Friday, March 3
Nashville, TN
2:00 p.m.
California State University at Northridge
at
#14 Vanderbilt
Photo by: Paul Trafecanty
CSUN Baseball Hits the Road for Three-Game Set at #14 Vanderbilt
3/2/2017 11:12:00 AM | Baseball
FULL PDF RELEASE
NORTHRIDGE, CA---
CSUN Baseball (4-4) heads to Nashville, TN for its first ever meeting with the No. 14 Vanderbilt Commodores this weekend. The three-game series between the two teams will begin Friday at 2 p.m. (PT) followed by games on Saturday (2 p.m.) and Sunday (11 a.m.). Live video will be available for the series opener and finale on the SEC Network and the games can be streamed via the WatchESPN app.Â
The Matadors look to carry the momentum gained on Tuesday as CSUN rallied past UCLA for a 6-5 victory at Matador Field. Snapping a two-game skid, the Matadors erased a 3-1 deficit by scoring five runs over the fifth and sixth innings. Albee Weiss blasted a home run in the second inning and Fred Smith hit a game-tying solo home run in the sixth. Nolan Bumstead drove in the go-ahead runs also in the sixth with a single. Freshman right-hander Blake Schriever earned his first career win by tossing 1.1 innings out of the bullpen. Retiring all four batters he faced, Conner O'Neil picked up his first save of the season.Â
Through eight games, junior first baseman Kevin Riley is hitting .333 at the plate with four doubles, five runs scored and five RBI. Power hitting Weiss is leading the team with 10 RBI to go along with two home runs and a .323 batting average. Up the middle, the tandem of shortstop Fred Smith and second baseman Alvaro Rubalcaba are both hitting .300 at the dish.Â
CSUN's pitching staff has been outstanding in the first month of the season. Limiting opposing hitters to a .210 batting average, Matador pitchers are posting a 2.71 ERA in the early going. Earning the Friday start against the Commodores, junior right hander Andrew Weston (1-1) comes into the weekend with an 0.66 ERA and 12 strikeouts in 13.2 innings. Posting nearly identical numbers, Saturday starter Tei Vanderford is also 1-1 with an 0.66 ERA this season to go along with 11 strikeouts over 13.2 innings of work. Rounding out the starting rotation, senior right hander Samuel Myers (1-0) is posting an 0.00 ERA with seven strikeouts in 10.0 innings.Â
Friday's series opener begins a four-game road trip, which will culminate next Tuesday against UCLA at Jackie Robinson Stadium. CSUN then returns home for the start of its longest homestand of the season, featuring nine games against the likes of Holy Cross, Purdue and Saint Mary's.Â
The Matadors have never met the Commodores in program history but have faced teams from the Southeatern Conference before. Holding a 1-4 record against teams from the SEC, CSUN has squared off with Florida, Mississippi State and Arkansas. However, the Matadors have also taken on Texas A&M and Missouri when the teams were members of the Big 12 Conference. CSUN's only victory over a team that resided in the SEC came against Mississippi State at the 1996 NCAA Regional in Stanford.Â
A Closer Look at Vanderbilt
The Commodores are 6-3 this season as well as 4-2 at Hawkins Field. Vanderbilt is coming off a two-game sweep of Southeastern Louisiana earlier this week. Finishing 43-19 last season, the Commodores hosted an NCAA Regional in 2016. Prior to last season, Vanderbilt had made the College the World Series in consecutive seasons including winning a National Championship in 2014.Â
Senior catcher Jason Delay is hitting a team-leading .355 at the plate go along with four doubles and four runs scored. Also enjoying a hot start, sophomore Julian Infante comes into the weekend with two home runs, eight RBI, seven runs scored and a .344 batting average. Named a Third Team All-American last season, junior Jeren Kendall is batting .275 with three home runs and seven RBI.Â
Starting Friday on the mound, junior right hander Kyle Wright is 0-1 with a 3.27 ERA and nine strikeouts this season. A Freshman All-American last season, sophomore right hander Patrick Raby has gone 2-0 with an 0.00 ERA and 10 strikeouts. Freshman right hander Drake Fellows (1-0, 1.38 ERA, 10 SO) will take the hill in the finale against the Matadors.Â
NORTHRIDGE, CA---
CSUN Baseball (4-4) heads to Nashville, TN for its first ever meeting with the No. 14 Vanderbilt Commodores this weekend. The three-game series between the two teams will begin Friday at 2 p.m. (PT) followed by games on Saturday (2 p.m.) and Sunday (11 a.m.). Live video will be available for the series opener and finale on the SEC Network and the games can be streamed via the WatchESPN app.Â
The Matadors look to carry the momentum gained on Tuesday as CSUN rallied past UCLA for a 6-5 victory at Matador Field. Snapping a two-game skid, the Matadors erased a 3-1 deficit by scoring five runs over the fifth and sixth innings. Albee Weiss blasted a home run in the second inning and Fred Smith hit a game-tying solo home run in the sixth. Nolan Bumstead drove in the go-ahead runs also in the sixth with a single. Freshman right-hander Blake Schriever earned his first career win by tossing 1.1 innings out of the bullpen. Retiring all four batters he faced, Conner O'Neil picked up his first save of the season.Â
Through eight games, junior first baseman Kevin Riley is hitting .333 at the plate with four doubles, five runs scored and five RBI. Power hitting Weiss is leading the team with 10 RBI to go along with two home runs and a .323 batting average. Up the middle, the tandem of shortstop Fred Smith and second baseman Alvaro Rubalcaba are both hitting .300 at the dish.Â
CSUN's pitching staff has been outstanding in the first month of the season. Limiting opposing hitters to a .210 batting average, Matador pitchers are posting a 2.71 ERA in the early going. Earning the Friday start against the Commodores, junior right hander Andrew Weston (1-1) comes into the weekend with an 0.66 ERA and 12 strikeouts in 13.2 innings. Posting nearly identical numbers, Saturday starter Tei Vanderford is also 1-1 with an 0.66 ERA this season to go along with 11 strikeouts over 13.2 innings of work. Rounding out the starting rotation, senior right hander Samuel Myers (1-0) is posting an 0.00 ERA with seven strikeouts in 10.0 innings.Â
Friday's series opener begins a four-game road trip, which will culminate next Tuesday against UCLA at Jackie Robinson Stadium. CSUN then returns home for the start of its longest homestand of the season, featuring nine games against the likes of Holy Cross, Purdue and Saint Mary's.Â
The Matadors have never met the Commodores in program history but have faced teams from the Southeatern Conference before. Holding a 1-4 record against teams from the SEC, CSUN has squared off with Florida, Mississippi State and Arkansas. However, the Matadors have also taken on Texas A&M and Missouri when the teams were members of the Big 12 Conference. CSUN's only victory over a team that resided in the SEC came against Mississippi State at the 1996 NCAA Regional in Stanford.Â
A Closer Look at Vanderbilt
The Commodores are 6-3 this season as well as 4-2 at Hawkins Field. Vanderbilt is coming off a two-game sweep of Southeastern Louisiana earlier this week. Finishing 43-19 last season, the Commodores hosted an NCAA Regional in 2016. Prior to last season, Vanderbilt had made the College the World Series in consecutive seasons including winning a National Championship in 2014.Â
Senior catcher Jason Delay is hitting a team-leading .355 at the plate go along with four doubles and four runs scored. Also enjoying a hot start, sophomore Julian Infante comes into the weekend with two home runs, eight RBI, seven runs scored and a .344 batting average. Named a Third Team All-American last season, junior Jeren Kendall is batting .275 with three home runs and seven RBI.Â
Starting Friday on the mound, junior right hander Kyle Wright is 0-1 with a 3.27 ERA and nine strikeouts this season. A Freshman All-American last season, sophomore right hander Patrick Raby has gone 2-0 with an 0.00 ERA and 10 strikeouts. Freshman right hander Drake Fellows (1-0, 1.38 ERA, 10 SO) will take the hill in the finale against the Matadors.Â
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