March 29, 2005
SANTA CLARA, Calif. -
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Santa Clara (13-13, 0-5) vs. Portland (9-16, 0-6)
Game #28 • Fri., April 1 • Joe Etzel Field - Portland, Ore. • 2 p.m.Game #29 • Sat., April 2 • Joe Etzel Field - Portland, Ore. • 1 p.m.
Game #30 • Sun., April 3 • Joe Etzel Field - Portland, Ore. • 1 p.m.
Probable Pitching Matchups
4/1 - Santa Clara - RHP Anthony Rea - Sr. (2-2, 2.93 ERA)
Portland - RHP Given Kutz - So. (3-3, 6.20 ERA)
4/2 - Santa Clara - RHP Mike Stutes - Fr. (4-3, 3.97 ERA)
Portland - LHP Ari Ronick - Fr. (1-4, 4.78 ERA)
4/3 - Santa Clara - RHP Kellan McConnell - Sr. (2-4, 6.06 ERA)
Portland - TBA
This Weekend
The Santa Clara baseball team will continue a seven-game road swing this week with a three-game West Coast Conference series at Portland. The series will start on Friday afternoon at 2 p.m. while Saturday and Sunday's contests will begin at 1 p.m.
Portland enters the weekend with a 9-16 mark overall and a 0-6 record in WCC action. Also in the WCC West Division, the Pilots are in fourth, a game behind the Broncos. Last weekend, Portland suffered its second straight series sweep, dropping three games at Pepperdine. The Pilots are currently hitting .246 as a team, while their opponents are connecting at a .311 clip. The pitching staff's ERA is 5.92 and is led by Josh Robert's 4.30 ERA in 29.1 innings of work.
Broncos Drop Three Games at San Francisco
In its first three game road series of the season, the Santa Clara baseball team dropped each game of the West Coast Conference set at San Francisco last weekend.
Despite a strong performance by Anthony Rea on Thursday, the Broncos fell to the Dons, 1-0 in the opener. SCU posted only three hits on the day as it was unable to get onto the scoreboard. Rea, making his second start of the season, struck-out a career-high nine batters in the Bronco's first complete game of the year.
The Broncos took an early 3-0 lead on Friday, but were unable to hold onto the lead, falling 6-4. Once again, the Bronco pitching remained strong as Mike Stutes allowed only three earned runs and struck out eight Dons. SCU also had a powerful day at the plate as both Ryan Conan and Carl Bacon hit home runs.
In the series finale on Saturday, Santa Clara fell to USF 4-1 as the Dons remained unbeaten in conference play.
Schott Stadium to Open April 30
The long-awaited opening day of Santa Clara University's Stephen Schott Baseball Stadium is scheduled for Saturday, April 30 at 1 p.m., SCU Director of Athletics and Recreation Dan Coonan announced. The Broncos will host Gonzaga University in the second game of a three-game West Coast Conference series in the first game at Santa Clara's baseball dedicated facility.
A discounted package of SCU Bronco games at Schott Stadium will be made available soon. Single game tickets to opening day and each of the other seven games in Schott Stadium will go on sale Friday, April 8, through the SCU Athletic Ticket Office by calling 408/554-4660 or online at www.santaclarabroncos.com. Reserved seats will be available for $10 each, while adult general admission tickets are priced at $6. General admission tickets for youths aged 12 and under and seniors over the age of 65 are $3 each, while members of Bronco Kidz receive admission for just $2 with their membership card.
Rea Edges Towards Career Saves Record
After posting a Santa Clara single-season record with 13 saves in 2004, senior right-hander Anthony Rea moved a large step closer to holding the Bronco career save record. Entering the 2005 campaign, Rea had 20 career saves. With five this season, he is currently tied atop the Bronco record books with Mike McDonald. One more save, which would be the 26th of his career, would make Rea all-time career saves leader in Santa Clara baseball history.
O'Brien Closing in on 100 Wins
Bronco skipper Mark O'Brien is nearing a milestone 100th win as his current record stands at 96-98. In only his fourth year at the helm, he has posted a 52-42 mark in West Coast Conference play. When O'Brien does reach his 100th win, he will become only the fifth coach in Santa Clara baseball history to reach the milestone. He will join former Bronco coaches John Oldham, Jerry McClain, Sal Taormina and John Cotrell in the esteemed group.
The Real-ini Deal
Second baseman Dustin Realini has proven to be one of the Bronco's biggest offensive weapons in the early part of the 2005 season. With 20 starts at second base and five as the designated hitter, Realini leads the team with a .315 batting average. Batting in the middle of the lineup, Realini has become the Bronco's best run producer, driving in a team-high 19 runs. His four home runs are tied for the team lead, while his .533 slugging percentage is second on the team.
Adding Watts-age
Junior catcher Kris Watts has become a valuable part of the Santa Clara lineup after transferring from Ohlone College prior to the 2005 season. Currently third on the team with a .313 batting average, Watts has played in all 26 of the Bronco's contests this season, making 23 starts. The Fremont, Calif. native ranks fourth on the team with 24 hits and third with 15 RBI. He is equally as impressive on the defensive side with only one error, a catcher's interference call, in 205 chances.
Double Trouble in the Outfield
The outfield tandem of Jason Matteucci and Robert Perry has accounted for 49 starts and 38 runs scored for the Broncos this season. Currently tied with 27 hits on the season, the two rank second on the team in that category. They are two of the four Broncos with batting averages above .300 as Perry is hitting at a .314 clip and Matteucci is hitting at a .307 clip. Also speedy on the bases, the duo has recorded eight of Santa Clara's 25 stolen bases this season with Perry leading the team at six.
Lange Returns to the Lineup
Sophomore shortstop Michael Lange had a rocky start to his 2005 season, but is back in the Bronco lineup in a big way. After going hitless in the first SCU series of the season, Lange was hampered with an injury which kept him off the field for the next 16 games. In the series finale against Brown, the West Covina native made his fourth start of the year at shortstop and made his presence known right off the bat. He was 2-for-2 in the game with a walk and a run scored. He started each game of the Pepperdine series at shortstop and posted another multiple-hit game in the opener.
Up Next
Santa Clara will wrap-up its seven-game road swing, its longest of the season, with a mid-week match-up against 12th-ranked Stanford. The Tuesday game will mark the Broncos second mid-week contest of the year. First pitch is set for 6 p.m. at Sunken Diamond. On Friday, April 8, the Broncos will return to Buck Shaw Stadium for a three-game WCC series against San Diego. Friday's game will begin at 6 p.m.
Bronco Rotation Notes
Anthony ReaSenior Right-handed Pitcher (Palo Alto, Calif. - Gunn HS)
Will be making his third start of the season against Portland... strong in first start of the season, pitching 7.2 innings against Washington... allowed only five hits and struck out six Huskies... tied for the team-lead in apperances with 13... 2.93 ERA ranks second among Bronco hurlers with more than 20 innings of work... allowed only 10 runs in 30.2 innings... tied for SCU career saves record with 25... set a single-season record a year ago with 13... currently has five saves on the season... posted new career-highs with nine strikeouts in eight innings at San Francisco in his second start of the season... allowed only one run in the Bronco's only complete game this season.
Mike Stutes
Freshman Right-handed Pitcher (Lake Oswego, Ore. - Lake Oswego HS)
Has made six starts in 2005... 3.97 ERA ranks third among pitchers with more than 20 innings of work... leads the pitching staff with 48 strikeouts in 45.1 innings of action... also leads the Broncos with four wins... after earning wins over Utah and San Diego State, posted third win of the season with 8.1 inning performance against Cal Poly... did not allow a run in a season-long outing... posted a team season-high 11 strikeouts in fourth win of the season against Brown on March 13... allowed only seven hits over seven innings with eight strikeouts at San Francisco last weekend.
Kellan McConnell
Senior Right-handed Pitcher (San Juan Capistrano, Calif. -
Capistrano Valley HS)
Has made eight starts in 2005, which is tied for tops on the team... leads the team with 41 strikeouts in a team-high 45 innings of work... recorded a season-high 10 strikeouts in 7.2 innings of work against Washington on February 20 to earn his first win of the season... second win came against San Jose State after allowing only one run in seven innings of action... named WCC Pitcher of the Week after Washington series.