Aztecs Hit the Road to Face USC on Tuesday

SAN DIEGO – San Diego State steps out of conference play on Tuesday, April 1, when it travels up the freeway to face USC at Great Park in Irvine, California, starting at 6 p.m. PT.

With continuing renovations to Dedeaux Field, the Trojans’ home diamond, the two teams will square off in Orange County, and the contest will air live via subscription basis on Big Ten Network Plus.  Admission is free.

The Aztecs (9-19, 5-4 MW) are coming off a home sweep of UNLV, winning by scores of 3-2, 5-3 and 3-1 to forge a three-way tie for third place in the Mountain West standings with Fresno State and San José State. With the results, SDSU completed its first sweep of the Rebels since 2018.

Aztec pitchers limited UNLV to a .191 team batting average for the weekend after it entered the series with a .299 clip, which ranked second in the conference. In addition, SDSU came through in the clutch, posting six RBIs with two outs over the weekend.

Individually, starters Marko Sipila, Omar Serrano and Garvey Rumary each recorded victories in their respective outings. Serrano (7.0 IP) posted a career-high 10 strikeouts on Saturday, which came on the heels of Sipila’s effort (8.0 IP) on Friday when he tied his collegiate best with nine punchouts, while Rumary (5.2 IP) wrapped up the series with his first win of the year after giving up one run on five hits and one walk with five strikeouts

In the opposing dugout, USC (16-11, 6-6 Big Ten) captured a series victory at Indiana last weekend. The Trojans opened a Friday doubleheader with a 10-5 triumph but dropped the nightcap by a 13-6 count before prevailing in a 13-12 nail-biter the following day.

PROBABLE PITCHING MATCHUP
For the second straight Tuesday, San Diego State is expected to start right-hander Aidan Russell (0-0), while USC is projected to counter with another righty in Tee Southisene (0-1).

Russell made his 2025 debut against UC Riverside on March 25, allowing one hit on 17 pitches in the opening frame before giving way to the first of eight relievers to start the second.

Russell also pitched a scoreless eighth inning of Saturday’s victory over UNLV when he offset a leadoff single with a pair of strikeouts.

Russell will be making his third appearance of the season and third career start after tying for fourth on the team last year with 20 games pitched. The Vacaville, California, native posted a 1-2 record with a 6.75 ERA during the 2024 campaign when he ranked fifth on the team with a career-high 39 strikeouts.

Russell recorded a 3.38 ERA with 18 strikeouts against six walks over his final eight games last season, fanning at least one batter in consecutive outings during that stretch. He received his first starting assignment at CSUN, matching his collegiate bests with six strikeouts and four innings pitched but did not factor in the decision despite holding the Matadors scoreless in his stint.

Meanwhile, Southisene earned his second start of the season and will appear in his ninth game overall, posting a 0-1 record with a 4.50 ERA and three strikeouts in eight innings.

In his last appearance on March 25, Southisene recorded the first two outs of the seventh inning against UC Irvine but gave up one run on two walks before giving way to fellow reliever Michael Ebner.

SDSU IN MW RANKINGS
As of March 31, Aztec pitchers lead the Mountain West in strikeouts (246) and innings pitched (244.1) while ranking fifth in both opposing batting average (.292) and ERA (6.70).

Offensively, SDSU is slotted second in the conference with 11 triples and is tied for fourth with 47 doubles. In addition, the Scarlet and Black ranks seventh in hits (239) and batting average (.258) while occupying the eighth spot in runs scored (145) and RBIs (131).

Individually, Chris Canavan ranks second in the MW with 14 games pitched, while Evan Miranda and Peyton Rodgers are tied for third with 13 appearances.

Not to be outdone, Xavier Cardenas III has moved into the second spot with four saves, while Rodgers is tied for sixth with two in that statistic.

Elsewhere, Marko Sipila leads the league in innings pitched (41.2) and shares the fifth spot alongside Omar Serrano with 39 strikeouts. Sipila also ranks seventh in ERA (4.75) and occupies the eighth spot in opposing batting average (.269).

Garvey Rumary also finds himself among the MW leaders, tying for seventh in fewest hits allowed (32) while ranking eighth in ERA (4.83).

At the plate, the Aztecs have been paced by freshman CJ Moran, who is still slotted fifth in the league with a .365 batting average and a .456 on-base percentage.

In addition, Nevan Noonan shares the top perch in the league with 11 doubles, while Evan Sipe (7) and Drew Rutter (5) own the top two places in sacrifice hits. Rutter also shares the second spot with four triples, followed by teammates Zane Kelly and Jake Jackson with three apiece.

Jackson tied a program record with two triples against Seton Hall on Feb. 14, becoming the first SDSU player to accomplish the feat since James Guerrero against New Mexico on April 9, 2005.

AZTEC NOTEBOOK
Despite missing the last seven games, CJ Moran still owns the team’s longest current hitting streak at nine games and is tied for the No. 1 spot on the squad with multiple RBIs on five occasions alongside Finley Bates.

During his nine-game hitting streak from March 4-18, Moran is batting .500 (16-for-32) with three doubles, seven RBIs and nine runs scored, raising his season average from .262 to .365.

Nevan Noonan leads the Aztecs with multiple hits in 10 games, followed by Arambula with nine. Noonan and Arambula are the only two players to start all 28 games for the Scarlet and Black this season.

In addition, Arambula is lone Aztec to start every contest at one position (third base), while Bates (leadoff) leads the team with 26 games played in the same spot in the batting order.

The Aztecs are 8-0 this season when leading after seven innings and 8-1 when outhitting the opposition. SDSU is also 7-1 this year when limiting opponents to five runs or fewer.

San Diego State has emerged victorious in 82 of its last 128 games dating back to 2019 when hitting a home run, including a 4-2 mark this year, a 14-13 ledger during the 2024 campaign and a 14-12 record in 2023.

Since 2019, the Aztecs are 77-62 in their last 139 games when striking out 10 or more batters. SDSU pitchers fanned 17 hitters in its season opener against Seton Hall at the MLB Desert Invitational.

The Aztecs are 174-65 over the last seven-plus seasons when scoring five or more runs, including a stellar 38-6 record during the 2017 campaign.

Against Nebraska on Feb. 16, the Aztecs employed 21 players on the night, including five true freshmen who were making their first career appearances (Evan Escobar, Cody Liscio, Dillon Marrisett, Alito McBean, Hank Tripaldi). Tripaldi singled in his first collegiate at-bat with a grounder through the right side in the eighth.

In all, 16 of SDSU’s 17 true freshmen have seen action this season.

Escobar has started eight games at shortstop, notching his first two collegiate RBIs on March 25 against UC Riverside, while Tripaldi made his first career start at Washington State on March 22.  Previously, McBean earned his initial career start on the mound in the Aztecs’ home opener against Seattle on Feb. 20.

SERIES RECORD VS. USC
The Aztecs trail the all-time series against the Trojans 26-66-3, dropping a three-game road series at Dedeaux Field in April 2023 when USC was ranked 25th nationally.

Prior to those encounters, the Aztecs suffered an 11-5 setback at home during the Tony Gwynn Legacy in February 2020.

In 2017, the Scarlet and Black was blanked by the Trojans in a pair of games, falling 1-0 at Tony Gwynn Stadium before coming up empty in a 2-0 loss in Los Angeles.

In 2015, the Aztecs were edged by USC in the NCAA Lake Elsinore Regional, as the Trojans scored two runs in the top of the ninth to earn a wild 12-11 victory and eliminate SDSU from postseason play.

TROJANS AT A GLANCE
In its first season of Big Ten baseball competition, USC is currently tied for seventh place in the conference standings with a 6-6 record and a 16-11 mark overall. Additionally, the Trojans are 8-5 at home this year and 8-6 on the road.

USC is led by infielder Ethan Hedges, who ranks second in the Big Ten with a .413 batting average and is slotted fourth in the league with 43 hits while compiling a team-best 10 home runs, 34 RBIs, 30 runs scored and seven stolen bases.

The Trojans have also received a boost from outfielder Brayden Dowd (.317), who has amassed six homers, 18 RBIs and 27 runs scored thus far.

As a team, USC is tied for eighth out of 17 schools on the Big Ten baseball statistical rankings with a .283 batting average but is slotted 11th in slugging percentage (.465), 13th in on-base percentage (.376) and 14th in both runs (160) and runs per game (5.9).

As a staff, Trojan pitchers rank third in the conference in strikeouts (248), sixth in ERA (5.26), seventh in opposing batting average (.257) and ninth in fewest hits allowed (234).

AZTECS IN MLB DRAFT
Since 1965, San Diego State has had 227 student-athletes chosen in the MLB First-Year Player Draft, including 31 selections since 2015.

Former Aztec center fielder Cole Carrigg was taken by the Colorado Rockies as a catcher in the Competitive Balance "B" Round with the 65th overall pick of the 2023 MLB First-Year Player Draft; pitcher TJ Fondtain was selected by the Tampa Bay Rays in the 14th round (423rd overall), while fellow hurler Kelena Sauer went to the Toronto Blue Jays shortly thereafter in the 15th round (454th overall).

With its selections, SDSU has had multiple players picked in six of the last eight years and nine of the last 12.

In 2022, former Aztec right-hander Troy Melton was chosen by the Detroit Tigers in the fourth round with the 117th selection overall.

The previous year, in 2021, SDSU had five individuals drafted by MLB organizations: Mike Jarvis and Wyatt Hendrie (Pirates), Matt Rudick (Mets), Jaden Fein (Nationals) and Michael Paredes (Twins).

LOCAL HEROES
San Diego State sports eight players on its current roster who are alumni of San Diego County high schools, including Xavier Farnum (Christian), Trevor Fox (St. Augustine); Jake Jackson (Madison); Nevan Noonan (Francis Parker); Peyton Rodgers (Torrey Pines); Eli Selga (Cathedral Catholic); Connor Shaw (Westview); and Evan Sipe (San Marcos).

MW TO HOST 2025 BASEBALL CHAMPIONSHIP IN MESA, ARIZONA
The Mountain West, in partnership with the Arizona Sport and Entertainment Commission, will host the Credit 1 Baseball Championship, May 21-24 at Sloan Park in Mesa, Arizona. The agreement marks the first time the MW baseball tournament will be held on a neutral field and in the state of Arizona.

“Hosting the baseball championship in a first-class venue like Sloan Park is a tremendous opportunity for the Mountain West, our baseball student-athletes and our fan base,” said MW Commissioner Gloria Nevarez.

The six-team double elimination format begins on Wednesday, May 21, with the No. 3 seed facing the No. 6 seed. The second game will feature the No. 4 and No. 5 seeds.

On Thursday, May 22, the top two seeded teams square off with the winners from Wednesday. The winners of Thursday’s first two contests advance to Friday, while the losing teams battle in elimination games. The MW champion will be crowned on Saturday, May 24, earning the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.

Ticket information for the 2025 Credit Union 1 Mountain West Baseball Championship will be available in April.

UP NEXT
Following Tuesday’s clash, San Diego State resumes its conference schedule this weekend when it travels to the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains to battle Air Force, April 4-6, in Colorado Springs, Colorado.