THIS WEEK - SPARTANS HEAD BACK TO RUSTON FOR WAC TOURNAMENT
The San Jose State University baseball team, now at 31-23 on the season overall, departs from campus at 7:15 a.m. on Tuesday, May 20, heading all day for Ruston, La., for a second time this season. A total of 25 players and eight coaches and staff members fly to Dallas, Texas, at 8:55 a.m. before boarding a bus for the remainder of the trip. The destination, the 2008 Western Athletic Conference Tournament, to which the Spartans will head into on the high of a five-game winning streak and as the fourth seed, set to open with the third-seeded University of Nevada Wolf Pack (31-24), whom they just swept in a four-game series within the friendly confines of San Jose Municipal Stadium to close out the 2008 regular season this past weekend.

First pitch against the Wolf Pack on Thursday night, May 22, is set for 7:00 p.m. (CT)/5:00 p.m. (PT) at J.C. Love Field. The probable pitching match-up was set late Wednesday as Spartan sophomore left-hander Max Peterson (5-2, 4.64 ERA) against senior Wolf Pack right-hander Rod Scurry (5-7, 5.33 ERA). Louisiana Tech is playing host to the double-elimination tournament for the first time. The Spartans are making their fifth appearance, with a 4-8 record over their first four trips. Fresno State, which just wrapped up its third straight WAC regular-season crown, is the two-time defending WAC Tournament champion as well, and enters as the top seed. The tournament champion once again gains automatic entry into the NCAA Championship.

Every game that San Jose State will play throughout the 2008 WAC Tournament can be heard live in the South Bay on KSJS (90.5 FM). Sports director Rob Soul will be on hand at J.C. Love Field in Ruston, La., for every pitch of the tournament for the third year in a row. The broadcasts can also be accessed at ksjs.org. A link to free live statistics courtesy of Louisiana Tech Athletics and CSTV GameTracker is available at SJSUSpartans.com.

San Jose State leads the all-time series, 72-61, and has won seven out of its last nine games against Nevada, with the teams having split two meetings at the 2007 WAC Tournament in Reno, Nev. The Wolf Pack defeated the Spartans, 15-1, on the first day of the 2006 WAC Tournament in Fresno, Calif., and thus hold a 2-1 edge in all-time tournament play.

SAN JOSE STATE (31-23, 17-14 WAC) vs. NEVADA (31-24, 18-14 WAC)
(SJSU Leads Series, 72-61)
San Jose State and Nevada will be facing each other for the fifth time in a week on day one of the 2008 WAC Tournament on Thursday, May 22.

Nevada has five regulars hitting at a better-than-.300 clip. The Wolf Pack are led by senior third basmen Jason Rodriguez, who is second in the WAC with a .391 (81-for-207) batting average, and has knocked in 56 runs. He leads the team in home runs (8) and walks (39), and is tied for fourth in the WAC with 20 doubles. Rodriguez and Shaun Kort are the only two Wolf Pack players to have appeared in all 55 games, starting each one. Kort, the reigning WAC Freshman of the Year, is hitting .337 with six home runs and a team-best 57 RBI as the starting first baseman.

On the mound, the Pack are led by the senior right-handed tandem of Rod Scurry (5-7, 5.33 ERA) and Kyle Howe (8-2, 3.55). Scurry leads the team in starts (13) and strikeouts (63), and has tossed the only individual shut out by a Wolf Pack hurler this year. Howe is tops in ERA, wins, and innings pitched, and has thrown five complete games, including one of the eight-inning variety at San Jose (5/17). The former teammate of current Spartan senior infielder Sonny Garza at Columbia Basin College (Pasco, Wash.), is tied for first in the WAC in wins and third in ERA.

San Jose State leads the all-time series, 72-61. These teams faced off a total of eight times a year ago, with three in San Jose and five in Reno, Nev., including a pair of games at the 2008 WAC Tournament. Nevada went 5-3 against San Jose State in 2007. San Jose State is 28-14 against Nevada in WAC play since the Wolf Pack joined the league in 2001, including 17-5 now in San Jose. Last year’s first series in Reno, Nev., April 13-15, ended in a sweep for Nevada by game scores of 9-2, 8-7 and 12-1. In the return meeting in San Jose, May 18-20, the Spartans won 6-2 and 17-8 to clinch the series victory before dropping an 11-6 decision on Senior Day. The teams met twice at the 2008 WAC Tournament hosted by Nevada, with San Jose State pulling off a 5-1 victory on day two on May 25 to remain in the winner’s bracket. The loser’s bracket rematch the next evening was a wild, back-and-forth affair, with the hosts squeaking out an 11-9 triumph.

Gary Powers is 792-619-4 in his 26th season in charge at his alma mater.

LIVE STATS
Live stats for all of San Jose State’s games throughout the 2008 WAC Tournament will be available courtesy of CSTV GameTracker and Louisiana Tech Athletics. The links can be found at SJSUSpartans.com. Just click on Live Stats under Live from the top menu bar on the front page. Fans can also access the live stats from Schedule/Results on the baseball page.

AUDIO COVERAGE
Fans in the San Jose area can tune in to every game San Jose State plays at the 2008 WAC Tournament on KSJS (90.5 FM) and at ksjs.org. Sports director Rob Soul will be present for the call at the event for the third year in a row.

Those in the Reno area can tune in to Thursday’s tournament opener on ESPN Radio 630AM with veteran Wolf Pack announcer Don Marchand calling the play-by-play. The pre-game show starts 15 minutes prior to first pitch. The contest is also accessible over the internet for a paid subscription fee through the Wolf Pack Athletics website at nevadawolfpack.com.

WAC TO STREAM 2008 BASEBALL TOURNAMENT
The Western Athletic Conference, in conjunction with its website partner, Jump TV Sports, will stream the 2008 WAC Baseball Tournament. Viewers can sign up by visiting WAC.tv.

The double-elimination tournament will take place Thursday through Sunday, May 22-25, in Ruston, La., with the first game beginning at 11:00 a.m. (CT) on Thursday. Every game of the tournament can be viewed for a single subscription price of $18.95, which will include on-demand viewing of any of the games the following day. More information and how to subscribe to these video streaming events can be found at WAC.tv.

LAST TIME OUT: SPARTANS SWEEP WOLF PACK
San Jose State posted its second four-game WAC series sweep, both coming at home, this past weekend in taking all four meetings with Nevada at Muni, by final scores of 7-4, 2-0, 11-2 and 8-7. The highlight of the weekend was Max Peterson’s six-hit shutout in the first game of Saturday’s doubleheader. He struck out five and walked just one. Alex Sofranac homered for the first run and Karson Klauer drove in the insurance tally with a seventh-inning single. Sonny Garza provided a two-run shot with two outs in the first, and Kyle Bellows added a three-run blast to lead the opening-game victory. Klauer led the team offensively at 7-for-17 for the series.

The Spartans cruised to the nightcap triumph, 11-2, breaking open a 2-2 game with back-to-back four-run innings in the sixth and seventh. They produced consecutive four-run innings in the Sunday finale, too, in the fifth and sixth, both times overturning 3-0 deficits and ultimately taking an 8-7 decision. Anthony Vega threw 3.1 innings of near-perfect relief for the win.

SPARTANS HEADED BACK TO WAC TOURNAMENT
San Jose State assured itself of a third straight trip to the Western Athletic Conference Tournament thanks to an 8-4 victory by Nevada at Louisiana Tech back on Saturday, May 3. This year’s event will be held for the first time ever at J.C. Love Field on the campus of Louisiana Tech in Ruston, La., May 22-25. The Spartans depart early on the morning of Tuesday, May 20, and will travel all day, through Dallas, Texas. This will be San Jose State’s second trip to Ruston, La., in 2008. San Jose State previously lost two out of three there to the Bulldogs earlier this year, with one game cancelled due to weather.

SAN JOSE STATE SUPERLATIVES
With the sweep of the four-game series with Nevada last weekend, the Spartans assured themselves of a winning overall record for the third year in a row and the 16th time under head coach Sam Piraro in his 21 years in charge. They reached the 30-plus win plateau for the 15th time under the guidance of Piraro, and guaranteed themselves an above.-500 final conference mark of 17-14, the first time they have achieved that since 2002, the year of the Spartans’ last NCAA Championship berth.

PETERSON NAMED WAC PITCHER OF THE WEEK
Max Peterson was named the Western Athletic Conference Baseball Pitcher of the Week for May 12-18. Peterson tossed a six-hit shutout in a 2-0 win at home over Nevada on Saturday, May 17. He struck out five and gave up just one walk. It was the first weekly conference honor for Peterson and the third for a Spartan this season after Ryan Shopshire’s Pitcher of the Week selection and Danny Stienstra’s Hitter of the Week nod.