SACRAMENTO, Calif. – After hosting Santa Clara in its first West Coast Conference series of the season last weekend, the University of San Francisco baseball team (15-13), begins a five-game road trip at 6 p.m. on Monday, Apr. 1, when it takes on Sacramento State (11-17) in a non-conference match up at John Smith Field.
 
GAME 29: Monday, Apr. 1, 2024
Time: 6 p.m. 
Opponent: Sacramento State  
Site: John Smith
Location: Sacramento, Calif.
Watch: ESPN+
Live Stats: Statbroadcast
 
DONS AT A GLANCE:

• San Francisco returns to action after dropping three straight games to Santa Clara at home last weekend to open West Coast Conference play.
• Pitching highlighted the doubleheader on Saturday, Mar. 30, with Lance Santerre recording a career-high nine strikeouts in 6.1 innings as he picked up his sixth start of the season in the opening game. Joe Soberon earned the nod in the nightcap, allowing just two runs and totaling three strikeouts in six solid innings on the mound. Kolby Calia earned a relief appearance in the second game of the doubleheader, pitching three scoreless innings to lower his earned-run average to 0.98.
• Offensively against the Broncos, the Dons accumulated 20 hits, with 11 coming in the series finale. Matty Fung led the squad with three knocks throughout the series, while seven others recorded at least two hits.
• Through 28 games, Kody Watanabe leads the green and gold and ranks sixth in the WCC with a .341 batting average. Appearing 26 games so far, Watanabe has totaled a team-leading 30 hits, 10 doubles, and 21 runs scored.
• TJ Rogers is also batting over .300 for the Dons, ranking second on the team at .302, with 26 hits in 86 at-bats. In the last six games, Rogers has totaled seven base hits, including a three-hit performance against Minnesota on Saturday, Mar. 23.
• Gabriel Barrett leads the team and WCC with a 0.95 earned-run average, allowing just three earned runs in 28.1 innings pitched in eight appearances. The sophomore reliever from Mountain View, Calif., also ranks first in the conference in walks (three) and saves (four).
• As a team, San Francisco is seventh in the WCC in batting average (.251) and third in earned-run average (4.72). After the first conference series of the season, the Dons rank second with a 2.50 ERA. 

SCOUTING THE HORNETS:

• Sacramento State has dropped five of its last seven games, including the final two games at Grand Canyon on Saturday, Mar. 29 and Sunday, Mar. 30.
• The Hornets, members of the Western Athletic Conference, sit in ninth place with a 5-7 record, earning a series win over Utah Valley to open league play before falling to Utah Tech, Abilene Christian, and Grand Canyon, two games to one in the following three series.
• Gunner Gouldsmith leads the team and ranks 27th in the WAC with a .322 batting average. In 121 at-bats, Gouldsmith leads the Hornets with 39 knocks with six extra-base hits.
• JP Smith and Cesar Valero have posted 28 and 21 RBI, respectively, while Smith leads the team with a .651 slugging percentage.
• On the mound, Tyler Stewart has recorded a 4.11 earned-run average, allowing 16 earned runs in 35 innings. In seven starts, Stewart has totaled 26 strikeouts and has allowed a team-leading seven home runs.
• Overall, Sacramento State ranks ninth in the WAC in batting average (.249) and sixth in earned-run average (5.52).

SERIES HISTORY:

• San Francisco has dominated the all-time series since 2006, holding a 26-12 advantage over Sacramento State. The Dons are currently on a two-game winning streak over the Hornets after earning the sweep in the 2022 season, defeating the Hornets 6-5 in 11 innings on March 15 and 4-2 on May 3, 2022.

FOLLOW US:
For updates and more information on the USF baseball program, be sure to follow @SFDonsBaseball on Twitter, @USFDonsBaseball on Instagram and @University.of.San.Francisco.Baseball on Facebook.
 
MERCHANDISE:
Want to dress like the Dons? Get your official San Francisco Dons gear from the University of San Francisco bookstore today! Click here to purchase.
 
SPONSOR THE DONS:
The University of San Francisco Athletics Department would like to acknowledge our department sponsor – Planet Orange - for their continued support of USF Athletics. Interested in sponsoring the Dons? Please contact Frank Allocco, the Executive Senior Associate Athletics Director of External Relations, at fallocco@usfca.edu or at (415) 422-4561.