Posted: Mar 28, 2018
SANTA CLARA, Calif. – Santa Clara baseball hosts Portland in West Coast Conference action from Thursday to Saturday as the Broncos look to snap its three game losing streak. The Broncos are 10-5 at home this season and the Pilots are winless on the road at 0-4.
This Week in Bronco Baseball
•On Tuesday, Santa Clara lost 5-3 to Nevada in a non-conference road game. The two teams split the season series 1-1 with the Broncos winning the first game, 6-4, at home on Feb. 27. It was only the third midweek game for the Broncos with the March 13 game at UC Davis being postponed due to rain.
•The Broncos host Portland from Thursday to Saturday in a West Coast Conference match up. The Pilots are 8-15 overall with a 2-4 conference record.
•As of March 28, Santa Clara is fourth in the conference standings at 3-3 behind San Francisco (16-8, 6-0 WCC), LMU (12-12, 5-1 WCC) and Saint Mary's (13-9, 3-3 WCC).
Last Week in Bronco Baseball
•Santa Clara lost the weekend series to Saint Mary's after taking the series opener, 5-4. The Broncos scored three runs in the bottom of the seventh inning for a come-from-behind win.
•On Saturday, Santa Clara baseball was on the losing end of a one-run game, 6-5. It was the first time this season the Broncos lost a one run game after winning the first six. Heading into the bottom of the ninth trailing 6-3, the Broncos rallied to get within one run but could not push across another run across, stranding three runners on base to end the game.
•In the series finale on Sunday, the Broncos were shutout, 7-0, by the Gaels losing back-to-back games for the first time this season. Santa Clara bats were silenced by Gaels starter Ken Waldichuk and reliever Andrew Hansen who combined to allow just six hits and four walks while striking out 10 Broncos.
Series Information
Games #23 - 25
Santa Clara, Calif. | Stephen Schott Stadium
All-Time Series: Santa Clara leads 54-34, last played in 2017
Probable Starters
Thursday, March 29 • 6 p.m. PT
SCU RHP Steven Wilson (3-0, 3.06 ERA) vs. Portland RHP Eli Morse (2-3, 3.65 ERA)
Friday, March 30 • 6 p.m. PT
SCU RHP Alex Waldsmith (0-2, 2.10 ERA) vs. Portland LHP Corbin Powers (3-3, 4.84 ERA)
Saturday, March 31 • 1 p.m. PT
SCU TBA vs. Portland TBA
GAMEDAY INFORMATION |
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ABOUT SANTA CLARA
Solid Start
•Santa Clara is off to a 14-8 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 10-5 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).
•Bronco pitching staff has a cumulative 3.69 ERA with 13 pitchers seeing action on the mound.
Streaks
•Joe Becht has reached base safely in all 22 games this season (Got a hit in 17 games, drew a walk in 4 games he did not get a hit in and was hit by a pitch in the other game he did not get a hit).
•Grant Meylan has reached base safely in 12 consecutive games.
•Santa Clara had won six consecutive one-run games before losing to Saint Mary's, 6-5, on March 24.
•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.
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 14th in the nation (out of 297) in being hit by a pitch with 43. Florida A&M is first with 60.
ABOUT PORTLAND
•2018 marks the third year for head coach Geoff Loomis, a Portland baseball alum and UP Athletics Hall of Fame member who still holds the UP program career record for batting average (.376).
•Portland sits at 2-4 in league play tied for seventh place in the league standings. Four teams are at 3-3 entering WCC play this weekend including the Broncos.
•The Pilots have already played 19 games at home and just four games on the road. The trip to Santa Clara marks the beginning of the seven game road trip.
•Sophomore outfielder Beau Brundage ranks among the conference leaders in a variety of hitting categories. He is fifth in batting average (.368) and tied for second in hits (32). Brundage recently had a career-long 18-game hitting streak come to an end.
•Sophomore outfielder Beau Brundage ranks among the conference leaders in a variety of hitting categories. He is fifth in batting average (.368) and tied for second in hits (32). Brundage recently had a career-long 18-game hitting streak come to an end.
Tickets: Season or single-game tickets are available. Click here to purchase online or contact the ticket office in Leavey Center weekdays between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. at (408) 554-4660 or BroncoTickets@scu.edu. Group discounts are also available through our ticket office sales and service consultants. Gates to Stephen Schott Stadium, as well as its ticket booth, are open one hour prior to the start of the game.
Parking: Parking is 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. All SCU 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. Click here for a campus parking map.
