Utes Face No. 25 Aztecs This Weekend

April 23, 2002

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Utah Quick Hits

Utah is tied for second place in the conference with Brigham Young. The Utes and Cougars boast 9-9 league records. Overall, Utah is 25-19 on the season. The Utes are 12-5 at home, but only 13-14 on the road. Adam Castleton leads the Utes with a .380 batting average and four triples. Mitch Maio is tied for a conference-high seven wins to pilot the pitching staff. The senior righthander has a team-high 66 strikeouts and team-low 3.84 ERA.

Utah vs. San Diego State Notes

The Utes are one of only two conference teams to beat the Aztecs this season, and are the only league team to take two games from them. Utah won the series over SDSU earlier in the year at Franklin Covey Field, 5-3, 1-6, 3-1.

Scouting The Aztecs

San Diego State sits in first place in the conference with a 15-3 record. Overall, the Aztecs are 33-13 and are ranked 25th in the latest Baseball Americal poll. Guiding the Aztec plate attack are Jake McLintock and Jon Stephens. McLintock boasts a team-high .371 average, while Stephens has a .370 average this season. Royce Ring has proven to be the best closer in the conference with 14 saves. Rory Shortell and Chris Dunwell, along with Utah's Maio, are the only seven-game winners in the league.

Last Week

After waiting through two days of rain and snow, Utah finally played its conference series against UNLV. The Rebels grabbed game one on Sunday, 7-2. On Monday, the two teams played a doubleheader. In the first game, the Utes gave pitcher Mitch Maio three runs in the second inning to work with. The three runs were all Maio needed as the Utes won, 3-1. The Rebels took the series by winning the second game of the doubleheader and game three of the series, 7-4.

Esmay Insights

"It's always tough to play at San Diego State. The big test will be seeing how we respond mentally from the UNLV series."

Who's Hot

Brett Baldwin is hitting .562 in his last two conference series. The freshman shortstop guides the Utes in league play with a .400 average and 26 hits (tie).

Donald Hawes has knocked in a team-high six runs over the past two conference series, while only playing in four of the six games. In those four games, the senior catcher has hit .500 with two home runs.

Take Note

Matt Ciaramella and Donnie Saba saw their hitting streaks snapped in the second game of the UNLV series. Ciaramella was at 12 straight games, while Saba was at 11 straight games. Nate Weese and Donald Hawes each boast team-high five-game hitting streaks.

Ute Leaders

Avg.    Adam Castleton  .380   ERA     Mitch Maio     3.84Hits    Pannier, Saba     60    Wins    Mitch Maio        7HR      Nate Weese       11    SO      Mitch Maio       66RBI     Brit Pannier   45    O/BA    Mitch Maio     .267Runs    Donnie Saba     47    Saves   Maio, Snyder      3

2002 Ute Honors

Mountain West Conference Player/Pitcher of the Week

Mitch Maio      Apr. 2         Cheyenne Rushton    Feb. 25Mitch Maio Mar. 25     Brit Pannier     Feb. 11Mitch Maio Mar. 6

Career Clips

Nate Weese is Utah's new career hits leader with 255, as of Apr. 23, with a lot of the season left to boost that number. The senior first baseman needs just two more home runs to tie the career record of 46. Adam Castleton tied the Ute career doubles record of 56 during the last series, and needs just two triples to tie the career triples record.

On Deck

The Utes host New Mexico May 2-4 in a three-game conference match up.

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The University of Utah Athletics

Utes Face No. 25 Aztecs This Weekend

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