Diamond Dons Set For Six Game Week

March 8, 2010

Complete Release in PDF Format

DONS SET FOR SIX GAME WEEK: The Dons gear up for a full schedule of games, with two at home and four on the road. USF opens up with two mid-week games at Benedetti Diamond when Cal State Bakersfield comes to town. Tuesday and Wednesday are scheduled for 2:00 PM starts. Over the weekend, the Dons travel to San Diego, CA for a four-game tournament co-hosted by San Deigo State and the University of San Diego. USF will first mee the Toreros in a non-conference game on the USD campus at 2:00 PM on Thursday. Friday through Sunday, the Dons will play at San Diego State, meeting Fresno State on Friday at 2:00 PM, the University of Alabama Birmingham on Saturday at 2:00 PM, then closing out the weekend against SDSU at 3:00 PM on Sunday.

COMING UP NEXT FOR THE DONS: USF will host the University of Houston on Tuesday, March 16 at 2:00 PM, before heading out to Riverside, CA for a weekend series with UC Riverside. Friday's game is set for 6:00 PM, followed by 1:00 PM starts on Saturday and Sunday.

SCOUTING REPORT - WEEK 4

GAME #12-13 - CSU BAKERSFIELD (5-5)
SCOUTING THE ROADRUNNERS: Cal State Bakersfield is currently in its second year of transitioning from Division II to Division I and are coming off a 13-37 record in 2009. They are currently 5-5, earning a four-game sweep over Air Force and a win against Central Michigan. Brandon Boren leads the Runners with a .522 BA and six doubles. Head coach Bill Kernan, the first ever coach in CSU Baseball, is in his second year.

TEAM COMPARISONS - 2010 STATS

Team	W-L	BA	RUNS	HITS	HR	RBI	BB	ERA	SO	OBA
USF	5-6	.275	52	102	11	49	34	3.97	80	.271
CSUB	5-5	.301	62	113	9	54	33	4.55	81	.283

LAST TIME: San Francisco earned a 5-4 victory over Bakersfield at Hardt Field on Wednesday April 1, 2009. Right-hander Joe Oropeza (1-1) earned his first career victory, tossing 1.0 inning of relief, not allowing a hit or a run. Stephen Yarrow led the Dons with a homerun, a single, and two runs batted in. Travis Higgs doubled twice and Chris Dittmann went 2-for-3. Matt Chavez doubled and drove in two, and Derek Poppert singled, and drove in a run.

GAME #14 - SAN DIEGO (4-5)
SCOUTING THE TOREROS: San Diego was picked to finish first in the West Coast Conference this season, after a 29-25 season in 2009. The Toreros are led at the plate by James Meador, who is batting .424 with three doubles, three homeruns, 11 RBI and four stolen bases. On the mound, Sammy Solis is currently 2-0 with a 0.82 ERA. Head coach Rich Hill is in his 12th year at USD.

TEAM COMPARISONS - 2010 STATS

Team	W-L	BA	RUNS	HITS	HR	RBI	BB	ERA	SO	OBA
USF	5-6	.275	52	102	11	49	34	3.97	80	.271
USD	4-5	.272	53	82	9	49	32	5.35	94	.273

LAST TIME: USF took two-of-three in the WCC series in San Diego. The Dons dropped game one 10-1 (5/8/09), with Matt Lujan taking the loss, allowing seven runs (six earned) off 10 hits, with one walk and two strikeouts. USF couldn't overcome a tough pitching performance by San Diego's A.J. Griffin (8-3). The junior right-hander tossed a complete game, his second of the season, giving up just one earned run off five hits and a walk, and struck out eight. In game two, the Dons smashed 18 hits en route to a 14-5 victory on Saturday (5/9/09). Doug Murray continued his dominance, allowing three runs (two earned) off six hits, with a walk and two strikeouts in 7.0 innings. San Diego's junior right-hander Matt Thompson took the loss, giving up six earned runs off eight hits, with a walk and six strikeouts in 5.1 innings. Drew Johnson led the Dons, homering twice and driving in two. In the final game, USF took the season series with a 9-1 victory at Cunningham Stadium on Sunday afternoon (5/10/09). Matt Hiserman (4-5) tossed his second complete game, allowing just one earned run off seven hits, with two walks and eight strikeouts. Matt Hauser (4-2) took the loss, giving up seven runs (six earned) off seven hits, with a walk and five strikeouts.

GAME #15 - Fresno State (5-6)
SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS: The Fresno State baseball team began their quest for their fifth WAC Title and look to make their fifth straight NCAA Regional appearance in 2010. Trent Garrison leads Bulldog regulars, batting .400 with two doubles, three home runs, and 10 RBI. On the mound, Gene Escat is 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA in four appearances. Head coach Mike Batesol is in his eighth year at the helm.

TEAM COMPARISONS - 2010 STATS

Team	W-L	BA	RUNS	HITS	HR	RBI	BB	ERA	SO	OBA
USF	5-6	.275	52	102	11	49	34	3.97	80	.271
FS	5-6	.311	60	119	14	57	38	4.93	62	.312

LAST TIME: San Francisco earned an exciting 13-8 come from behind victory over eventual National Champion Fresno State at Benedetti Diamond on Tuesday afternoon (3/18/08). Fresno State (8-10) took advantage of a shaky Dons starter, Evan Fredrickson, and held a 5-2 advantage through four and a half, but USF broke it open by plating six in the sixth. Connor Bernatz led the Dons at the plate, going 4-for-4 with a double, a homerun, two RBI and two runs scored. Mitchell Bialosky was 3-for-5 with a double, a homerun, three RBI and two runs scored. Zach Kim was also 3-for-5, adding a double, an RBI and a run scored. Ryan Lipkin went 3-for-4 with a homerun, an RBI and three runs scored. Garrett Luippold (2-0) earned the win in relief, allowing two earned runs off two hits, no walks and three strikeouts in 4.0 innings.

GAME #16 - UAB (6-3)
SCOUTING THE BLAZERS: UAB features the most veteran baseball team it has fielded in head coach Brian Shoop's four years with the program. The Blazers returned 23 total letterwinners, including six everyday starters from last year's team that improved for the third year in a row and finished 31-26. The entire starting infield is back in 2010, and UAB also returns 11 pitchers that saw action a year ago. Leading the way at the plate is John Frost, who is batting .412 with four doubles, 11 RBI, and two stolen bases. On the mound, Ben Bullard is 2-0, 0.00 in two appearances with eight strikeouts.

TEAM COMPARISONS - 2010 STATS

Team	W-L	BA	RUNS	HITS	HR	RBI	BB	ERA	SO	OBA
USF	5-6	.275	52	102	11	49	34	3.97	80	.271
UAB	6-3	.273	61	82	5	56	48	4.45	77	.243

GAME #17 - San Diego State (5-6)
SCOUTING THE AZTECS: Seven position starters and the bulk of last year's offensive production returns for a team that produced the most wins since the 2002 campaign and helped SDSU to its first NCAA Regional appearance since 1991. At the plate, Jordan Van Hoosier is leading the Aztecs with a .375 BA with a double, five RBI and seven stolen bases. On the mound, John Pecoraro is 4-0, 1.86 ERA with eight strikeouts in 9.2 innings. Head coach Tony Gwynn is in his eighth season at the helm for SDSU.

TEAM COMPARISONS - 2010 STATS

Team	W-L	BA	RUNS	HITS	HR	RBI	BB	ERA	SO	OBA
USF	5-6	.275	52	102	11	49	34	3.97	80	.271
SDSU	5-6	.375	67	98	7	63	63	3.90	87	.270

LAST TIME: San Francisco baseball dropped a 12-4 decision to San Diego State at Tony Gwynn Stadium on Monday afternoon (5/11/09). Garrett Luippold (0-4) took the loss in relief, giving up three earned runs off two hits and two walks in 0.2 innings. Jon Berger (4-5) earned the win, allowing four earned runs off five hits, with five strikeouts and no walks.

DONS EARN FIRST 2010 SERIES VICTORY OVER TOUGH CAL POLY TEAM: San Francisco baseball split the doubleheader with Cal Poly on Sunday, en route to a series win at Baggett Stadium. The Dons fell 7-3 in game one, but came back to take a big 11-5 win in game two, after winning 5-0 on Friday. Last year, Cal Poly finished as high as 19 in some polls and took a trip to the Tempe Regional. The Mustangs are expected to be a top team in their conference again this season, as they were picked to finish third by Big West coaches.

USF SETS SEASON HIGH HITS TOTAL: In Sunday's contest at Cal Poly, USF smashed a season high 17 hits, en route to an 11-5 win over the Mustangs. Stephen Yarrow led the way with a homerun and two doubles, followed by Ryan Lipkin with two doubles and a single, and Pete Lavin with three singles. Robert Abel doubled twice and Jared Denham added a double and a single. Rounding out the 17 hits, Derek Poppert and Connor Bernatz each singled. Add to that the total hits from the first game of the double-header (4), and the Dons had 21 hits on the Day. USF almost tied the 17 hits total on Friday, March 5, smacking 16 against Texas San Antonio, and earning the 8-2 win.

Stephen Yarrow EARNS WEEKLY ACCOLADES: San Francisco junior Stephen Yarrow has been named the West Coast Conference baseball Player of the Week for February 22-28, as announced by the Conference. The third baseman batted .600 (6-10) with a double and two home runs in three games against Cal Poly. He added four RBI, three runs scored, three walks, and an impressive 1.300 slugging percentage. Yarrow also earned a spot on the CollegeBaseball360.com Primetime Performer Weekly Honor Roll, along with just 20 other college baseball players from across the nation. For the season, Yarrow is batting .409 (9-22) with two doubles, a triple, and two home runs. He has added six RBI, six runs scored, and three walks.

DENHAM BREAKING OUT: Freshman Jared Denham is having a fantastic start to the 2010 season. In eight games played, the outfielder is leading the team with a .571 batting average and has added four doubles, five RBI, four runs scored and a stolen base. Plus, he has played flawless defense in the outfield.

MURRY LEADING THE WAY ON THE MOUND: Senior right-hander Doug Murray is still dominating after an impressive 9-0 2009 season. So far in the new year, Murray leads the Dons with a 2-1 record and 1.57 ERA. He has tossed two complete games and has a team leading 21 strikeouts in 23.0 innings. Opponents are batting a measley .222 against him.