VIEW FULL RELEASE: http://usf.prestosports.com/sports/m-basebl/2010-11/files/USF_Baseball_-_Weekly_Release_-6_-_030712.pdf
WEEK THAT WAS: The Dons played four games in four days in the Aztec Invitational, going 1-3 in the tournament. The Dons' lone win againt Northridge proved to be Coach Giarratano's 374th WCC victory, most in USF history. The Dons commited 14 errors and stranded 47 baserunners in the tournament, which lead directly to their three losses. On Tuesday, San Francisco jumped on Pacific, winning 10-2 behind Andrew Pulido's first victory in Green & Gold. USF amassed 12 hits including a 2-run HR from Nik Balog.
THIS WEEK: USF hosted the Pacific Tigers for a Tuesday matinee and Andrew Pulido earned his first win in his second-ever start for the Green & Gold. San Francisco now travels to Fresno to face the Bulldogs in a four-game set. The Bulldogs beat No. 1 Stanford in the first game of their three-game series against the Cardinal this past weekend, but dropped the next two by a combined scored of 25-2.
LOOKING AHEAD: Next week the Dons play five straight road games as they head to Davis to take on the Aggies then fly to Honolulu for a four-game set.
GIARRATANO MILESTONE: With Friday's win against Northridge, Head Coach Nino Giarrtano surpassed Legend of The Hilltop and former USF baseball coach, Dante Benedetti with 374 career WCC coaching victories. Giarratano now sits in sole possesion of 6th place on the All-Time WCC Coaching Victories list and is now the winningest baseball coach in San Francisco Dons history.
2012 DANTE BENEDETTI CLASSIC: USF will meet league rival University of San Diego in the Seventh Annual Dante Benedetti Baseball Classic on Saturday, March 31st, 2012 at 10:30 AM at AT&T Park in San Francisco. Tickets for the DBC are $10 each and can be purchased online at http://dantebenedetticlassic.eventbrite.com.
LIVE VIDEO/RADIO/STATS: http://client.stretchinternet.com/client/usf.portal#
SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS: Fresno State comes in with a 5-7 record including a 1-3 record on the road. The Bulldogs lost two of three against No. 1 Stanford over the weekend, but they did beat The Cardinal in game one of the series, 7-4. The Bulldogs played against USF rival Pepperdine two weeks ago and also dropped two of three against the Waves. The Bulldogs are hitting .241 as a team and own a 4.50 team ERA coming into the series against The Dons.
LAST TIME VS. USF: The last meeting between USF and Fresno State came on 4/3/11 when The Dons won, 4-3. The Bulldogs took the series, however, two games to one.
CAPTAIN AMERICA: Junior pitcher Kyle Zimmer was named a second team All-American in Baseball America's college preseason poll. The right-hander became the first San Francisco Don to be named a preseason All-American since Tagg Bozied in 2000. So far this year, Zimmer is 0-0 largely due to the fact that he's been on a strict pitch count. His 0.60 ERA ranks 2nd in the entire WCC. Zimmer has allowed just one earned run in 15 innings pitched and owns a sterling 15-to-0 strikeout-to-walk ratio. The opposition is hitting a meager .151 on the year against him. The La Jolla, CA native burst onto the national scene last season when he outdueled then No. 12 UCLA and phenom Gerrit Cole, shutting out the Bruins, 3-0, while striking out 11 in the first game of the NCAA Los Angeles Regional. Zimmer four-hit the Bruins and walked none to propel the Dons to their first Regional win since 2006.
ARMS RACE: The Dons' team ERA of 2.65 (34er, 115.2ip) in 2012, ranks 3rd in the WCC. The Dons' 102 strikeouts also rank third in the conference, while their 102-to-37 strikeout-to-walk differential of 65, ranks first. USF has seven pitchers with an ERA lower than 1.90 and two pitchers with double-digit strikeout totals and no walks.
JUSTIN'S TIME: College of San Mateo junior transfer Justin Maffei has been the Diamond Dons hottest hitter thus far. The center fielder ranks first on the team in hits (16), doubles (4), home runs (2), slugging pct. (.605), on-base pct. (.500), and steals (4). Maffei also ranks within the top 10 in the WCC in multiple categories including, doubles (T-2nd), total bases (T-2nd), stolen bases (T-2nd), OBP (5th), and SLG (3rd).
H20 BOY: Junior reliever Elliott Waterman has been stellar for the Dons in 2012, recording two wins and two saves, which are tied for first and first on the team, respectively. Waterman earned a win and a save in two consecutive games against Missouri and owns a gaudy 0.84 ERA and a perfect 13-to-0 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 10.2 innings pitched. Waterman's six appearances are also tied for the team lead.
