April 20, 2005

SANTA CLARA, Calif. -

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Santa Clara (17-20, 3-11 WCC) vs. Saint Mary's (13-22, 6-12 WCC)

Probable Pitching Matchups
4/22 - Santa Clara - RHP Anthony Rea - Sr. (3-4, 3.68 ERA)
Saint Mary's - RHP Kevin Trochez - Sr. (3-3, 3.76 ERA)
4/23 - Santa Clara - LHP Adam Sanabria - Sr. (0-0, 2.88 ERA)
Saint Mary's - RHP Joel Fountain - Jr. (3-6, 5.19 ERA)
4/24 - Santa Clara - RHP Kellan McConnell - Sr. (2-5, 6.17 ERA)
Saint Mary's - RHP Chris Mezzavilla - Jr. (1-3, 4.54 ERA)

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 Saint Mary's. The series will start on Friday afternoon at 3 p.m. while Saturday and Sunday's contests will begin at 1 p.m.

Saint Mary's enters the series with a 13-22 overall mark and 6-12 record in WCC action. Last weekend, the Gael's suffered a sweep at the hands of San Francisco, but returned to defeat Pacific on Tuesday. SMC currently has four starters hitting over .300 as Sam Carter leads the team with a .333 batting average. Carter also paces the team with five home runs and 34 RBI.

On the mound for SMC, Kevin Trochez and Joel Fountain have each seen over 65 innings of action this season. Trochez leads the team with 39 strikeouts, while they both are tops on the staff with three wins.

Last Week
Santa Clara picked up three wins over four games last week as it claimed its first WCC series win of the season.

The Broncos recorded a 9-3 win over San Francisco State last Tuesday to start the week off right. Kris Watts hit a two-run home run in the fifth inning to highlight the SCU offense.

Anthony Rea was the highlight of the series opener at LMU as he threw his second complete game of the season in a 3-1 Bronco win. He faced only four batters over the minimum and allowed only five hits.

On Saturday, SCU set new season-highs in runs and hits as it posted an 18-6 victory over the Lions. Kevin Drever, Shawn Epidendio and Dustin Realini each drove in four runs to lead the SCU charge.

The week ended with a 9-4 loss in Los Angeles on Sunday afternoon. Realini once again led the offense with a home run and three RBI on the day.

Schott Stadium Opening Day Sold Out
The long-awaited opening day of Santa Clara University's Stephen Schott Baseball Stadium, which is scheduled for Saturday, April 30 at 1 p.m., has sold out. 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.

Although tickets are gone for Saturday's contest, SCU will recognize members of its local community with Santa Clara Community Day on Sunday. All residents of the city will be able to purchase tickets for half price off an adult admission with a valid proof of residency, including a driver's license or utility bill.

Another special day at Stephen Schott Stadium will come on May 8th when the SCU baseball program honors the Bronco baseball team of 1962. Members of the team that advanced to the College World Series will return to Santa Clara for the 1 p.m. game against San Francisco.

Realini Named WCC Player of the Week
Dustin Realini was named the Rawlings/WCC Player of the Week on Monday after leading the Broncos to three wins and its first WCC series win of the season. The junior infielder hit .533 (8-for-15) over the four games and paced SCU with eight RBI and six runs scored. He also hit his team-leading fifth home run of the season and two doubles in the Bronco's series win at Loyola Marymount. The award was the fourth conference honor for Santa Clara this season as Michael Thompson, Kris Watts and Kellan McConnell have all received weekly recognition from the WCC in 2005.

O'Brien Reaches 100 Wins
Bronco skipper Mark O'Brien earned his 100th win at Santa Clara on Saturday afternoon in the Bronco's 18-6 win at Loyola Marymount. His career record now stands at 100-104 as he enters the week. O'Brien becomes only the fifth coach in Santa Clara baseball history to reach the 100-win milestone. He joins former Bronco coaches John Oldham, Jerry McClain, Sal Taormina and John Cotrell in the esteemed group.

Broncos in the NCAA Stats
After the first week the NCAA compiled statistics for the 2005 season, two Broncos rank among the country's best. Jason Matteucci is the second toughest hitter in the nation to strikeout. His five strikeouts in 137 at-bats is the second best ratio in the NCAA. Matteucci averages one strikeout in every 27.4 at-bats. Senior Shawn Epidendio also appears in the national rankings as he has been hit by a pitch 16 times this season. That total also ranks second in Division I.

Heating Up in Conference Action
Sophomore infielder Kevin Drever has posted impressive numbers during West Coast Conference play this season. The Salinas, Calif. native currently paces the team with a .613 batting average in WCC games. His on-base percentage of .649 is also a team-best, while he also leads the team with four stolen bases in conference play. Last weekend at LMU, Drever boasted back-to-back perfect days at the plate with a 5-for-5 performance on Saturday and a 3-for-3 day in the series finale. Over the four games on the Bronco schedule last week, Drever was 11-for-18 (.638) at the plate.

Overall, Drever leads the team with a .413 batting average in all games. He ranks second on the team with six stolen bases. His .456 on base percentage is also a Bronco best.

Multimedia Coverage Increases on www.santaclarabroncos.com
As the Santa Clara baseball program moves into Stephen Schott Stadium on April 30, the multimedia coverage on www.santaclarabroncos.com will be greatly increased. Live video streaming of each of the nine games to be played in Schott Stadium will be available on the website. Also, for the April 30th game only, an audio broadcast will also be available as Anthony Passarelli will bring you all of the action from the opening day. As always, all Bronco baseball games will also be covered on Gametracker.

Bronco Rotation Notes
Anthony Rea
Senior Right-handed Pitcher (Palo Alto, Calif. - Gunn HS)
Will be making his sixth start of the season against Saint Mary's... strong in first start of the season, pitching 7.2 innings against Washington... allowed only five hits and struck out six Huskies... third on the team in apperances with 16... 3.68 ERA is tops among Bronco hurlers with more than 35 innings of work... 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 against the Dons in the Bronco's first complete game this season... threw his second complete game at Loyola Marymount... allowed only five hits, no walks and faced only four batters over the minimum in the 3-1 victory.

Adam Sanabria
Senior Left-handed Pitcher (Longwood, Fla. - University of Florida)
Will be making his third start of the season after joining the weekend rotation at Loyola Marymount... had been the top left-handed Bronco reliever this season... 2.88 ERA is the lowest on the team... ranks second on the squad with 17 appearances... threw 4.1 innings with a season-best four strikeouts against the Cardinal... tallied a new season-high with 4.2 innings of work at LMU... has posted 18 strikeouts in 25 innings of work.

Kellan McConnell
Senior Right-handed Pitcher (San Juan Capistrano, Calif. - Capistrano Valley HS)
Has made 12 starts in 2005, which is tops on the team... leads the team with 51 strikeouts in a team-high 65.2 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.