Projected Starting Pitcher Matchups
Friday, April 12 - 7:00 p.m.
SDSU: RHP Justin Goossen-Brown (4-1, 3.21 ERA)
CSF: RHP Tanner Bibee (4-4, 3.35 ERA)
Saturday, April 13 - 6:00 p.m.
SDSU: RHP Harrison Pyatt (0-1, 3.21 ERA)
CSF: RHP Kyle Luckham (3-3, 5.73 ERA)
Sunday, April 14 - 1:00 p.m.
SDSU: TBA
CSF: RHP Michael Knorr (2-2, 5.92 ERA)
Aztec Storylines
ORANGE COUNTY: San Diego State plays each of its next four games in Orange County, starting with this weekend's three-game series at Cal State Fullerton. Links to follow along with live stats are available on GoAztecs.com.
LAST TIME OUT AGAINST THE TITANS: Despite trailing the all-time series, 24-47-1, the Aztecs have had success as of late against Cal State Fullerton, having won four of the last five meetings.
Last year's series win for the Aztecs was its first three-game series win over the Titans since 1976, with Cal State Fullerton having won four consecutive series against the Aztecs until last season.
The first game of last year's series gave SDSU three consecutive wins against CSF, marking the first time since 1968 that SDSU had won three in a row against the Titans.
CALIFORNIA'S BEST: San Diego State and Cal State Fullerton are the only California programs to have played in five NCAA Regionals over the last six years.
SUCCESS AGAINST THE BIG WEST: The Aztecs have won five in a row against Big West teams are 25-8 against Big West members since the start of the 2017 season.
CALIFORNIA LOVE: Since 2014, the Aztecs lead all Division I California programs in win total. Also, over that span, SDSU is 100-49 (.671) when playing teams based in California.
Team Wins
San Diego State 204
Stanford 200
Cal State Fullerton 198
UC Santa Barbara 192
Sacramento State 191
OVER THE LAST SEVEN: The Aztecs are 5-2 over their last seven games, marking the second-best seven-game stretch of the 2019 season. The bullpen has been one of the biggest bright spots over that span, owning a 2.27 ERA and .198 opponent batting average.
RECAPPING THE NEVADA SERIES: San Diego State rebounded from a series-opening 8-7 walk-off loss on Friday to win the series with a 6-2 win on Saturday and a 11-3 win on Sunday. The Aztecs have won two of their last three series in Reno after having lost each of their first four series in the all-time series.
Julian Escobedo led the offense in the series, hitting a team-best .462 (6-for-13) while Brian Leonhardt drove in a team-high six runs and hit .455 (5-for-11).
The SDSU bullpen allowed four earned runs in 12.2 innings pitched for a 2.84 ERA for the series.
SDSU hit .333 with runners in scoring position for the series while the Aztec pitching staff held the Wolf Pack to just a .207 average in the same situation.
A BREAK FROM MW PLAY: The Aztecs begin a stretch of five consecutive non-conference games on Tuesday and are 12-8 (.600) in non-conference play. Five of SDSU's non-conference games have been against nationally ranked opponents.
Brian Leonhardt is hitting .344 in non-conference play with a team-high 19 RBIs. Matt Rudick leads the team with a .345 batting average in non-conference play.
ADRIAN MARDUENO - COLLEGIATE BASEBALL NATIONAL PLAYER OF THE WEEK & MOUNTAIN WEST PITCHER OF THE WEEK: Adrian Mardueno was named Collegiate Baseball National Player of the Week and Mountain West Pitcher of the Week on Monday. Mardueno threw 11 shutout innings last week, split between appearances against defending national champion and No. 6/7-ranked Oregon State and Nevada.
The Upland, Calif. product allowed just three hits over his 11 innings last week, holding opposing hitters to a .091 batting average. Of the 36 batters Mardueno faced, only one reached third base.
Both of Mardueno's relief outings last week started in bases-loaded, no-out situations. The junior was able to strand five of a possible six inherited runners for the week and he earned the win in both SDSU' 4-3 win over Oregon State on Tuesday and SDSU's 11-3 win against Nevada on Sunday.
Mardueno turned in one of SDSU's most dominant outings of the season against the Beavers, throwing seven shutout innings while allowing just two hits against the defending national champions. Mardueno logged a streak of 4.2 consecutive innings without allowing a hit against the Beavers until allowing a two-out double in the ninth inning. The seven innings pitched marked a new career-high for the junior, who leads all active Aztecs with 70 career appearances.
Mardueno followed his performance against the Beavers with a dominating four-inning relief appearance against the Wolf Pack, allowing just one hit while striking out six. Mardueno finished his outing facing the minimum over his final nine batters faced on Sunday.
Mardueno, currently on a streak of 14.1 innings without allowing an earned run, leads the Mountain West in both earned run average (1.50), hits allowed per nine innings (4.00), and opponent batting average (.139). Mardueno is also 25th in the nation with his 1.50 ERA.
Mardueno is the first Aztec to win Mountain West Pitcher of the Week this season and he's the first Aztec since Jordan Verdon to win Collegiate Baseball National Player of the Week. Verdon won the honor twice during the 2018 season.
Baseball Travels to Cal State Fullerton This Weekend
