
Photo by: Keith Kountz/Fresno St
Diamond 'Dogs wrap up homestand Tuesday hosting Cal Poly
4/29/2019 4:15:00 PM | Baseball
The Diamond 'Dogs conclude their five-game homestand on Tuesday hosting Cal Poly for Staff and Faculty Appreciation Night.
FRESNO, Calif. - The Diamond 'Dogs conclude their five-game homestand on Tuesday hosting Cal Poly for Staff and Faculty Appreciation Night.
Game 41:Â Cal Poly (20-20, 10-2 Big West) at Fresno State (26-13-1, 12-7-1 MW)
First Pitch:Â April 30 - Tue: 6:05 p.m.
Stadium:Â Pete Beiden Field at Bob Bennett Stadium
Surface:Â Grass
Dimensions:Â 330 (LF), 400 (CF), 330 (RF)
All-Time Series:Â Fresno State leads 96-56
Last Meeting:Â Fresno State defeated Cal Poly, 16-6 (April 9, 2019 in San Luis Obispo, Calif.)
Radio:Â 940 AM ESPN
Play-by-play: Paul Loeffler
Video:Â Mountain West Network/Stadium
Live Stats:Â Sidearm
Twitter:Â @FresnoStateBSB
Pitching Probables: Fresno State vs. Cal Poly
Tuesday: Jr. RHP Nik Cardinal (2-0, 3.00 ERA) vs. So. RHP Darren Nelson (2-5, 5.18 ERA)
Promotions
Tuesday: Staff and Faculty Appreciation Night
• Fresno State went 1-1-1 over the weekend against New Mexico winning the series opener on Friday, losing 8-2 on Saturday and tying, 6-6 on Sunday due to UNM's travel curfew as the the Bulldogs remain in first place in the Mountain West standings with nine conference games remaining.
• The Bulldogs have won 11 of their last 14 games overall.
• Fresno State leads the all-time series over Cal Poly, 96-56 winning the previous contest this season, 16-6 in San Luis Obispo on April 9 as the 'Dogs used a 10-run third inning to break open the game.
• Senior center fielder Zach Ashford, who had to leave Saturday's game with an injury, but pinch-hit on Sunday, continues to lead the 'Dogs hitting .377 from the dish, third-best in the MW, and tops the team in hits (58), runs (45), walks (30), on-base percentage (.487), stolen bases (8) and multi-hit games (19).
• Junior RHP Ryan Jensen threw a career-high 8.0 innings on Friday in the 'Dogs 10-4 win for his seventh win of the season.
Fresno State vs. Cal Poly - The Series                                                Â
• Fresno State and Cal Poly have met 152 times on the baseball diamond with the 'Dogs leading 96-56.
• The first meeting between the two teams came in 1951 & the last contest coming earlier this season with the Bulldogs winning, 16-6 in San Luis Obispo on April 9.
• The 'Dogs have won four straight games over Cal Poly.Â
• The Bulldogs have beat the Mustangs in their last two games in Fresno winning 12-8 in 2017 and 9-5 in 2016. Cal Poly last won in Fresno, 10-6 on April 14, 2015.
• Coach Batesole is 13-22 all-time against the Mustangs while at Fresno State.
SERIES HISTORY
All-Time: Fresno State, 96-56
Last Meeting: April 9, 2019 (San Luis Obispo, Calif.) - W, 16-6
Current Streak: W4
Last Fresno State Win: April 9, 2019 (16-6) - San Luis Obispo, Calif.
Last Cal Poly Win: April 19, 2016 (7-1) - San Luis Obispo, Calif.
Where Fresno State Rank Offensively in the Mountain West/nation in 2019 (as of 4/29/19)Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
• .291 Batting Average: 3rd - 43rd nationally
• .432 Slugging Pct: No. 3
• .383 On base Pct: No. 1
• 31 sacrifice bunts: No. 2 - 29th nationally
• 264 Runs: No. T-3
• 401 Hits: No. 5
• 231 RBI: No. 5
• 76 Doubles: No. 6
• 8 Triples: No. 6
• 34 Home Runs: No. 3
Where Fresno State Rank Pitching in the Mountain West/nation in 2019 (as of 4/29/19) Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
• 3.81 ERA: No. 1 - 41st nationally
• .256 Opposing bat average: No. 2
• 14 saves: No. 1
• 363 strikeouts: No. 2
• 149 Earned runs allowed: No. 1
• 348 Hits allowed: No. 1
• 155 walks allowed: No. 2
• 48 doubles allowed: No. 1
• 3 triples allowed: No. 1
• 23 home runs allowed: No. 1
Where Fresno State Rank Fielding in the Mountain West/nation in 2019 (as of 4/29/19) Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
• .966 Fielding Percentage: No. 4
• 387 Assists: No. 6
• 18 double plays: No. 7
Where Fresno State Players Rank in the Mountain West/NCAA in 2019 (as of 4/29/19) Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
Batting average: Zach Ashford - 3rd (.377); McCarthy Tatum - Â 8th (.337)
Slugging percentage: Tatum - 3rd (.595)
On-base percentage: Zach Ashford - 3rd (.487)Â
Runs: Ashford - 3rd (45); Carter Bins - 4th (43)
RBI: Tatum - 1st (53)/RBI per game: 1.33 - 1st - 19th/10th in nation
Home runs: Tatum - T-2nd (9); Zach Presno - 8th (7)
Walks: Ashford - 2nd (30); Arruda - 3rd (26)
Sacrifice bunts: Nolan Dempsey - 2nd (8) - 35th nationally
ERA: Ryan Jensen - 8th (3.61)
Opposing batting average: Jensen - 8th (.252)
Innings pitched: Ryan Jensen - 6th (62.1)
Strikeouts: Jensen - 3rd (67)
Wins: Jensen - T-1st (7) - 18th nationally
Saves: Jaime Arias - 2nd (9) - 22nd nationally
Fielding percentage: Ashford - T-1st (1.000)
A look at the Cal Poly Mustangs                       Â
Cal Poly comes into Tuesday's midweek contest with the Bulldogs with a 20-20 overall mark and currently sit in first place in the Big West with a 10-2 mark.
The Mustangs are 8-9 on the road and are coming off winning one of three non-conference games over USC at home last weekend.
Since falling to the Bulldogs, 16-6 in San Luis Obispo on April 9, Cal Poly is 7-3 with three-game Big West sweeps over UC Davis and Long Beach State.
Offensively, CP is hitting .259 as a club, good for seventh in the Big West, while ranking eighth in the league in scoring averaging 4.1 runs per game. Â
Sophomore outfielder Elijah Greene leads the team with a .296 average from the plate and has a team-leading 47 hits. Junior outfielder Bradlee Beesley leads the Mustangs in runs (21), doubles (13), RBI (24), total bases (59), slugging percentage (.391) and stolen bases (4).
Not a power hitting club, the Mustangs have only hit five home runs in 40 games, last in the nation, but have collected 350 total hits for an average of 8.8 per game.
On the mound, Cal Poly has a staff ERA of 4.59, fifth in the Big West, while its 1.80 strikeout-to-walk ratio (300 K/167 BB) ranks eighth in the league.
Opponents are hitting a collective .264 as a team against the Mustangs averaging 5.5 runs and 9.1 hits per game.
Sophomore right-hander Darren Nelson will make his 11th start of the season on Tuesday. The Granite Bay, Calif. native is 2-5 with a 5.18 ERA tossing 40.0 innings with 22 walks issued to 18 strikeouts so far this season. Opponents have been able to hit .266 off of him collecting 41 hits and 29 runs.
'Dogs and Lobos play to a 6-6 tie
For the first time since 1998, the Diamond 'Dogs experienced a tie on Sunday with a 6-6 draw against the Lobos as New Mexico had to depart back to Albuquerque due to a travel curfew. It is Fresno State's first tie since Feb. 8, 1998 when the 'Dogs tied Long Beach State, 7-7 in 12 innings.
It is only the fifth tie in the 4,200 games played in Fresno State baseball history joining two in 1984, one in 1986 and one in 1998.
Bulldogs sit atop the Mountain West in the RPI
The 'Dogs are a MW-leading No. 64 in the RPI and remain atop the Mountain West standings at 12-7-1 (.625) sitting in front of second-place San Jose State (12-9, .571) and third-place San Diego State (11-9, .550). The Bulldogs' remaining opponents' RPI rankings for the remainder of the regular season are Cal Poly (155), Nevada (122), CSU Bakersfield (248), San Diego State (69) and UNLV (111).
'Dogs looking to keep continued midweek success
Playing its eighth straight midweek contest, the Bulldogs are 6-1 so far this season with wins over San Francisco, Pacific (2x), CSU Bakersfield (2x) and Cal Poly to go with a loss at then-No. 2 Stanford on April 2. The 'Dogs will host their final midweek game May 7 vs. CSUB.
Bulldog pitching staff continues to dominant
The 'Dogs lead the MW in ERA (3.81), earned runs allowed (149), hits allowed (348), doubles allowed (48), triples allowed (3), home runs allowed (23) and saves (14).
In addition, the 'Dogs have given up three runs or less in 17 of its 40 games and are 15-2 in those contests.
'Dogs off to third-best start after 40 games under Coach Batesole
The Bulldogs are 26-13-1 (.663) overall and their 26 wins over the first 40 games of the season are only surpassed by 2011 (31) and 2006 (27) for most wins to this point in the season. Each of those seasons saw Fresno State win the WAC regular season and conference tournament titles along with earning NCAA Tournament berths.
Bins & Ashford on hot streaks
Junior catcher Carter Bins is currently on a 23-game on-base streak while senior center fielder Zach Ashford is on a 17-game hitting streak after drawing an intentional walk on Sunday in his lone plate appearance thus keeping his hitting streak as that did not count for an at-bat.
First inning offense
The Bulldogs have scored 51 runs in the first inning this season, the most of any inning this season by 16 runs which has been the eighth inning scoring 35 runs. The 'Dogs are 21-5 when scoring first and 14-5 when scoring in the first inning.
Arias named to NCBWA Stopper of the Year Midseason Update
Sophomore left-hander Jaime Arias has been named to the Midseason Update for the 15th annual NCBWA Stopper of the Year on April 24. Given annually to the top relief pitcher in NCAA Division I baseball, Arias is one of 45 pitcher nationally and three pitchers from the Mountain West on the Midseason Update.
Bins named to Buster Posey Award Watch List
Junior catcher Carter Bins was named to the Buster Posey Award Watch List on April 2 which is given to the nation's top division one collegiate catcher by the Greater Wichita Area Sports Commission.
Ashford named a Senior CLASS Award Candidate
Senior outfielder Zach Ashford has been named a candidate for the 2019 Senior CLASS Award, the organization announced on March 22. Thirty NCAA baseball student-athletes who excel both on and off the field were selected as candidates for the 2019 Senior CLASS Award in collegiate baseball and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence: community, classroom, character and competition. The 10 finalists for the award were named on April 10, but Ashford unfortunately did not make the cut.
Up Next
The Bulldogs open the month of May on the road for a Mountain West series at Nevada (24-20, 11-13 MW) starting Friday at 6 p.m.
"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.
Follow us on:Â
Twitter:Â @FresnoStateBSB
Instagram:Â fresnostateathletics
Facebook:Â FresnoStateAthletics
Game 41:Â Cal Poly (20-20, 10-2 Big West) at Fresno State (26-13-1, 12-7-1 MW)
First Pitch:Â April 30 - Tue: 6:05 p.m.
Stadium:Â Pete Beiden Field at Bob Bennett Stadium
Surface:Â Grass
Dimensions:Â 330 (LF), 400 (CF), 330 (RF)
All-Time Series:Â Fresno State leads 96-56
Last Meeting:Â Fresno State defeated Cal Poly, 16-6 (April 9, 2019 in San Luis Obispo, Calif.)
Radio:Â 940 AM ESPN
Play-by-play: Paul Loeffler
Video:Â Mountain West Network/Stadium
Live Stats:Â Sidearm
Twitter:Â @FresnoStateBSB
Pitching Probables: Fresno State vs. Cal Poly
Tuesday: Jr. RHP Nik Cardinal (2-0, 3.00 ERA) vs. So. RHP Darren Nelson (2-5, 5.18 ERA)
Promotions
Tuesday: Staff and Faculty Appreciation Night
- All Fresno State staff and faculty receive FREE admission!
• Fresno State went 1-1-1 over the weekend against New Mexico winning the series opener on Friday, losing 8-2 on Saturday and tying, 6-6 on Sunday due to UNM's travel curfew as the the Bulldogs remain in first place in the Mountain West standings with nine conference games remaining.
• The Bulldogs have won 11 of their last 14 games overall.
• Fresno State leads the all-time series over Cal Poly, 96-56 winning the previous contest this season, 16-6 in San Luis Obispo on April 9 as the 'Dogs used a 10-run third inning to break open the game.
• Senior center fielder Zach Ashford, who had to leave Saturday's game with an injury, but pinch-hit on Sunday, continues to lead the 'Dogs hitting .377 from the dish, third-best in the MW, and tops the team in hits (58), runs (45), walks (30), on-base percentage (.487), stolen bases (8) and multi-hit games (19).
• Junior RHP Ryan Jensen threw a career-high 8.0 innings on Friday in the 'Dogs 10-4 win for his seventh win of the season.
Fresno State vs. Cal Poly - The Series                                                Â
• Fresno State and Cal Poly have met 152 times on the baseball diamond with the 'Dogs leading 96-56.
• The first meeting between the two teams came in 1951 & the last contest coming earlier this season with the Bulldogs winning, 16-6 in San Luis Obispo on April 9.
• The 'Dogs have won four straight games over Cal Poly.Â
• The Bulldogs have beat the Mustangs in their last two games in Fresno winning 12-8 in 2017 and 9-5 in 2016. Cal Poly last won in Fresno, 10-6 on April 14, 2015.
• Coach Batesole is 13-22 all-time against the Mustangs while at Fresno State.
SERIES HISTORY
All-Time: Fresno State, 96-56
Last Meeting: April 9, 2019 (San Luis Obispo, Calif.) - W, 16-6
Current Streak: W4
Last Fresno State Win: April 9, 2019 (16-6) - San Luis Obispo, Calif.
Last Cal Poly Win: April 19, 2016 (7-1) - San Luis Obispo, Calif.
Where Fresno State Rank Offensively in the Mountain West/nation in 2019 (as of 4/29/19)Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
• .291 Batting Average: 3rd - 43rd nationally
• .432 Slugging Pct: No. 3
• .383 On base Pct: No. 1
• 31 sacrifice bunts: No. 2 - 29th nationally
• 264 Runs: No. T-3
• 401 Hits: No. 5
• 231 RBI: No. 5
• 76 Doubles: No. 6
• 8 Triples: No. 6
• 34 Home Runs: No. 3
Where Fresno State Rank Pitching in the Mountain West/nation in 2019 (as of 4/29/19) Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
• 3.81 ERA: No. 1 - 41st nationally
• .256 Opposing bat average: No. 2
• 14 saves: No. 1
• 363 strikeouts: No. 2
• 149 Earned runs allowed: No. 1
• 348 Hits allowed: No. 1
• 155 walks allowed: No. 2
• 48 doubles allowed: No. 1
• 3 triples allowed: No. 1
• 23 home runs allowed: No. 1
Where Fresno State Rank Fielding in the Mountain West/nation in 2019 (as of 4/29/19) Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
• .966 Fielding Percentage: No. 4
• 387 Assists: No. 6
• 18 double plays: No. 7
Where Fresno State Players Rank in the Mountain West/NCAA in 2019 (as of 4/29/19) Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
Batting average: Zach Ashford - 3rd (.377); McCarthy Tatum - Â 8th (.337)
Slugging percentage: Tatum - 3rd (.595)
On-base percentage: Zach Ashford - 3rd (.487)Â
Runs: Ashford - 3rd (45); Carter Bins - 4th (43)
RBI: Tatum - 1st (53)/RBI per game: 1.33 - 1st - 19th/10th in nation
Home runs: Tatum - T-2nd (9); Zach Presno - 8th (7)
Walks: Ashford - 2nd (30); Arruda - 3rd (26)
Sacrifice bunts: Nolan Dempsey - 2nd (8) - 35th nationally
ERA: Ryan Jensen - 8th (3.61)
Opposing batting average: Jensen - 8th (.252)
Innings pitched: Ryan Jensen - 6th (62.1)
Strikeouts: Jensen - 3rd (67)
Wins: Jensen - T-1st (7) - 18th nationally
Saves: Jaime Arias - 2nd (9) - 22nd nationally
Fielding percentage: Ashford - T-1st (1.000)
A look at the Cal Poly Mustangs                       Â
Cal Poly comes into Tuesday's midweek contest with the Bulldogs with a 20-20 overall mark and currently sit in first place in the Big West with a 10-2 mark.
The Mustangs are 8-9 on the road and are coming off winning one of three non-conference games over USC at home last weekend.
Since falling to the Bulldogs, 16-6 in San Luis Obispo on April 9, Cal Poly is 7-3 with three-game Big West sweeps over UC Davis and Long Beach State.
Offensively, CP is hitting .259 as a club, good for seventh in the Big West, while ranking eighth in the league in scoring averaging 4.1 runs per game. Â
Sophomore outfielder Elijah Greene leads the team with a .296 average from the plate and has a team-leading 47 hits. Junior outfielder Bradlee Beesley leads the Mustangs in runs (21), doubles (13), RBI (24), total bases (59), slugging percentage (.391) and stolen bases (4).
Not a power hitting club, the Mustangs have only hit five home runs in 40 games, last in the nation, but have collected 350 total hits for an average of 8.8 per game.
On the mound, Cal Poly has a staff ERA of 4.59, fifth in the Big West, while its 1.80 strikeout-to-walk ratio (300 K/167 BB) ranks eighth in the league.
Opponents are hitting a collective .264 as a team against the Mustangs averaging 5.5 runs and 9.1 hits per game.
Sophomore right-hander Darren Nelson will make his 11th start of the season on Tuesday. The Granite Bay, Calif. native is 2-5 with a 5.18 ERA tossing 40.0 innings with 22 walks issued to 18 strikeouts so far this season. Opponents have been able to hit .266 off of him collecting 41 hits and 29 runs.
'Dogs and Lobos play to a 6-6 tie
For the first time since 1998, the Diamond 'Dogs experienced a tie on Sunday with a 6-6 draw against the Lobos as New Mexico had to depart back to Albuquerque due to a travel curfew. It is Fresno State's first tie since Feb. 8, 1998 when the 'Dogs tied Long Beach State, 7-7 in 12 innings.
It is only the fifth tie in the 4,200 games played in Fresno State baseball history joining two in 1984, one in 1986 and one in 1998.
Bulldogs sit atop the Mountain West in the RPI
The 'Dogs are a MW-leading No. 64 in the RPI and remain atop the Mountain West standings at 12-7-1 (.625) sitting in front of second-place San Jose State (12-9, .571) and third-place San Diego State (11-9, .550). The Bulldogs' remaining opponents' RPI rankings for the remainder of the regular season are Cal Poly (155), Nevada (122), CSU Bakersfield (248), San Diego State (69) and UNLV (111).
'Dogs looking to keep continued midweek success
Playing its eighth straight midweek contest, the Bulldogs are 6-1 so far this season with wins over San Francisco, Pacific (2x), CSU Bakersfield (2x) and Cal Poly to go with a loss at then-No. 2 Stanford on April 2. The 'Dogs will host their final midweek game May 7 vs. CSUB.
Bulldog pitching staff continues to dominant
The 'Dogs lead the MW in ERA (3.81), earned runs allowed (149), hits allowed (348), doubles allowed (48), triples allowed (3), home runs allowed (23) and saves (14).
In addition, the 'Dogs have given up three runs or less in 17 of its 40 games and are 15-2 in those contests.
'Dogs off to third-best start after 40 games under Coach Batesole
The Bulldogs are 26-13-1 (.663) overall and their 26 wins over the first 40 games of the season are only surpassed by 2011 (31) and 2006 (27) for most wins to this point in the season. Each of those seasons saw Fresno State win the WAC regular season and conference tournament titles along with earning NCAA Tournament berths.
Bins & Ashford on hot streaks
Junior catcher Carter Bins is currently on a 23-game on-base streak while senior center fielder Zach Ashford is on a 17-game hitting streak after drawing an intentional walk on Sunday in his lone plate appearance thus keeping his hitting streak as that did not count for an at-bat.
First inning offense
The Bulldogs have scored 51 runs in the first inning this season, the most of any inning this season by 16 runs which has been the eighth inning scoring 35 runs. The 'Dogs are 21-5 when scoring first and 14-5 when scoring in the first inning.
Arias named to NCBWA Stopper of the Year Midseason Update
Sophomore left-hander Jaime Arias has been named to the Midseason Update for the 15th annual NCBWA Stopper of the Year on April 24. Given annually to the top relief pitcher in NCAA Division I baseball, Arias is one of 45 pitcher nationally and three pitchers from the Mountain West on the Midseason Update.
Bins named to Buster Posey Award Watch List
Junior catcher Carter Bins was named to the Buster Posey Award Watch List on April 2 which is given to the nation's top division one collegiate catcher by the Greater Wichita Area Sports Commission.
Ashford named a Senior CLASS Award Candidate
Senior outfielder Zach Ashford has been named a candidate for the 2019 Senior CLASS Award, the organization announced on March 22. Thirty NCAA baseball student-athletes who excel both on and off the field were selected as candidates for the 2019 Senior CLASS Award in collegiate baseball and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence: community, classroom, character and competition. The 10 finalists for the award were named on April 10, but Ashford unfortunately did not make the cut.
Up Next
The Bulldogs open the month of May on the road for a Mountain West series at Nevada (24-20, 11-13 MW) starting Friday at 6 p.m.
"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.
Follow us on:Â
Twitter:Â @FresnoStateBSB
Instagram:Â fresnostateathletics
Facebook:Â FresnoStateAthletics
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