Feb. 9, 2006
SANTA CLARA, Calif. - The Santa Clara baseball team continues their first month of play in 2006 this weekend as they welcome Tony Gwynn and his San Diego State Aztecs to Stephen Schott Stadium for a three-game series beginning Friday at 6 p.m.
Saturday and Sunday's contests each begin at 1 p.m. at Schott Stadium and tickets for all three games are available by calling (408) 554-4660.
The Broncos (1-3) are coming off of a weekend which saw them capture the final game of a three-game set against the University of Pacific. Tuesday, Santa Clara fell in a tough 11-6 contest to UC Davis at Dobbins Stadium.
In the series finale against Pacific, Matt Wickswat earned his first collegiate win as he tossed five shutout innings, allowing only three hits and striking out five batters. Offensively this season, junior right fielder Kyle Hartz leads the Broncos with a .438 average through the first four games. Freshman Matt Long is hitting .400 in three games while senior center fielder Jason Matteucci is at the .375 mark.
Some of the young arms on the Bronco staff have shown their potential, as freshman Sean O'Neill impressed in his debut last Friday against Pacific. O'Neill threw six-plus innings of one-run ball, allowing only five hits before leaving the game. Justin Kuehn made his mark right away on Friday as well, relieving O'Neill with the bases loaded and none out in the seventh inning, then promptly getting a fielder's choice and a double-play ball to end the inning.
The Aztecs (1-3), managed by future Major League Baseball Hall-of-Famer Tony Gwynn, come to the Mission Campus off of a tough four-game series in Hawaii. SDSU dropped the first three games to the Rainbow Warriors before salvaging the final game by a score of 7-5.
San Diego State is led offensively by senior utility man Paul Smith, who was named Mountain West Conference Player of the Week after going 8-for-14 with a home run, four doubles, a triple and six runs batted in over the weekend against Hawaii.
This weekend's series mark the beginning of a seven-game homestand which also includes a series next weekend against UC Riverside and a Tuesday home contest on Feb. 21 opposite Sacramento State.