Posted: Apr 09, 2018
SANTA CLARA, Calif. – Santa Clara baseball welcomes crosstown rival San José State on Tuesday, looking to sweep the season series and in the process end its season-high five-game losing streak. Back on February 20, in the first midweek game of the season, the Broncos beat the Spartans 4-1 at Municipal Stadium.
San José State is 11-19 on the season under interim head coach Brad Sanfilippo. The Spartans split the doubleheader against Nevada on Sunday but are 2-9 in the last 11 games.
This Week in Bronco Baseball
•Santa Clara (15-14, 4-8 WCC) hosts four games at Schott Stadium this week starting with a midweek game against crosstown rival San José State (11-19) on Tuesday in a series that dates back to 1936.
•The Broncos then host Pepperdine in a weekend series.
•On the year, the Broncos are 11-8 at home and 4-6 on the road.
Last Week in Bronco Baseball - Late Inning Struggles
•Santa Clara lost all four games last week, playing No.2 Stanford at home on April 3 and traveling to BYU to play the Cougars on Thursday and Friday.
Much of the action took place in the eighth inning in last week's games.
•Stanford jumped on Santa Clara early, scoring seven runs in the first inning en route to a 16-8 victory in a non-conference game last Tuesday.
•The three-game series at BYU was played over two days on Thursday and Friday with a doubleheader on Friday due to inclement weather on Saturday.
•BYU won the first two games of the series in walkoff fashion, scoring the game winner on a Bronco error in the bottom of the ninth in the series opener to win, 2-1.
•In game one of the doubheader on Friday, BYU's Daniel Schneemann hit a two-run home run in the bottom of the 10th inning to beat the Broncos, 6-4.
•In the series finale, the Cougars scored five runs in the last two innings to win, 6-5.
Series Information
Game #30
Santa Clara, Calif. | Stephen Schott Stadium
All-Time Series: Santa Clara leads 132-89. The teams first played in 1936 and last played in 2017
Probable Starters
Tuesday, April 10 • 6 p.m. PT
SCU TBA vs. SJSU TBA
GAMEDAY INFORMATION |
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| Tickets | |
| Live Stream / Video |
Tune in 10 minutes before the first pitch to listen to Jason Dicochea in the pregame interview. |
| Live Stats | |
| Promotions | |
| Santa Clara | |
| Opposing Team |
Notes |
ABOUT SANTA CLARA
NEW FOR 2018 - Pre & Postgame Interviews At Home Contests
•Listen to pregame interviews of Bronco coaches and players before every home game this year on TheW.tv live stream with Bronco play-by-play announcer David Gentile. Interviewees are announced on Bronco Baseball social media platforms (see footer) and on the series preview on SantaClaraBroncos.com Tune in approximately 10 minutes prior to the first pitch.
•After each home win, postgame player interviews are streamed also on TheW.tv with Gentile.
Marked Improvement
•Twenty-nine games into the 52 game season, the Broncos have improved by two games in the overall win column and three games in the home win column thus far.
Schedule
•At this time there is no make-up game scheduled for the UC Davis game which was postponed back on March 13.
•Tuesday's game against San José State will be the 30th game of the season. Of the 22 remaining games, seven will be played at home (three-game series vs Pepperdine from April 13-15; midweek game vs Cal Poly on April 24; and home finale vs Loyola Marymount from May 11-13).
Solid Start
•Santa Clara got off to a 13-5 start, its best start since the 2012 season when it went 13-3.
•The Broncos won four consecutive series (2-1 series win over Wake Forest Feb.23-25; 3-0 sweep over Utah March 2-4; 3-1 series win over Sacramento State March 8-11; and 2-1 series win over San Diego March 16-18) before losing the last series against Saint Mary's (March 23-25).
•On the season, the Broncos are 11-8 at home and 4-3 on the road.
•The Broncos are 4-0 in extra inning games this season with three of them coming off in walk-off fashion (Feb. 24 vs Wake Forest in 14 innings; March 4 vs Utah in 12 innings; March 8 vs Sacramento State in 10 innings, March 10 at Sacramento State in 10 innings).
•Half way through the season, the Broncos have already improved by two games over last season's win total where they won 13 games all season.
Streaks
•Joe Becht has reached base safely in all 29 games this season (Got a hit in 21 games, drew a walk in 7 games he did not get a hit in and was hit by a pitch in the other game he did not get a hit or walk).
•Grant Meylan has reached base safely in 19 consecutive games.
•Evan Haberle had his team-high 11 game hit streak come to an end against Stanford (April 3).
•Santa Clara had won six consecutive one-run games before losing to Saint Mary's, 6-5, on March 24. The Broncos are now 7-4 in one-run games, losing a pair at BYU last weekend.
•John Cresto hit a home run in four consecutive games, all solo shots, from Feb. 23 - 27. He hit one in each game of the Wake Forest series as well as in the midweek game against Nevada.
•Closer Eric Lex recorded a save in three consecutive games from Feb. 27 - March 4.
•Broncos have lost five straight games, the longest such streak this season.
Captains
•Sixth-year senior right-handed pitcher Steven Wilson and senior first baseman Jake Brodt were named captains for the 2018 Santa Clara squad.
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.
Brodt's Two Grand Slams In One Inning
•Brodt hit two grand slams in the seventh inning on Feb. 17 against Boston College, becoming just the seventh Division I player to accomplish the feat since the NCAA began keeping records in 1957. He is the first to do so since 2000 when T.J. Soto of Louisiana Tech did it against Western
Kentucky.
•Brodt's first grand slam came with the Broncos trailing 9-7 in the seventh inning and put them up for good. His second grand slam came with the Broncos up 16-9. In the first inning, Brodt hit a sacrifice fly for the first RBI of the game and in the sixth, Brodt hit a solo home run to finish the game 3-for-5 with three home runs and 10 RBIs.
•The Huntington Beach, California native's two grand slams in an inning was featured on ESPN's SportsCenter and was named NCBWA National Hitter of the Week and Rawlings West Coast Conference Player of the Week.
In Season Accolades
•Jake Brodt has twice been named the WCC Player of the Week this season on Feb. 19 after his two grand slam in an inning game and a month later on March 19 after going 5-for-14 with three doubles, two home runs and drove in seven runs against San Diego while playing first and third base.
Hit By Pitch
•On Feb. 17, 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.
•Seven Broncos were hit in an inning (in the seventh) of the Feb. 17 game, breaking the NCAA Division I record (Previous record: 6—Hawaii vs. Hawaii Hilo, Feb. 8, 1998 (eighth inn.)
•Santa Clara is 10th in the nation (out of 297) in being hit by a pitch with 56. Florida A&M is first with 73.
Coaching Staff
•Head coach Rusty Filter is in his first season with Santa Clara. Filter picked up his first career head coaching win on Feb. 17 against Boston College, 20-9.
oEach member of his coaching staff is in their first season with Santa Clara and was selected in the MLB draft.
oFilter himself was selected in the 35th round of the 1990 MLB draft by the Toronto Blue Jays as a pitcher.
oFilter will make the mound visits and signal pitching changes.
•Assistant coach and recruiting coordinator Jon Karcich coached alongside Filter at Stanford from 2015 – 17.
oKarcich returns to his alma mater where he played for the Broncos from 2007 – 09 where he was a two-time All-West Coast Conference honoree.
oKarcich was selected in the seventh round of the 2009 MLB draft by the California Angels as an infielder.
oKarcich coaches the infielders and serves as the bench coach.
•Assistant coach BK Santy, a former catcher at Washington, coaches the catchers and outfielders as well as serving as the third base coach.
oSanty was selected in the 30th round of the 2012 MLB draft by the Minnesota Twins as a catcher.
•Assistant coach Greg Gonzalez, a former pitcher at Fresno State, serves as the first base coach.
oGonzalez was selected in the 15th round of the 2011 MLB draft by the San Diego Padres as a pitcher.
