•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

 

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.

 

•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. 

 

•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 15 games this season.

•Freshmen Dawson Brigman and Matt Jew have started in the each of the first 15 games.

•Brigman and Connor Henriques are the only players who have started in the same position this season (15 games for Brigman at short & 10 games for Henriques at third).  

•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). 

•McCarville has allowed just two runs in his last three starts spanning 17 innings, striking out 16 and walking just four.  His record is 2-1 in the span.  

 

•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 has given up just one home run through the first 15 games.  

 

•Redshirt junior Ryan McCarthy has reached base safely in nine straight games.  

•Junior Jake MacNichols hit a home run in three consecutive games (Feb. 23 - March 1).  

 

•Redshirt sophomore Brendan Buckley threw a career-high five innings in relief against Omaha (Feb. 9).  

•Bronco closers redshirt senior Eric Lex and junior Ethan Heinrich have combined for three saves and have not allowed a run in 7 1/3 innings while striking out 12 and walking just one.  

 

•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.  

 

•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.  

 

•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.  

 

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