SACRAMENTO, Calif. — In the catbird seat atop the Western Athletic Conference standings, the Sacramento State baseball team enters its final weekend series of the regular season with a one-game lead, welcoming Utah Tech for three beginning Thursday (May 15) at John Smith Field.

First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Thursday night, followed by a 4 p.m. start for game two on Friday (May 16), and a Noon first pitch on Saturday (May 17) for the finale. The Hornets' group of seniors will be celebrated following the final out on Sunday as part of "Senior Day" ceremonies on the field.

PLAY BALL!
WHAT: Utah Tech (21-28, 7-14 WAC) at Sacramento State (30-22, 14-7 WAC)
WHEN: Thursday-Saturday, May 15-17, 2025
TIME: 6 PM PT / 4 PM PT / Noon PT
WHERE: Sacramento, Calif.
STADIUM: John Smith Field
TICKETS: HornetSports.com (https://hornettickets.evenue.net/list/BSB)

FOLLOW:
Game 1: Watch Live (https://wacinternational.tv/?S=hornetsports) | Live Stats (https://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=564133)
Game 2: Watch Live (https://wacinternational.tv/?S=hornetsports) | Live Stats (https://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=564134)
Game 3: Watch Live (https://wacinternational.tv/?S=hornetsports) | Live Stats (https://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=564135)

GAME NOTES: Sacramento State (https://hornetsports.com/documents/2025/5/14/25-BSB-UTT-notes-051525.pdf) | Utah Tech (https://utahtechtrailblazers.com/sports/baseball) | Western Athletic Conference (https://wacsports.com/sports/baseball?path=baseball)

WE'LL DO IT LIVE
• Due to conflicting home events for the weekend, all three games will be streamed live exclusively on the WAC International platform
• Live stats will also be available for all three games
• Links are available on the baseball schedule page at HornetSports.com

OH, OH IT'S MAGIC
• Sacramento State's "magic number" entering this week's series stands at two, leading both Abilene Christian and Grand Canyon by a game in the standings as well as holding the head-to-head tiebreaker with both schools
• Any number of Hornet wins combined with losses by BOTH Abilene Christian and Grand Canyon  that equal two gives Sacramento State at least a share of the WAC regular season crown and the No. 1 seed for the upcoming league tournament
• Two Sacramento State triumphs and a loss by both Abilene Christian and Grand Canyon would give the Hornets the regular season title outright 
• Sacramento State can accomplish the feat with only one win this coming weekend, but would need BOTH the Wildcats and Lopes to lose twice
• The Hornets can not finish any lower than third in the standings when all is said and done as California Baptist is the only team that can match Sacramento State's win total outside of the top three and the Hornets hold the head-to-head tiebreaker with the Lancers

TROPHY HUNTING
• Sacramento State goes in search of its third WAC regular season crown this week and its sixth conference trophy overall
• The Hornets haven't won a WAC regular season crown since 2014 when they pulled off the double, adding a tournament title and a trip to the NCAA San Luis Obispo Regional
• Sacramento State has won WAC regular season titles in 2012 and 2014, while winning tournament titles in 2014, 2017, and 2019

ABOUT THE TRAILBLAZERS
• Utah Tech enters the final week of the regular season with a 21-28 overall record and 7-14 mark in WAC play
• The Trailblazers are holding on to the eighth and final WAC Tournament spot, leading ninth-place Seattle U by a game and holding the head-to-head tiebreaker with the Redhawks
• Utah Tech fell at UC Davis on Tuesday (May 13) by a 6-2 score in its final midweek game
• The Traliblazers are coming off a series win at home against UT Arlington, taking 2-of-3 from the Mavericks and have won three of their last four weekend series
• Of Utah Tech's 21 wins, 17 of those have come at home as the Trailblazers are just 4-13 away from their home turf
• Sophomore pitcher/infielder Ryan Kroepel leads the team with a .381 average and a 1.027 OPS, slugging .575 on the year to go with a .452 on-base percentage
• Senior outfielder Hunter Katschke leads the team with 11 home runs and shares the team lead with 38 RBI along with teammate Aaron Perez
• Junior RHP Ryan Martinez (2-3, 4.67 ERA), junior LHP Brock Roundy (3-3, 8.50 ERA), and junior RHP Dakoda West (2-6, 4.92 ERA) have made up the Trailblazers' rotation for the previous two weekend series
• Sophomore RHP Cade Montgomery has started 10 games with a 4-2 record and a league-low 2.35 ERA, but has not pitched since April 25

SERIES NOTES
• Sacramento State leads the all-time series with Utah Tech, 10-6
• Of the six series between the two programs (including this year), this week marks the fourth played with Sacramento with the Hornets posting a 7-3 record on their home turf
• The Trailblazers took 2-of-3 from Sacramento State last season in St. George, Utah, sandwiching wins in games one and three around a 9-4 Hornet win in game two
• In the last series in Northern California, Sacramento State swept Utah Tech in a three-game series by the scores of 13-6, 12-3, and 11-2

PERAZZO ON BROOKS WALLACE WATCH
• Freshman infielder Michael Perazzo was named as one of the top 100 shortstops from across the nation named to the initial watch list for the 2025 Brooks Wallace Award on April 18
• The award honors the nation's top shortstop and will be presented by the College Baseball Foundation later this year and is named after former Texas Tech shortstop Brooks Wallace, who passed away at the age of 27 from leukemia
• Perazzo is one of 11 true or redshirt freshmen out of the group of 100 and is one of four from the Western Athletic Conference along with Abilene Christian's Nick Arias, Grand Canyon's Emilio Barreras, and Tarleton State's Ike Shirey

BROWN MAKES MIDSEASON STOPPER LIST
• Sophomore Kade Brown was one of 56 relievers from across the country named to the midseason watch list for the NCBWA Stopper of the Year Award on April 23
• Brown is one of nine pitchers on the midseason list that were named to the initial watch list back in February and one of two that also earned NCBWA Preseason All-America honors along with Tennessee's Nate Snead
• He is also one of four Hornets to make the midseason list for the award since its inception in 2005 joining Sutter McLoughlin (2013-14), Tyler Beardsley (2016), and Jack Zalasky (2023)
• The finalists will be announced on June 4, with the winner named on June 13 at the College World Series

ONLY A MATTER OF "WIN"
• Thanks to their series win at Utah Valley last weekend, the Hornets clinched their 30th win of the year -- the 12th time in the last 14 full seasons that they have reached that plateau under Head Coach Reggie Christiansen
• The 30 victories are the most for Sacramento State since the Hornets finished 32-26 overall
• With a series sweep this weekend, Sacramento State will post its highest win total since the 2021 campaign (35-22)
• As of now, the 14 conference victories matches the team's total from each of the last two years (14-16 in 2023 and 2024)
• A sweep this week would give Sacramento State its highest league win total since the 2021 squad finished 17-13 in an 11-team incarnation of the Western Athletic Conference
• Overall, the Hornets have now won 30-or-more games 25 times in the program's history dating back to 1949

"SERIES"-OUS BUSINESS
• Sacramento State's series win over Utah Valley was the team's sixth straight weekend series victory and improved the team to 9-1-3 in weekend series this year
• The six straight series wins is the longest such streak for the Hornets since winning seven-in-a-row during the 2019 campaign
• Sacramento State has lost only one WAC series this year, dropping 2-of-3 at Tarleton State on March 28-30 on the road
• Sacramento State has also split a pair of four-game series against San Francisco (Feb. 14-17) and Ball State (Feb. 20-22) as well as a weather-shortened set with Saint Mary's (March 15)
• The nine series wins overall are the most for the Hornets since they won nine in 2022 and one shy of the 10 series wins in 2019
• Sacramento State had its 10-game winning streak in series openers snapped at Utah Valley, but are still 11-2 in game one's, 8-5 in game two's and 7-5 in game three's

SMITH IN THE HISTORY BOOKS
• Already the school's career leader in home runs with 46, JP Smith knocked his 10th round-tripper of the year in the first inning of game two at Utah Valley last Saturday
• His 46 home runs rank tied for seventh on the WAC's career list, matching Wyoming's Sky Smeltzer (1986-89) and standing one back of Fresno State's Dusty Robinson (2009-11) for sixth
• Smith's 139 career RBI are now sixth on the school's all-time list, passing Chris Lewis (2013-16) and trailing Dawsen Bacho (2017-22) and Tim Wheeler (2007-09) by three for fifth
• With 35 career doubles, Smith is seven spots out of the school's top 10, while his 18 doubles this year put him one shy of breaking into the single-season top 10
• Should he accomplish the feat, he would be the first Hornet to reach the single-season top 10 since Steven Moretto (22) and Ryan Walstad (20) both did so in 2021

JAKOB POTUR-"JACK"
• The sophomore slugged his team-high 13th home run of the year in the series opener at Utah Valley, ranking him tied for fourth in the WAC entering the final week of the regular season
• The 13 home runs are the most by a Hornet newcomer since then-freshmen JP Smith and Wehiwa Aloy set the school's Division I era freshman record with 14 apiece in 2023
• With Poturnak's 13 home runs, the Hornets have now had at least one player reach double digits in the category for the fourth consecutive season

WE'RE GOING STREAKING!!
• Both Poturnak and senior Tyler White enter the final week of the regular season riding eight-game hitting streaks
• Poturnak is batting .417 (15-for-36) during his streak, scoring six runs and driving in 11 to go with four doubles, a triple, and two home runs
• He also has five multi-hit games during his eight-game streak
• White is batting a nearly identical .405 (15-for-37) during his streak, scoring 10 runs and driving in 10 from his leadoff spot

RUN HORNETS, RUN!!
• Clinging to a one-run lead entering the seventh inning of Sunday's finale at Utah Valley, the Hornet bats exploded for seven runs in the frame en route to the 9-2 victory
• The seven runs were the second-most in a single inning this year behind only the eight in the ninth inning at Abilene Christian on April 6
• The Hornets are 13-3 in games when they score four-or-more runs in an inning this year, winning their last five such contests

SINGLE AS A PRINGLE
• Over the last two weeks (eight games), the Hornets have collected a total of 107 hits -- five of those with double-digit knocks
• Of the 107 hits, only 29 of those (27.1 percent) have gone for extra bases• The Hornets, however, have collected at least one extra-base hit in each of their last 30 contests after being held to four singles in a 1-0 win over UT Arlington on March 22 

SETTING THE TABLE
• White continues to be the spark plug atop the Hornet lineup with another big week
• The senior has hit safely in 11 of his last 12 contests -- including six multi-hit performances
• White is hitting .415 (22-for-53) in that stretch, scoring 14 runs and driving in 11 more while raising his average 32 points to .323 on the year
• Dragging it out even longer, White has hit safely in 14 of his last 15 games, batting .420 (34-for-81) and adding four more multi-hit contests, nine more runs scored and five more RBI to the aforementioned totals

LUIS IS MORE
• After having his 10-game hitting streak snapped at Grand Canyon two weekends ago, junior Luis Pimentel-Guerrero picked up right where he left off, collecting hits in all four games last week and hitting .500 (7-for-14)
• Pimentel-Guerrero has tallied hits in 14 of his last 15 games, batting .481 (25-for-52) with 12 runs and 12 RBI to go along with 12 walks
• During that run, the junior has collected multiple hits in seven of his last nine contests and leads the team with 21 such games
• In the process, he has raised his average 48 points to .370 on the season

MASCIANGEL-OW!
• Add another HBP to senior Matt Masciangelo's career tally after he was plunked in game two at Utah Valley over the weekend
• It gave the senior 36 for his career, keeping his hold on third on the all-time list behind only current Hornet assistant David Flores (38 from 2005-08) and record holder David Del Grande (43 from 2011-14)
• Masciangelo, who has been hit a total of nine times this year, already holds the single-season record with his 27 HBPs in 2024

WE DEMAND... A SACRIFICE!
• Freshman Michael Perazzo has given himself up more than all but two other players in the NCAA entering this weekend, ranking tied for third in the nation with 13 sacrifice hits
• His league-best total trails only NC State's Matt Heavner (15) and Yale's Jeff Pierantoni (17) nationally
• Perazzo's 13 sacrifices are tied with Dane Fujinaka (2014), Blake Crosby (2008), and Bob Stevens (1975) for the school single-season record
• Two sacrifices ties Perazzo with Fujinaka and Kyle Moses (2012-15) for 10th on the career list

STRIKE FIRST, STRIKE HARD, NO MERCY SIR!
• Sacramento State has outscored opponents, 91-73, over the first two innings, with the 91 runs standing as the most over any two innings
• The 54 runs scored in the second inning alone are the most of any single inning this year
• Sacramento State is 13-7 when scoring in the first inning and 16-10 when scoring first

NOWHERE TO PUT THEM
• The Hornets have taken full advantage with the bases loaded this season, scoring 24 times on free passes (21 bases-loaded walks and three off bases-loaded hit batters) issued by opposing pitchers as of May 11
• Of those walks, Tyler White leads the group with six RBI in that situation, followed by JP Smith and Ryan Christiansen with three, and two each by Jakob Poturnak and Luis Pimentel-Guerrero
• Christian Perez, Michael Perazzo, Orlando Cobarrubias, Myles Walton, and Elie Kligman round out the group with one each
• Perez and White (twice) are the two Hornets that have driven in a run after being hit by a pitch

AND THEN THERE WAS ONE
• Sacramento State has played a total of 17 one-run games through 52 contests this year, posting a 9-8 record in those games
• The nine one-run victories are the most for the Hornets since they posted 10 one-run victories in 17 chances during 2022 (58 total games)
• Meanwhile, four more of the Hornets' outings have been decided by two runs (2-2 record)

CYCLE SEEKING
• Hornet hitters have come this close to hitting for the cycle this season, doing so eight times entering this week's contests
• Sophomore Myles Walton is the latest "near miss," finishing 3-for-5 in the series finale at Utah Valley, needing only a home run to complete the cycle
• Jakob Poturnak (Feb. 22 vs. Ball State [triple] and May 3 at Grand Canyon [double]) and Tyler White (March 21 vs. UT Arlington [home run] and April 15 at UC Davis [triple]) have missed out twice
• Other Hornets to come close in 2025: Michael Perazzo against Abilene Christian on April 6 (triple), Ryan Christiansen in game three against South Dakota State on Feb. 28 (triple), and Luis Pimentel-Guerrero against Nevada on March 10 (triple)
• 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

WINNER, WINNER CHICKEN DINNER
• For the first time all season, the Hornets' had a game-winner come around to score without the benefit of a hit, going ahead of Utah Valley on a sixth-inning wild pitch in the finale
• Prior to that, junior JP Smith put his team ahead for good in game two, slugging a two-run home run in the first inning of a 12-2 victory
• All told, 12 different Hornets have posted a game-winning RBI this year
• This season, junior Elie Kligman leads the team with six game-winning RBI, followed by four from Jakob Poturnak, three each by Tyler White, Matt Masciangelo, and Smith, as well as two apiece from Ryan Christiansen, Michael Perazzo, and Luis Pimentel-Guerrero
• Orlando Cobarrubias, Jacob Cortez, Luke Oyler, and Cameron Sewell each have one
• All four of Poturnak's game-winning RBI this year have come via the home run, while 11 of the Hornets' 29 (minus the wild pitch) have come via homers

WHAT CAN BROWN DO FOR YOU?
• Preseason All-American and Stopper of the Year candidate Kade Brown didn't have an opportunity for a save last week at Utah Valley, but he did put himself in position for the win in the series finale with the Wolverines
• Brown entered in relief in the fourth and threw the next three innings, allowing a run on four hits and striking out a pair to pick up his third victory of the year 
• It marked the sixth time that the right-hander has gone three or more innings in a game this year
• Over his last nine appearances, Brown is 2-0 with six saves, allowing just three runs on 12 hits over the last 17 innings, walking seven and striking out 18 batters while posting a 1.59 ERA
• Overall, Brown's 13 saves still rank him third in the NCAA as of May 12, trailing Alabama's Carson Ozmer (16) and Clemson's Lucas Mahlstedt (15)
• The 13 saves are second on the school's single-season list, trailing only Sutter McLoughlin, who set the record with 17 as a freshman in 2013
• Now with 21 career saves, Brown ranks fourth on the school's all-time list -- five behind Mike Frame (1987-89) and Jack Zalasky (2019-23) for second
• Entering the weekend, Brown leads the WAC in opponent batting average (.183), saves, fewest runs allowed (12), fewest earned runs allowed (11), and  fewest runs allowed per game (2.72)
• He also ranks second in the league in ERA (2.50) and fewest hits allowed per game (5.90), while standing tied for fourth in fewest hits allowed (26) and eighth in strikeouts per game (10.66)

DR. NO-AH
• Since suffering the loss in game two against California Baptist, senior left-hander Noah Lucchesi has been lights-out for the Hornets
• In his last six appearances, Lucchesi is 1-0 with a pair of holds without allowing a run over his last 9.1 innings of work, scattering four hits, walking just two, and striking out 16 in that stretch
• Last week in the series win over Utah Valley, Lucchesi allowed just one hits and struck out five of the seven batters he faced
• His 23 appearances this season are second on the team behind only Andrew Monson (25 - tied for the WAC lead) while his 77 appearances are ninth on the school's all-time chart -- just two shy of the top five

EVAN ALMIGHTY
• Senior right-hander Evan Gibbons enters this weekend's series with a 8-2 overall record, leading the WAC in victories -- and ranking tied for No. 23 in the NCAA
• Gibbons' eight victories are a career high and make him the first Hornet pitcher to win at least that many since Brady Rodriguez finished 8-2 in 2021
• Now with 19 career wins, he has moved into a tie for 10th on the school's all-time list with Sam Long (2014-16) and Rocco Buffolino (1986-87)
• Between losing his first start of the year at San Francisco and his last at Utah Valley last weekend, Gibbons went 8-0 with three no-decisions, posting a 3.18 ERA in 70.2 innings to go along with a better than 3-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio (53 strikeouts against 15 walks)
• Gibbons has six "quality starts" in his 13 overall this year, giving him 19 in 42 starts as a Hornet
• He leads the league in innings pitched (77), ranks second in innings per game (5.92), and 11th in strikeouts (57)

"LAY"-MAN'S TERMS
• Junior right-hander Ethan Lay posted his seventh "quality start" of the year in his win at Utah Valley, allowing just two runs over six innings and striking out eight
• It was his fourth "quality start" in his last five outings dating back to April 13 against Seattle U
• The eight strikeouts marked the sixth time he has struck out five-or-more batters in a game this year and the third-highest total of the season behind his 11 against Pacific (March 9) and nine against UC Riverside (April 26)
• He has allowed three runs or fewer in nine of his 11 starts this season
• Lay is 3-1 with a 2.93 ERA over his last five starts, allowing two runs or fewer in four of those while striking out 30 against only four walks
• The Colusa, Calif., native stands fourth in the WAC in ERA (3.44), 10th in strikeouts (59), tied for seventh in wins (five), seventh in innings per game (5.44), fourth in fewest walks per game (1.79), and tied for fifth in fewest runs allowed per game (4.13)

COUNT ON CARSON
• Since moving into the Hornet rotation on April 12 against Seattle U, junior right-hander Carson Latimer has been solid
• The Delta, British Columbia, native has allowed eight earned on 17 hits over 18.2 innings of work (five starts), striking out 12 and walking only nine, while posting a 3.86 ERA

"QUALITY" YOU CAN COUNT ON
• Sacramento State pitchers have thrown 15 "quality starts" this season, with Lay accounting for seven of those following his outing at Utah Valley last weekend, Gibbons contributing six more, and one each by senior right-hander Tyler Stewart and junior right-hander Colin Hunter
• All told, the Hornets are 12-3 in those 15 "quality starts" including a 6-0 record in all six of Gibbons' "quality" outings this year

THE BULL-"PEN" IS MIGHTIER
• Over the team's last 12 games, the Hornets' bullpen has been solid, surrendering 21 earned runs on 33 hits, while striking out 49 over 50 innings
• That equates to an ERA of 3.78 while holding opposing hitters to a .184 (33-for-179) average

PLEASE HOLD
• Working late into games this season, Andrew Monson leads the team with six "holds" on the year, followed closely by Noah Lucchesi and his five
• Brady Chavez is next on the list with three, Bryce Stockton has a pair, and Sean Carey has one

WALK THE WALK
• The Hornet pitching staff has been stingy when it comes to handing out free passes this year, walking only 162 batters -- a total that ranks second in the WAC
• Walking a league-best average of 3.18 batters per game, Sacramento State ranks No. 5 in the NCAA in walks per game while standing No. 28 in the nation -- and No. 1 in the WAC -- in strikeout-to-walk ratio (2.54)