by Brandon Rebboah
SANTA CLARA, Calif. - After winning its West Coast Conference series at Pepperdine, Santa Clara (17-27) continues its roadtrip with a mid-week game at UC Davis on Wed., May 11. The mid-week bout is the Broncos' only game this week before battling Cal Poly on May 17 and San Diego May 20-22.Fans should keep an eye on SantaClaraBroncos.com, @SCUBroncos on Twitter or the athletics Facebook fan page for in-game updates.
Game Notes Week # 13 Apr. 12- Apr. 16, 2011
Santa Clara@ UC Davis
Wed., May 8, 2011 3 p.m. Dobbins Stadium
Probable Starters: Cory Hall (4-5; 3.07 ERA) v. TBA
Bronco Pitching
Santa Clara senior RHP Cory Hall (4-5; 3.07 ERA) continues his solid season as the Broncos' ace, leading the Broncos in innings pitched (85.0) and strikeouts (65). In his last outing on May 6, the righty pitched eight innings, allowing just two runs on eight hits in a no-decision that Santa Clara won 3-2 in 10 innings. Hall tossed his second complete game at St. Mary's, Apr. 15. Hall pitched nine innings, allowing just two runs on five hits. He tallied a season-high 11 strikeouts in his Mar. 26 complete game against Brown… Senior RHP J.R. Graham (3-3; 3.14 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 four WCC games. During the Bronco road series with Pepperdine, Graham was lights out. He was flawless all weekend, picking up the win with a perfect two innings in Friday's 3-2 victory. On Sat., Graham assumed the starting role, pitching three perfect innings before leaving with a lead in the fourth inning. Graham hurled 7.0 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.. From Mar. 1 to Apr. 3 Graham posted a 0.60 ERA. He currently leads the team in saves (3) and appearances (17). The hard-throwing righty has recorded 40 strikeouts on the season… LHP Powell Fansler (3-2; 6.13 ERA) continues to have a strong rookie season, and has moved into the starting rotation. Through 39.2 innings, he has fanned 18 batters…Look for RHP Brock Simon (3-7; 5.99 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. Simon is also capable of starting for the Broncos. He started his seventh game of the year, his first since Apr. 2, against Gonzaga….RHP Chris Mendoza (3-5; 4.29) can eat up innings for the Broncos. Mendoza has made 17 appearances, starting eight games. He picked up his first career save in a 5-4 win against Pepperdine on May 8.
Bronco Offense
Senior C/DH Patrick Terry continues to post solid numbers for the Broncos, hitting .285 on the year. Terry has two homers on the year, his most recent was a two-run HR against Stanford. Terry leads the team in slugging percentage (.380) and has tallied 25 RBI, including a game-winning RBI single in a 10-inning win over Pepperdine on May 6… Freshman 3B Kyle DeMerritt is having a stellar rookie campaign, leading the team in seven offensive categories. He leads the Broncos in batting average (.303), at-bats (165), runs (28), hits (50), RBI (26), on-base percentage (.386) and total plate appearances (196). DeMerritt takes advantage of his opportunities, hitting .389 with runners in scoring position. In a mid-week win against Pacific, DeMerritt tallied four RBI… All-WCC preseason selection, senior 1B Curtis Wagner leads the team in doubles (9) and has also driven in 23 runners … OF Lucas Herbst is hot for the Broncos. He has the second highest batting average on the team (.293) and is third on the 24 RBI… Sophomore OF Matt Ozanne has provided the Broncos with speed and power, leading the Broncos in homeruns (3) and stole bases (9)… His twin brother, 3B/DH Drew Ozanne has 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 .284 on the year with 14 RBI. He made his first start as a defensive player on Sat., Apr. 23, playing the entire game at 2B. He picked his second defensive start, this time playing third base on May 1 against Gonzaga… OF Stephen Takahashi has taken advantage of his opportunities. He has started the last ten games in centerfield, hitting .234 with five stolen bases.
UC Davis
UC Davis (15-26) plays two mid-week games this week, both against Bay Area opponents. The Aggies travel to Palo Alto, Calif. to play Stanford on Tues. before hosting the Broncos on Wed., May 11. Offensivley, OF David Popkins highlights the UC Davis lineup. He leads the Aggies in at-bats (146), hits (45), slugging percentage (.452) and total bases. OF/RHP Scott Lyman is a productive two-way player for the Aggies. He is hitting .280 and has amassed 3 homers, while also starting 12 games on the mound. He has posted a 4.61 ERA in 67.1 innings of work and has fanned 56 batters. LHP Anthony Kupbens (5-5; 2.24 ERA) has started 11 games and leads the team in innings pitched (80.1) and strikeouts (57).
You Should Have Seen
---On Friday May 6 against Pepperdine, C/DH Patrick Terry knocked in the go-ahead run to lead the Broncos to victory.
--- RHP Chris Mendoza pitched his way out of a jam and helped the Broncos win their second WCC series. On May 8, Pepperdine had one out and the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth inning., Mendoza forced a double play, 4-3, to end the game.
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. The brothers have batted back-to-back in the lineup twice this season (Apr. 15 and May 1).
DeMerritt's Freshman Success
Freshman 3B Kyle DeMerritt is having a stellar rookie campaign, leading the team in seven offensive categories. He leads the Broncos in batting average (.303), at-bats (165), runs (28), hits (50), RBI (26), on-base percentage (.386) and total plate appearances (196). He has six multi-RBI games, including a 4 RBI game against Pacific on Apr. 26. With 8 games left, his 25 RBI tops former Santa Clara Freshmen All-Americans Matt Long and Tommy Medica, who both knocked in 23 runners during their rookie campaign. DeMerritt made an immediate impact, picking up his first collegiate RBI in the Broncos first game of the season against No. 2 South Carolina. He currently sits in the top 10 in the West Coast Conference in batting average, in on-base percentage, runs scored and hits. Defensively, he is a key piece to the Santa Clara infield. He has started every game the Broncos have played, starting 39 games at third base and five at second. He ranks in the top 20 in the WCC with 102 assists on the season.
