Aztecs to Host UC San Diego on Tuesday

SAN DIEGO – San Diego State wraps up its five-game homestand on Tuesday, April 15, when it faces crosstown adversary UC San Diego in a non-conference clash at Tony Gwynn Stadium. First pitch is set for 6 p.m. PT.

Along with live stats, the Aztecs-Tritons clash will air live on the Mountain West Network, with link to both platforms available on GoAztecs.com. Fans can also catch Tuesday’s action on their TVs or smartphones by downloading the MW app.

SDSU (11-25) dropped two of three games to Fresno State in a Mountain West series this past weekend, falling by scores of 7-0 and 10-2, sandwiched around a 6-4 victory. With the results, the Aztecs slipped into a tie for fifth place in the conference standings with Washington State and Air Force.

In Saturday’s triumph, Nevan Noonan belted his first two home runs in a Scarlet and Black uniform, including a two-run shot in the first inning, while Evan Escobar launched his first career round-tripper with a solo shot to help pace the SDSU offense.

With his effort, Noonan completed the Aztecs’ first game with multiple home runs since Shaun Montoya hit a pair at Nevada on May 17, 2024.

Conversely, UCSD (16-18) is coming off a series victory against CSUN at home, dropping a 7-3 decision in the opener before storming back with a 9-5 triumph and a 23-6 romp.

San Diego State will be looking to complete a season sweep of the Tritons for the second year in a row after posting a 10-7 victory in La Jolla on Feb. 18.

PROBABLE PITCHING MATCHUP
The Aztecs are projected to start freshman left-hander Alito McBean (0-0) on Tuesday, while the Tritons are expected to counter with freshman right-hander Nathan Ries (1-2).

McBean has pitched in seven games without a decision this season, posting a 9.31 ERA with eight strikeouts against 12 walks in 9 2/3 innings.

A native of Hermosa Beach, California, McBean made his first career start in SDSU’s home opener against Seattle on Feb. 20, when he gave up one run on three hits and six walks in 2 1/3 innings.

McBean posted a season-high three strikeouts against Northeastern in another stint of 2 1/3 innings on March 7.

In the opposing dugout, Ries has compiled a 1-2 record and a 9.12 ERA with 20 strikeouts against 12 walks in 24 2/3 innings.

Ries has started six of seven games this season, earning his first career victory against then-No. 23 Cincinnati on March 2, when he offset two hits and a walk with five strikeouts in five scoreless innings en route to a combined 5-0 shutout with two relievers.

SDSU IN MW RANKINGS 
As of April 14, the Aztec staff leads the Mountain West innings pitched (313.0) while tying for second in strikeouts (303) and ranking fifth in both opposing batting average (.300) and ERA (7.19).

Individually, Peyton Rodgers is tied for the conference lead with 18 appearances, while Evan Miranda is slotted third with 17 games pitched, followed by Chris Canavan and Xavier Cardenas III, who are tied for fourth with 15 outings apiece.

In addition, Cardenas is tied for fourth in the league with four saves, while Rodgers shares the sixth spot with three in that statistic.

Elsewhere, Marko Sipila leads the league in innings pitched (53.1) while ranking fourth in strikeouts (54) and ninth in opposing batting average (.280).

Garvey Rumary also finds himself among the MW leaders, tying for fifth in fewest hits allowed (42), while Omar Serrano shares the sixth position in strikeouts (44).

Offensively, SDSU tops the conference with 15 triples and is slotted fourth with 69 doubles and 142 walks. In addition, the Scarlet and Black occupies the sixth position in hits (331) and batting average (.274). 

Evan Sipe (8) and Drew Rutter (6) own the top two places in sacrifice hits, with the latter sharing the second spot in triples (4) alongside Jake Jackson.

Jackson and Jonathan Smith have already tied the program record with two triples in a game this year. Jackson accomplished the feat in the season opener vs. Seton Hall on Feb. 14, followed by Smith’s performance at Air Force on April 7.

Additionally, Nevan Noonan is tied for third in the MW with 13 doubles and shares the seventh spot with 47 hits.

AZTEC NOTEBOOK
Over the past 10 games, Nevan Noonan (.475), Jake Jackson (.424), Finley Bates (.412) and Jonathan Smith (.410) have posted batting averages over .400.

Noonan leads the Aztecs with 19 hits and 12 RBIs in that span, raising his season batting average from .280 to .336, while Smith has contributed a home run, two doubles, two triples and nine RBIs.

Not to be outdone, Jackson has five doubles and one triple to his credit.

In a doubleheader at Air Force on April 6, Jackson recorded eight consecutive hits across two contests and tied a single-game school record with four doubles in the opener, helping the Scarlet and Black to a big 16-4 victory.

Bates has reached base safely in his last 11 starts, raising his batting average from .241 to .282 in that stretch.

For the season, Noonan leads the Aztecs with multiple hits in 14 games, followed by Daniel Arambula with 11. Noonan and Arambula are the only two players to start all 36 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 34 games played in the same spot in the batting order.

Last month, Arambula garnered Mountain West Freshman of the Week accolades after leading the Scarlet and Black to a doubleheader sweep of SJSU on March 15, when he batted a combined .571 (4-for-7) with two homers, eight RBIs and four runs scored.

All 17 of San Diego State’s freshmen have seen action this season, including pitcher Aaron Kniffin, who returned from an injury to make his collegiate debut against California Baptist on April 8. The Scottsdale, Arizona, native allowed one unearned run vs. the Lancers on one walk in 1 2/3 innings.

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.

Escobar has started 15 of 21 games at shortstop, belting his first collegiate home run vs. Fresno State on April 12, 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.

In addition, catcher Xavier Farnum made his first collegiate start at USC on April 1, finishing with one hit, one walk and a run scored, while Keynen Gomez earned his first career start at second base vs. California Baptist on April 8.

SDSU has been without the services of another freshman CJ Moran, who has been sidelined the past 15 games with an injury.

Despite the setback, Moran still holds the team’s longest current hitting streak at nine games and is tied for third on the squad with multiple RBIs on five occasions alongside Bates.

For the season, Moran has posted a .365 batting average with a .456 on-base percentage. During his nine-game hitting streak from March 4-18, the Murrieta, California, native was hitting .500 (16-for-32) with three doubles, seven RBIs and nine runs scored, raising his season average from .262 to .365.

The Aztecs are 10-0 this season when leading after seven innings and 9-2 when outhitting the opposition. SDSU is also 9-1 this year when limiting opponents to five runs or fewer.

San Diego State has emerged victorious in 83 of its last 130 games dating back to 2019 when hitting a home run, including a 5-3 mark this year, a 14-13 ledger during the 2024 campaign and a 14-12 record in 2023.

Since 2019, the Aztecs are 77-63 in their last 140 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 176-68 over the last seven-plus seasons when scoring five or more runs, including a stellar 38-6 record during the 2017 campaign.

SERIES RECORD VS. UC SAN DIEGO
The Aztecs have won three straight against the Tritons to raise their record to 28-10 in the all-time series dating back to 1971.

SDSU posted a 10-7 victory in the last meeting between the two teams at Triton Ballpark on Feb. 18, scoring all of its runs in the third, fourth and fifth innings, highlighted by a six-run outburst in the fourth frame.

Drew Rutter tied a career high with three hits and scored two runs, while Nevan Noonan (2 H, 2 R), Daniel Arambula and CJ Moran totaled two RBIs apiece.

In his second relief appearance of the season, Chris Canada recorded his first victory since April 29, 2023, while Peyton Rodgers kept UCSD off the board for the final 2 2/3 innings to secure his second save of the year.

In three career games vs. the Tritons, Jake Jackson is batting .333 (4-12) with four RBIs, three runs scored and a stolen base.

TRITONS AT A GLANCE
After winning two of three games vs. CSUN this past weekend, UC San Diego (16-18) is tied for sixth in the Big West with a 7-8 mark in conference play.

With their results, the Tritons also raised their record to 11-6 at home while maintaining a 5-12 ledger on the road.

Sophomore outfielder Michael Crossland leads UC San Diego is several statistical categories, including batting average (.333), hits (45), home runs (10) and runs scored (30), while sharing the top spot in doubles (11), RBIs (27) and stolen bases (6). In addition, Crossland’s team-high 1.086 OPS ranks fourth in the Big West.

Elsewhere, sophomore Gabe Camacho has compiled a .320 batting average with five homers, 24 RBIs and 28 runs scored, while junior J.C. Allen (.266) is tied for the team lead in RBIs (27) and ranks second in hits (34).

As a team, the Tritons lead the Big West in home runs (51) and doubles (82) while ranking fourth in runs scored (236), RBIs (218) and slugging percentage (.475). UCSD is also slotted fifth in on-base percentage (.388) and sixth in batting average (.264).

On the mound, Triton pitchers occupy the sixth position in strikeouts (271) while ranking eighth in opposing batting average (.293) and ERA (5.98).

Individually, Sam Hasegawa, Devon King and Jake Villar are tied for eighth in the conference with two saves apiece.

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 later this month.

UP NEXT
Following Tuesday’s action, San Diego State will enter a busy stretch of five games in six days, starting Thursday when it opens the second half of Mountain West play with a three-game series at San José State (April 17-19). The Aztecs will return to “America’s Finest City” for a single contest at the University of San Diego on Monday, April 21, before playing host to Cal State Fullerton the next night on April 22.