Friday, April 12
Northridge, Calif.
11:00 a.m.
California State University at Northridge
vs
Long Beach State
Photo by: Chuck Marvel
CSUN Takes on Long Beach State in Home Weekend Series
4/11/2024 1:47:00 PM | Baseball
GAME NOTES
NORTHRIDGE, Calif.---CSUN Baseball opens a weekend series with Long Beach State at Matador Field beginning Friday. Due to anticipated rain in the Northridge area, the series schedule has been adjusted with the series opening with a doubleheader on Friday at 11 a.m. Sunday's finale will start at 1 p.m. Ghizal Hasan has the call all series long on ESPN+ and GoMatadors.com/Radio. Stay tuned to GoMatadors.com for any possible changes to the series.
LEADING OFF
CSUN returns to Big West competition this week after playing its last three games against non-conference foes. The Matadors have won their past two Big West series and enter Friday's games with a 6-3 league record. Currently, the Matadors are 2.5 games back of first place UC Irvine (10-2) but just one game back in the loss column. After this weekend's series, CSUN returns to the road for its next five games starting with a midweek game at Pepperdine on April 16.
LAST TIME OUT
The Matadors fell by a 12-4 score to California Baptist on Tuesday at Matador Field. CBU scored 10 of its 12 runs over the first five innings, highlighted by a five-run fifth inning to break open a 5-3 game. Kamau Neighbors led the way offensively with two hits and two RBI while Shunsuke Sakaino and Bren Wilkinson each drove in one run.
AT THE PLATE
Heading into this week's action, junior Kevin Fitzer tops CSUN in a host of categories including batting average (.412), hits (42), doubles (12), RBI (35), stolen bases (10), slugging (.853) and on-base percentage (.520). A two-time Big West Field Player of the Week this season, Fitzer is hitting a scorching .586 with 15 RBI in nine Big West games. Jarren Sanderson is batting .429 on the year as a true freshman while he has driven in 16 runs including 10 in league action. Other top hitters include senior Kamau Neighbors who holds a career-best .339 batting average with 29 runs scored, 21 RBI and two homers. Graduate Jakob Simons has a team-high 10 homers and 36 runs scored to go with 31 RBI and a .310 batting average while junior Andrew Gauna is hitting .306 with three homers and 16 RBI.
ON THE MOUND
Junior right hander Thomas Bainton paces the Matadors in strikeouts with 43 to go with a 2-1 overall record and 3.64 ERA in eight starts as the team's Friday starter. Freshman right hander Ryan Halamicek is slated to go in the Long Beach State series as he holds a 3-2 record, 5.50 ERA and 15 strikeouts in 34.1 innings of work.
In the bullpen, senior Joshua Romero still holds the lowest ERA on the team at 1.61 to go with the seventh-most wins in the nation with six while he has four saves and 19 strikeouts. Newcomer and sophomore right hander Hayden Hall has posted a 3.77 ERA with a 3-1 record in 12 appearances.
BIG WEST LEADERBOARDS
Kevin Fitzer tops The Big West in OPS (1.373) and slugging percentage (.853) while he ranks second in batting average (.412), homers (9), doubles (12), stolen bases (10) and on-base percentage (.520). Jakob Simons is first in homers (10), second in runs scored (36) and slugging percentage (.646) and third in OPS (1.094). Kamau Neighbors checks in at fourth place in walks (25). On the pitching side, Joshua Romero is first in the league in wins with six and fourth in saves with four. As a team, CSUN is ranked first in the conference and fourth nationally in sacrifice hits (33) while the team is second in runs (232), RBI (212), total bases (461), slugging percentage (.453) and stolen bases (41).
ABOUT LONG BEACH STATE
Long Beach State has gone 17-12-1 overall with a 5-7 Big West record. The Dirtbags dropped two of three to UC San Diego over the weekend but bounced back with a 6-3 win over San Diego State this past Tuesday. On the road this season, the Dirtbags have a 4-8 record including a 1-5 mark in Big West play. Head coach Bryan Peters is in his first season leading the Dirtbags. Connor Charpiot tops the team with a .355 batting average with two homers and 15 RBI while Kyle Ashworth has a .311 average at the plate to go with 27 runs scored, 19 RBI and three homers. Adrian Lopez is the team's top run producer with six homers and 22 RBI. Myles Patton, who starts Friday, has a team-best 62 strikeouts and holds a 3.35 ERA while Kellan Montgomery has a 2.39 ERA and 49 strikeouts as a member of the weekend rotation. As a team, the Dirtbags top The Big West in stolen bases (57) and ERA (3.33).
Series History: The Dirtbags lead the Matadors 86-71-1 in the all-time series, but CSUN has won the last two series over the past two seasons. Overall, the Matadors have won five of the past seven meetings. Last season, CSUN took the first two games at Blair Field before Long Beach State won the series finale.
#GoMatadors
Â
NORTHRIDGE, Calif.---CSUN Baseball opens a weekend series with Long Beach State at Matador Field beginning Friday. Due to anticipated rain in the Northridge area, the series schedule has been adjusted with the series opening with a doubleheader on Friday at 11 a.m. Sunday's finale will start at 1 p.m. Ghizal Hasan has the call all series long on ESPN+ and GoMatadors.com/Radio. Stay tuned to GoMatadors.com for any possible changes to the series.
LEADING OFF
CSUN returns to Big West competition this week after playing its last three games against non-conference foes. The Matadors have won their past two Big West series and enter Friday's games with a 6-3 league record. Currently, the Matadors are 2.5 games back of first place UC Irvine (10-2) but just one game back in the loss column. After this weekend's series, CSUN returns to the road for its next five games starting with a midweek game at Pepperdine on April 16.
LAST TIME OUT
The Matadors fell by a 12-4 score to California Baptist on Tuesday at Matador Field. CBU scored 10 of its 12 runs over the first five innings, highlighted by a five-run fifth inning to break open a 5-3 game. Kamau Neighbors led the way offensively with two hits and two RBI while Shunsuke Sakaino and Bren Wilkinson each drove in one run.
AT THE PLATE
Heading into this week's action, junior Kevin Fitzer tops CSUN in a host of categories including batting average (.412), hits (42), doubles (12), RBI (35), stolen bases (10), slugging (.853) and on-base percentage (.520). A two-time Big West Field Player of the Week this season, Fitzer is hitting a scorching .586 with 15 RBI in nine Big West games. Jarren Sanderson is batting .429 on the year as a true freshman while he has driven in 16 runs including 10 in league action. Other top hitters include senior Kamau Neighbors who holds a career-best .339 batting average with 29 runs scored, 21 RBI and two homers. Graduate Jakob Simons has a team-high 10 homers and 36 runs scored to go with 31 RBI and a .310 batting average while junior Andrew Gauna is hitting .306 with three homers and 16 RBI.
ON THE MOUND
Junior right hander Thomas Bainton paces the Matadors in strikeouts with 43 to go with a 2-1 overall record and 3.64 ERA in eight starts as the team's Friday starter. Freshman right hander Ryan Halamicek is slated to go in the Long Beach State series as he holds a 3-2 record, 5.50 ERA and 15 strikeouts in 34.1 innings of work.
In the bullpen, senior Joshua Romero still holds the lowest ERA on the team at 1.61 to go with the seventh-most wins in the nation with six while he has four saves and 19 strikeouts. Newcomer and sophomore right hander Hayden Hall has posted a 3.77 ERA with a 3-1 record in 12 appearances.
BIG WEST LEADERBOARDS
Kevin Fitzer tops The Big West in OPS (1.373) and slugging percentage (.853) while he ranks second in batting average (.412), homers (9), doubles (12), stolen bases (10) and on-base percentage (.520). Jakob Simons is first in homers (10), second in runs scored (36) and slugging percentage (.646) and third in OPS (1.094). Kamau Neighbors checks in at fourth place in walks (25). On the pitching side, Joshua Romero is first in the league in wins with six and fourth in saves with four. As a team, CSUN is ranked first in the conference and fourth nationally in sacrifice hits (33) while the team is second in runs (232), RBI (212), total bases (461), slugging percentage (.453) and stolen bases (41).
ABOUT LONG BEACH STATE
Long Beach State has gone 17-12-1 overall with a 5-7 Big West record. The Dirtbags dropped two of three to UC San Diego over the weekend but bounced back with a 6-3 win over San Diego State this past Tuesday. On the road this season, the Dirtbags have a 4-8 record including a 1-5 mark in Big West play. Head coach Bryan Peters is in his first season leading the Dirtbags. Connor Charpiot tops the team with a .355 batting average with two homers and 15 RBI while Kyle Ashworth has a .311 average at the plate to go with 27 runs scored, 19 RBI and three homers. Adrian Lopez is the team's top run producer with six homers and 22 RBI. Myles Patton, who starts Friday, has a team-best 62 strikeouts and holds a 3.35 ERA while Kellan Montgomery has a 2.39 ERA and 49 strikeouts as a member of the weekend rotation. As a team, the Dirtbags top The Big West in stolen bases (57) and ERA (3.33).
Series History: The Dirtbags lead the Matadors 86-71-1 in the all-time series, but CSUN has won the last two series over the past two seasons. Overall, the Matadors have won five of the past seven meetings. Last season, CSUN took the first two games at Blair Field before Long Beach State won the series finale.
#GoMatadors
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