Fresno State Athletics
Fresno State
Nevada
Final Mountain West road series takes Diamond 'Dogs to first-place Nevada
5/3/2018 2:00:00 PM | Baseball
The Diamond 'Dogs make their final Mountain West road trip of the season traveling to first-place Nevada for a three-game series starting Friday night.
Games 45-47: Fresno State (26-18, 11-13 MW) at Nevada (22-19, 14-6 MW)
First Pitch: May 4-6 - Fri: 6:00 p.m., Sat: 6:00 p.m., Sun: 1:00 p.m.
Stadium: Done Weir Field at Peccole Park
Surface: FieldTurf
Dimensions: 340 (LF), 401 (CF), 340 (RF)
All-Time Series: Fresno State leads 105-65
Last Meeting: Nevada defeated Fresno State, 18-12 (March 25, 2018 in Fresno, Calif.)
Radio: 940 AM ESPN
Play-by-play: Paul Loeffler
Video: Mountain West Network
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
Twitter: @FresnoStateBSB
Pitching Probables: Fresno State at Nevada
Friday: Jr. RHP Edgar Gonzalez (7-2, 2.97 ERA, 72.2 IP, 88 K) vs. RSr. RHP Mark Nowaczewski (4-4, 4.55 ERA, 65.1 IP, 38 K)
Saturday: Fr.. LHP Jaime Arias (5-1, 1.91 ERA, 56.2 IP, 55 K) vs. Jr. LHP Dalton Gomez (2-2, 3.38 ERA, 45.1 IP, 32 K)
Sunday: TBA vs. Fr. RHP Jake Jackson (6-3, 4.15 ERA, 65.0 IP, 66 K)
Bulldog Headlines
• Fresno State travels to Reno, Nevada for its final Mountain West road series of the season taking on the Nevada Wolf Pack Friday through Sunday.
• The 'Dogs were shutout for only the third time this season on Tuesday falling to Pepperdine, 2-0.
• The Bulldogs went 3-1 a week ago winning the lone series of the season against Air Force taking two of three games against the Falcons over the weekend.
• Fresno State leads the all-time series against Nevada, 105-65 with the Wolf Pack winning two of three games in Fresno earlier this season.
• With only two MW series remaining, the 'Dogs are currently sitting fifth in the standings, half-a-game out of third place as percentage points separate UNLV, Air Force, Fresno State and San Jose State for the final two spots in the Mountain West Tournament.
• The Bulldogs currently lead the Mountain West in sacrifice bunts (37) while ranking second in home runs (40) and are third in slugging percentage (.449).
• Junior OF Zach Ashford ranks eighth in the MW with a .356 batting average and is currently on a 46-game on-base streak for the 4th-longest active streak in Division I.
• Junior RHP Edgar Gonzalez currently leads the MW in innings pitched (72.2), strikeouts (88) & wins (7).
Fresno State vs. Nevada - The Series
• Fresno State leads the all-time series against Nevada 105-65 for its fourth-longest played rivalry behind San Jose State, Cal Poly and Sacramento St.
• The 'Dogs won one of three games at home earlier this season, March 23-25, winning the middle game, 5-4 with a pair of runs in the bottom of the seventh inning.
• Both schools joined the MW in 2013, and since that time Fresno State owns an 20-16 advantage in 36 games as the Bulldogs have not played any other team more over that span. The 'Dogs are 5-11 in Reno over the last five seasons with a 3-9 mark against the Wolf Pack.
• Coach Batesole is 50-36 all-time against Nevada.
All-Time: Fresno State leads 105-65
Last Meeting: March 25, 2018 (Fresno, Calif.) - L, 18-12
Current Streak: L1
Last Fresno State Win: March 24, 2018 (5-4) - Fresno, Calif.
Last Nevada Win: March 25, 2018 (18-12) - Fresno, Calif.
Where Fresno State Ranks Offensively in the Mountain West/nation in 2018 (as of 5/3/18)
• .297 Batting Average: No. 4
• .449 Slugging Pct: No. 3
• .368 On base Pct: No. 5
• 37 sacrifice bunts: No. 1 - 19th nationally
• 255 Runs: No. 5
• 451 Hits: No. 4
• 233 RBI: No. 5
• 90 Doubles: No. 3
• 10 Triples: No. 6
• 40 Home Runs: No. T-2
Where Fresno State Ranks Pitching in the Mountain West/nation in 2018 (as of 5/3/18)
• 4.78 ERA: No. 3
• .265 Opposing bat average: No. 2
• 10 saves: No. 5
• 383 strikeouts: No. 1
• 208 Earned runs allowed: No. 3
• 403 Hits allowed: No. 3
• 178 walks allowed: No. 5
• 64 doubles allowed: No. 2
• 10 triples allowed: No. 3
• 23 home runs allowed: No. 3
Where Fresno State Ranks Fielding in the Mountain West/nation in 2018 (as of 5/3/18)
• .966 Fielding Percentage: No. 6
• 458 Assists: No. 3
• 39 double plays: No. 7
Where Fresno State Players Rank in the Mountain West/NCAA in 2018 (as of 5/3/18)
Batting average: Zach Ashford - 8th (.356)
Hits: Ashford - 7th (62)
Doubles: Carter Bins- T-3rd (18)
Home runs: Bins & Jeremiah Burks - T-7th (7)
RBIs: Bins - T-7th (39)
Sacrifice bunts: Korby Batesole - 1st (10) - 25th nationally
ERA: Jamie Arias - 1st (1.91) - 36th nationally
Opposing Batting Average: Arias - 1st (.178)
Innings pitched: Gonzalez - 1st (72.2)
Strikeouts: Gonzalez - 1st (88) - 22nd nationally
Wins: Gonzalez - 1st (7) - 20th nationally
Saves: Jamison Hill - T-6th (5)
Appearances: Jaime Arias - T-5th (20)
Earned runs allowed: Arias - 1st (12)
Hits allowed: Arias - 1st (35)
Walks allowed: Arias - T-1st (8)
A look at the Nevada Wolf Pack
Nevada enters this weekend's series with the 'Dogs fresh off snapping a six-game losing streak with a 6-2 win over Sacramento State on Tuesday and is sitting at 22-19 overall with a 14-6 mark in the Mountain West as the Wolf Pack are currently first in the conference.
The Wolf Pack, who topped the 'Dogs in two of three games in Fresno in late March, had lost six games prior to beating the Hornets and are 12-3 at home with only a 10-16 mark on the road.
Nevada is hitting .290 from the plate as a team ranking fifth in the MW with senior left fielder Grant Fennell leading the team with a .374 average which ranks second in the MW.
The Wolf Pack rank second in the MW in on-base percentage (.381), sacrifice bunts (27) and stolen bases (32) and are third in scoring averaging 6.3 runs per game.
On the mound, Nevada has a staff ERA of 4.70, second in the MW, while allowing 5.3 runs per game with a 2.04 strikeout-to-walk ratio collecting 300 strikeouts while issuing 147 walks and are holding opponents to a .267 average.
The weekend rotation of right-handers Mark Nowaczewski and Jake Jackson along with southpaw Dalton Gomez have combined for 12 victories and have started 30 games. Jackson leads the team with six wins and 66 strikeouts, Nowaczewski has tossed a team-high 65.1 innings and Gomez has a team-low 3.38 ERA.
Ashford extends his on-base streak to 46 games
Junior outfielder Zach Ashford has reached base in all 42 games he has played in this season and has reached base in 46 straight games dating back to 2017. Ashford's on-base streak currently ranks as the fourth-longest active streak in the country. D.J. Artis of Liberty (56 games), John Valente of St. John's (55 games) and Rylan Thomas of UCF (52 games) are currently 1-2-3 in the nation.
The Clovis native is currently eighth in the Mountain West with a .356 average from the plate and leads the team with 62 hits (7th in MW). He has a base hit in 39 of the 42 games he has played in this season and has only struck out 17 times in 174 at-bats (9.8 percent).
Fresno State in Reno since 2013
2013 - 1-2 (L, 3-5; W, 4-0; L, 6-7)
2014 - 1-2 (W, 20-10; L, 8-9 (12); L, 8-9)
2015 - 0-3 (L, 8-9 (10); L, 7-12; L, 4-7)
2015 MW Tournament - 2-2 (W, 6-5 vs. UNLV; W, 15-7 vs. SDSU; L, 1-9 vs. UNM; L, 6-7 (10) vs. SDSU)
2017 - 1-2 (L, 4-5; L, 3-7; W, 27-5)
The 'Dogs are 5-11 in Reno since joining the Mountain West in 2013 with a 3-9 mark against the Wolf Pack. The Bulldogs picked up one win apiece in 2013, 2014 & 2017 and were swept in 2015.
The Bulldogs also traveled to Reno to play in the 2015 Mountain West Tournament winning its first two games over UNLV and San Diego State before seeing its season end with losses to New Mexico and San Diego State.
Edgar Gonzalez earns fourth Mountain West Pitcher of the Week honor in 2018
After earning the honor the first two weeks of the season as well as on April 3, the Newark, Calif., native and Preseason All-Mountain West selection earned the honor once again this week after notching his seventh win of the season on Friday night in the series opener against Air Force helping the Diamond 'Dogs win the series over the Falcons.
Gonzalez tossed 7.2 innings in the 'Dogs 7-2 win over Air Force holding the Falcons to three hits, two singles, two earned runs, two walks while striking out 12, the second-most in his career. Only allowing one baserunner past first base through the first seven innings, Gonzalez tossed 70 strikes in 103 pitches thrown and notched strikeouts in seven of eight half-innings, including four in the top of the third.
On the season, Gonzalez is 7-2 with a 2.97 ERA leading the Mountain West with 88 strikeouts and 72.2 innings pitched and is holding opponents to a .219 average. The junior also leads the MW in wins (7), is second in ERA (2.97) and sits fourth in opposing batting average (.219).
Gonzalez now has the most MW POW honors in a single season by a Fresno State pitcher surpassing the three earned in 2016 by Ricky Tyler Thomas.
Tale of two halves from the dish
Over the last 22 games, the 'Dogs are 13-9 hitting .327 from the plate as a team scoring 165 runs and totaling 261 hits with 83 (56 doubles, four triples and 23 home runs) (31.8 percent) going for extra-bases.
Six 'Dogs with 76 or more at-bats are hitting above .300 over that stretch led by Nolan Dempsey who is hitting .338 starting all 22 games and has scored a team-high 20 runs and has added 27 hits, 16 RBIs and two doubles and three home runs. Prior to this stretch, through the first 22 games of the season....
First 22 games of season: 13-9, .267 avg., 90 runs, 190 hits, 57 XBH
Last 22 games: 13-9, .324 avg., 165 runs, 261 hits, 83 XBH
So many new faces
Nearly half of this year's Bulldogs will be freshman or redshirt freshman as 17 of the 36 student-athletes on the roster are in their first or second year in the program.
12 of the 17 have seen action in 2018 with six receiving at least one at-bat and six tossing at least one inning. Outfielder Miles Tomczak has seen the most extensive action in the field playing in 33 of 44 games while making 28 starts and is hitting .269 with 28 hits, seven doubles, three home runs, 16 RBIs and 17 runs scored.
Jaime Arias, Nikoh Mitchell and Jamison Hill have all pitched important innings on the mound while Tiegen Jones, Oscar Carvajal and Chad Wilson have also seen action.
'Dogs in plenty of close contests so far in 2018
The Bulldogs have found themselves in plenty of close contests in 2018 posting a 9-5 record in one-run games and a 10-6 mark in one or two run games.
2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013
1-Run Games 9-5 5-7 11-9 8-12 7-10 5-7
1 or 2 Runs Games 10-7 8-10 16-13 13-12 14-15 12-14
- 14 of 44 games (31.8%) decided by one run ranks No. 2 in the nation.
- 17 of 44 games (38.6%) decided by one or two runs is tied for No. 7 in the nation.
Diamond 'Dogs hit 40 home run plateau
The 'Dogs have now hit 40 home runs as a team in back-to-back season after not reaching that mark in the previous five seasons. The 'Dogs have eight multi-home run games as seven players have multi-home runs and the 'Dogs have hit at least one home run in 27 of 44 games.
2018 - 40; 2017 - 76; 2016 - 37; 2015 - 34; 2014 - 37; 2013 - 36; 2012 - 19
Gonzalez looking to finish junior campaign strong
With only three more regular season starts left, Gonzalez enters Friday night's start leading the MW in innings pitched (72.2), strikeouts (88) & wins (7) while ranking second in ERA (2.97) and fourth in opposing batting avg. (.219). 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.
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 37 on the season to lead the MW and rank 19th in the nation. Senior shortstop Korby Batesole leads the club and Mountain West with 10, ranking 25th in the country.
That's got to hurt!
The 'Dogs are now up to 68 hit batters to rank 11th in the nation in hit by pitchers. All 13 Bulldog pitchers have hit at least one batter with Ryan Jensen leading the team with 11 to rank second in the MW.
Batesole closing in on 800 career wins
Head coach Mike Batesole enters this weekend only five wins shy of 800 in his career. Now in his 16th season at the helm of the Bulldogs, Batesole has won 539 games at Fresno State and 256 at CSUN from 1996-2002. With four more wins, Batesole will have his 13th season of at least 30 wins at Fresno State and 18th overall in his 23 years as a Division I head coach.
Up next
The 'Dogs play their final road game of the season on Tuesday afternoon traveling to CSUN (19-24) for a 3 p.m. contest in Northridge.
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