_headlines.jpg?max_width=450)
Santa Clara's Weekly Game Notes
SANTA CLARA, Calif. – With the 2013 college baseball season in full swing, Santa Clara will host five games this week. The Broncos welcome San Diego State on Tues., Feb. 26 at 6 p.m. and Wed., Feb. 27 at 3 p.m. to Schott Stadium before a three-game series over the weekend with Northern Colorado.
"I love early season adversity," said Santa Clara head coach Dan O'Brien. "We're learning, growing and getting a lot tougher mentally and physically. We continue to focus on toughness. We can take a few punches, but must get to the point where we can take punches all day long without giving in."
Last week Santa Clara took one of three from Illinois-Chicago to move to 3-4 on the young season. Tommy Nance (0-0, 0.00) has had the best start for Santa Clara this season. Nance tossed 4.0 shutout innings with two strikeouts on just 34 pitches against Cal Poly on Feb. 18. Nance will make two starts this week, one vs. San Diego State and one vs. Northern Colorado.
The Aztecs are 3-4 by sweeping San Diego to open the season and being swept by Oregon State last weekend. Santa Clara is 14-15 all-time vs. San Diego State with the team's last meeting in 2010. The Broncos and Aztecs played a four-game series with Santa Clara winning the finale by a final of 5-1. Many may remember the series because former Aztec and current Washington Nationals' star pitcher Stephen Strasburg made his lone visit to the Mission campus.
The weekend series with Northern Colorado will be the first meeting between the two programs. The Bears are 2-2 with a win over BYU in the season-opening series.
For the Broncos, Friday starter Mike Couch (1-1, 5.14) had thrown 14.0 innings in two starts. Couch has allowed 11 hits while walking five and striking out eight. He picked up the win on opening night vs. Seattle.
Max Deering (1-0, 0.00) has been lights out coming in from the bullpen. In 9.0 innings, Deering is yet to surrender an earned run while allowing just five hits and two walks while striking out 10. He picked up the save in the first game of a double-header vs. Illinois-Chicago on Feb. 23.
Drew Ozanne leads the Broncos in hitting through two weeks with a .500 batting average (10-20). D. Ozanne has scored seven runs, knocked in three and has one double.
Quinton Perry has already smacked four home runs after hitting five in all of 2012. Perry is hitting .481 (13-27) with five walks to post a .529 on-base percentage. With his four home runs and three doubles, Perry is slugging a ridiculous 1.037. He has scored 11 runs and has 12 RBI.
Three other Broncos are hitting over .300 with another hitting .294. Newcomer Casey Munoz has a .424 (14-33) average with three runs scored and eight RBI. Preseason All-WCC selection Greg Harisis is hitting .379 (11-29) with eight runs scored and three RBI while Matt Ozanne has a .367 batting average (11-30) with five runs scored and 10 RBI. Justin Viele is hitting .357 (10-28) with a team-high six walks to post a .457 OBP. Viele has scored nine runs while knocking in four. Peter Summerville sits at .294 (5-17) with two runs scored.
San Diego State is 3-4 in 2013 with all three wins coming on the road. The Aztecs are 0-4 at home. They swept No. 12 San Diego on the road to open the season but were swept at home in a four game series by Oregon State last weekend.
San Diego State has two batters hitting over .300 on the young season. Brad Haynal leads the team with a .357 batting average (10-28). Haynal has two doubles, a triple, two runs scored and three RBI. Ryan Muno is hitting .308 (4-13) with a run scored and two RBI.
Tim Zier leads the team with seven RBI while hitting .286 (8-28) with two doubles and three runs scored. Greg Allen as swiped a team-high two bases with a .286 batting average (8-28) and scored six runs.
On the mound Justin Hepner (0-0, 0.00) leads the team in ERA. Hepner has made four appearances covering 6.2 innings and allowed four hits and six walks while fanning seven. He has also picked up one save.
Michael Cederoth (1-1 (2.45) and Philip Walby (0-1, 2.45) have both made two starts and thrown 11.0 innings. Cederoth has allowed just six hits but has walked 10 while striking out 12. Walby has struck out 10 batters against seven walks.
Bubba Derby (0-0, 2.25) leads the team with two saves while throwing 4.0 innings in three appearances. Derby has allowed four hits and struck out eight while not walking a batter.
Northern Colorado enters the week with a record of 2-2 with wins over BYU 6-4 and Northern Illinois 3-2.
Landon Moseley leads the Bears with a .500 batting average (5-10) while also drawing a team-best four walks to put his on-base percentage at .643. He has one double and one RBI.
Brooks Schneider is hitting .385 (5-13) with three runs scored, two RBI, the lone Northern Colorado home run and three of the team's four stolen bases.
Nick Miller and Colby Harrison are both hitting .333 (5-15). Harrison has scored two runs with a double and Miller has scored one run with a triple.
Nick Miller (1-0, 2.70) has the longest start of the season for the Bears, covering 6.2 innings. He allowed two runs on seven hits while striking out five.
Josh Tinnon (0-0, 0.00) and Kevin Willman (0-0, 0.00) each have one save. Tinnon has thrown 4.0 innings with three strikeouts while Willman has thrown 3.1 innings with four strikeouts.