Posted: Mar 06, 2019
SANTA CLARA, Calif. - After having its midweek game at UC Davis postponed due to rain, Santa Clara baseball hosts Omaha in a four-game series beginning Friday in the first ever meeting between the two schools. The series was originally scheduled for three games but added a fourth game as agreed upon by both programs.
The series kicks off on Friday at 6 p.m., followed by a doubleheader on Saturday starting at 1 p.m. with the second game starting 40 minutes after the conclusion of the first game. Sunday's series finale is now at 11 a.m. instead of noon to accomodate Omaha's travel schedule.
Omaha (4-5-1) at Santa Clara (3-8)
Game #12 - 15
Santa Clara, Calif. | Stephen Schott Stadium
All-Time Series: First meeting.
PROBABLE STARTERS
Friday, March 8 • 6 p.m. PT
Omaha RHP Joey Machado (1-1, 6.46 ERA) vs SCU RHP Keegan McCarville (2-1, 2.35 ERA)
Saturday, March 9 • 1 p.m. PT (DH Game 1)
Omaha RHP Payton Kinney (2-0, 1.20 ERA) vs SCU RHP Matthew McGarry (0-0, 0.00 ERA, 5 IP)
Saturday, March 9 • 5 p.m. PT (DH Game 2)
Omaha LHP Spencer Koelewyn (0-1, 3.75 ERA) vs SCU LHP Brendan Ecklebarger (1-1, 3.55 ERA)
Sunday, March 10 • 11 a.m. PT
Omaha TBA vs SCU LHP Russell Grant II (0-0, 6.00 ERA)
LAST WEEKEND
Santa Clara played its first road games of the season at Cal State Bakersfield last weekend where it won the series opener before dropping the remaining three. On Friday, the Broncos opened the series with a 3-1 win behind starter Keegan McCarville who threw five scoreless innings to pick up his second win of the season. The Roadrunners won Saturday's doubleheader, 3-1 and 8-4, before closing out the series with a 4-2 win on Sunday.
For the series, freshman Matt Jew collected a hit in each game including his third home run of the season and batted .308. Jake MacNichols hit two round trippers in three games. He has now hit a home run in four of the last five games.
ABOUT OMAHA
The Mavericks are coming off a 15-35 record in 2018 including 10-17 in Summit League play to finish in fifth place under third-year head coach Evan Porter. Omaha joined Division I in 2011-12.
Catcher Brett Bonar and right-handed pitcher Joey Machado were selected as The Summit League Preseason Players to Watch for Omaha.
This season, UNO is off to a 4-5-1 start including a win at USC in the series opening series. Omaha is hitting .246 overall and are led by Keil Krumwiede's .364 batting average. The Mavericks have a 6.08 team ERA with Saturday's game one starter Payton Kinney boasting a 1.20 ERA over 15 innings while striking out 16.
GAMEDAY INFORMATION |
|
|
Tickets |
Click here |
| Live Stream / Video | |
| Live Stats |
|
| Promotions | |
| Santa Clara | |
| Visiting Team | |
FIRST YEAR IMPROVEMENTS UNDER HEAD COACH RUSTY FILTER
•Head coach Rusty Filter enters his second year with the Broncos, coming off a 26-26 season. In his first season in 2018, the Broncos saw signifcant improvements in various categories from the previous season:
•Overall wins from 13 to 26
•Average home attendance from 181 to 531
•Runs scored from 238 to 277
•Bases on balls from 155 to 190
•On-base percentage from .330 to .348
•Team ERA from 6.39 to 4.86
•Hits/extra-base hits allowed from 525/164 to 497/134
•Strikeouts from 373 to 401
•Fielding percentage from .958 to .968
STEPHEN SCHOTT STADIUM IMPROVEMENTS
Since the end of last season, Stephen Schott Stadium, the home of the Broncos, underwent the following field improvements:
•Resurfaced all the infield (dirt, grass, home plate).
•New astro turf with foul lines in the foul territory.
•New bullpens on both sides.
•New logo behind home plate.
2019 SCHEDULE QUICK HITS
•Prior to the season, the Broncos were scheduled to play 29 of its 53 regular-season games at Stephen Schott Stadium where they were 15-12 at home last season.
•Opening day weekend's rain forced one game to be moved from San José State to Schott Stadium and added an extra home game against Omaha so the Broncos are now scheduled to play 31 games at home.
•The Feb. 15 game at San José State was postponed with no make up date scheduled.
•Santa Clara plays three Pac-12 conference teams - vs Washington State (Feb. 21-24), vs. Washington (April 15) and vs. Stanford (April 30) plus at Stanford on May 7.
•Games against three 2018 NCAA Tournament qualifiers are on the docket - vs. Washington (April 15), vs Gonzaga (April 18-20) and vs Stanford (April 30) and at at Sanford (May 7) with the Huskies advancing to the College World Series.
•Longest homestead is nine games from April 9-23.
•Longest stretch of road game is six games from March 15-24.
NEW LOOK ROSTER
•Twenty-one newcomers dot the Santa Clara roster this season including 14 freshmen and seven transfers (excluding two player with roster exemptions who will not play in 2019 due to injuries - Matt Erickson and Alec Olmsted).
•The newcomers include 11 pitchers (eight right-handed and three left-handed), one catcher, six infielders and three outfielders.
NEWCOMERS IN ACTION
•Eighteen newcomers made their Bronco debuts on opening weekend along with RHP Matthew McGarry who sat out last season after transferring from Vanderbilt.
•At least four newcomers have been in the starting lineup in each of the 11 games this season.
•Freshmen Dawson Brigman and Matt Jew have started in the each of the first 11 games.
•Brigman is the only player who has started in the same position this season (all at shortstop).
•Jew went 6-for-12 in the San José State series including belting a solo home run in each game of the opening day doubleheader. Jew safely reached base on nine of 15 plate appearances.
•Brigman (vs. SJSU, Feb. 17), Jew (vs. SJSU, Feb. 17) and fellow freshman Blake Faddoul (vs. Washington State, Feb. 24) each have gone yard.
•Junior college transfers Brendan Ecklebarger (Feb. 22) and Keegan McCarville (Feb. 23) picked up their first career wins against Washington State.
•Junior college transfer Ethan Heinrich earned his first career save against Washington State (Feb. 23).
•Twin brothers Locke Bernhardt and Holden Bernhardt made their Bronco debuts in, appropriately, a twin bill against San José State on opening day (Feb. 16).
HOME RUNS
•The Broncos have hit 11 home runs collectively, all solo shots, by five different players (four by MacNichols, three by Jew, two by Jason Dicochea plus one each by Brigman and Faddoul). The pitching staff hasgiven up just on e home run through the first 11 games.
STREAKS
•Freshman Blake Faddoul has safely reached base in the six consecutive games.
•Freshman Matt Jew has hit safely in four straight games.
•Junior Jake MacNichols hit a home run in three consecutive games (Feb. 23 - March 1) and has hit one in four of the last five games.
BRONCO MLB DRAFT SELECTIONS UNDER RUSTY FILTER
•Four players from last season's squad was selected in the 2018 Major League Baseball First-Year Players Draft:
•RHP Steven Wilson (8th round by the San Diego Padres)
•INF Jake Brodt (9th round by the Toronto Blue Jays)
•INF John Cresto (28th round by the Colorado Rockies)
•RHP Penn Murfee (33rd round by the Seattle Mariners)
•Newcomer Keegan McCarville, a right-handed pitcher, was selected in the 24th round by the Tampa Bay Rays but chose to attend Santa Clara.
USA BASEBALL COACHING ASSIGNMENT
•This past summer, Filter served as the pitching coach for the inaugural USA Baseball 2018 16U National Team Development Program (NTDP) Stars team. He was previously the pitching coach for USA Baseball's 18U National Team in 2017 as well as coaching at the 2015 and 2016 Tournament of Stars.
MARK MARQUESS AT SANTA CLARA
•One of the premier coaches in college baseball history, member of American Baseball Coaches Hall of Fame, and gold-medal winning Olympic baseball coach, Mark Marquess was hired as Special Assistant to Santa Clara Director of Athletics, Renee Baumgartner, last fall. In this new role, Marquess, who served as Stanford head baseball coach for 41 years and is the fourth winningest coach in Division I history, is a mentor for all Santa Clara coaches and staff, serving on campus committees, supporting development, and working on special projects.
SCHEDULE
The 2019 schedule features games against three teams (Washington, Gonzaga and Stanford) that qualified for the 2018 NCAA Baseball Tournament with the Huskies advancing to the College World Series. Among the 53 regular-season games, 29 will be played at home in Stephen Schott Stadium and 24 on the road. 2019 Schedule Release.
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.
