Aztecs Gearing Up for Tuesday Night Battle at Cal State Fullerton

SAN DIEGO – San Diego State returns to the diamond on Tuesday, March 10, when it makes the short drive to Orange County for a midweek game at Cal State Fullerton, starting at 6 p.m. PT.

Along with live stats, the Aztecs-Titans clash will air live via subscription basis on ESPN+.

SDSU dropped two of three games to defending West Coast Conference tournament champion Saint Mary’s at home this past weekend, capturing a 3-2 comeback victory in the series opener before falling short in the final two encounters by scores of 12-9 and 9-6.

Aidan Russell (2-0) picked up his second win of the season last Friday, keeping the Gaels off the scoreboard for the final 4 1/3 innings, as the Aztec reliever allowed just one hit without a walk while posting six strikeouts to match his career high.

For his efforts, Russell earned his second straight Mountain West Pitcher of the Week award, marking the first time an SDSU hurler has collected consecutive honors since TJ Fondtain was recognized May 9-16, 2022.

At the plate, the Aztecs have been paced by junior transfer Jabin Trosky, who leads the team in batting average (.385), on-base percentage (.437), hits (25) and runs scored (17). The SDSU shortstop also ranks second in doubles (5) and stolen bases (3) while occupying the third spot in slugging percentage (.492).

Trosky has hit safely in 14 of 16 games thus far and tops the squad with multiple hits on nine occasions.

Zach Justice has also wielded a hot bat of late, hitting safely in eight straight games to raise his season batting average from .105 to .286. The Aztec catcher leads the team with 14 RBIs, including nine in his last four games.

Justice made his first career home run a memorable one, smacking a first-inning grand slam against Long Beach State on March 4. He also  walked and scored in the eighth inning against the Dirtbags, helping the Aztecs secure a wild 13-10 come-from-behind victory.

PROBABLE PITCHING MATCHUP
The Aztecs are scheduled to start junior right-hander Bryce McKnight (1-0, 7.30 ERA) on Tuesday, while the Titans are expected to counter with sophomore righty Nick Santivanez (0-0, 0.00 ERA).

McKnight will be making his fifth career start and second in a Scarlet and Black uniform after transferring from Arizona. The Phoenix native has recorded a career-high four strikeouts in each of his last three outings, including a start against Long Beach State on March 4 when he allowed three earned runs (eight overall) in three innings but did not factor in the decision.

McKnight notched his first collegiate save in a three-inning stint at Washington on Feb. 27 after earning the victory in another relief effort against LIU in the season opener on Feb. 13 despite yielding three runs on four hits and one walk in three innings of work.

Meanwhile, Santivanez has tossed three scoreless innings with four strikeouts in a trio of relief appearances this season after transferring from CSUN. As a freshman for the Matadors in 2025, the Orange, California, native pitched in nine games with one start, compiling a 1-1 record with a 9.75 ERA and 18 strikeouts over 12 innings.

SERIES RECORD VS. CAL STATE FULLERTON
The Aztecs split two games against the Titans in 2025, avenging an earlier 7-1 defeat in Fullerton with a resounding 13-3 run-rule triumph in eight innings at Tony Gwynn Stadium.

In that contest, Alito McBean earned his first career victory after allowing one run on seven scattered hits and three walks in five innings of work.

SDSU scored in seven of eight frames, collecting 16 hits for the night, including six for extra bases, highlighted by Jake Jackson’s solo blast in the second inning.

With the results, SDSU moved to 28-49-1 in the all-time series against Cal State Fullerton dating back to 1964.

The Aztecs and Titans will square off in a rematch at Tony Gwynn Stadium on Tuesday, April 28.

SDSU IN MW RANKINGS
As of March 9, the Aztecs lead the Mountain West in strikeouts per nine innings (11.2) and strikeout-to-walk ratio (2.93), which rank 24th and 39th in the nation, respectively.

Additionally, SDSU is slotted 77th in the country with a league-best WHIP of 1.32.

The Aztecs also share the top perch in the conference with six triples, which is tied for 17th nationally.

Elsewhere, the Aztecs occupy the second spot in the MW in both hits allowed per nine innings (8.68) and walks allowed per nine innings (3.83).

Individually, Aidan Russell leads the MW with two saves and a 0.63 ERA while sharing the second position with two victories alongside teammates Rohan Lettow and Drew Talavs.

Lettow tops the league with 31 strikeouts, which is tied for 31st nationally, followed closely by Drew Talavs (4th - 26), Alec Belardes (5th – 22), Carson Johnson (T6th – 21) and Russell (T8th – 20).

At the plate, Jabin Trosky finds himself among the league leaders in several categories, including hits (3rd, 25), runs scored (7th, 17), doubles (T7th, 5) and batting average (8th, .385).

Trosky has been the third-toughest MW player to strike out thus far in 2026, fanning once every 10.8 at-bats.

Not to be outdone, Adam Magpoc is tied for second with six stolen bases, while Tyce Peterson is slotted third in doubles (8) and shares the third position in home runs (3) to go with an eighth-place standing in slugging percentage (.576).

Elsewhere, Dawson Santana has been hit by a pitch seven times, which is tied for second in the conference, while Zach Justice shares the 10th spot with 14 RBIs.

Collectively, the Aztecs rank third in hits (142), fourth in doubles (26) and slugging percentage (.412), fifth in batting average (.262) and sixth in scoring (5.6 runs/game).

STRIKEOUTS GALORE
Since 2019, the Aztecs are 87-69 in their last 155 games when striking out 10 or more batters, boasting an 8-3 mark this year. SDSU pitchers fanned a season-high 17 batters in a 12-5 romp over LIU on Feb. 14.

In that series against the Sharks, SDSU combined for 46 strikeouts, marking the team’s highest total for a three-game set since posting 47 in a sweep of San Francisco in 2019.

OTHER TRENDS
The Aztecs are 185-77 over the last eight seasons when scoring five or more runs, including a stellar 38-6 record during the 2017 campaign.

San Diego State has emerged victorious in 95 of its last 152 games dating back to 2019 when hitting a home run, including a 6-1 mark this season.

The Aztecs have hit three home runs in two contests already this season vs. LIU (Feb. 14) and at No. 1 UCLA (Feb. 24) after collecting three home runs in a game just once during the 2025 campaign vs. Fresno State (April 12, 2025).

SDSU is 9-0 this year when leading after eight innings and 8-0 when out-hitting the opposition.

Not to be outdone, the Aztecs are 5-0 this season in one-run games and have posted a 7-1 mark when hitting a home run.

CAL STATE FULLERTON AT A GLANCE
The Titans (6-9, 2-1 Big West) opened their conference schedule last weekend with a series victory at Cal State Bakersfield, emerging triumphant by scores of 5-3 and 13-7 sandwiched around a 9-3 defeat.

CSF tied for fourth in the Big West preseason coaches poll, while outfielder Andrew Kirchner was named to the preseason all-conference team. 

Entering the week, Cameron Kim leads the Titans with a .316 batting average and a conference-best 10 doubles while sharing the top spot on the squad with 18 hits alongside fellow infielder Ty Thomas (.281), who also owns a team-high three home runs and 10 RBIs.

As of March 9, CSF ranks fifth in the Big West in slugging percentage (.361) and sixth in hits (127), batting average (.247) and on-base percentage (.343) while occupying the eighth spot in runs scored (68).

On the mound, Titans pitchers are slotted fourth in the league in ERA (4.06) and fifth in both strikeouts (126) and opponent batting average (.249).

UP NEXT
Following Tuesday’s showdown, San Diego State opens Mountain West play at home this weekend, March 13-15, when it plays host to Washington State at Tony Gwynn Stadium.