NM State Reengages in WAC Play, Heads to #24 Sacramento State

Thursday 04/08/2021 | By: NM State Athletics Media Relations

Aggies tangle with second-straight nationally-ranked opponent

LEADOFF HITS
• Back in Western Athletic Conference action, the NM State faces its second nationally-ranked opponent in as many weeks as the Aggies finish up a 12-game road trip by heading to Sacramento, Calif., to tangle with league adversary and 24th-ranked Sacramento State.
• The four-game set between the Aggies and Hornets begins with a Friday doubleheader at 2:00 p.m. MT. Senior right-hander Chris Jefferson will get the ball for the Aggies in game one while freshman lefty Sammy Natera is scheduled to start game two.
• NM State is 38-43 (.469) all-time against Sacramento State since the series between the two clubs began back in 1997. The last 10 games between the two clubs have been split evenly and the Aggies have won four of the last six against the Hornets in Sacramento. All-time, NM State is 18-19 (.486) against Sacramento State when playing in the Hornets' home city.
• In their last 10 games against opponents from the state of California, the Aggies have produced a mark of 5-5 (.500).
• It is also the Aggies' hopes that their series with the Hornets can put an end to some road woes. NM State is just 2-13 (.133) in true road games this season and over the past two seasons the Aggies are the owners of a 2-17 (.105) mark in contests of that configuration.
• Heading into their fourth WAC series of the season, NM State sits in fourth place in the league standings. The Aggies are three games back of league-leading California Baptist (11-1) and are two games behind Sacramento State who is the owner of a 10-2 record in league action.

WITHIN THE LINEUP
• Senior right-hander Chris Jefferson leads the WAC and ranks second nationally in complete games. The Pearland, Texas, product has fired three complete games in 2021 and has racked up four of the Aggies' 10 pitching wins.
• Sophomore Rorik Maltrud saw his impressive scoreless innings streak come to an end in Eugene, Ore., last Saturday. Maltrud, who hails from Austin, Texas, hadn't given up a run in his first 21 2/3 innings pitched this season until 19th-ranked Oregon scratched a run across on the right-hander with one out in the bottom of the sixth inning.
• Maltrud is the owner of a 2-0 record in the hill for the Aggies in 2021 and his ERA of 0.39 in 23 1/3 frames of action is the lowest on the team.
• Sophomore outfielder Zerek Saenz continues to serve as one of the country's best hitters. The Las Cruces, N.M., product leads the WAC in batting average (.449), hits (40), hits per game (1.74), on-base percentage (.505) and triples (four).
• Saenz also ranks among the top 20 players in the nation in hits per game (12th), batting average (14th) and hits (20th).
• NM State leads the WAC and ranks seventh in the nation with 11 triples to its credit.
• Through the Aggies' last eight games, they are batting just .179 (45-for-251).

SCOUTING SACRAMENTO STATE | ROSTER | SCHEDULE | STATISTICS
• A historic week for the Hornets started Monday morning when they received a national ranking for the first time in program history. Collegiate Baseball ranked Sacramento State 24th in the land in its weekly rankings, making the Hornets the first WAC club to collect a national ranking so far in 2021.
• Plate power, pitching and near-perfect fielding are the calling cards of Sacramento State. The Hornets top the WAC statistical charts in no fewer than 14 categories and rank among the top 25 nationally in walks allowed per nine innings (seventh, 2.51), strikeout-to-walk-ratio (eighth, 3.66), fielding percentage (18th, .979), scoring (23rd, 7.5 runs per game) and slugging percentage (25th, .463).
• There isn't a bat in the Hornets' lineup that doesn't have a little pop in it, but senior outfielder Matt Smith leads the charge in that department. One of six players who have driven in 14 or more runs for Sacramento State, Smith is slashing .433/.493/.717 and leads the team in home runs (four) while ranking second in extra-base hits (nine) despite having played in eight fewer games than some of his teammates.
• In addition to Smith, the bats of Trevor Doyle (.357/.486/.512) and Ryan Walstad (.350/.465/.537) have been some of the most potent in the Hornets' lineup. Doyle leads the WAC in walks per game (0.79), and runs scored (27) while sitting in second in terms of on-base percentage (.486). Walstad is an extra-base machine, leading the team with 11 such hits. His nine doubles are the most in the WAC, too.
• Headlining a solid Sacramento State pitching staff is junior righty Scott Randall. The Hornets' ace is the WAC's leader in wins (four), WHIP (0.84) and ranks fourth in the league with 41 strikeouts. Giving up free bases is something of a rarity for Randall as he issues only 0.47 walks per nine innings while owning an eye-popping strikeout-to-walk ratio of 20.5 (second nationally).
• When winning time comes, the Hornets hand the ball to Stone Churby (0-0, 2.70 ERA). Four of his eight appearances have resulted in a save and setting Churby up for those has been the tandem of Jack Zalasky (3-0, 0.96 ERA) and Brady Rodriguez (4-0, 1.37 ERA). Those two have combined for 22 appearances - all in relief.

ON DECK
• Once their four-game series in California's state capital concludes Sunday afternoon, the Aggies will return to Las Cruces to play nine of their next 14 contests. That run begins at Presley Askew Field Friday, April 16, at 6:00 p.m. when NM State starts a four-game WAC set with Arizona-based foe Grand Canyon.

++NM State++

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Aggies tangle with second-straight nationally-ranked opponent

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