Pitching
Aztecs: The San Diego State Aztecs are led by starters junior Philip Walby, sophomore Michael Cederoth and senior Ryan Doran. All three pitched in the sweep of No. 12 University of San Diego and have a combined earned run average of 2.96 through the first eight games of the season. Freshman closer Bubba Derby picked up two saves during the USD series and has struck out eight in four innings. It’s safe to say that pitching has been the key to this team even though it was roughed up by No. 6 Oregon State University.
Pirates: The Seton Hall pitching staff lives and dies on the arm of senior ace Jon Prosinski. Even though the team is 0-5, Prosinski was able to go seven innings, only letting up one earned run against No. 1 University of North Carolina. Other than him, it has been a staff by committee for the Pirates with three other pitchers other than Prosinski all receiving starts. The staff has proved to be weak to start the season with a team ERA of 7.02.
Batting
Aztecs: Junior second baseman Tim Zier managed to drive in seven runs through the first eight games and is batting .273 on the season. Other top performers include redshirt sophomore designated hitter Brad Haynal who is batting .344 and sophomore outfielder Greg Allen, who is batting .273 and has two stolen bases.
Pirates: Seton Hall brings a little more power to the table on the offensive side of the ball. The team has three home runs through the first five games, including one from senior outfielder Scott Kalamar, who is batting .333 on the season. While the Pirates are batting only .210 as a team, they will need to rely heavily on their offense to make up for their mediocre pitching staff.
Defense
Aztecs: The defense is anchored by senior catcher Jake Romanski, who has yet to commit an error this year and has thrown out 43 percent of would be base stealers, an impressive mark. The team is sporting a .973 fielding percentage.
Pirates: Defense has also been a strong spot for the Pirates through their first five games. Overall, the team’s fielding percentage sits at .974, almost the same percentage as the Aztecs.
Intangibles
Aztecs: After starting the season off strong with a sweep of crosstown rival USD, SDSU came up flat against Oregon State and its record now sits at 3-5. However, the Aztecs have gained a lot of valuable experience by playing two ranked teams to begin their season, which should help them prepare for Seton Hall.
Pirates: Don’t let the Pirates 0-5 record fool you. Their first two games were against the No. 1 team in the country and one of those games ended with a 1-0 score. However, they will be traveling from New Jersey for this series and without a home game yet this season, they must be tired of playing on the road.
