Baseball April 22, 2010 CSU Bakersfield Athletic Communications

Baseball Seeks Another Big West Series Win At UC Riverside

THIS WEEK
The Roadrunners travel to UC Riverside for their third consecutive three-game series against a Big West opponent beginning Friday, Apr. 23 at 6 p.m. The team's continue play Saturday at 6 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m.

ON DECK
The Roadrunners return briefly to Hardt Field Tuesday, Apr. 27 for a match-up against Loyola Marymount. First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m.

LIVE STATS
Live statistics are available for all CSUB games this week. The link for all games can be found on the baseball schedule page at GoRunners.com.

PROJECTED PITCHING MATCH-UPS
FRIDAY, APR. 23, 2010
CSUB: Mickey Jannis (RHP) (4-1)
UCR: Matt Andriese (3-2)

SATURDAY, APR. 24, 2010
CSUB: Matt Reyes (RHP) (3-1)
UCR: Dustin Emmons (RHP) (4-3)

SUNDAY, APR. 25, 2010
CSUB: Mike McCarthy (RHP) (3-3)
UCR: Matt Larkins (RHP) (4-2)

'RUNNER REPORT
The Roadrunners came out on top after an erratic weekend of play against UC Davis. In the series opener, Bakersfield led 10-3 after eight complete innings, but the Aggies posted a nine-run ninth inning to claim a 12-11 victory. CSUB roared back on Saturday and Sunday, using its surging offense to claim 12-4 and 19-8 wins to take the series 2-1.

RUN RECORD
The Roadrunners 19 runs scored last Sunday against UC Davis marked an all-time program record. The previous high of 17 was first achieved on Apr. 7, 2009, in a 17-12 win over Fresno State. CSUB matched that mark on Mar. 19 of this season in a 17-7 win over San Jose State.

FIRST SAVE
Seventeen wins into the 2010 season, CSUB finally recorded its first save in its Apr. 17, 12-4 win over UC Davis. Martin Medina pitched three scoreless, hitless innings of relief to preserve Matt Reyes' third win of the season. The sophomore utility player struck out six of the eight batters he faced in the third save of his career.

SCOUTING UC RIVERSIDE
UC Riverside is 17-13 overall and 5-4 in the Big West entering this weekend's series with CSUB. The Highlanders had a pair of midweek rainouts, including Wednesday match-up against Loyola Marymount that was suspsended in the fourth inning with the Lion leading 7-0.

The Highlanders have four players hitting over .300, led by Justin Shults who is batting .371 with 33 hits, including nine double and five home runs. Brian McConkey is tied for the team lead with 10 doubles and is hitting .333. Michael Hur (.309) and Robert Brantly (.308) round out the quartet. Hur has a team-high six home runs while Brantly has four long balls and 10 doubles.

UCR's pitching staff holds a combined 5.57 ERA along with 172 strikeouts and 88 walks. The Roadrunners will face Matt Andriese (3-2, 5.12 ERA, 58.0 innings, 43 K, 9 BB), Dustin Emmons (4-3, 3.31 ERA, 49 innings, 29 K, 13 BB) and Matt Larkins (4-2, 4.07 ERA, 48.2 innings, 16 K, 14 BB). UCR has seven saves on the season, including four by closer Mike Wolford.

SERIES HISTORY VS. UC RIVERSIDE
One of CSUB's most memorable moments from its inagural season came in the final of three games against UC Riverside. The Highlanders won the first two meetings, 10-2 and 6-1, but the Roadrunners roared back to claim a 9-7, 15-inning victory in game-three, capped by a walk-off two-run home run by Jason Kudlock.

RODRIGUEZ ROLLING
Jeremy Rodriguez is on a midseason roll, riding a 12-game hit streak dating back to Mar. 31 against Stony Brook. The sophomore catcher has gone 23-for-49 (.469) during the streak. He has had two four-hit outings while also collecting 14 runs scored, eight RBIs and four doubles. Now, hitting .398 for the season, Rodriguez holds the team's second highest batting average.

KUDLOCK CRUISING
Jason Kudlock is also cruising along with a 13-game hit streak. He has gone 22-for-57 (.386) during that span, including eight multi-hit performances. The senior OF/INF has climbed the ranks to become one of CSUB's top power hitters, collecting six doubles, two triples and three home runs during his 13-game streak.

For the season, Kudlock is batting .349 and holds a .566 slugging percentage. He trails only Joey Mills in triples with three, is tied for second with 10 doubles and is also second in home runs with four.

YOUNGER NO MORE
Kevin Younger is the youngest member of the 2010 Roadrunners squad (born July 15, 1991), but the freshman outfielder has surged in recent weeks, becoming a force at the plate. Earning starts in the past 10 games, Younger has gone 19-for-46 (.413) with four doubles, 10 runs and nine RBIs. For the season, he is now hitting .389, the third highest average on the team.

STAYING OVER .400
Brandon Boren had his season-best hit streak snapped at 16 games (Mar. 6-Apr. 9), but continues to remain one of CSUB's hottest hitters. On Apr. 17 his batting average dipped below .400 for the first time since opening day, but he responded with a 3-for-5 outing on Apr. 18 to push his average up to .404.

The senior second baseman has 20 multiple-hit games and continues to lead the team in batting average (.404), hits (59), doubles (11) and walks (22). He is also second in RBIs (30), at bats (146), runs (28) and on base percentage (.488).

MEDINA'S MUSCLE
Martin Medina has 47 hits on the year, 21 of which have been for extra bases. He is batting .315 and leads the Roadrunners in home runs (10), RBIs (40), at bats (149), runs (30) and slugging percentage (.597). He is also second in doubles (10). For reference, as a rookie in 2009, Median finished the season (50 games) with 55 hits, 13 doubles, four triples, eight home runs and 40 RBIs.

RECORD BREAKER
Mike McCarthy turned in his second record-breaking outing of the season on Apr. 13, fanning 13 Fresno State batters in a 12-2 complete-game win. That mark broke his own previous CSUB record off 11 strikeouts, a feat he achieved on Mar. 14 against Nevada.

The junior RHP now has a team-high 66 strikeouts on the season, breaking Mickey Jannis' 2009 single-season record of 61.

MIDWAY POINT
CSUB's Apr. 9 game against Cal State Northridge marked the midway point of the 56-game season. The Roadrunners made the best of the outing, collecting their 13th win of the season, matching last year's final win total.

At last year's midpoint, 25 games in, the Roadrunners held a 5-20 overall record. In that 25th game, they broke a 13-game losing streak with a 4-3 walk-off win over then defending national champion Fresno State. CSUB went on to go 8-17 in the second half of the season to finish 13-37.

COMPLETE GAMES
Complete games are piling up for the Roadrunner pitching staff this season. Mike McCarthy has tossed three, Mickey Jannis has two and Matt Reyes pitched his first complete-game on Apr. 10.

McCarthy won his first complete game, a 3-0 decision at Washington State (Mar. 28). That win over the Cougars was also the first-ever shutout win in CSUB history. McCarthy's second complete game resulted in a 4-3 loss to USC. His third came this past Tuesday in a 12-2 win over Fresno State.

Jannis won both his nine-inning affairs, a 9-5 final at Washington State (Mar. 27) and a 6-3 victory this past weekend against Cal State Northridge.

Reyes pitched CSUB's second-ever shutout win, a 5-0 final at Cal State Northridge (Apr. 10). He struck out four and scattered six hits in the game.

ONE HIT, FIVE RBIs
Joey Mills had just one hit in the Mar. 19 win over San Jose State, but also tallied five RBIs in the game. The senior center fielder drove in two runs on a triple, then sent two runs home on a pair of sacrifice flies and one more on a bases-loaded walk.

BALL CONTROL
One major area of concern last season was the pitching staff's strikeout to walk ratio. During that inaugural season, the Roadrunners finished with a 1.2 strikeout to walk ratio (322 K, 261 BB). Through 34 games this season, the Roadrunners' ratio is nearly doubled, as they have tallied 2.2 strikeouts for every walk allowed (260 K, 118 BB). Those figures have helped the staff carry a 4.60 ERA so far this year, as opposed to last season's 7.63 ERA.

WALK-OFF
Brandon Boren recorded the second walk-off hit of his Roadrunner career on Feb. 28 against Central Michigan. With two outs in the bottom of the ninth, the senior second baseman, sent a bloop hit just past first base to score Kevin Younger and give CSUB the 7-6 come-from-behind win.

Boren's first walk-off hit as a Roadrunner took place back on Apr. 8, 2009, when his single down the right-field line scored JJ Henry, giving CSUB a 3-2 win over then defending College World Series champion Fresno State.

EXTRA INNINGS
The Roadrunners have played just four extra innings games in their one-plus seasons of existence. After dropping their first-ever extra inning game, a 7-6 final in 11 innings to Buffalo (Mar. 9, 2009), they came back with a 9-7, 15-inning walk-off win over UC Riverside (Apr. 11, 2009).

Through 34 games this season, the Roadrunners have played two extra-inning game, falling 8-4 to St. Mary's (CA) on Feb. 26 and 13-9 to Fresno State on Apr. 2.

FIVE-HIT OUTING
As part of his 12-for-20 performance on opening weekend, Brandon Boren tied his own program record with five hits in one game. He went 5-for-6 with two RBIs and three runs scored in the second game of the doubleheader on Feb. 20 against Air Force. Those numbers are an exact match to his performance last year in CSUB's 17-12 win over Fresno State on Apr. 7. He is the only Roadrunner to achieve five hits in one game.

TOGETHER AGAIN
Bakersfield is the fourth school coaches Bill Kernen and Jody Robinson have worked at together. The two were assistants at Cal State Fullerton in the late 1970's through 1981. During that time, the Titans, who had just made the transition to Division I in 1975, earned five NCAA Tournament appearances, including two trips to the College World Series and a national championship title in 1979. They also teamed up briefly in 1988, both serving as assistants to former Titan Head Coach Augie Garrido, this time at the University of Illinois. In 1991, Kernen was in his second season as the head coach at Cal State Northridge, leading the Matadors through the transition from DII to DI play. Robinson joined the staff as an assistant coach, helping CSUN to a 44–18–1 record, the West Regional championship game and a top 10 ranking in the final NCAA Division I poll in its first season of DI play.

HARDT FIELD
Coming from the 99 Freeway (north or south) exit at Ming Ave. and proceed WEST to Haggin Oaks Blvd. (approximately four miles). Turn right on Haggin Oaks to Camino Media. Turn left on Camino Media. Turn right into campus on Roadrunner Drive and park in Lot E or I. Hardt Field is located west of Lot E.

COLLECT YOUR BASEBALL TRADING CARDS
Collect the Official 2010 CSUB Baseball Trading Card set when six different cards are being unveiled at each remaining Saturday home contests. The first 100 fans through the gate each day will receive one set of six cards. Fans looking to collect the entire set must be one of the first 100 fans at every Saturday home game.

The final card giveaway dates is Saturday, May 15 versus University of the Pacific. All Saturday games begin at 1 p.m. with gates opening at 11:30 a.m.

LITTLE LEAGUE DISCOUNT
Any Bakersfield area little leaguer 13 and under will receive $1 admission to all remaining home Sunday Roadrunner baseball games when accompanied by a paying adult. Little league players, who must be in uniform to receive the discount, may also have the opportunity to join the Roadrunners on the field for the national anthem. Visit GoRunners.com for more information.

NEED MORE INFO?
For all of the most up-to-date information about CSUB Baseball and all other Roadrunner sports, visit GoRunners.com.

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