MORAGA, Calif. — The Gaels will take their eight-game winning streak on the road this week as they visit the Nevada Wolfpack for a game and then Cal Poly for a four-game series.

SCHEDULE
Game #20
Saint Mary's Gaels (13-6) vs. Nevada Wolfpack (10-8)
Tuesday, March 19, 2:00 p.m.
Reno, Nev. –– Don Weir Field at Peccole Park
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Game #21
Saint Mary's Gaels (13-6) vs. Cal Poly Mustangs (7-11)
Friday, March 22, 6:00 p.m.
San Luis Obispo, Calif. –– Baggett Stadium
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Game #22 & #23
Saint Mary's Gaels vs. Cal Poly Mustangs
Saturday, March 23, 1:00 p.m. and 4:30 p.m.
San Luis Obispo, Calif. –– Baggett Stadium
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Game #24
Saint Mary's Gaels vs. Cal Poly Mustangs
Sunday, March 24, 1:00 p.m.
San Luis Obispo, Calif. –– Baggett Stadium
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SCOUTING REPORT
The Gaels are 13-6 through the first month of the season and are fresh off of a 3-0 conference sweep of the Pacific Tigers. Saint Mary's put up 18 total runs in the series, including 12 in the series finale on Sunday in which they had a nine-run third inning to reclaim the lead. The team is tied for first in the WCC with LMU as one of the two teams who swept the season's first conference series. The team is currently on an eight-game winning streak, their longest since the 1985 season. The program record was set in 1977 when the Gaels won 10-straight.

Saint Mary's remains in the national rankings this week and are continuing to impress with their numbers. The team is ranked number one in the nation in fielding percentage (0.990). SMC is ranked 16th in the nation in doubles per game (2.32) and 13th for total doubles on the season (44). Junior Kevin Milam currently leads the team with eight doubles which is ranked 41st in the country. The squad is ranked second in the conference and 64th in the nation with a slugging percentage of .427 while junior Joe Vranesh is individually ranked 23rd in the nation and first in the conference (.769). The Gaels are also ranked second in the conference with an on-base percentage of .393

For the second time this season, Saint Mary's has swept the Rawlings West Coast Conference Weekly Awards with junior left-hander Ken Waldichuk and junior outfielder Ryan Novis receiving the honors. Waldichuk was dominant on Saturday and recorded a career-high, 9.0 innings pitched in the Gaels 1-0, 10-inning win over Pacific. Waldichuk allowed no earned runs, just three hits, and only one walk. He also recorded a season-high, nine strikeouts. Waldichuk has posted a 3.23 ERA and a WHIP of 0.96 through his first five starts and has allowed just one earned run in his last 15.0 innings pitched. This is the second time Waldichuk has received the award this season. Junior outfielder Ryan Novis reached base in almost every at-bat last week, hitting .733 (11-for-15) through four games. He went 3-for-3 in both Wednesday and Friday's contests and provided the game-winning, walk-off RBI single in the bottom of the 10th in game two against Pacific. Novis also had eight RBI and hasn't struck out since March 9th in the second game against Utah Valley. His .451 batting average this season is ranked 13th in the nation and first in the conference and he is ranked 14th in total hits (32 – also first in the WCC).

NEVADA
The Wolfpack has posted a 10-8 record so far this season with a record of 3-3 at home. They are coming off of a 2-1 series win against New Mexico, but split the week 2-2 after a loss to Santa Barbara on the road. Nevada swept Long Beach State in their opening series, then dropped a three-game set to Washington State. They are ranked third in the Mountain West conference behind New Mexico and San Jose State.

Redshirt senior Weston Hatten leads the Wolfpack with a .339 batting average, a slugging percentage of .548 and an on-base percentage of .468 (OPS 1.016).  Hatten has five doubles, a triple, and two homeruns thus far with a total of six RBI. He is one of only two players to have started and played in every game for Nevada this season. Sophomore Joshua Zamora is another key piece of the Wolfpack offense as he is hitting .306 and leads the team with three homeruns through the first part of the year. Zamora has played in all but one game and has collected the most hits for the team of any player (22).

Pitching for Nevada this season is junior Ryan Anderson who has posted a 1.76 ERA through five starts. Anderson has pitched 30.2 innings and has only allowed six earned runs. He has only given up 18 hits and 11 walks while striking out 30 batters. Anderson has a WHIP of 0.96 and is holding opposing batters to hitting a .171 average. Freshman Tyler Smith has been another big contributor to Nevada's bullpen as he has made seven appearances and pitched in 20.2 innings. Smith has allowed 15 hits and five earned runs on the season, while striking out eleven and walking seven.

CAL POLY
The Mustangs will enter the four-game series against the Gaels with a 7-11 record while going 5-3 at home. Cal Poly most recently dropped a three-game series against Baylor, but swept Columbia in a four-game sets prior to that. The Mustangs have also been swept in three different three-game series (Oklahoma, Washington, Cal) this season. The team has yet to play any Big West conference matchups, but will face Cal State Northridge following their series against Saint Mary's.

Sophomore Elijah Greene is leading the Mustangs with a .304 batting average and 21 hits. Greene has recorded an on-base percentage of .385 and a slugging percentage of .333. He has collected seven RBI and nine walks through the first 18 games. Junior Bradlee Beesley has also been key for Cal Poly this season with five doubles and 12 RBI. Beesley has an on-base percentage of .350 and a slugging percentage of .384. He is also tied with Greene for the most hits on the team (21).

On the mound, sophomore Darren Nelson has been the Mustangs strongest starter as he has posted a 2.45 ERA through his five starts this season. He has only allowed seven earned runs through 25.2 innings and has struck out 13 batters. He is averaging 4.56 strikeouts per nine innings and has only walked ten batters all season. Sophomore Dylan Villalobos has been strong in relief with eight different appearances through 16.0 innings pitched. Villalobos has an ERA of 0.56 and 19 strikeouts on the season while allowing only one earned run and seven hits all year.


#GaelsRise – For ticket information to all home baseball games, call the SMC Ticket Office today at 925-631-4689 or click the ticket link here to purchase your seats now.