SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Santa Clara baseball will host its third straight West Coast Conference series when it welcomes Pepperdine to Schott Stadium this weekend. The Broncos and Waves are scheduled for first pitch times of 6 p.m. Friday, 6 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday.
Santa Clara is coming off its two highest-scoring games of the season; the Broncos put up 13 runs in a win over Saint Mary's on Sunday and defeated Cal Poly 10-1 on Tuesday.
Santa Clara (13-14, 2-4 WCC) vs. Pepperdine (13-14, 4-5 WCC)
Friday, April 8, 2016 | 6 p.m. PDT | Game #28 | Home Game #19
Saturday, April 9, 2016 | 6 p.m. PDT | Game #29 | Home Game #20
Sunday, April 10, 2016 | 1 p.m. PDT | Game #30 | Home Game #21
Santa Clara, Calif. | Stephen Schott Stadium
Live Stats: santaclara.statbroadcast.com | Video: TheW.tv
Probable Starters
Friday: SCU RHP Mitchell White (2-3, 2.76 ERA) vs. PEP RHP A.J. Puckett (4-2, 1.53 ERA)
Saturday: SCU RHP Steven Wilson (2-1, 2.23 ERA) vs. PEP LHP Ryan Wilson (0-0, 1.08 ERA)
Sunday: SCU RHP Travis Howard (2-1, 3.00 ERA) vs. PEP TBA
Series History
All-Time Series: Pepperdine leads 101-59-2
First Meeting: 1960
Last Season: Pepperdine swept Santa Clara at Eddy D. Field Stadium in Malibu, Calif.
April 10, 2015 — PEP 3 SCU 2 | April 11, 2015 — PEP 6 SCU 3 | April 12, 2015 — PEP 6 SCU 2
Tickets: Single-game options and season tickets are available. Click here to purchase tickets (link to single-game) For information, call (408) 554-4660 weekdays between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. or email BroncoTickets@scu.edu. Schott Stadium opens one hour prior to first pitch. The ticket office is also open one hour prior to the start of the game.
Game Day Promotions
Friday, April 8 (Red Friday)
• Country Mega Ticket Giveaway: Jason Aldean with Thomas Rhett & A Thousand Horses (Aug. 19)
Saturday (Bronco Baseball Bingo)
Sunday (Sunday Run-Day/ Popcorn Player/ Sunglasses Giveaway)
• All Youth ages 12 and under wearing their youth sports jersey will receive $3 admission and run the bases post-game with all their favorite Bronco baseball players!
• First 100 fans through the gates will receive Santa Clara Sunglasses
Parking
Baseball parking has changed for the 2016 season. Parking is now available in the Guadalupe lot, adjacent to 455 El Camino Real. The Guadalupe lot is reserved beginning 60 minutes before game time through the end of the event for free parking. Baseball parking is no longer allowed in the lot behind Schott Stadium's left field wall. Overflow parking is available in the Leavey Center lot. Spectators that plan to arrive more than an hour prior to game time on weekdays are encouraged to purchase a parking permit for the Leavey lot. Leavey lot parking is free on weekends. ADA parking is available in the lot directly in front of the main gates; there is no general public parking in this lot. Follow signs for parking instructions.
Last Five Games
Wednesday, March 30 — SCU 8 SJSU 5: Santa Clara scored all eight runs in the fifth through eighth innings and overcame a 4-2 deficit in the seventh to defeat the Spartans for the fifth time in a row.
Friday, April 1 — SMC 7 SCU 5: The Broncos scored five runs in the seventh to tie the game up, and Anthony Villa hit a two-run homer for Saint Mary's in the ninth.
Saturday, April 2 — SMC 1 SCU 0: Saint Mary's starter Johnny York tossed a complete game shutout as the Gaels clinched the series. They scored the only run of the game on a wild pitch in the third.
Sunday, April 3 — SCU 13 SMC 9: Santa Clara opened the scoring with a seven-run fourth and Saint Mary's answered with seven runs in the fifth to tie the game. The Broncos kept their offensive momentum going and scored five runs in the fifth.
Tuesday, April 5 — SCU 10 CP 1: Freddie Erlandson pitched 6.0 shutout innings out of the bullpen and the Broncos scored six runs in the fifth.
Broncos in the Field
Grant Meylan is hitting .429 (15-35) in his last 10 games with six RBIs and five runs scored over that span. The sophomore has hit safely in six straight games and has multiple hits in three of his last five games. Meylan increased his season batting average from .211 on March 19 to .324 (113 points) after Sunday's victory over Saint Mary's.
Meylan is one of four Broncos hitting .300 or better at Schott Stadium this season; he has a home batting average of .366. The others are TC Florentine (.357), Stevie Berman (.339) and Kyle Cortopassi (.328). Meylan and Cortopassi topped the team with five hits apiece in the three games against the Gaels and Cortopassi led the Broncos with six RBIs in that series. The Broncos are hitting .366 as a team in their last two contests.
Santa Clara has played error-free baseball three times in the last six games and has committed only three errors during that stretch. The Broncos are 3-0 in those error-free contests.
Broncos on the Mound
Mitchell White makes the first midweek start of his collegiate career Tuesday night. He ranks second in the WCC with 58 strikeouts on the season. He allowed three earned runs on 10 hits with two walks and four strikeouts to finish with a no decision in Friday's loss to Saint Mary's. White pitched an inning as Santa Clara's starter in Tuesday's victory over Cal Poly.
In his last four starts, Steven Wilson has pitched at least 6.2 innings and allowed only one run to the opposition. The righthander has allowed three earned runs in his last 27.2 frames for a 0.98 ERA. The Broncos are averaging 1.3 runs over Wilson's last three starts — they averaged 8.3 runs over his prior three starts.
Travis Howard will make the first weekend start of his collegiate career on Sunday. Howard started a Thursday contest at Hawai'i and a midweek game against San Jose State, and allowed just one earned run in 10.2 innings (0.84 ERA) between the two contests.
Max Kuhns tallied two saves last week in Santa Clara victories over San Jose State and Saint Mary's. The Bronco closer has nine saves on the season — which matches Reece Karalus' team-leading nine saves from 2015. The single-season save record is 13, held by Anthony Rea since 2004.
Pepperdine
The Waves have won 10 of their last 16 contests to improve to 13-14 overall. They are just 1-7 in road games this season. Pepperdine lost two of three games to Gonzaga and San Diego before taking two of three contests against San Francisco last weekend. The Waves fell in a 10th-inning, walkoff loss Tuesday at USC.
Matthew Kanfer is leading the team with a .333 batting average and 22 RBIs while Manny Jefferson tops the club with six home runs. A.J. Puckett finished one out shy of a complete game shutout and matched a career-best 10 strikeouts in his last outing against San Francisco. He leads the team with a 4-2 record and a 1.53 ERA. Ryan Wilson — who will make his seventh appearance and second start of the season on Saturday — has a 1.08 ERA in 16.2 innings this year.
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