Dons to Play in Fourth Annual Dante Benedetti Classic at AT&T Park on Tuesday

March 30, 2009

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DONS TO PLAY IN FOURTH ANNUAL DANTE BENEDETTI CLASSIC AT AT&T PARK ON TUESDAY: Three games, three wins. AT&T Park has been good to the Dons as they won their third consecutive Dante Benedetti Classic, on April 1, 2008, 5-1 over No. 7 California. In the inaugural game in 2006, USF defeated the Bears 7-6 in a thrilling come from behind victory. Two seasons ago, the Dons earned the 6-2 victory over Santa Clara. This season, USF again hosts Bay Area rival California in a night contest at the Major League Park. The collegiate game, set for 6:30 PM will begin after the Bruce Mahoney game between Saint Ignatius and Sacred Heart at 3:30 PM. Check USFDons. com for ticket information. The Classic celebrates the legacy of Dante Benedetti, former Diamond Dons head coach and a giant in San Francisco youth and collegiate baseball. Benedetti, who coached USF for 16 years for an annual salary of one dollar, passed away in November 2005 at the age of 86 after a long illness.

DONS TRAVEL TO BAKERSFIELD ON WEDNESDAY; HOST SAINT MARY'S AT BENEDETTI DIAMOND IN WCC ACTION OVER THE WEEKEND: After the Benedetti Classic on Tuesday, the Dons will travel to Bakersfield for a mid-week matchup with Cal State Bakersfield (4-17) pm Wednesday at 2:00 PM. They then return home to host Saint Mary's in West Coast Conference action. Friday's game is slated to start at 3:00 PM, with Saturday and Sunday starts set for 1:00 PM. The Gaels are currently 16-11, 2-1 WCC.

SCOUTING REPORT - WEEK 6 GAME #28 - CALIFORNIA (14-10)
SCOUTING THE BEARS: The Dons dropped the first game against Cal this season, and are looking to earn a series tie on Tuesday with at win in the Dante Benedetti Classic. In the previous match-up at Cal, the Dons fell 8-6 (3/4). Currently, the Bears are 14-10, 3-3 Pac-10. They took 2-of-3 from Stanford two weeks ago, but dropped 2-of-3 to Washington State last weekend. Leading the Bears at the plate is sophomore Mark Canha, who is batting .411 (39-for-95) with five doubles, eight homeruns, 26 RBI, 19 runs scored, and two stolen bases. On the mound, junior left-hander Michael Bugary (1.44 ERA) and sophomore right-hander Yasser Clor (6.39 ERA) are both 3-0. Head coach David Esquer is in his 10th year at the helm for the Bears.

TUESDAY'S STARTER: Freshman right-hander Dixon Anderson will make his first collegiate start on Tuesday at AT&T Park. he is currently 0-0, 3.00 ERA in eight appearances. In 15.0 innings, Anderson has 14 strikeouts and four walks, and opponents are batting at a .295 clip.

TEAM COMPARISONS - 2009 STATS Team W-L BA RUNS HITS HR RBI BB ERA SO OBA USF 11-16 .286 166 281 20 154 91 5.70 197 .285 CAL 14-10 .314 170 270 29 145 84 5.04 225 .272

GAME #29 - CAL STATE BAKERSFIELD (4-17)
SCOUTING THE ROAD RUNNERS: The Road Runners are off to a difficult start in 2009, earning just four wins in 21 games. They earned a 9-7 win over Portland (3/11), a 10-8 win over Utah (2/28), and took the series win with 8-4 and 4-2 (2/21) victories over St. Louis University to begin the year. The Road Runners will play a Tuesday game at Saint Mary's before hosting the Dons on Wednesday. Leading Bakersfield at the plate is freshman Stuart Smith, who is batting .333 (25-for-75) with five doubles, 4 homeruns, and 13 RBI. On the mound, Freshman LHP Jonathan Montoya is 2-2, 8.13 ERA in five starts, with 20 strikeouts. Head coach Bill Kernan is in his second season at the helm for the Road Runners.

WEDNESDAY'S STARTER: TBA

TEAM COMPARISONS - 2009 STATS Team W-L BA RUNS HITS HR RBI BB ERA SO OBA USF 11-16 .286 166 281 20 154 91 5.70 197 .285 CSUB 4-17 .264 113 193 17 109 78 8.64 135 .326

GAME #30-32 - SAINT MARY'S COLLEGE (16-11, 2-1 WCC)
SCOUTING THE GAELS: Saint Mary's finished West Coast Conference opening weekend taking two wins from Portland on opening weekend. SMC will host Cal State Bakersfield before traveling to San Francisco for the weekend series. Leading the Gaels at the plate is freshman infielder Troy Channing, who is batting .425 (45-for-106) with seven doubles, 12 homeruns, and 43 RBI. On the mound, senior RHP Brian Justice is 4-1, 3.19 ERA in six starts, with 24 strikeouts and just eight walks in 36.2 innings. Head coach Jedd Soto is in his sixth season at the helm for the Gaels.

WEEKEND STARTERS: TBA

TEAM COMPARISONS - 2009 STATS Team W-L BA RUNS HITS HR RBI BB ERA SO OBA USF 11-16 .286 166 281 20 154 91 5.70 197 .285 SMC 16-11 .298 163 272 27 152 110 5.51 185 .291