SACRAMENTO -- The Sacramento State baseball team opens a run of seven straight games away from the friendly confines of John Smith Field this weekend, heading to the "Beehive State" to open a three-game series against Western Athletic Conference rival Utah Valley at UCCU Ballpark in Orem, Utah. The series opens on Friday (April 1) at 5 p.m., with Saturday's (April 2) game two scheduled for a 1 p.m. start. The two teams close the series on Sunday (April 3) with a late morning first pitch at 11 a.m.
PLAY BALL…
WHAT: Sacramento State (11-13, 3-6 WAC) at Utah Valley (8-17, 2-7 WAC)
WHEN: Friday-Sunday, April 1-3, 2022
TIMES: 5 p.m. PT / 1 p.m. PT / 11 a.m. PT
WHERE: Orem, Utah
STADIUM: UCCU Ballpark (5,000)
WATCH: ESPN+ (Subscription Required) - Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3
LIVE STATS: GoUVU.com - Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3
GAME NOTES: Sacramento State | Utah Valley Baseball
ON THE MOUND…
FRIDAY: RHP Eli Saul (2-0, 2.76 ERA) vs. RHP Coop Rust (1-3, 3.57 ERA)
SATURDAY: LHP Noah Lucchesi (0-3, 4.71 ERA) vs. RHP Mason Gray (0-2, 6.56 ERA)
SUNDAY: RHP Colin Hunter (1-2, 3.58 ERA) vs. TBA
IN THE RANKINGS...
Neither Sacramento State, nor Utah Valley, are ranked entering this week's games. The Hornets were ranked as high as No. 20 in the nation by Baseball America on Feb. 28 following a 7-0 start, while also ranking No. 23 in the D1Baseball.com poll, No. 24 by the NCBWA, and No. 25 in the USA Today coaches poll. It marked the first time in the program's Division I history that Sacramento State has appeared in those respective rankings after the Hornets debuted in the national polls for the first time as a Division I program in 2021, coming in at No. 24 in back-to-back weeks in the Collegiate Baseball poll on April 5 and 12.
SCOUTING UTAH VALLEY...
The Wolverines enter the weekend with an 8-17 overall record and a 2-7 mark in Western Athletic Conference play, having split a four-game non-conference series at CSU Bakersfield last week on the road and falling at in-state rival Utah on Tuesday by a single run... In conference play, Utah Valley has been swept by Grand Canyon and lost two of three to both Dixie State and California Baptist... This weekend marks only the second series at home for UVU aside from their series with the Lancers, having played 21 of its 25 games away from home this year... Senior Mitch Moralez leads the Wolverines' offense, batting .375 with a home run and team-high 11 RBI... UVU is batting .249 as a team, having stolen 25 bases in 37 attempts... Saturday's scheduled starter Mason Gray is one of five players with a team-high 16 strikeouts this season... Reliever Nick Sims is 3-0 with a 1.59 ERA and a .200 average against... Combined, the UVU staff has a 7.30 ERA and a .298 average against.
AGAINST THE WOLVERINES...
Sacramento State holds a 31-19 all time advantage in the series with Utah Valley, having won the last five straight and nine of the last 12... The Hornets are 9-7 on the road against the Wolverines, sweeping a four-game series against UVU last season in Orem, outscoring the Wolverines, 37-19... This weekend marks only the sixth series played between the two in Orem, as 28 of the 50 games have been played in Sacramento and six more at the WAC Tournament on a neutral field in Arizona... The Hornets have won seven of their last 10 games played on Utah Valley's home field dating back to 2017.
LAST TIME OUT...
Seniors Steven Moretto and Keith Torres slugged home runs to carve into an early deficit, but Sacramento State could not come all the way back, falling to Pacific, 5-2, in a midweek game at John Smith Field. Torres and Josh Rolling each finished with two hits and Noah Takacs pitched 5.1 innings of one-hit relief, striking out three.
FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS...
With the Hornets' walk-off 3-2 win in the opener against Grand Canyon last week, Sacramento State has still not lost a series opener this season, posting a perfect 6-0 record and outscoring opponents 47-15 in those contests.
STRIKE FIRST, STRIKE HARD, NO MERCY SIR!...
Sacramento State is 8-3 when scoring first this season, outscoring opponents by a 73-46 count through the first four innings, compared to a 69-45 deficit through the final five frames. The Hornets, however, have lost their last two such games, falling in the second game at Seattle U (March 18) and in the series finale against Grand Canyon (March 27).
DON'T CALL IT A COMEBACK...
Well, okay, go ahead. When Gunner Gouldsmith shot a single through the right side to score teammate Jeffery Heard with the game-winning run in a 3-2 victory over Grand Canyon last week, it marked the fourth come-from-behind victory for the Hornets this year and the second "walk-off" win along with a 2-0 triumph over Northern Illinois on Feb. 19 thanks to Josh Walker's two-run home run in the bottom of the seventh.
THIS ONE GOES TO 11...
Sophomore Cesar Valero has regained his form at the plate following a bit of a scuffle, extending his hitting streak to a Hornet-best 11 straight games with a strong showing against both Grand Canyon and Pacific, matching teammate Jorge Bojorquez for the longest by a Sacramento State player this year. Valero's streak has the Calgary, Alberta, native 15 for his last 42 (.357), with 10 runs scored, six walks, and five RBI. In the process, Valero has raised his average 22 points from .283 to .316 entering this weekend's contests.
NUMBER 7 FOR NUMBER 8...
Along with his teammate, senior Steven Moretto is also on a bit of a streak, collecting hits in each of his last seven games, batting .417 (10-for-24) with four runs scored and four RBI in that stretch. His third home run of the season against Pacific on Tuesday night led off the fourth inning -- the second time he has led off an inning with a home run this season -- while it was his first round-tripper since Feb. 26 at Long Beach State that gave the Hornets a 5-4 win.
MORETTO MOVES UP...
The Coquitlam, B.C., native's home run against the Tigers moved him into a tie for fourth on the school's all-time list alongside Gabe Jacobo (2006-08), and put him one back of both Chris Kinsey (2001-03) and Will Fitzpatrick (1990-93) for second on the list. Moretto stands six shy of the all-time mark of 36 set by Harvey Hargrove from 1995-97. The RBI was also the 129th of his career, giving him sole possession of fifth on that all-time list, six back of Fitzpatrick for fourth.
QUALITY YOU CAN COUNT ON...
Saul posted his fourth "quality start" (six innings, three earned runs or fewer) of the year -- and his third straight -- in the series opening win against Grand Canyon last week, allowing just two earned over seven innings in the Hornets eventual, 3-2, win. In those quality starts, Saul is 2-0 with a 1.30 ERA, allowing just four earned on 17 hits over 27.2 innings, with 24 strikeouts and a .179 (17-for-95) average against. Freshman Colin Hunter is the only other Sacramento State starter with at least one "quality start" this year, doing so twice against Northern Illinois on Feb. 19 (a seven-inning no-hitter) and against Grand Canyon on March 27.
SWIPER, NO SWIPING...
Thinking of running on Dylan McPhillips? Think hard. The senior catcher erased three would-be base stealers in the series against Grand Canyon last week, upping his total to seven (in 17 chances) on the year. the total ranks second in the Western Athletic Conference entering the weekend, trailing only Dixie State's Kaden Hollow, who has thrown out 11 runners attempting to steal.
AND THE HITS JUST KEEP ON COMING...
Moretto logged the 45th career multi-hit game of his career in the finale against Grand Canyon, matching Keith Torres for the most among active Hornets entering the week. The milestone was short-lived, however, after Torres finished 2-for-4 against Pacific on Tuesday to regain the lead with his 46th career multi-hit contest.
HAVE YOU HEARD?...
Jeffery's on base again. The freshman outfielder from San Jose, Calif., has reached base safely in each of his last six contests, hitting safely in five of those to go with six walks, three runs scored (including the game-winner in the finale against Grand Canyon last weekend), and three RBI.
YARD WORK...
Cesar Valero and his eight home runs enter the weekend ranked tied for second in the WAC (as of March 30), matching the totals of last year's team leaders -- Steven Moretto and Matt Smith -- while putting him just one more home run shy of the most by a Hornet slugger since Moretto finished with nine in 2019. The last time a Sacramento State player finished with double-digit home runs was James Outman with 11 in 2018.
MAKING THE SACRIFICE...
When all you need is a fly ball to score a run, Sacramento State is your team. The Hornets rank No. 15 in the NCAA (as of March 30) with 16 sacrifice flies this year, while senior Steven Moretto is tied for fifth in the NCAA with five on his own in 2022. Moretto's total is the highest since Ryan Walstad finished with the same number in 2021.
WINNER, WINNER, CHICKEN DINNER...
In all, eight different Hornets have accounted for game-winning RBI this season, after Gunner Gouldsmith's winner against Grand Canyon, while Cesar Valero leads all Hornets with three on the year. Josh Rolling has come around to score the game-winning run a team-high three times, while Jeffery Heard became the seventh different player to score a game-winning run. Of Sacramento State's 11 wins, five have come thanks to a go-ahead home run.
SOLO PERFORMANCE...
Of the Hornets' 22 home runs this far this season, 12 have been of the solo variety, including eight of the last 11. Only three of the 22 round-trippers have featured two-or-more runners on base -- the last off the bat of Cesar Valero, who slugged his second three-run home run of the day against Houston Baptist on March 4.
FIRING BLANKS...
The Hornets' 2-0 win in the season opener at Seattle U was the team's fourth shutout of the season, standing tied for fifth in the NCAA (as of March 30). The four shutouts ties the team's total from all of 2021 and are the most since the 2019 squad finished with five.
LATE-INNING FIREWORKS...
Don't leave your seats, you're bound to miss something. Of the Hornets' 22 home runs this season, nine of those have come in the sixth inning or later -- including three of the team's last six round-trippers. Cesar Valero, Josh Rolling, and Jeffery Heard, have each slugged two of those, with Steven Moretto, Josh Walker, and Jorge Bojorquez, joining the party with one apiece.
WESLEY SHARPER...
Since surrendering a run against Northern Illinois in his season debut on Feb. 20, junior right-hander Wesley Harper has been sharp out of the bullpen, surrendering only five hits and striking out six over his last 6.1 innings, including a season-high three innings of effective scoreless relief at Seattle U on March 19 in a game that featured a combined 29 runs.
PUTTING IN THE WORK...
Junior right-hander Jack Zalasky has been a busy man this year, throwing two or more innings in eight of his nine appearances this year while striking out 23 batters to rank third on the team behind only starters Eli Saul (29) and Colin Hunter (28).
HEY, HEY, HAYNES...
Sophomore right-hander Kevin Haynes has allowed just one run in his last 4.1 innings of relief, scattering six hits and striking out six in that span, while lowering his ERA by more than a run in the process. His 12 appearances lead the team and rank among the top 10 in the WAC.
