada (81), San Diego State (75) and San Jose State (71) round out the MW teams.
Sophomore southpaw Ricky Tyler Thomas flourishing in Friday night role
Thomas has established himself as one of the top arms in the Mountain West this season as the 'Dogs Friday night starter. The San Diego native leads the MW with 67 strikeouts, ranks second in ERA (2.17), opposing batting average (.212) and earned runs allowed (15) and ranks third in innings pitched (62.1).
Pete Beiden Field at Bob Bennett Stadium
The CSU Committee on Institutional Advancement approved the motion to name Fresno State's baseball facility, Pete Beiden Field at Bob Bennett Stadium, on March 8. The field honors Bob Bennett, the program's all-time winningest coach, who compiled 1,302 win in 34 seasons. The field will be formally dedicated to Mr. Bennett with a celebration on May 7 vs. SDSU.
"Be Bold!" - The official home of the Fresno State Bulldogs is 940 AM ESPN Radio. Stay connected with the Bulldogs on Facebook (Fresno State Athletics), Instagram (FresnoStateAthletics), Twitter (@FresnoStateBSB) and Snapchat (FSAthletics).
