TUESDAY
USF (3-14, 0-0 WCC) at San Jose State (6-9, 2-3 MW)
6 p.m. | Municipal Stadium, San Jose, Calif. 
RHP Benji Post (1-2, 4.70) | LHP Graham Gomez (1-0, 4.50)
Coverage: Live Stats | Video | Radio (KSJS 90.5)

WEDNESDAY
USF (3-14, 0-0 WCC) vs. UMass Lowell (6-4)
6 p.m. | Evans Diamond, Berkeley, Calif. 
RHP Thomas Ponticelli (0-2, 9.19) | LHP Ricky Constant (0-0, 4.91)
Coverage: Live Stats

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SAN FRANCISCO – The USF Dons (3-14) will play a pair of nonconference contests this week as they prep for their WCC-opening series at Santa Clara this weekend. The Dons will travel down the 101 for a 6 p.m. tilt at San Jose State (6-9, 2-3 MW) on Tuesday evening, before hosting UMass Lowell (6-4, 0-0 AEC) on Wednesday night at 6 p.m. over at Cal's Evans Diamond.
 
RHP Benji Post (1-2, 4.70) will get the nod at San Jose State, while LHP Graham Gomez (1-0, 4.50) takes the mound for the Spartans.
 
RHP Thomas Ponticelli (0-2, 9.19) will go for the Dons on Wednesday, while UMass Lowell will counter with LHP Ricky Constant (0-0, 4.91).
 
Fans can follow all of Tuesday's action via live stats and a live video stream on the Spartan Digital Network available at usfdons.com and sjsuspartans.com, as well as on the radio on KSJS 90.5 in the San Jose area. Wednesday's action will feature live stats available at usfdons.com.
 
THE STORY SO FAR
The Dons lost the first two games of their series at No. 4 Oregon State this past weekend, but came back to pitch a 5-0 shutout over the Beavers on Sunday afternoon. James Kannenberg's 6.1 scoreless innings earned him the win on Sunday, while Blake Valley and Ryan Matranga propelled the offense by each collecting two-run base hits in a four-run eighth inning that helped seal the win.
 
The day prior, USF was shutout for the first time this season, suffering a 4-0 loss that came on the heels of Friday evening's 8-5 defeat where the Dons rallied back to score four runs in the eighth but came up short.     
 

• The Dons endured their first shutout of the year on Saturday against the Beavers, only to turn around and post their first shutout the following day.
• OF/DH Blake Valley extended his team-best hitting streak to 11 games with a total of four hits in the series. Valley is hitting .356 (16-for-45) with nine RBI and two runs scored during his streak.
• RHP James Kannenberg (1-1) picked up his first win as a Don while registering his longest outing of the season so far with 6.1 innings in a 5-0 USF victory over Oregon State on Sunday.  

• RHP Brock Larson has yet to allow an earned run in his six relief appearances (9.1 IP) on the year. Larson made two appearances this past week – throwing a season-long four innings (2 H, R, BB, 3 K) in USF's loss to Grand Canyon last Tuesday, followed by 1.1 innings (O R, O H, BB) in helping combine with James Kannenberg and Frank Waliczek for a 5-0 shutout of Oregon State this past Sunday.

 
ABOUT SAN JOSE STATE
The Spartans come into the week sporting a 6-9 overall record and a 2-3 mark in Mountain West play after splitting two games with Air Force this past weekend at home. First baseman Shane Timmons (.397, 2 HR, 14 RBI) leads the Spartans at the plate, with shortstop Aaron Pleschner (.316, 12 RBI) and second baseman Ozzy Braff (.313, 2 HR, 7 RBI) helping propel the SJSU offense.
 
As a team, San Jose State is hitting at a .267 clip with four home runs and is 9-for-19 in stolen base attempts on the year.
 
On the mound, SJSU comes in with a 5.48 team ERA with 74 strikeouts in 133.0 innings.            

ABOUT UMASS LOWELL
The River Hawks – members of the America East Conference - carry a 6-4 record into the week after taking two out of three from Santa Clara this past weekend; UMass Lowell defeated Santa Clara 3-0 this past Friday at SCU's Schott Stadium, before splitting Saturday's doubleheader with a 7-1 loss and a 4-3 win. Sunday's series finale was rained out.
 
Chris Sharpe (.316, 6 RBI) leads the River Hawks at the plate, while Joe Consolmagno (.314, 4 RBI, 5 SB) and Steve Passatempo (.285, 5 HR, 14 RBI) have contributed speed and power to the lineup.
 
As a team, UMass Lowell comes into the week only hitting .235 but is holding opponents to a .223 batting average against. Their pitching staff boasts a 2.83 ERA with 71 strikeouts and 39 walks in 86 innings so far. The River Hawks have also been aggressive on the basepaths, logging a 23-for-26 stolen base rate.
     
KEEP AN EYE ON…
The Dons and Spartans are nearly identical in many major statistical categories coming into the week – USF is hitting .262, compared to San Jose State's .267; USF pitching staff holds a 5.92 ERA, while SJSU sits at 5.48; USF has a .964 fielding percentage, while the Spartans carry a .971 mark on defense.
 
UMass Lowell already has three players with five stolen bases under their belts, while USF's leader, Blake Valley, is the only Don to register five steals so far. Also, with 107 strikeouts as a team in its first 10 games, the UMass Lowell offense averages over 10 strikeouts per game.    
 
THE SERIES
The Dons are 17-16-1 against San Jose State under head coach Nino Giarratano (since 1999). These two teams last met on Feb. 17, 2015 with the Spartans winning 11-8 in San Jose.
 
This will be the Dons' first meeting with UMass Lowell.