Santa Clara Brings Regular Season To A Close Against Pacific

Posted: May 19, 2008

May 19, 2008

SANTA CLARA, Calif. - The Santa Clara baseball team officially closes out the regular-season on Tuesday, May 20 against the Tigers of Pacific. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. at Schott Stadium.

On The Season

The Broncos have compiled their best season under the direction of head coach Mark O'Brien and look for their first postseason berth since 1997. SCU is 33-21 (.611) overall and finished third in the WCC with a record of 13-8.

Offensively, junior Evan LeBlanc and sophomore Jon Karcich remain on top of the Bronco stats sheet. LeBlanc leads the team batting .381 with 52 runs, 14 doubles, a triple, seven home runs and 39 RBIs. Karcich is second on the squad, hitting .353 and leads the team with 12 home runs and 50 RBIs. He also has 44 runs and 14 doubles.

Thain Simon continues to own a team-best 2.59 ERA and 9-2 record. Sophomore Nate Garcia is second on the team, with a 3.68 ERA and a 7-3 overall record, while Mark Willinsky leads the Broncos with six saves.

Garcia Picks Up Second Weekly Honor
Sophomore starter Garcia received his second West Coast Conference Pitcher of the Week accolade of the season; it was announced by the league Monday afternoon. The Santa Clara native led the Broncos to a 6-3 victory Friday night against then-No. 13 Pepperdine. Garcia tossed 7.2 innings of work, striking out a season-high 11 batters. His previous honor came on April 21 after he threw a complete game shutout of USF on April 18. It was his first collegiate shutout and the Broncos' only shutout of the season.

Broncos' Hit Parade
The Broncos are one the top teams in the nation in hits and doubles per game. SCU is ranked No. 17 with 604 hits on the season, while being ranked No. 21 overall, averaging 2.33 doubles per outing. Santa Clara also leads the West Coast Conference in hits and home runs.

One To Go!
Seventh year head coach O'Brien is just one win away from his career 200th (199-189). The Broncos have one game remaining in the regular-season to help their skipper reach the milestone. When O'Brien reaches the mark, he will join John Oldham and Sal Taormina as the only Bronco baseball head coaches earn 200 wins. Both Oldham and Taormina reached the feat in the seventh season.

Gone Streaking
Sophomore Tommy Medica owns a career-high and team-best 28 game hitting streak, with 26 games being multi-hit performances. He passed LeBlanc's team-high streak of 14 games over the weekend. It began on April 5 against Portland and includes 24 runs, four home run, five doubles, two triples and 26 RBIs.

Record Books Update

LeBlanc entered the career batting average list. His average of .346 places him eighth all-time. Medica also moved into this category and is now ranked fifth all-time with an average of .353.

Medica is now tied for 8th all-time in the career Hit By Pitch category (23). He is tied with Scott Dierks (2002-03). Ryan Conan (19) and Gabe Alcantar (19) wait in the wings.

Willinsky claims the No. 4 all-time spot after his save Friday night against Pepperdine. He has a tally of 15 saves overall.

Scouting Pacific
The Tigers enter Tuesday's game with a 13-38 overall record after winning a three-game series against Cal State Northridge, 2-1, this weekend. Adam Ching and Nick Longmire lead the team as each are hitting .333 on the season. Longmire has drove in a team-best 28 runs, while Ching is second on the team with 36 runs and four homers. It has not been announced who the Tigers' starting pitcher will be Tuesday night. UOP has a team ERA of 6.47.

Last Time Out vs. Pacific
The Broncos and Tigers last met on May 7 in Stockton where Pacific prevented the series sweep with an 11-7 win. SCU leads this year's series, 2-1.

All-Time vs. Pacific
Wednesday's game marks the 112th meeting between the two teams. Santa Clara leads the all-time series 73-38-0.