SACRAMENTO, Calif. — After spending its last two weekends on the road, the Sacramento State baseball team returns to the friendly confines of John Smith Field to host its next three series beginning this weekend as Western Athletic Conference rival Seattle U comes to town. The series begins on Friday (April 11) at 4 p.m., followed by a 6 p.m. first pitch for game two on Saturday (April 12), and a 1 p.m. start on Sunday (April 13) for the finale.

PLAY BALL!
WHAT: Seattle U (12-20, 3-6 WAC) at Sacramento State (18-14, 6-3 WAC)
WHEN: Friday-Sunday, April 11-13, 2025
TIME: 4 PM PT (Fri.) / 6 PM PT (Sat.) / 1 PM PT (Sun.)
WHERE: Sacramento, Calif.
STADIUM: John Smith Field 
FOLLOW:
Game 1: WAC International | Live Stats
Game 2: ESPN+ | WAC International | Live Stats
Game 3: ESPN+ | WAC International | Live Stats

GAME NOTES: Sacramento State | Seattle U | Western Athletic Conference

WE'LL DO IT LIVE
• Friday's contest will be shown on the WAC International platform, while games two and three will be streamed live on ESPN+
• Live stats will also be available for all three games
• Links to follow along are available on the baseball schedule page at HornetSports.com

ABOUT THE REDHAWKS
• Seattle U enters the week with a 12-20 overall record and a 3-6 mark in WAC play, standing seventh in the nine-team table
• The Redhawks are coming off a series win over Tarleton State at home, taking the first two games (11-6 and 3-0) before falling in the finale (7-2), and were edged by crosstown rival Washington, 4-3, in a midweek contest at the Huskies' field on Tuesday
• Of Seattle U's 12 wins this year, 10 of those have come at home as the Redhawks are 2-12 on the road and 0-3 on a neutral field
• Senior infielder Tyler Peterson leads the team with a .337 batting average, scoring 15 runs, adding six doubles, and driving in 18 runs
• Sophomore utility Sam Kane has slugged a team-high 10 home runs and has driven in 29, while sophomore utility Kenny Ishikawa has a team-high 15 doubles and a team-high 29 runs scored
• The Redhawks' pitching staff has combined for a 6.84 ERA and 226 strikeouts in 275 innings, while opponents have battered the arms to the tune of a .306 average
• Seattle U ranks eighth in the league with a .259 average as a team, while its ERA and opposing batting average ranks ninth

SERIES NOTES
• Sacramento State leads the all-time series with Seattle U by a 28-19 count
• The Hornets have won three straight in the series after sweeping the Redhawks on the road last year and have won three of the last four series between the two programs
• This weekend marks the first meeting between the two schools in Sacramento since the 2022 season when Sacramento State took 2-of-3 at John Smith Field on April 15-27
• Three of the last four series have been played in Seattle save that series in 2022
• Only 16 of the 47 all-time games in the series have been played on the Hornets' home field, with Sacramento State posting a 10-6 record in those contests
• The Hornets outscored the Redhawks, 31-8, in last year's three-game sweep
• Only two of the last 12 meetings between the two schools have been decided by two runs or fewer

HOME IS WHERE THE WINS ARE
• Sacramento State's win over Fresno State on March 25 gave the Hornets their 12th victory of the year at John Smith Field, just one win shy of its home win total from all of 2024 (13-18) and nine back of the 2023 campaign when Sacramento State finished 20-11
• The Hornets have a chance to improve on that record over the next three weeks as they host a trio of weekend series with only a pair of midweek road contests during that 11-game stretch

A RUN ON RUNS
• Sacramento State's stay in Abilene saw the Hornets outscore host ACU by a 36-11 count, aided by 11 home runs and 19 extra-base hits overall
• The 36 runs scored in the sweep were the most in a three-game series this season and the second-highest total in ANY series this year, trailing only the 43 runs scored in a four-game set against South Dakota State
• Sacramento State's 36 runs were the most in a three-game series since the Hornets outscored Utah Tech by the same count at the end of 2023
• Of the 36 runs, eight were scored in the ninth inning of the series finale -- the most runs in a single frame this year for Sacramento State and the most since scoring eight in the first inning against Stephen F. Austin on May 12, 2024
• The Hornets' 14 runs in the series finale are tied for the second most in a game this year, trailing only the 19 runs scored at San Francisco on Feb. 17
• Sacramento State has scored 10-or-more runs nine times this year, while producing double-digit hits 14 times -- including four of its last six outings

CRUSH, CRUSH
• The Hornets eclipsed their single-season high for home runs with four in the opener against the Wildcats -- a mark that lasted less than a day
• Sacramento State followed that performance up with a six home run day in game two of the series -- all hit by six different players in a 13-4 victory
• The six home runs were the most by a Hornet lineup since 2009 when they accomplished the feat twice against Utah Valley on April 11 and, again, at Nevada on May 8
• Of those 13 runs in game two, 10 of those came via those six home runs
• Sacramento State has now slugged 40 home runs on the season, tied with Utah Valley entering the week for the most in the WAC
• The Hornets finished 11 home runs in the series with Abilene Christian -- the most in a single series since they hit 12 at New Mexico State from April 28-30, 2023

HOMER FIRST, ASK QUESTIONS LATER
• As part of a huge weekend in Texas (more on that in a minute), freshman Michael Perazzo was one of three Hornets to slug their first career home runs against the Wildcats
• Freshman Jameson Mullin slugged a three-run home run in game one for the first of his career, following that up with a two-run home run in game two
• Redshirt freshman Nikhil Beasley added the first of his career with a two-run home run during the game two barrage

"JACK"-OB POTURNAK
• Sophomore Jakob Poturnak slugged his team-best 10th home run of the season as part of the Hornets' game two barrage at ACU
• The blast moved him into a four-way tie for the top spot in the WAC entering the week, matching Utah Valley's Luke Iverson, Tarleton State's Tyson Drake and Seattle U's Sam Kane
• With Poturnak's 10 home runs, the Hornets have now had at least one player reach double digits in the category for the fourth consecutive season

"SERIES"-OUS BUSINESS
• Friday night's are alright for the Hornets, who improved to 7-1 in series openers this year with their 9-3 win at Abilene Christian last weekend
• Sacramento State is 4-4 in game two's and 4-3 in game three's (the Saint Mary's series was shortened to two games due to weather)
• The Hornets are batting .264 / .265 / .277 in games one, two, and three, respectively, while averaging 7.0 runs per game in the opener, 6.3 runs per game in game two, and 5.9 runs per game in the finale
• Sacramento State is outscoring opponents, 56-27, in the first game, 50-45 in game two, and 41-40 in game three following a big weekend in Texas
• On the mound, Sacramento State's pitching staff has been lights out on Friday's, posting a 3.12 ERA and a .240 average against

LPG... OMG!
• Junior Luis Pimentel-Guerrero is in the midst of one of his best stretches of the season at the plate, having reached base safely in each of his last 15 games dating back to the doubleheader against Saint Mary's on March 15
• Pimentel-Guerrero has hit safely in 11 of those, while walking a combined five times in three games and hit by a pitch in a fourth to keep the streak alive
• During that stretch, Pimentel-Guerrero is batting a robust .377 (20-for-53), with 12 runs scored, a pair of home runs and 11 RBI, along with six multi-hit games 
• He now has 11 multi-hit games on the year, trailing only teammate Jakob Poturnak for the team lead

WE DEMAND... A SACRIFICE!
• Freshman Michael Perazzo has given himself up more than all but one other player in the NCAA entering this weekend's games, ranking second nationally with 11 sacrifice hits
• He trails only NC State's Matt Heavner (12) nationally and leads the WAC by six in front of three others
• Perazzo's 11 sacrifices moved him into a tie for fourth alongside Everet Rincon (2006) on the school's single-season list
• With two more, Perazzo will tie Dane Fujinaka (2014), Blake Crosby (2008), and Bob Stevens (1975) for the program's single-season record
• Four more sacrifices this year will tie Perazzo with Fujinaka and Kyle Moses (2012-15) for 10th on the career list

PERAZZO AT THE PLATE
• When he's not moving runners into scoring position, Perazzo has been red-hot at the plate as of late
• The freshman had himself a player-of-the-week-worthy weekend at Abilene Christian, batting .529 (9-for-17) with six runs scored, three doubles, and the first two home runs of his career while also driving in six more runs
• He finished the week slugging 1.059 and posting a .556 on-base percentage in four games
• Perazzo finished with multiple hits in all four games last week, including a career-high three hits in the finale against the Wildcats -- and now has multiple hits in six of his last eight games, batting .419 (13-for-31) in that stretch

WELCOME BACK
• Senior outfielder Matt Masciangelo made his return to the Hornets' lineup on Tuesday at UC Davis after having missed the previous 27 games due to injury
• Masciangelo started in left field and drew a walk in his first plate appearance against the Aggies, playing in his first game since the series finale at San Francisco back on Feb. 17
• Prior to his return on Tuesday, Masciangelo was hitting .636 (7-for-11) in three starts with a double, three runs, and three RBI, collecting multiple hits in all three games before suffering the injury

WINNER, WINNER CHICKEN DINNER
• Three different Hornets came through with the game-winning RBI in their series sweep at Abilene Christian with Perazzo, Poturnak, and Orlando Cobarrubias doing the honors.
• For Poturnak, it was his third of the season, while Perazzo collected his second and Cobarrubias did so for the first time this year
• In all, 10 different Sacramento State players have posted game-winning RBI this year
• Poturnak, Tyler White, and Elie Kligman have three game-winning RBI this year, followed by two apiece from Perazzo and Ryan Christiansen
• Along with Cobarrubias, Jacob Cortez, Luke Oyler, Luis Pimentel-Guerrero, and Cameron Sewell have one apiece

CYCLE SEEKING
• As part of his three-hit performance in the finale against Abilene Christian, Perazzo fell a triple short of hitting for the cycle -- the fifth time that a Hornet hitter has had a near-miss on one this year
• Jakob Poturnak needed a triple in game four against Ball State on Feb. 22, Ryan Christiansen needed a triple in game three against South Dakota State on Feb. 28, Pimentel-Guerrero's three-hit night against Nevada on March 10 left him just a triple short of the cycle
• Meanwhile, senior Tyler White finished 3-for-4 in the opener against UT Arlington on March 21, missing out on only the home run
• The last Hornet to hit for the cycle was Jason Beeman at CSUN on April 24, 1994, who finished 4-for-6 with two runs scored and six RBI, while also throwing a complete game, allowing six runs on 13 hits and striking out three in a 14-6 victory

EVAN ALMIGHTY
• Senior right-hander Evan Gibbons had the finest outing of the season in the opener against Abilene Christian, improving him to 5-1 overall on the year
• The victory gave him wins in each of his last three starts -- all against schools from the state of Texas -- while throwing a career-high tying eight shutout innings (last: against California Baptist on April 5, 2024), allowing just six hits and striking out three
• It was Gibbons' fifth "quality start" in eight starts overall this year, giving him 18 in 39 career starts as a Hornet
• During his recent winning streak (20.1 innings), Gibbons has posted a 2.66 ERA and a .263 (20-for-76) average against, striking out 11 and walking four
• The senior enters the week ranked No. 8 in the WAC in ERA (3.47), leads the league innings (49.1), and shares the league lead in wins

WHAT CAN BROWN DO FOR YOU?
• Preseason All-American and Stopper of the Year candidate Kade Brown notched his eighth save of the season in the finale at Abilene Christian, getting the final nine outs of the game while allowing only one hit and striking out a pair
• His save total puts him in a five-way tie for fifth in the NCAA entering the week, just three back of Clemson's Lucas Mahlstedt for the national lead as of April 6
• The eight saves matches his total from all of last season (22 appearances) and ranks tied for 10th on the school's single-season list
• Brown's 16 career saves are now tied for fourth on the school's career list, tying him with Tanner Dalton (2018-19) and Michael Penbera (1999-01) 
• Brown leads the WAC with a .170 average against, ranks fourth with a 2.81 ERA, and ranks eighth in the league at 10.87 strikeouts per nine

NOAH LU-"K"-HESI
• Senior left-hander Noah Lucchesi gave his teammate Kade Brown a break in game two of the series against ACU, notching his first save of the year
• Lucchesi pitched the final three innings of the 13-4 victory, allowing a run on a hit while striking out a career-high seven without a walk
• The save was the second of his career and his first since striking out five over four innings against Utah Tech on May 18, 2023
• The seven strikeouts surpassed his previous best of six at Stephen F. Austin on April 1, 2023

PLEASE HOLD
•  Senior left-hander Noah Lucchesi ranks second on the team in wins with his 3-1 record, but it has been his work late in games that has helped the Hornets pull off some wins this year
• Lucchesi leads the team with four "holds" on the year and has allowed just two run over his last six appearances (9.1 innings) for a 1.93 ERA
• He has allowed seven hits and struck out 12 in that same stretch
• Going back even further, Lucchesi has allowed only four runs over his last 12 appearances (13.1 innings) for a 2.70 ERA, allowing 12 hits, walking four, and striking out 16

MONSON THE MAGNIFICENT
• Senior right-hander Andrew Monson has been one of the more reliable arms out of the Hornet bullpen as of late, allowing just two earned runs over his last seven appearances (6.0 innings)
• In addition to posting his second win of the season and his first career save, Monson has a 3.00 ERA in that stretch, scattering 10 hits while striking out six against only one walk

"QUALITY" YOU CAN COUNT ON
• Sacramento State pitchers have thrown 10 "quality starts" this season, five of those by senior right-hander Evan Gibbons, three from righty Ethan Lay, and one each by senior right-hander Tyler Stewart and junior right-hander Colin Hunter
• Lay has "quality starts" in games against South Dakota State, Pacific, and UT Arlington, while Stewart (March 8 at Pacific) and Hunter (March 18 at Pacific) accomplished the feat for the first time this year
• All told, the Hornets are 8-2 in those 10 "quality starts," including a 5-0 record in all five of Gibbons' "quality" outings this year

BUYING STOCK IN BRYCE
•  Sophomore right-hander Bryce Stockton has made the most out of his last five appearances out of the bullpen, posting a 1.93 ERA while allowing just one run on five hits in 4.2 innings of work

ONE IS THE WINNINGEST NUMBER
• The Hornets' 6-5 defeat against California on April 1 marked Sacramento State's 12th one-run decision in 28 total games
• The Hornets are 7-5 in those 12 one-run contests
• The seven one-run victories are the most for the Hornets since they posted 10 one-run victories in 17 chances during the 2022 campaign (58 total games)
• Two more of the Hornets' outings have been decided by two runs (1-1 record)