Diamond 'Dogs eye Mountain West Tournament berth hosting UNLV for Senior Weekend

Thursday, May 17

Fresno, CA

6:05 PM

Fresno State

UNLV

Diamond 'Dogs eye Mountain West Tournament berth hosting UNLV for Senior Weekend

5/16/2018 3:00:00 PM | Baseball

Fresno State Notes (PDF)

The Diamond 'Dogs look to punch their ticket to the Mountain West Tournament next week hosting UNLV for Senior Weekend at Bob Bennett Stadium Thursday through Saturday.

By: Travis Blanshan / Assistant Director of Communications

FRESNO, Calif. - The Diamond 'Dogs look to punch their ticket to next week's Mountain West Tournament hosting UNLV for Senior Weekend at Bob Bennett Stadium Thursday through Saturday.

Games 52-54: UNLV (32-20, 13-14 MW) at Fresno State (28-23, 11-16 MW)

First Pitch: May 17-19 - Thu: 6:05 p.m.; Fri: 6:05 p.m.; Sat: 2:05 p.m.
Stadium: Pete Beiden Field at Bob Bennett Stadium
Surface: Grass
Dimensions: 330 (LF), 400 (CF), 330 (RF)
All-Time Series: Fresno State leads 53-36
Last Meeting: UNLV won 5-4 over Fresno State on March 4, 2018 in Fresno, Calif.

Radio: 940 AM ESPN
Play-by-play: Paul Loeffler
Video: Mountain West Network
Live Stats: Sidearm
Twitter: @FresnoStateBSB

Pitching Probables: Fresno State vs. UNLV
Friday: Jr. RHP Edgar Gonzalez (7-2, 3.03) vs. Sr. RHP Alan Strong (7-2, 3.56)
Saturday: TBA vs. TBA
Sunday: TBA vs. TBA

Promotions: Senior Weekend
*All Senior Citizens Get In FREE All Weekend With Valid ID!

Thursday, May 17
First Pitch: Allison Cutler
National Anthem: Sabrina Schick
Team Of The Game: Roosevelt Elementary Baseball Team

Friday, May 18
First Pitch: Ashley Judlin (Student Manager) & Kali Hartzold (Athletic Trainer)
National Anthem: Dr. Asia Smith

Saturday, May 19
Youth Jersey Saturday: All Kids Wearing Their Youth Team Jersey Get In FREE!
Post-Game: Kids Will Be Welcomed To Run The Bases!

Senior Day Activities
1:45pm – Start Senior Ceremony (Korby Batesole, Torin Goldstein, JJ Santa Cruz, Nick Warren)
1:55pm – First Pitches Thrown By Senior Moms
2:00pm – Fresno State Takes The Field
2:03pm – National Anthem
2:05pm – Play Ball!

Bulldog Headlines
• Fresno State concludes the regular season this weekend hosting UNLV for the first time since March 2016 for Senior Weekend at Bob Bennett Stadium.
• The Bulldogs and Rebels met earlier this season in Las Vegas with UNLV winning three one-run games to complete a series sweep of the 'Dogs.
• Fresno State leads the all-time series against UNLV, 53-36 while head coach Mike Batesole is 16-13 against the Rebels.
• The 'Dogs will honor their four seniors prior to Saturday's game as it will be the final career home games for Korby Batesole, Torin Goldstein, JJ Santa Cruz & Nick Warren.
• The Bulldogs currently lead the Mountain West in sacrifice bunts (45) while ranking second in home runs (48) and are third in slugging percentage (.457).
• Junior OF Zach Ashford ranks sixth in the MW in batting average at .359.
• Junior RHP Edgar Gonzalez currently leads the MW in innings pitched (86.0), strikeouts (103) & ERA (3.03).

Fresno State vs. UNLV - The Series
• The Fresno State/UNLV series dates back to 1977 with the Bulldogs leading 49-37.
• When Fresno State joined the MW to start the 2013 season, it was the first time since 1999 the two teams met when both programs were members of the WAC.
• As MW foes, the Bulldogs lead 17-13 despite being swept at UNLV in early March.
• The 'Dogs are 8-5 vs. UNLV in Fresno since 2013 winning one game apiece in '13 (as well as a MW Tournament game) & '14, sweeping a three-game series in '15 and winning two of three in '16. The two teams did not meet in Fresno in '17.
• In a weird Mountain West scheduling quirk, Fresno State has played three series at UNLV since the last time the Rebels played in Fresno on March 20, 2016.

SERIES HISTORY
All-Time: Fresno State 49-37
Last Meeting: March 4, 2018 (Las Vegas, Nev.) - L, 5-4
Current Streak: L4
Last Fresno State Win: May 6, 2017 (11-5) - Las Vegas, Nev.
Last UNLV Win: March 4, 2018 (5-4) - Las Vegas, Nev.

Where Fresno State Ranks Offensively in the Mountain West/nation in 2018 (as of 5/16/18)
• .299 Batting Average: No. 4
• .457 Slugging Pct: No. 3
• .368 On base Pct: No. 5
• 45 sacrifice bunts: No. 1 - 13th nationally
• 297 Runs: No. 5
• 527 Hits: No. 4
• 273 RBI: No. 5
• 109 Doubles: No. 4
• 13 Triples: No. 6
• 48 Home Runs: No. 3

Where Fresno State Ranks Pitching in the Mountain West/nation in 2018 (as of 5/16/18)
• 4.98 ERA: No. 4
• .269 Opposing bat average: No. 2
• 12 saves: No. 5
• 438 strikeouts: No. 1
• 251 Earned runs allowed: No. 3
• 473 Hits allowed: No. 3
• 210 walks allowed: No. 5
• 79 doubles allowed: No. 2
• 11 triples allowed: No. 3
• 33 home runs allowed: No. 3

Where Fresno State Ranks Fielding in the Mountain West/nation in 2018 (as of 5/16/18)
• .969 Fielding Percentage: No. 5
• 527 Assists: No. 4
• 45 double plays: No. T-6

Where Fresno State Players Rank in the Mountain West/NCAA in 2018 (as of 5/16/18)
Batting average: Zach Ashford - 6th (.359)
Hits: Ashford - 8th (74)
Doubles: Carter Bins & Ashford - T-5th (18)
Home runs: Jeremiah Burks & JT Arruda - T-8th (8)
Sacrifice bunts: Korby Batesole - 1st (14) - 4th nationally

ERA: Edgar Gonzalez - 1st (3.03); Nikoh Mitchell - 2nd (3.10)
Opposing Batting Average: Mitchell - 1st (.189)
Innings pitched: Gonzalez - 1st (86.0)
Strikeouts: Gonzalez - 1st (103) - 21st nationally
Wins: Gonzalez - T-2nd (7)
Saves: Jamison Hill - 7th (5)
Appearances: Hill - T-4th (24)
Earned runs allowed: Mitchell - 1st (18)
Hits allowed: Mitchell - 1st (35)
Walks allowed: Jaime Arias - 2nd (11)
Doubles allowed: Mitchell - 2nd (6)

A look at the UNLV Rebels
UNLV enters this weekend's final Mountain West series against the 'Dogs with a 32-20 overall record and is currently tied with San Jose State for third in the MW with a 13-14 mark.

The Rebels, who are 9-13 on the road this season, are 4-8 in 12 MW road games winning two of three at Air Force, one game at Nevada and New Mexico and were swept at San Diego State in late April.

UNLV currently leads the MW and ranks fifth in the nation hitting .316 as a team while also leading the league in slugging percentage (.499), on-base percentage (.393), hits (592), doubles (129), home runs (62), total bases (937), walks (222) and sacrifice flies (24).

Sophomore Bryson Stott leads the league and ranks 18th in the nation in batting average hitting .396 from the plate while the Las Vegas native also leads the MW in on-base percentage (.477), runs (58), hits (88), at-bats (222), doubles (29) and ranks third in the league in stolen bases (14) and total bases (135).

Five other Rebel starters are also hitting over .300 from the plate while junior first baseman Nick Ames is hitting .298 & ranks 2nd in the MW in runs (65) and home runs (16).

On the mound, UNLV sports a staff ERA of 5.01 to rank fourth in the MW while holding opponents to a .251 average and 5.8 runs per game. The Rebels allow an average of 10.6 hits per game and have 315 strikeouts while allowing 157 walks for a 2.00 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

Senior right-hander Alan Strong has been the Rebels top starter all season starting 13 games posting a 7-2 record with a 3.56 ERA (7th in MW) throwing 81.0 innings (2nd) while notching 77 strikeouts (3rd). Junior righty Trevor Horn, the reigning MW Pitcher of the Week, is 4-5 with a 6.64 ERA and has also made 13 starts this season while throwing 62.1 innings and has 36 strikeouts. Redshirt sophomore Chase Maddux has also started 13 games winning three games tossing 60.0 innings while striking out 21.

'Dogs at home against UNLV
The Bulldogs will host UNLV for the first time since March 2016 as the 'Dogs are 8-5 in Fresno against the Rebels since moving to the Mountain West.
April 5-7, 2013 - 1-2 [L, 9-8; L, 9-8; W, 5-3; W, 6-4]
April 4-6, 2014 - 1-2 [L, 6-0; W, 2-0; L, 7-0]
Feb. 27 - March 1, 2015 - 3-0 [W, 10-5; W, 2-1; W, 4-0]
March 18-20, 2016 - 2-1 [L, 4-2; W, 6-2; W, 4-3]

Four seniors to be honored on Senior Day Saturday
The 'Dogs will honor their four seniors on Saturday before the 'Dogs final regular season game of the season against UNLV. This year's senior class features a pair of five-year Bulldogs in Torin Goldstein and Nick Warren, four-year 'Dog Korby Batesole and two-year pitcher JJ Santa Cruz.

Korby Batesole - 208 GP, 190 GS, 183 Hits, 20 2B, 7 3B, 7 HR, 74 RBIs, 88 Runs (Q&A)
Torin Goldstein - 84 GP, 15 GS, 46 Hits, 7 2B, 3 HR, 32 RBIs, 14 Runs (Q&A)
JJ Santa Cruz - 41 GP, 9 GS, 4-1, 7.53 ERA, 3 SV, 50.2 IP, 51 K
Nick Warren - 128 GP, 78 GS, 68 Hits, 9 2B, 2 3B, 2 HR, 27 RBIs, 38 Runs

How do the 'Dogs qualify for the 2018 Mountain West Tournament?
For the 'Dogs to qualify for next week's Mountain West Tournament, they will need to sweep UNLV and have San Jose State OR Air Force sweep their three-game series as the two teams play each other in San Jose. Also, two wins for SJSU will get the 'Dogs to San Diego, but two Air Force wins will vault the Falcons up to fourth place edging the 'Dogs down to fifth.

Offense among nation's best
Entering this weekend's final series against the Rebels , the 'Dogs find themselves among the national leaders in four offensive categories ranking in the top 25 in each of them. The 'Dogs are No. 18 in doubles (109), No. 19 in hits (527), No. 21 in slugging percentage (.457) and No. 23 in batting average (.299).

Ashford's 49-game on-base streak ends May 8
Junior outfielder Zach Ashford's 49-game on-base streak came to an end on May 8 at CSUN as he went 0-for-5 being held off the basepaths for the first time this season. It was the third-longest active streak in the nation at the time as Ashford's 20-game hitting streak also came to an end against the Matadors as well.

Ashford earns CoSIDA Academic All-District honors
Zach Ashford was named to the CoSIDA Academic All-District 8 First-Team honors on May 10 as he holds a 3.32 GPA in kinesiology/exercise science. Ashford was one of three outfielders named to the team & one of only two juniors named to the 11-member team.

Presno goes yard
Freshman catcher Zach Presno hit his seventh home run of the season at Nevada on May 6 nearly helping the 'Dogs rally for a comeback win. His seven home runs for a true freshman are the most by a Bulldog rookie since Dusty Robinson smacked 15 in 2009.

Burks swiping bases
Junior second baseman Jeremiah Burks stole his 12th base of the season on Saturday at Nevada. It is the most bases a Bulldog has stolen since Aaron Judge also swiped 12 as a junior in 2013.

Double Double
The 'Dogs hit 10 doubles against Hawai'i and now have 109 on the season for their third straight season over 100 doubles.
2018 - 109
2017 - 136
2016 - 102
2015 - 93
2014 - 96
2013 - 93
2012 - 108

Diamond 'Dogs smack 48 home runs
The 'Dogs have now hit 45 home runs as a team this season and have 11 multi-home run games as eight players have multi-home runs and the 'Dogs have hit at least one home run in 32 of 51 games.

2018 - 48; 2017 - 76; 2016 - 37; 2015 - 34; 2014 - 37; 2013 - 36; 2012 - 19

Bulldogs win 21st home game of season
With the 'Dogs win over Hawai'i on Sunday, the 'Dogs won their 21st home game of 2018 and have now won 21 or more home games for the 10th time in Coach Batesole's 16 seasons.
2006 - 35
2005 - 27
2011, '16 - 26
2003, '04, '07, '08 - 23
2009, '18 - 21

2018 MW Preseason poll
The 2018 MW preseason poll turned out to be quite different than the actual result as preseason favorite New Mexico will likely finish seventh. San Diego State is currently second while the 'Dogs, picked third in the preseason poll, are in sixth. Nevada, fourth in the preseason poll, is currently leading the MW, while UNLV is currently tied with SJSU for third while Air Force is fifth.

2018 MOUNTAIN WEST PRESEASON COACHES POLL
Team    Rank (1st-place votes)        Points
1. New Mexico (3) 31 (currently 7th)
2. San Diego State (2) 29 (2nd)
3. Fresno State (1) 24 (6th)
4. Nevada 22 (1st)
5. UNLV (1) 21 (T-3rd)
6 Air Force 11 (5th)
7. San Jose State 9 (T-3rd)

Gonzalez's final start as a Bulldog
Likely to be a top-five round selection in this June's MLB Draft, junior right-hander Edgar Gonzalez enters his likely last start as a Bulldog on Thursday night against the Rebels leading the Mountain West in innings pitched (86.0), strikeouts (103), ERA (3.03) and fifth in opposing batting avg. (.227).

In nine Mountain West starts, Gonzalez is 4-2 with a 4.19 ERA tossing 53.2 innings and notching 56 strikeouts while only allowing 24 walks. He picked up wins over New Mexico (March 10), Nevada (March 24), at San Diego State (April 21) and at home against Air Force (April 27).

His 103-pitch complete game two-hitter vs. LBSU on March 31 is one of 12 CG's nationally completed on 105 pitches or less.

Gonzalez finishes home and Mountain West career
Home Appearances
2016: 2-1, 4.09 ERA, 10 GP, 9 GS, 33.0 IP, 28 K
2017: 2-2, 4.76 ERA, 11 GP, 3 GS, 34.0 IP, 34 K
2018: 6-1, 3.04 ERA, 8 GP, 8 GS, 56.1 IP, 74 K
Career: 10-4, 3.80 ERA, 29 GP, 20 GS, 123.1 IP, 136 K

MW Starts
2016: 1-2, 4.25 ERA, 9 GP, 9 GS, 36.0 IP, 25 K
2017: 5-3, 4.86 ERA, 11 GP, 6 GS, 50.0 IP, 45 K
2018: 4-2, 4.19 ERA, 9 GP, 9 GS, 53.2 IP, 56 K
Career: 10-7, 4.46 ERA, 29 GP, 24 GS, 139.2 IP, 126 K

'Dogs in plenty of close contests so far in 2018
The Bulldogs are 9-7 on the season in one-run games and 11-11 in one-or-two run games.
2018 2017   2016   2015   2014   2013
1-Run Games 9-7 5-7 11-9 8-12 7-10 5-7
1-or-2 Run Games 11-11 8-10   16-13   13-12 14-15   12-14
- 16 of 51 games (31.4%) decided by one run ranks tied for fifth in the nation.
- 22 of 51 games (43.1%) decided by one or two runs tied for ninth in the country.

Sacrificing for the team
Playing a National League style of play this season, the 'Dogs have to manufacture runs in creative ways and one of those ways is through sacrifice bunts as the 'Dogs have 45 on the season to lead the MW and rank 13th in the nation. Senior shortstop Korby Batesole leads the club and Mountain West with 14, ranking fourth in the country.

That's got to hurt!
The 'Dogs have hit 74 hit batters to rank 15th in the nation in hit by pitchers and is the most hit by pitches for Fresno State since 2013. All 13 Bulldog pitchers have hit at least one batter with Ryan Jensen leading the team with 11 to rank second in the MW.
2018 - 74
2017 - 64
2016 - 40
2015 - 60
2014 - 47
2013 - 75

Up next
The 2018 Mountain West Tournament will be hosted in San Diego at San Diego State on May 24-27 at Tony Gwynn Stadium with the top four teams qualifying for the postseason.

"Just the Ticket to Build Our Community" – The Bulldog Scholarship Fund gives Bulldog alumni, fans and friends the opportunity to support Fresno State Athletics and the student-athletes who inspire them. For information about how you can support the Bulldog Scholarship Fund, please visit www.bulldogscholarshipfund.com or call 559-278-7160.

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