Aztecs Set for Key MW Series vs. Washington State in Regular Season Finale

SAN DIEGO – With a berth in the Mountain West Championship on the line for both teams, San Diego State concludes its regular-season schedule this week when it faces Washington State in a crucial three-game series, May 15-17, at Tony Gwynn Stadium.

Both encounters on Thursday and Friday are set to begin at 6 p.m. PT, while Saturday’s showdown is set to get underway at noon.

Along with live stats, all three games will be broadcast on the Mountain West Network, with links to both platforms available on GoAztecs.com. Fans can also watch the action on their TVs or smartphones by downloading the MW app.

Prior to Saturday’s game, the Aztecs will conduct a special Senior Day ceremony, recognizing the accomplishments of players Chris Canada, Omar Serrano, Evan Sipe and Jonathan Smith, along with student manager for baseball operations Armita Modaressi.

Free SDSU sunglasses will be presented to the first 250 fans in attendance for Friday’s clash, while the first 100 spectators on Saturday will receive the third and final set of Aztec Baseball trading cards.

Fans are encouraged to arrive early for both games on Friday and Saturday in anticipation of increased traffic on campus due to University commencement ceremonies at Viejas Arena.

SETTING THE SCENE
The Aztecs (16-37, 11-16 MW) and Cougars enter the weekend in a tie for seventh place in the Mountain West, as the top six teams qualify for the MW Championship, May 21-24, in Mesa, Arizona.

SDSU dropped two of three games at Nevada this past weekend, posting a 7-4 victory in the opener before suffering a narrow 4-3 setback, followed by an 11-1 defeat.

WSU (18-33, 11-16 MW) experienced a similar fate at home against UNLV, sandwiching a 5-4 triumph between a 4-3 loss and a 5-2 setback.

With the results, the Aztecs and Cougars find themselves one game behind San José State (25-26, 12-15 MW) and Air Force (20-31, 12-15 MW), both of which are tied for fifth place, while UNLV (28-22, 13-14 MW) occupies the fourth position.

Nevada (31-20, 17-10 MW) took over sole possession of first place in the conference standings and clinched no worse than a No. 2 seed at the MW Championship, while New Mexico (29-20, 16-11 MW) and Fresno State (26-26, 16-11 MW) are tied for second.

San Diego State will be looking to avenge a three-game sweep against Washington State earlier this season in the program’s first-ever visit to Pullman.

PROBABLE PITCHING MATCHUPS
(Subject to change)

Thursday, May 15, SDSU: Marko Sipila, RHP (3-3) vs. WSU: Luke Meyers, RHP (5-3)

Friday, May 16, SDSU: Xavier Cardenas III, RHP (0-6) vs. WSU: Griffin Smith, RHP (5-5)

Saturday, May 17, SDSU: Omar Serrano, RHP (4-6) vs. WSU: TBA

Sipila has made one start in the last four conference series, posting seven strikeouts in six innings against New Mexico on May 2, but did not factor in the decision after giving up one unearned run on five hits and three walks, as the Lobos rallied for a 9-7 victory in 10 innings.

Sipila picked up his last victory at Air Force on April 4 in SDSU’s 16-4 rout when he gave up three runs on eight hits and three walks in five innings of work.

In his first start since March 1, Cardenas set a career high with 10 strikeouts in the series opener at Nevada on May 9, but did not factor in the decision, as the Aztecs erupted with four runs in the ninth inning to complete a 7-4 comeback victory.

Meanwhile, Serrano looks for a return to form when he tossed a complete game shutout in the series finale at San José State on April 19. Against the Spartans, the Aztec senior scattered four hits with just one walk and posted six strikeouts to earn MW Pitcher of the Week honors for the second time in his career.

SDSU IN MW RANKINGS
As of May 14, the Aztec staff leads the Mountain West innings pitched (454.0) and is slotted second in strikeouts (422) while ranking fifth in opposing batting average (.305) and sixth in ERA (7.14).

Individually, Peyton Rodgers tops the conference with 28 appearances, while Xavier Cardenas III (24) and Evan Miranda (23) are slotted third and fourth in games pitched, respectively.

Cardenas also shares the fifth position in the league with five saves and is tied for eighth with 51 strikeouts, while Rodgers ranks fifth in batters struck out looking (23) and is tied for seventh with three saves.

Despite missing three of his last four starts, Marko Sipila still finds himself among the conference leaders in opposing batting average (4th, .274), fewest hits allowed (4th, 64), ERA (5th, 4.70) and strikeouts (7th, 61).

In addition, Omar Serrano ranks fourth in the MW in innings pitched (76.0) and occupies the sixth spot in strikeouts (62) while sharing the ninth position in victories (4).

Offensively, SDSU is slotted third in the MW with 19 triples and ranks fourth with 200 walks and fifth with 105 doubles. In addition, the Scarlet and Black occupies the sixth position in hits (488) and the seventh spot in batting average (.275), runs scored (287) and RBIs (260).

Finley Bates is tied for the conference lead in walks (38), while Nevan Noonan (73) is slotted third in hits.

Elsewhere, Evan Sipe owns the top perch in the league with 11 sacrifice hits, while Jonathan Smith ranks third in that statistic with seven, followed by Drew Rutter, who is tied for fourth with six.

Smith and Jake Jackson 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.

AZTEC NOTEBOOK
For the season, Nevan Noonan leads the Aztecs with multiple hits in 22 games, followed by Daniel Arambula (18), CJ Moran (16) and Jonathan Smith (15).  Noonan and Arambula are the only two players to start all 53 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 48 games played in the same spot in the batting order.

On March 18, Arambula garnered Mountain West Freshman of the Week accolades after leading the Scarlet and Black to a doubleheader sweep of San José State when he batted a combined .571 (4-for-7) with two homers, eight RBIs and four runs scored.

In SDSU’s 6-4 victory over Fresno State on April 12, Noonan belted his first two home runs in an Aztec uniform, including a two-run shot in the first inning before adding a solo blast in the fourth.

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

After his RBI double in the first inning at Nevada on May 11, Moran has extended his streak of reaching base safely to 26 consecutive games.

Since returning from an injury against UCSD on April 15, a span of 17 games, Moran leads the team in batting average (.397) and on-base percentage (.473) while ranking second in hits (25). He has also contributed six doubles, one triple and 15 RBIs.

Moran has also taken over the team lead with a season batting average of .380 (52-137), which ranks fourth in the Mountain West. The Murrieta, California, native has contributed 14 doubles, 31 RBIs and 21 runs scored in 38 games. He is slotted second on the squad with multiple RBIs in 11 games, including three in the second game of a doubleheader vs. Northeastern on March 8.

Since March 28, a stretch of 28 games, Noonan is hitting .409 with team highs of 47 hits, seven homers and 28 RBIs, followed by Arambula (.324), Smith (.306) and Bates (.300).

Additionally, Jake Jackson has two homers, 10 doubles, one triple and 14 RBIs in that span, while Smith has contributed one home run, six doubles, three triples, 15 RBIs and seven stolen bases.

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.

On April 29, senior Evan Sipe was added to the midseason watch list for the Buster Posey National Collegiate Catcher of the Year Award, as announced by the Greater Wichita Area Sports Commission. The watch list will be narrowed down to the semifinalists on May 19. 

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. He also fanned a season-high three batters at USD on April 21.

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 28 of 34 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. The SDSU left-hander earned his first collegiate victory on April 22 against Cal State Fullerton when he allowed one run on seven scattered hits and three walks in five innings of work.

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

Farnum has started 10 of his last 15 games played, collecting 12 hits in 34 at-bats (.353) with three doubles, one triple, 10 RBIs and eight runs scored.

The Aztecs are 14-3 this season when leading after seven innings, suffering their first three losses in that category at UCR (April 29), vs. New Mexico (May 4) and at Nevada (May 10). SDSU is also 14-2 this year when limiting opponents to five runs or fewer and 14-3 when outhitting the opposition.

San Diego State has emerged victorious in 86 of its last 140 games dating back to 2019 when hitting a home run, including an 8-7 mark this year, a 14-13 ledger during the 2024 campaign and a 14-12 record in 2023.

Since 2019, the Aztecs are 77-65 in their last 142 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 180-74 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. WASHINGTON STATE
The Cougars took three games from the Aztecs in Pullman, March 21-23, to even the all-time series at 10-10.

SDSU suffered a pair of 13-3 run-rule defeats before falling by a 12-5 count in the finale, as WSU scored four runs in both the seventh and eighth innings to pull away for the victory.

Daniel Arambula led the Scarlet and Black with a .500 batting average (5-10) in that series, followed by Zane Kelly (.364) and Jonathan Smith (.333).

The Aztecs are 8-5 against the Cougars all-time in San Diego and 2-2 on a neutral diamond.

The teams split their first two meetings at the Riverside Invitational in 1984, with SDSU posting a 12-0 shutout after dropping a 5-4 decision.

COUGARS AT A GLANCE
After dropping two of three games to UNLV this past weekend, Washington State finished its regular-season home schedule with a 12-9 record.

Conversely, the Cougars are 6-24 this year in road/neutral contests following a 9-0 shutout at the hands of Gonzaga on Tuesday in Spokane.

For the season, WSU is slotted fifth in the conference with a .291 batting average, 498 hits and a .381 on-base percentage while ranking sixth in runs scored (297) and RBIs (270).

Max Hartman finds himself among the Mountain West leaders in batting average (8th, .361), while fellow outfielder Logan Johnstone (.342) ranks ninth in the conference with a .444 on-base percentage and tops the squad with nine home runs. Johnstone also shares the team lead with 40 RBIs, alongside catcher Will Cresswell (.340, 5 HR).

On the mound, Cougar pitchers are slotted sixth in opposing batting average (.311), seventh in ERA (7.34) and eighth in strikeouts (307).

Luke Meyers and Griffin Smith, Thursday’s and Friday’s respective scheduled starters, are tied for sixth in the MW with five victories apiece.

Smith tops the conference in innings pitched (78.1) and ranks fifth in opposing batting average (.276) while occupying the sixth spot in ERA (5.06), just ahead of Meyers (5.43), who is slotted eighth.

Elsewhere, Rylan Haider, Trevor Stowe and Bryce Chambers lead the team with 22 relief appearances apiece, which is tied for fifth in the league.

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 is available online at themw.com.

UP NEXT
If San Diego State finishes among the top six teams in the regular-season conference standings, it will make the trip east for the 2025 Mountain West Championship, May 21-24, at Sloan Park in Mesa, Arizona.