by Brandon Rebboah
SANTA CLARA, Calif.- Santa Clara returns home this week to play a mid-week game with Pacific on Tue., Apr. 26. The Broncos will continue WCC play this weekend hosting Gonzaga in a three-game series. After a tough weekend in San Francisco, the Broncos will look to build on their strong offensive outings.
Fans should keep an eye on SantaClaraBroncos.com, @SCUBroncos on Twitter or the athletics Facebook fan page for in-game updates.
Game Notes Week # 11 Apr. 12- Apr. 16, 2011
Pacific @ Santa Clara
Tues., Apr. 16, 2011 6 p.m. Stephen Schott Stadium
Probable Starters: LHP Powell Fansler (3-2; 4.75 ERA) vs. Andrew Wild (0-1; 6.52 ERA)
Gonzaga @ Santa Clara
Fri., Apr. 29, 2011 6 p.m. Stephen Schott Stadium
Probable Starters: RHP Cory Hall (4-4; 3.33 ERA) vs. LHP Ryan Carpenter (5-1; 3.02 ERA)
Sat., Apr. 30, 2011 1 p.m. Stephen Schott Stadium
Probable Starters: TBD vs. TBD
Sun., May 23, 2011 1 p.m. Stephen Schott Stadium
Probable Starters: TBD vs. TBD
*As of Mon., Apr. 25
Santa Clara Pitching
Santa Clara senior RHP Cory Hall (4-4; 3.33 ERA) continues his solid season as the Broncos' ace, leading SCU in innings pitched (70.1) and strikeouts (55). In his last outing, Hall worked 7-plus innings allowing two runs on seven hits with six punch-outs in a no-decision Thursday night at USF. Hall tossed his second complete game at St. Mary's, Apr. 15. Hall pitched nine innings, allowing just two runs on five hits in that winning effort. He tallied a season-high 11 strikeouts in his Mar. 26 complete game against Brown … RHP J.R. Graham (2-2; 2.95 ERA) is a legit pro prospect, hitting 90-plus on the radar gun all season ... Graham, the team's closer, has proven his versatility by starting twice in WCC play, vs. LMU and at Saint Mary's. Graham hurled 5.1 innings in that start against LMU. In his second start, he tossed seven innings of scoreless baseball, scattering three hits at SMC, a game the Broncos won in extra innings. Before moving into the rotation, Graham posted a 1.59 ERA in 22 innings of work out of the pen.. From Mar. 1 to Apr. 3 Graham was lights-out, posting a 0.60 ERA. He currently leads the team in saves (3) and has the lowest ERA of any Bronco pitcher (2.95). The hard-throwing righty has recorded 34 strikeouts on the season… LHP Powell Fansler (3-2; 4.750 ERA) continues to have a strong rookie season, and has moved into the starting rotation. Through 36.0 innings, he has fanned 17 batters… Look for RHP Brock Simon (3-5; 5.70 ERA) to appear in mid-inning relief. After beginning the season as the team's Friday starter, Simon has moved to the bullpen and become an asset for Santa Clara's relief corps. Simon picked up the win pitching three scoreless innings, while allowing just four hits at Saint Mary's on Apr. 16.
Santa Clara Offense
Senior C/DH Patrick Terry continues to post solid numbers for the Broncos, hitting .310 on the year. He leads the team with a .413 slugging percentage. Last week he registered five RBI, highlighted by a two-run HR against Stanford. He has tallied 20 RBI on the season and is tied for the team-high in homers (2)… Freshman 3B Kyle DeMerritt is having a stellar rookie campaign, leading the team in batting average (.321), at-bats (137), runs (26) and hits (44). He is tied for first in RBI (22) and doubles (8). DeMerritt takes advantage of his opportunities, hitting .350 with runners in scoring position. In Santa Clara's 10-inning win against Saint Mary's, DeMerritt drove in the only run of the game… All-WCC preseason selection, senior 1B Curtis Wagner is second on the team with seven doubles and has knocked in 18 runners… OF Lucas Herbst is hot for the Broncos. He has the second highest batting average on the team (.311) and is tied for a team-high with 22 RBI… Sophomore OF Matt Ozanne leads the team in stolen bases (8) and has knocked in 15 runners… His twin brother, 3B/DH Drew Ozanne has found seen more playing time lately. He has served as the team's designated-hitter since his walkoff single against Bakersfield on Apr. 1. He is hitting .298 on the year with 18 RBI. He made his first start as a defensive player on Sat., Apr. 23, playing the entire game at 2B… OF Stephen Takahashi has taken advantage of his opportunities. He has started the last seven games in centerfield, hitting .262 with two stolen bases and four sacrifices.
Pacific
Pacific(13-22; 5-7 Big West) arrives at Stephen Schott Stadium after dropping two of three to UC Irvine in a Big West three-game series. The Tigers are 7-8 on the road this season picking up wins at USC, Cal and UC Riverside. Offensively Pacific is led by Brian Martin who has started all 35 games for the Tigers. Martin leads the team in batting average (.360) and has driven in 20 runners while adding two homeruns. Matthew Carvutto (.359 avg) has a team-high 51 hits, 16 doubles and 69 total bases. Riley Allen has the most RBI of Pacific player (27). Daniel Johnson has a team-high four homeruns. On the bump, Pacific is led by Jake Hummel who has started 10 games while leading the team in wins (4), complete games (2) strikeouts (51) and innings pitched (66.0). Marcus Pointer (3-5; 6.20 ERA) has started more games than any other Tiger this season (12).
Gonzaga
Gonzaga (22-13-1; 6-3) sits in second in the West Coast Conference. Last week, the Bulldogs were ranked No. 24 in Baseball America's national poll before suffering two losses to Saint Mary's in WCC play. The Bulldogs will battle Washington in two mid-week games Apr. 25 and 26. As of Mon. Apr. 25, Bill Moon has the third highest batting average in the WCC (.349). Moon has totaled 33 RBI this season and amassed 66 total bases. Cameron Edman leads the team in doubles (13) and totals bases (75). On the mound the Zags are led by Marco Gonzales and Ryan Carpenter who have both started 10 games. Closer Martin Cody has the lowest ERA in the WCC (0.95) and has appeared in 16 games for the Bulldogs. He also leads the WCC in saves (7) and has pitched 38.0 innings.
You Should Have Seen
---In the bottom of the second inning on Apr. 23, OF Stephen Takahashi with an acrobatic, diving grab for the first out of the inning.
---On Apr. 19 against Stanford, C Patrick Terry hit a towering two-run homer than sailed over the left-field fence at Stephen Schott Stadium.
---OF Lucas Herbst hit a dinger in the series-finale against USF, which tied with 3B Kyle DeMerritt for a team-high in RBI (22).
Band of Brothers
The Broncos boast two tandems of brothers on the 2011 roster… Redshirt junior RHP Thain Simon and sophomore RHP Brock Simon are two years apart and both are on the roster. Thain, a 2008 Freshman All-American, has yet to pitch this season as he recovers from offseason surgery. Brock (3-5; 5.70 ERA) is a versatile pitcher who has started games and come out of the bullpen this season….Twin brothers Matt Ozanne and Drew Ozanne both continue to produce offensively for the Broncos. Matt has started 30 games this season. He leads the team with eight stolen bases and has knocked in 18 runners this season. Drew has started 14 games, appearing in 22. He has 13 RBI on the season, including a walk-off RBI single against Bakersfield.