Fresno State Athletics

Photo by: Aaron Provencio
'Dogs close out homestand with Seton Hall on Tuesday
3/2/2020 3:45:00 PM | Baseball
FRESNO, Calif. - The Diamond 'Dogs wrap up their season-opening homestand on Tuesday hosting Seton Hall for Canned Food Drive Night.
Game 12:Â Seton Hall (4-5, 0-0 Big East) at Fresno State (7-4, 0-0 MW)
First Pitch:Â March 3 - 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 1-0
Last Meeting:Â Fresno State defeated Seton Hall, 6-4 (March 10, 1999 in Fresno, Calif.)
Video:Â Mountain West Network
Live Stats:Â bulldogslive.com
Twitter:Â @FresnoStateBSB
Pitching Probables: Fresno State vs. Seton Hall
Sr. RHP Nik Cardinal (0-1, 2.57) vs. Fr. RHP Chris Sine (First career start)
• .291 Batting Average: No. 1 - 42nd nationally
• .530 Slugging Pct: No. 1 - 10th nationally
• .375 On base Pct: No. 2Â
• 5 sacrifice bunts: No. 2Â
• 80 Runs: No. 1 - 42nd nationally
• 107 Hits: No. 2 - 5th nationally
• 74 RBI: No. 1
• 23 Doubles: No. 2 - 37th nationally
• 4 Triples: No. 3
• 19 Home Runs: No. 1 - 4th nationally
Where Fresno State Rank Pitching in the Mountain West/nation in 2020 (as of 3/2/20) 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
• 4.36 ERA: No. 4Â
• .266 Opposing bat average: No. 5
• 2 saves: No. T-3
• 84 strikeouts: No. 5
• 48 Earned runs allowed: No. 4
• 104 Hits allowed: No. 6
• 33 walks allowed: No. 1
• 9 doubles allowed: No. 1
• 0 triples allowed: No. 1
• 6 home runs allowed: No. 4
Where Fresno State Rank Fielding in the Mountain West/nation in 2020 (as of 3/2/20) 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
• .971 Fielding Percentage: No. 3
• 112 Assists: No. 2
• 8 double plays: No. T-1st
Where Fresno State Players Rank in the Mountain West/NCAA in 2020 (as of 3/2/20)
Batting average: Zach Presno - 2nd (.405)
Slugging pct.: Presno - 2nd (.973); Nate Thimjon - 3rd (.744)
On-base pct.: Presno - 2nd (.511)
Runs scored: Thimjon - 1st (14); Presno -T-2nd (13)
RBIs: Presno - 1st (14); Thimjon - 2nd (11)
Doubles: Ryan Higgins - T-1st (5)
Home Runs: Thimjon- 1st (5)- 6th nationally
Total bases: Presno - 1st (36)
Wins: Jaime Arias - T-2nd (2)
Innings pitched: Arias - 2nd (18.0)
Walks allowed: Jamison Hill - 2nd (1)
A look at the Seton Hall Pirates
Seton Hall is off to a 4-5 start to the season and is coming off a 1-2 weekend at USC earning a 6-3 win on Friday.
The Pirates also have wins over Illinois (10-2), Milwaukee (17-1) & Liberty (5-4).
Seton Hall was picked second in the Big East preseason poll with four preseason All-Big East selections in infielder Matt Toke, outfielder Tyler Shedler-McAvoy and pitchers Noah Thompson and David Festa.
Junior infielder Casey Dana leads the team with a .375 average and nine RBIs. On the mound, the Pirates have a 3.40 ERA with a 2.03 strikeout-to-walk ratio (65-32).Â
Freshman right-hander Chris Shine will make his first career start on Tuesday.
Fresno State vs. Big East opponents (year teams last played)
Butler: 3-1 (2012)
Creighton: 5-4 (2016)
Seton Hall: 1-0 (1999)
St. John's: 2-0 (1996)
Xavier: N/A
Georgetown: N/A
Villanova: N/A
Bulldogs All-Time Record from the state of New Jersey (year teams last played)
Seton Hall: 1-0 (1999)
Monmouth: 1-0 (2004)
*The 'Dogs have never played Rutgers, Princeton, Rider, NJIT, Fairleigh Dickinson or Saint Peter's.
New 'Dogs in action                                          Â
Twelve Bulldogs, including seven true freshman, enter their first years at Fresno State this spring while four 'Dogs are coming off redshirt seasons in infielder Nick Berry, catcher Zach Morgan, outfielder Ivan Luna and pitcher Julian Sotelo.
  Â
Of the 16 newest 'Dogs, nine have seen action this season, including all four redshirt freshman, while true freshman second baseman Andrew Kachel has started all 11 games at second base while hitting .286 (10-35) with two home runs, scored six runs, driven in six RBIs and has a .405 on-base percentage.
On the mound, freshman Alex Kendrick has a 1.86 ERA in 9.2 innings allowing nine hits, two earned runs striking out eight and holding opponents to a .237 average.
Home run powerÂ
The Diamond 'Dogs continue to pound the ball out of the yard smacking 19 home runs on the season to rank fourth in the country. The 'Dogs 1.73 home runs per game is sixth nationally.Â
Zach Presno leads the Mountain West and ranks sixth in the nation with six home runs while Nate Thimjon has added five home runs while Andrew Kachel and Jeff Jamison each have a pair. Four other 'Dogs have one home run apiece.                      Â
Up next
Fresno State heads out on the road for the first time in 2020 traveling to No. 10 Arizona State (8-4) for a three-game series on Friday through Sunday.
"Fresno State Athletics: The Pride of the Valley" – The Bulldog Foundation creates championship experiences for Fresno State student-athletes as they strive for excellence in the classroom, in competition and in life. To become a BDF member, please visit bulldogfoundation.org.
Follow us on:Â
Twitter:Â @FresnoStateBSB
Instagram:Â fresnostateathletics
Facebook:Â FresnoStateAthletics
Game 12:Â Seton Hall (4-5, 0-0 Big East) at Fresno State (7-4, 0-0 MW)
First Pitch:Â March 3 - 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 1-0
Last Meeting:Â Fresno State defeated Seton Hall, 6-4 (March 10, 1999 in Fresno, Calif.)
Video:Â Mountain West Network
Live Stats:Â bulldogslive.com
Twitter:Â @FresnoStateBSB
Pitching Probables: Fresno State vs. Seton Hall
Sr. RHP Nik Cardinal (0-1, 2.57) vs. Fr. RHP Chris Sine (First career start)
Promotions
- Canned Food Drive -Â Bring a canned food item to donate and get in FREE!
- Fresno State is on a five-game winning streak after a perfect 5-0 week defeating Cal Poly on Tuesday and completing a four-game sweep over Columbia over the weekend.
- The 'Dogs wrap up their season-opening homestand on Tuesday hosting Seton Hall.
- The Bulldogs and Pirates will meet for only the second time after their lone meeting came in 1999.
- The Bulldogs currently rank fourth in the nation as a team with 19 home runs and are sixth in the country at 1.73 home runs per game.
- Fresno State ranks 10th in the country in slugging percentage at .530.
- Junior catcher/infielder Zach Presno ranks sixth in the nation with six home runs while also being in the top 10 nationally in slugging percentage (5th - .973) and total bases (9th - 36).
- Junior LHP Jaime Arias posted career highs in innings pitched (7.0) & strikeouts (12) on Friday & junior RHP Jamison Hill followed it up the next day with career highs in innings pitched (7.0) & strikeouts (10).
- This will be the second meeting between Fresno State and Seton Hall in program history.
- The lone previous meeting came on March 10, 1999 in Fresno at the Pepsi/Johnny Quick Classic with a 6-4 win for the Bulldogs.
- Fresno State is 11-5 against the seven baseball-playing programs in the Big East.
- The Bulldogs are 3-1 against Butler, 5-4 vs. Creighton, 1-0 against Seton Hall and 2-0 vs. St. John's.
- All-Time: Fresno State, 1-0
- Last Meeting: March 10, 1999 (Fresno, Calif.) - W, 6-4
- Current Streak: W1
- Last Fresno State Win: March 10, 1999 (6-4)
- Last Seton Hall Win: N/A
• .291 Batting Average: No. 1 - 42nd nationally
• .530 Slugging Pct: No. 1 - 10th nationally
• .375 On base Pct: No. 2Â
• 5 sacrifice bunts: No. 2Â
• 80 Runs: No. 1 - 42nd nationally
• 107 Hits: No. 2 - 5th nationally
• 74 RBI: No. 1
• 23 Doubles: No. 2 - 37th nationally
• 4 Triples: No. 3
• 19 Home Runs: No. 1 - 4th nationally
Where Fresno State Rank Pitching in the Mountain West/nation in 2020 (as of 3/2/20) 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
• 4.36 ERA: No. 4Â
• .266 Opposing bat average: No. 5
• 2 saves: No. T-3
• 84 strikeouts: No. 5
• 48 Earned runs allowed: No. 4
• 104 Hits allowed: No. 6
• 33 walks allowed: No. 1
• 9 doubles allowed: No. 1
• 0 triples allowed: No. 1
• 6 home runs allowed: No. 4
Where Fresno State Rank Fielding in the Mountain West/nation in 2020 (as of 3/2/20) 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
• .971 Fielding Percentage: No. 3
• 112 Assists: No. 2
• 8 double plays: No. T-1st
Where Fresno State Players Rank in the Mountain West/NCAA in 2020 (as of 3/2/20)
Batting average: Zach Presno - 2nd (.405)
Slugging pct.: Presno - 2nd (.973); Nate Thimjon - 3rd (.744)
On-base pct.: Presno - 2nd (.511)
Runs scored: Thimjon - 1st (14); Presno -T-2nd (13)
RBIs: Presno - 1st (14); Thimjon - 2nd (11)
Doubles: Ryan Higgins - T-1st (5)
Home Runs: Thimjon- 1st (5)- 6th nationally
Total bases: Presno - 1st (36)
Wins: Jaime Arias - T-2nd (2)
Innings pitched: Arias - 2nd (18.0)
Walks allowed: Jamison Hill - 2nd (1)
A look at the Seton Hall Pirates
Seton Hall is off to a 4-5 start to the season and is coming off a 1-2 weekend at USC earning a 6-3 win on Friday.
The Pirates also have wins over Illinois (10-2), Milwaukee (17-1) & Liberty (5-4).
Seton Hall was picked second in the Big East preseason poll with four preseason All-Big East selections in infielder Matt Toke, outfielder Tyler Shedler-McAvoy and pitchers Noah Thompson and David Festa.
Junior infielder Casey Dana leads the team with a .375 average and nine RBIs. On the mound, the Pirates have a 3.40 ERA with a 2.03 strikeout-to-walk ratio (65-32).Â
Freshman right-hander Chris Shine will make his first career start on Tuesday.
Fresno State vs. Big East opponents (year teams last played)
Butler: 3-1 (2012)
Creighton: 5-4 (2016)
Seton Hall: 1-0 (1999)
St. John's: 2-0 (1996)
Xavier: N/A
Georgetown: N/A
Villanova: N/A
Bulldogs All-Time Record from the state of New Jersey (year teams last played)
Seton Hall: 1-0 (1999)
Monmouth: 1-0 (2004)
*The 'Dogs have never played Rutgers, Princeton, Rider, NJIT, Fairleigh Dickinson or Saint Peter's.
New 'Dogs in action                                          Â
Twelve Bulldogs, including seven true freshman, enter their first years at Fresno State this spring while four 'Dogs are coming off redshirt seasons in infielder Nick Berry, catcher Zach Morgan, outfielder Ivan Luna and pitcher Julian Sotelo.
  Â
Of the 16 newest 'Dogs, nine have seen action this season, including all four redshirt freshman, while true freshman second baseman Andrew Kachel has started all 11 games at second base while hitting .286 (10-35) with two home runs, scored six runs, driven in six RBIs and has a .405 on-base percentage.
On the mound, freshman Alex Kendrick has a 1.86 ERA in 9.2 innings allowing nine hits, two earned runs striking out eight and holding opponents to a .237 average.
Home run powerÂ
The Diamond 'Dogs continue to pound the ball out of the yard smacking 19 home runs on the season to rank fourth in the country. The 'Dogs 1.73 home runs per game is sixth nationally.Â
Zach Presno leads the Mountain West and ranks sixth in the nation with six home runs while Nate Thimjon has added five home runs while Andrew Kachel and Jeff Jamison each have a pair. Four other 'Dogs have one home run apiece.                      Â
Up next
Fresno State heads out on the road for the first time in 2020 traveling to No. 10 Arizona State (8-4) for a three-game series on Friday through Sunday.
"Fresno State Athletics: The Pride of the Valley" – The Bulldog Foundation creates championship experiences for Fresno State student-athletes as they strive for excellence in the classroom, in competition and in life. To become a BDF member, please visit bulldogfoundation.org.
Follow us on:Â
Twitter:Â @FresnoStateBSB
Instagram:Â fresnostateathletics
Facebook:Â FresnoStateAthletics
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