Friday, February 21
Phoenix, Ariz.
1:00 p.m.
California State University at Northridge
vs
Fordham
Photo by: Paul Trafecanty
Matadors Open Up Road Stretch at GCU Classic
2/20/2020 11:34:00 AM | Baseball
FULL GAME NOTES
NORTHRIDGE, Calif.---CSUN Baseball (4-0) hits the road for the first time this season when the Matadors compete at the GCU Classic this weekend. Hosted by Grand Canyon, the three-team event from Friday to Sunday will also include Fordham. CSUN opens up the event against Fordham on Friday 1 p.m. before taking on GCU later that day at 5 p.m. The Matadors continue the event against Fordham on Saturday at 1 p.m. and conclude the weekend against the host Lopes on Sunday at 9 a.m. Both games against Grand Canyon will stream live on GCU TV.Â
Probable Pitching Match-Ups
CSUN vs. Fordham - GCU Ballpark - Feb. 21-22
RHP Blaine Traxel (1-0, 2.57 ERA) vs. LHP Matt Mikulski (0-1, 9.00 ERA)
RHP Gavin Lizik (0-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. RHP Brian Weisser (0-0 8.10 ERA)
CSUN at Grand Canyon - GCU Ballpark - Feb. 21, Feb. 23
RHP Blake Sodersten (1-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. RHP Kade Mechals (1-0, 1.80 ERA)
RHP Daniel Vasquez (0-0, 3.86 ERA) vs. RHP Dawson McCarville (1-0, 3.18 ERA)
The Matadors began the Dave Serrano era with a 4-0 homestand last weekend. CSUN blanked San Francisco on opening day 8-0 behind six shutout innings from sophomore right-hander Blake Sodersten. The Matadors secured a series win over USF with a 7-3 win in game two as senior Jayson Newman drove in four runs and had three hits. On Sunday, CSUN earned the series sweep with a 5-3 win after Newman knocked in the go-ahead runs in the bottom of the eighth inning. This past Monday, the Matadors earned a 3-1 victory over Washington State. CSUN's bullpen was strong against the Cougars, combining for six shutout innings and one hit allowed.
CSUN's 4-0 start to the year is the program's first since the 2015 campaign. The Matadors also picked up their first series sweep over an opponent to start a season since 2002 when CSUN also swept USF in a three-game series.
The Matadors received contributions from many places in the four wins as senior Jose Ruiz, who played at third base and at catcher during the weekend, hit a team-best .364 (4-for-11) with six runs scored and three RBI. Junior Carlos Arellano made the most of his Matador debut by batting .357 (5-for-14) while the trio of Newman, senior Sean Skelly and junior Kai Moody all batted .333 at the plate. Newman enjoyed a huge homestand by knocking in eight runs to go with three extra base hits.
On the pitching side, Sodersten tied a career-high in innings pitched with six as he scattered three hits. Sophomore right-hander Blaine Traxel threw six quality innings on Saturday, allowing two runs before returning to the mound Monday to earn a one-inning save against Washington State. Freshman right-hander Gavin Lizik made two appearances including a start against the Cougars and tossed four combined shutout innings. Senior right-hander Cruz Daddario and sophomore right-hander Dwayne Angebrandt also earned victories out of the bullpen.
After completing a 4-0 homestand, the Matadors now set their sights on a 12-game stretch played away from Matador Field. The four-game GCU Classic opens up the road stretch, which will also include four games at UCF (Feb. 28-Mar. 1) and four more games at Gonzaga (Mar. 6-8).
The Matadors and Fordham are playing for the first time in school history this weekend. In contrast, CSUN has played GCU 15 times in team history with the Matadors winning 13 of those games. CSUN competed at the GCU Classic in 2018 as the Matadors and Lopes split two games. The Matadors are 7-2 all-time on the road against GCU.
A Closer Look at Fordham
The Rams (1-3) suffered a three-game sweep at the hands of Florida International on opening weekend before picking up their first win of the season over LIU on Wednesday. Fordham went 38-24 last season and won the Atlantic 10 Championship en route to the program's first NCAA Regional appearance in 21 seasons. The team was picked to finish second in the Atlantic 10 in the preseason coaches poll.
After both batting over .300 last season, senior outfielder Jake Baker is hitting .455 this season with two stolen bases while junior infielder Jake MacKenzie has a home run and three RBI to go with a .308 batting average. On the pitching side, junior left-hander Matt Mikulski (0-1, 9.00 ERA) and senior right-hander Brian Weissert (0-0, 8.10 ERA) earn the starts against the Matadors this weekend.
A Closer Look at Grand Canyon
GCU (3-1) took two of three games from nationally-ranked Oklahoma State last weekend before downing Oregon 4-3 on Tuesday. The Lopes are coming off their winningest season in their Division I era with a 36-24 record, which culminated with a WAC Tournament title game appearance. GCU is the preseason favorite to win the WAC.
Junior Drew Smith is batting a team-high .444 with six runs and eight RBI while junior Dominic Grissom also has eight RBI with two home runs. Another junior, Juan Colato is also off to a hot start with .389 batting average with three RBI. A Preseason All-American, senior right-hander Kade Mechals (1-0, 1.80 ERA) stuck out eight batters and allowed one run over five innings versus Oklahoma State. Junior right-hander Dawson McCarville has a 3.18 ERA with five strikeouts over 5.2 innings.
#UniteTheValley
Â
NORTHRIDGE, Calif.---CSUN Baseball (4-0) hits the road for the first time this season when the Matadors compete at the GCU Classic this weekend. Hosted by Grand Canyon, the three-team event from Friday to Sunday will also include Fordham. CSUN opens up the event against Fordham on Friday 1 p.m. before taking on GCU later that day at 5 p.m. The Matadors continue the event against Fordham on Saturday at 1 p.m. and conclude the weekend against the host Lopes on Sunday at 9 a.m. Both games against Grand Canyon will stream live on GCU TV.Â
Probable Pitching Match-Ups
CSUN vs. Fordham - GCU Ballpark - Feb. 21-22
RHP Blaine Traxel (1-0, 2.57 ERA) vs. LHP Matt Mikulski (0-1, 9.00 ERA)
RHP Gavin Lizik (0-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. RHP Brian Weisser (0-0 8.10 ERA)
CSUN at Grand Canyon - GCU Ballpark - Feb. 21, Feb. 23
RHP Blake Sodersten (1-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. RHP Kade Mechals (1-0, 1.80 ERA)
RHP Daniel Vasquez (0-0, 3.86 ERA) vs. RHP Dawson McCarville (1-0, 3.18 ERA)
The Matadors began the Dave Serrano era with a 4-0 homestand last weekend. CSUN blanked San Francisco on opening day 8-0 behind six shutout innings from sophomore right-hander Blake Sodersten. The Matadors secured a series win over USF with a 7-3 win in game two as senior Jayson Newman drove in four runs and had three hits. On Sunday, CSUN earned the series sweep with a 5-3 win after Newman knocked in the go-ahead runs in the bottom of the eighth inning. This past Monday, the Matadors earned a 3-1 victory over Washington State. CSUN's bullpen was strong against the Cougars, combining for six shutout innings and one hit allowed.
CSUN's 4-0 start to the year is the program's first since the 2015 campaign. The Matadors also picked up their first series sweep over an opponent to start a season since 2002 when CSUN also swept USF in a three-game series.
The Matadors received contributions from many places in the four wins as senior Jose Ruiz, who played at third base and at catcher during the weekend, hit a team-best .364 (4-for-11) with six runs scored and three RBI. Junior Carlos Arellano made the most of his Matador debut by batting .357 (5-for-14) while the trio of Newman, senior Sean Skelly and junior Kai Moody all batted .333 at the plate. Newman enjoyed a huge homestand by knocking in eight runs to go with three extra base hits.
On the pitching side, Sodersten tied a career-high in innings pitched with six as he scattered three hits. Sophomore right-hander Blaine Traxel threw six quality innings on Saturday, allowing two runs before returning to the mound Monday to earn a one-inning save against Washington State. Freshman right-hander Gavin Lizik made two appearances including a start against the Cougars and tossed four combined shutout innings. Senior right-hander Cruz Daddario and sophomore right-hander Dwayne Angebrandt also earned victories out of the bullpen.
After completing a 4-0 homestand, the Matadors now set their sights on a 12-game stretch played away from Matador Field. The four-game GCU Classic opens up the road stretch, which will also include four games at UCF (Feb. 28-Mar. 1) and four more games at Gonzaga (Mar. 6-8).
The Matadors and Fordham are playing for the first time in school history this weekend. In contrast, CSUN has played GCU 15 times in team history with the Matadors winning 13 of those games. CSUN competed at the GCU Classic in 2018 as the Matadors and Lopes split two games. The Matadors are 7-2 all-time on the road against GCU.
A Closer Look at Fordham
The Rams (1-3) suffered a three-game sweep at the hands of Florida International on opening weekend before picking up their first win of the season over LIU on Wednesday. Fordham went 38-24 last season and won the Atlantic 10 Championship en route to the program's first NCAA Regional appearance in 21 seasons. The team was picked to finish second in the Atlantic 10 in the preseason coaches poll.
After both batting over .300 last season, senior outfielder Jake Baker is hitting .455 this season with two stolen bases while junior infielder Jake MacKenzie has a home run and three RBI to go with a .308 batting average. On the pitching side, junior left-hander Matt Mikulski (0-1, 9.00 ERA) and senior right-hander Brian Weissert (0-0, 8.10 ERA) earn the starts against the Matadors this weekend.
A Closer Look at Grand Canyon
GCU (3-1) took two of three games from nationally-ranked Oklahoma State last weekend before downing Oregon 4-3 on Tuesday. The Lopes are coming off their winningest season in their Division I era with a 36-24 record, which culminated with a WAC Tournament title game appearance. GCU is the preseason favorite to win the WAC.
Junior Drew Smith is batting a team-high .444 with six runs and eight RBI while junior Dominic Grissom also has eight RBI with two home runs. Another junior, Juan Colato is also off to a hot start with .389 batting average with three RBI. A Preseason All-American, senior right-hander Kade Mechals (1-0, 1.80 ERA) stuck out eight batters and allowed one run over five innings versus Oklahoma State. Junior right-hander Dawson McCarville has a 3.18 ERA with five strikeouts over 5.2 innings.
#UniteTheValley
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