Posted: Feb 19, 2018
SANTA CLARA, Calif. – Santa Clara baseball goes on the road for the first time this season taking a short trip down south to San Jose State on Tuesday. The midweek match up against the Spartans is set for 5 p.m. PT at Municipal Stadium. It is the only road game in the first 13 games of the 2018 season for the Broncos.
Santa Clara is coming off a season opening series against Boston College where it went 1-2. The win on Feb. 17 was head coach Rusty Filter's first win at the Santa Clara helm aided by Jake Brodt's three home runs including two grand slams in the same inning. The two grand slams in an inning feat is something only six other Division I players have achieved since NCAA began tracking records and the first since 2000. It was also featured on ESPN's SportsCenter.
In the series, Brodt hit .462 (6-for-13) with a 1.231 slugging percentage and was named Rawlings West Coast Conference Player of the Week on Monday.
Series Information
Game #4 | Away Game #1
San Jose, Calif. | Municipal Stadium
All-Time Series: Santa Clara Leads 131-89 (first game in 1936)
The Broncos lost both games in 2017 to San Jose State but in 2015 and 2016, Santa Clara swept the series winning all four games.
Probable Starters
Tuesday, Feb. 20 • 5 p.m. PT
SCU RHP Luke Martin-Resnick (0-0, 9.00 ERA) vs. SJSU RHP Jake Swiech (0-0, 13.50 ERA) or Nicholas Morales (0-0, 12.46 ERA)
Veteran Team
• Offensively the Broncos have 10 players returning that started more than 20 games and 16 players that recorded an at-bat.
•Seven of those players started 30 or more games.
• On the mound, the Broncos return nine pitchers including six who played last season, three returning from injuries (Steven Wilson, Freddie Erlandson, Travis Howard), along with a transfer from Vanderbilt (Penn Murfee).
Preseason Accolades
•Senior first baseman Jake Brodt and junior third baseman John Cresto were named preseason All-West Coast Conference. Last season, Brodt was named first team All-WCC with Cresto being named honorable mention All-WCC.
Captains
•Sixth-year senior right-handed pitcher Steven Wilson and senior first baseman Jake Brodt were named captains for the 2018 Santa Clara squad.
Streaks
•Brodt has hit in 17 consecutive games since last season. He finished the 2017 season with a 14 game hitting streak and has hit safely in each of the three games this season.
Hit By Pitch
•In Saturday's game (Feb. 17) against Boston College hit 10 Bronco players, tying an NCAA Division I record along with Baylor vs. TCU, March 6, 2012; Saint Joseph's vs. Fordham, April 5, 2009; Washington vs. Rice, May 22, 1998.
•Broncos were also hit seven times in the seventh inning of the Feb. 17 game breaking the NCAA Division I record (Previous record: 6—Hawaii vs. Hawaii Hilo, Feb. 8, 1998 (eighth inn.)
Firsts
•Sixth-year senior right-handed pitcher Steven Wilson made his first appearance out of the bullpen since 2014 in the season opener against Boston College (Feb. 16).
•Wilson, redshirt sophomore right-handed pitchers Travis Howard and Freddie Erlandson returned to action in the season opening series against Boston College after missing all of last season due to injuries.
•Junior right-handed pitcher Luke Martin-Resnick and sophomore Alex Waldsmith each made their first career starts in the season opening series.
•Senior outfielder Anthony Geremia made his first career start at center field on Feb. 17.
First-Year Players
•Freshman right-handed pitcher Cade Negley made his Bronco debut when he came in relief on opening day (Feb. 16) pitching an inning and giving up a hit and striking out a batter.
•Freshman catcher Tony Boetto got a single in his first two at-bats on Feb. 17.
•Penn Murfee, a fifth-year senior transfer from Vanderbilt made his Bronco debut in relief on Feb. 17.
About San Jose State
San Jose State is led by first-year interim head coach, Brad Sanfilippo, who is making his second stint with the Spartans after serving two seasons as recruiting coordinator and third base coach during the 2013 and 2014 seasons.
The Spartans are coming off four-game season opening series against Northern Colorado, splitting the series 2-2. SJSU won its season opener 7-4 for its first season opening win since 2014. In both its wins, the Spartans have come back from deficits including overcoming a 8-1 deficit in the fifth inning before winning 11-10 on Saturday's back end of the double header.
Last season, the Spartans had an overall record of 19-35-1. They went 10-18-1 in the Mountain West and finished sixth in the conference. It was their best finish in the Mountain West since joining the conference in 2014. The 19-win total and 10 conference wins were both tied for most wins in a season since 2014.
San José State enters this season with a veteran lineup. The team has six returning starters: Shane Timmons (INF), Chris Williams (OF), Aaron Pleschner (INF), Kellen Strahm (OF), David Campbell (INF), and Kyle Morrison (INF).
Timmons was named second-team All-Mountain West after the 2017 season and was named preseason All-Conference earlier in the month.
The Spartans return five pitchers.
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