This week: Oregon State (4-0) at Aztecs (3-0)

SAN DIEGO, Calif. — Although it has been six years since Oregon State won back-to-back NCAA championships — becoming the first school from the Northwest to win the College World Series — the Beavers remain among the nation's elite programs.

Oregon State (4-0) comes to town ranked No. 6 in the nation by Baseball America, so the Beavers pose another strong early-season test for SDSU (3-0).

This week's schedule, probable pitching matchups and other items of interest:

Thursday — Oregon State RHP Dan Child (1-0, 3.60 ERA) vs. SDSU RHP Michael Cederoth (1-0, 1.80), 6 p.m.

Friday — Oregon State LHP Matt Boyd (1-0, 1.69) vs. SDSU RHP Philip Walby (0-0, 2.70), 6 p.m.

Saturday — Oregon State RHP Andrew Moore (1-0, 1.69) vs. SDSU RHP Ryan Doran (1-0, 3.00), 1 p.m.

Sunday — Oregon State TBA vs. SDSU RHP Cody Thompson (0-0), 12 p.m.

AZTECS LINEUP
The most noticeable difference between last week's series against USD and this week against Oregon State will be the absence of sophomore first baseman Ryan Muno, who suffered a broken hand in Tuesday's practice and will be out of the lineup for at least the next 3-4 weeks. Senior John Spirk and junior Mitch Bluman will serve as a right-lefty platoon in place of Muno. ... Sophomore center fielder Greg Allen (.528), junior second baseman Tim Zier (.429, 7 RBI), sophomore DH Brad Haynal (.385, 3 RBI) and freshman third baseman Ty France (.333) sparked the offense against USD.

ON THE MOUND
Harding-throwing RHPs Michael Cederoth and Philip Walby both kept USD off balance in the first two games of the series, but will look to limit walks in their outings this week after allowing five walks apiece against the Toreros. ... Freshman closer Bubba Derby earned two saves against the Toreros with ninth-inning theatrics on both occasions. Derby extricated himself from a second-and-third, no outs situation on Saturday. He came into a bases-loaded, no outs situation on Sunday and got out of that as well — striking out the side to do it. ... The four-game series against the Beavers provides an opportunity for freshman RHP Cody Thompson to make his collegiate debut.

NOTABLE
— It is Aaron Harang jersey night on Thursday, with the first 500 fans in attendance receiving a replica jersey shirt from his era at SDSU. Harang, a Patrick Henry High graduate, pitched for the Aztecs from 1997-99. He reached the major leagues with Oakland in 2002, spent most of his career with Cincinnati, pitched for the Padres in 2011 and this year begins his second season with the Dodgers.
— Oregon State is 7-6-1 all-time against the Aztecs, although just 2-5-1 at Tony Gwynn Stadium. SDSU posted one of the year's most lopsided wins last season in an 18-2 home victory over the Beavers. Spirk, catcher Jake Romanski and outfielder Avondre Bollar each collected three RBI in the game. Cederoth was credited with the victory after three innings of one-run relief.
— The Beavers opened the season last week in the Palm Springs Tournament with a win over Utah Valley and Gonzaga and two victories over UC Riverside.
— Baseball America's Aaron Fitt reports that Oregon State LHP Ben Wetzler could return to the mound in a limited capacity this week after missing the opening weekend with a tight back. The junior was 8-2 last season with a 3.10 ERA.
— SDSU's sweep of USD earned the Aztecs a spot in the national rankings this week, checking in at No. 22 in Collegiate Baseball newspaper's Top 30.

Ryan Muno sidelined with broken hand

SAN DIEGO, Calif. — San Diego State sophomore first baseman Ryan Muno suffered a broken right hand in practice on Tuesday and initial concerns were that he could be sidelined up to two months.

Ryan Muno

Muno visited his doctor Wednesday morning and was encouraged afterward to report that the doctor said he could return in as soon as 3-4 weeks if everything goes well. There was some discussion of having surgery, but it was decided to allow the injury to heal on its own.

Muno said he had a displacement of the fifth metacarpal (the bone of the little finger). His doctor numbed the area around the injury and then "popped it back into place," said Muno. He was fitted with a specialized brace/cast that will keep the bone in place for proper healing.

"It's definitely not a good time to get hurt," said Muno, "but there's a lot of guys behind me who will pick me up. ... It's just a matter of getting better and getting back out there."

Muno batted .308 (4-for-13) with two RBI in SDSU's season-opening sweep of USD over the weekend. The sophomore from La Quinta was second on the team last season with four HR and had 19 RBI.

The Aztecs plan to use senior John Spirk and junior Mitch Bluman in a righty-lefty platoon at first base in Muno's absence. Spirk made 27 starts last season and batted .234 with four HR and 21 RBI. Bluman, a left-handed pitcher who made 18 appearances on the mound last season, was not used as a hitter last year. He has impressed coaches with the bat during fall and spring practices to earn a chance in the field and at the plate.

"We'll be fine," said SDSU associate head coach Mark Martinez. "We'll have some good players who will pick up where Ryan left off."

SDSU's home opener is Thursday at 6 p.m., when the Aztecs open a four-game series against Oregon State.

Zier, Derby earn Mountain West Conference honors

San Diego State second baseman Tim Zier and right-hander Bubba Derby have earned Mountain West Conference baseball Player and Pitcher of the Week honors for games for their performances in the Aztecs' season-opening series at USD.

Zier, a junior from Escondido High, batted .429 (6-of-14) and collected seven RBI in the three-game series. He had SDSU's first RBI in each game. Zier also was perfect in the field on 15 chances with five putouts and 10 assists.

Derby, a freshman from Monrovia, earned two saves in the three-game series. In his collegiate debut, Derby protected a 4-2 lead after allowing the first two hitters in the ninth to reach second and third with no outs. He struck out the next batter before getting a ground ball to first that turned into a double play to end the game. In Sunday's 5-3 victory, Derby was called out of the bullpen in the ninth with a two-run lead, the bases loaded and no outs. He struck out the next three batters, the No. 2, No. 3 and No. 4 hitters in the USD lineup, to preserve the win. In two innings of work, Derby allowed two hits and struck out four batters.

Aztecs ranked No. 22 by Collegiate Baseball

SAN DIEGO, Calif. — San Diego State's three-game, season-opening sweep of USD over the weekend earned the Aztecs recognition from Collegiate Baseball newspaper, which ranked the Aztecs No. 22 in its Top 30 poll — full poll here — released Monday.

The Aztecs (3-0) opened the season Friday with an 8-1 win over USD at the Toreros' new Fowler Park. SDSU followed that with a 4-2 win on Saturday and a 5-3 win on Sunday. Junior Justin Hepner earned a four-inning save in the first win and freshman closer Bubba Derby picked up saves in the other two victories.

The top hitting performances in the series were turned in by center fielder Greg Allen (.538, 5 runs), second baseman Tim Zier (.429, 7 RBI), DH Brad Haynal (.385, 3 RBI), third baseman Ty France (.333) and first baseman Ryan Muno (.308).

The SDSU bullpen allowed just two runs in 12.2 innings of relief work.

The Aztecs play their home opener Thursday at 6 p.m. at Tony Gwynn Stadium when they open a four-game series against Oregon State (3-0), which is ranked No. 9 in the nation by Collegiate Baseball. The Beavers opened the season with three victories — against Utah Valley, Gonzaga and UC Riverside — in the Palm Springs Tournament. They play UC Riverside again Monday before heading to San Diego.

Aztecs complete sweep of USD with 5-3 victory

SAN DIEGO, Calif. — How sweep it is.

San Diego State's 5-3 victory over USD on Sunday afternoon at Fowler Park completed a three-game, season-opening sweep for the Aztecs.

SDSU freshman closer Bubba Derby got out of a bases loaded, no outs jam in the ninth inning by striking out the side — USD's second, third and fourth hitters in the batting order, no less — to save the game and put an exclamation point on the weekend.

Bubba Derby

"And I thought last night was crazy," said Derby, who got out of a similar predicament in Saturday night's game. "It was intense. I just had to keep my composure and do what I had to do and throw strikes. The coaches were counting on me in a crucial situation, so I didn't want to let them down.

"The guys worked so hard this weekend and to let something like this happen was not on my things to do.

Derby started each batter he faced with two strikes.

"That's the name of the game," said Derby. "Just throw strikes."

SDSU junior second baseman Tim Zier, who collected six hits and seven RBI in the series, said this team, while still young, may be coming of age this season.

"This opening series showed a lot of character for our team," said Zier. "Hopefully, we can keep it going as we go forward. ... This builds a lot of confidence as a team and shows that we all pick each other up."

SDSU coach Tony Gwynn didn't know how realistic it was to expect three wins this weekend against the No. 12-ranked team in the nation, but he knew the Aztecs were prepared for success.

Tim Zier

"I felt like our guys were ready," said Gwynn. "This weekend proves that. They didn't really get caught up in all the hype. They just concentrated on doing what they needed to do.

"We're going to improve. We're going to pitch better. We're going to play better defense. We're going to swing the bats better. I just really came away from this weekend impressed with the way these guys hung together.

"That ninth inning was a great example, bases loaded, nobody out. We bring a freshman in to get us out of a jam and he comes in and throws strikes. We preached to these guys that execution is the key thing and that's what we did this weekend. We were able to execute, they weren't and we come away with three Ws."

For the first time in the series, the Aztecs didn't get their offense going at the start of the game. USD left-hander Max McNabb pitched to the minimum over the first two innings.

The bottom of the SDSU batting order got things started in the third, however, when catcher Jake Romanski and right fielder Avondre Bollar opened the inning with back-to-back singles. Center fielder Greg Allen walked one out later to load the bases for second baseman Tim Zier.

Zier brought home two runs with a single to left field. The throw from the outfield was off target, Allen moved up to third base and then came home on another throw when Toreros catcher Dillon Haupt tried to get Zier moving up to second base.

SDSU made it 4-0 in the fourth when Ty France reached on an error to open the inning, then came around to score on Bollar's two-out triple to the gap in right-center.

Senior right-hander Ryan Doran (1-0) kept USD in check through four innings before the Toreros pushed two runs across in the fifth inning. Doran went six innings before being relieved, allowing two runs, six hits with two walks and four strikeouts.

The Aztecs added an insurance run in the sixth when third France doubled in DH Brad Haynal to make it 5-2. USD got the run back in the seventh off reliever Travis Pitcher. Justin Hepner retired the Toreros in order in the eighth inning. Hepner, who got a four-inning save in Friday's 8-1 win, ran into trouble when he returned in the ninth, however.

Hepner allowed a leadoff single, hit a batter, then walked one, loading the bases with no outs. The Aztecs went to the bullpen at that point and summoned Derby. The right-hander got himself out of a similar jam — runners at second and third with no outs — in Saturday's 4-2 victory over the Toreros.

Derby went right to work, getting two quick strikes on USD's Louie Lechich. An inside fastball followed for a ball before Derby struck out Lechich on an offspeed pitch. Next up was USD All-American third baseman Kris Bryant. Again Derby got ahead 0-2 before striking out Bryant as well. First baseman Connor Joe represented the Toreros' last chance. Derby started him with two strikes.

At this point, USD coach Rich Hill called time and called Joe and the players on the bases over for a brief meeting. Joe then got back in the box. And Derby promptly struck him out to end the game.

The Aztecs return to action Thursday night at 6 p.m. when they open a four-game series against Oregon State at Tony Gwynn Stadium.

Thrilling finish highlights Aztecs' 4-2 win over USD

SAN DIEGO, Calif. — A San Diego State fan walking along the concourse during Saturday night's SDSU-USD game at the Toreros' Fowler Park said: "We don't lose night games here."

And he was right.

SDSU defeated the Toreros for the second straight night — the wins coming in the only two night games ever played at USD.

This was a 4-2 victory that didn't go into the books until a little ninth-inning drama played out, however.

Bubba Derby

After nearly five innings of outstanding relief, senior Ethan Miller handed over a two-run lead in the ninth to freshman closer Bubba Derby, who was making his collegiate debut. It would have been memorable occasion for Derby regardless, but this wasn't exactly how he had it scripted when the right-hander took the mound to finish the game.

Here's how it unfolded:

USD's Dillon Haupt opened the inning with a single and teammate Louie Lechich followed with a double. Just like that the Toreros had the tying runs sitting at second and third base, respectively.

But Derby kept his composure. He struck out Chris Woolley for the first out.

Then came the play of the game. Austin Bailey hit a grounder toward first that hugged the line and somehow stayed fair. SDSU first baseman Ryan Muno fielded the ball and stepped on the bag for the second out. It seemed USD would pick up a run on the play, but pinch runner Grant Melker stayed at third. Lechich broke from second, however, creating a crowd at third base. So Melker had to come home. Muno's throw to catcher Jake Romanski was on target, Romanski's tag was on Melker and just like that the game was over.

"That's the game of baseball, right?" Derby said after being mobbed on the mound by his teammates following his first save. "I tried to stay as calm as possible. In situations like that, when the game is on the line, you've got runners at second and third, no outs, you've got to do what you can. ..."

"My heart just leapt. It was probably one of the most nerve-wracking moments I've ever had to pitch in. When that last out was made, I felt like I won some kind of championship."

Ethan Miller

SDSU coach Tony Gwynn said with Miller pitching so well it was not an easy decision making a pitching change in the ninth.

"He was really rolling and I really struggled there with whether to take him out or leave him in," said Gwynn. "But we decided to make Derby the closer, so we put him in there to see how he does. Right away you were ready to start pulling your hair out. But you know what, he really settled down and made some really good pitches at the end."

The teams conclude the three-game series Sunday at 1 p.m. at Fowler Park. SDSU plans to send senior right-hander Ryan Doran to the mound against USD left-hander Louie Lechich.

Saturday's game began much the same as Friday night's 8-1 victory over the No. 12-ranked Toreros, with the Aztecs getting something started from the first batter.

In fact, SDSU opened the game with four straight hits off USD right-hander Michael Wagner, scoring two runs in the first inning for the second straight night. Center fielder Greg Allen led off with a sharp double to right field and second baseman Tim Zier followed with an RBI single. After first baseman Ryan Muno singled, DH Brad Haynal singled to left field to score Zier.

SDSU added another run in the fifth when Allen hit a one-out single to left, stole second base and then scored on Zier's single to left-center. Muno followed with the inning's third straight single, but the Aztecs were not able to expand further on their 3-1 lead.

Junior right-hander Philip Walby started for the Aztecs and did not allow a hit in his  3.1 innings of work. That USD pushed a run across in the third inning was due more to the four walks Walby issued in the inning than anything the Toreros did with the bats.

USD didn't get its first hit of the game until third baseman Kris Bryant's two-out double that one-hopped the wall in the fifth inning. Senior right-hander Ethan Miller, who relieved Walby with one out in the fourth, allowed the hit and then an RBI single to first baseman Connor Joe that made it 3-2. But Miller didn't budge after that.

An insurance run in the seventh for the Aztecs provided a little more room for Miller, who allowed three hits with six strikeouts and no walks over 4 2/3 innings.

"I felt good," said Miller. "I had been preparing. (Reliever) Bryan Crabb and I had worked real hard together. We've been here for four years and have experience on our side, so it helped a lot. Bryan was in the dugout talking me through it. ... Hopefully, we can get on a roll here and start winning some games. It feels really good.

"They're a really good team, they're ranked pretty high, so it's a good test for us to see where we're at. And it's nice because of all the hard work we've put into it."

The efforts of Miller and Derby, along with four shutout innings by Justin Hepner in the opener, meant the bullpen had allowed but one run over 9 2/3 innings of work in two games.

Allen again led the hitting, collecting three hits (making him 7-for-10 in the series) while scoring three runs. Muno also had three hits. Zier had two hits and two RBI.

"Things are going good right now," said Gwynn. "Guys are making good decisions, stepping up and getting it done. Hopefully, we can continue that."

Aztecs open season with 8-1 win over USD

SDSU's Greg Allen awaits the first pitch from USD's Dylan Covey.

SAN DIEGO, Calif. — USD opened beautiful new Fowler Park to much fanfare and a sellout crowd of more than 1,700 Friday night, but it was the Aztecs who made themselves at home in a season-opening 8-1 victory.

SDSU junior second baseman Tim Zier had three hits and three RBI, sophomore DH Brad Haynal had three hits and two RBI and junior center fielder Greg Allen added four singles to lead the Aztecs' 14-hit attack. Sophomore right-hander Michael Cederoth pitched the first five innings for the win. Junior right-hander Justin Hepner came on in relief and shut out USD over the game's final four innings.

"It felt great," said Zier. "That's probably my favorite win in my career so far. Just to come here and take tonight away from them was a lot of fun.

"I was impressed with everybody. We really calmed the game down and just played our game and didn't let the fans or the lights or anything get the best of us."

The teams continue the three-game series Saturday night at 6 p.m. at Fowler Park. Junior right-hander Philip Walby (Scripps Ranch High) is the scheduled starter for the Aztecs against USD junior right-hander Michael Wagner.

Allen opened the game with an infield single off USD starting pitcher Dylan Covey, beating shortstop Logan Davis' throw by a half step. Allen scored all the way from first moments later when Zier carved a ball just inside the third-base bag for an RBI double. Haynal, excited to get back on the field after missing all but four games last season with a broken leg, followed with an RBI double of his own to deep right field. That gave the Aztecs a 2-0 lead just four batters into the game.

The Aztecs added a run in the second inning on an RBI single by Zier. They made it 4-0 in the third when Haynal stroked his second double of the game, this one lined to the wall in left-center, then scored on a single by sophomore left fielder Matt Munoz.

Cederoth wasn't as sharp as he would prefer, walking five batters over the first three innings. But Cederoth followed walks with timely strikeouts — six in the first three innings — to get himself out of any potential predicaments.

USD didn't get its first hit off Cederoth until one out in the fourth inning on Dillon Haupt's single to center field. Lucas Hagberg's two-out single put runners at first and second, but USD's Austin Bailey grounded out to second base to end the threat.

USD threatened again in the fifth, loading the bases with no outs on a hit batter, single and walk. But the Toreros managed just one run to make it 6-1. Cederoth escaped by getting USD third baseman Kris Bryant on an infield popup before Haupt hit a grounder that freshman third baseman Ty France turned into an inning-ending double play.

SDSU added another run in the sixth to make it 7-1 and completed the scoring in the ninth when Haynal capped his return with an RBI triple.

"Allen and Zier really set the table," said SDSU coach Tony Gwynn. "They really moved the ball around. They weren't set on hitting it any one way. ... Brad Haynal, for sitting out a whole year, I thought he was extremely sharp."

Cederoth departed after the fifth having allowed one run with six strikeouts and five walks.

"My defense was awesome," said Cederoth. "There were some areas where I needed some defense and it was there. Ty France's unbelievable glove, (catcher) Jake Romanski with his arm. That was unbelievable. To have those guys back there, I knew that I could just throw strikes. I didn't have to do too much. That really helped knowing those guys were there behind me.

"Every aspect of the game we played today — hitting, pitching, defense — all just collected and won it for us."

Hepner, who struck out the first four hitters he faced, limited the Toreros to two hits while striking out five on the way to earning a four-inning save.

"You couldn't help but come into this game looking at it as a big game, in the sense that, new ballpark, national TV audience, big crowd," said Gwynn. "I thought (Cederoth) handled it pretty good. And I thought our guys handled this whole situation pretty good. We came out and did the things we wanted to do."

Now they just have to do it again. And again.

"We feel real good about how we played tonight, but we can't get caught up in it," said Gwynn. "Tomorrow's another day. ...

"As I told them tonight, tomorrow the realization will hit them that they've got 55 more (regular season games). So you just maintain the course. It's about execution. The guys who execute are probably going to be the guys who win."