After winning one out of three games last weekend, the Sacramento State baseball team will close out its 2002 season this weekend against the University of the Pacific. The two teams will play a three-game series beginning on Friday, May 24, and running through Sunday, May 26. Friday’s game will start at 2 p.m. while both Saturday and Sunday’s contests will begin at 1 p.m.

The Hornets come into the week with an overall record of 20-33 and a 2-19 mark in Big West Conference games. Last week, Sacramento State dropped the first two games against UCSB before capturing a 12-7 win on Sunday, May 19.

Pacific is 25-26 overall and is 6-15 in league games. The Tigers were swept by Long Beach State over the past weekend and have now lost five straight and six of their last 10 games.

Sacramento State leads the all-time series, 27-20. The two teams split six games last season. The Hornets captured two games in a three-game nonleague series at Hornet Field in mid-March. The Tigers bounced back to take two games at Billy Hebert Field in Stockton, Calif., before Sacramento State won, 5-2, to end the year in May.

Prior to this Sunday’s game, the team will honor 10 seniors who will be playing their final game in a Hornet uniform. The 10 seniors comprise of: pitchers Kevin Marzion, Dave Turner and Jeff Groeger, catchers Joe Evans and Ryan Gallagher, infielder Tito Barba and outfielders Casey Fuller, Mario Celillo, Ryan Brown and Keith Carson.

• Meet the Coach

Since taking over the program in November of 1978, Sacramento State graduate John Smith has only eight losing seasons. In his 24 seasons as a head coach, he has posted 694 wins, ranking him among the top-60 active Division I coaches.

In his tenure with the Hornets, Smith has led the team to four NCAA postseason appearances, winning two regional crowns and two trips to the NCAA Div. II Championship.

Smith was named American Baseball Coaches Association/NCAA Western Regional Coach of the Year twice, in 1986 and 1988.

In 1999, Smith added the title of Associate Athletic Director to his resume. In his current capacity he oversees the school’s football program as well as all facility improvements.

• A Look at Last Week

Sacramento State posted a 1-2 mark last week at UC Santa Barbara in its final road trip of the season. The Hornets lost, 14-5, on Friday and 8-7 on Saturday before capturing a 12-7 win on Sunday in the series finale.

Friday, Sacramento State scored three runs in the top of the first inning but allowed UCSB to score 11-unanswered runs en route to a convincing win. The Gauchos did most of their damage in the second, third and fourth innings where they scored four, two and three runs, respectively. UC Santa Barbara scored in seven of its eight at-bats and totaled 18 hits as a team.

Saturday, UCSB jumped to an 8-0 lead after three innings and held the Hornets scoreless through the sixth inning before holding on for a one-run win. The Gauchos tagged starter Jeff Groeger for six earned runs in 2.2 innings before freshman Warren Rosebrock pitched his best game of the year. Rosebrock allowed just two hits and struck out three in 5.1 innings.

Sacramento State attempted to rally late in the game, scoring three in the seventh and four in the eighth. The team, however, left 10 runners on base during the game and committed five errors.

Sunday, the Hornets tallied three runs in the first, including a two-run home run by Mario Celillo and never looked back. Senior Kevin Marzion pitched another strong outing, allowing two earned runs and striking out six without a walk in the win. Eight of the nine starters recorded at least one hit including Tim Reimer, Mario Celillo and Tito Barba who each had two.

A Look at the Hornets

• Bye-Bye Big West

After six seasons, this weekend’s series will mark the final Big West Conference games for Sacramento State. The Hornets moved to the league in 1997 and advanced to the Big West Tournament championship game in 1998. The team’s best conference mark came in 2000 where it finished 15-15. Next season, Sacramento State will compete as an independent due to the fact that the Big West is not allowing associate members.

• Back on Track

Following a rough couple of weeks, sophomore Chris Kinsey bounced back against UCSB where he hit .455 in the three games. Kinsey tallied five hits in 11 at-bats, including a pair of doubles. He also scored two runs and drove in five.

For the season, Kinsey continues to lead the team with a .322 batting average, 65 hits, 58 RBI, 16 home runs, and a .604 slugging percentage. He is also second with a .413 on-base percentage and third with nine doubles.

With three games to play, he is currently tied with UCSB’s Matt Wilkerson for the Big West lead with 16 home runs. That total also ranks as the fourth-best in school history trailing Harvey Hargrove (26), Josh Payne (18) and Will Fitzpatrick (17). Kinsey’s 58 RBI is second in the Big West behind Tim Gilhooly of UOP (63).

• Back on Track II

Kevin Marzion finally got what he has needed all season on Sunday — run support. The senior, who leads the team with a 4.11 ERA, improved to 3-6 on the year with the 12-7 victory over the Gauchos.

The 12 runs against UCSB were the most scored by the Hornets during a Marzion start this season. In fact, in his 11 starts Sacramento State is averaging just 4.8 runs per game. The team has lost three games by one run and one game by two runs during his starts.

Marzion has also missed a month this year due to appendicitis. Since returning against UC Irvine, he has a 2.77 ERA and has struck out seven without allowing a walk in 13.0 innings of work.

• From the Top

Tim Reimer, Ryan Brown and Casey Fuller continued their hot play last week. The trio are all hitting above .375 since April 26 and have played a factor in the team’s recent play.

Reimer, who has led off 43 times this season, is now second on the team with a .307 average. The junior had his nine game hit streak snapped on Friday but is still hitting .388 in his last 14 games and has also drawn 13 walks (.516 on-base percentage). Against UCSB, Reimer drew two walks in all three games and scored six runs.

Brown, who was hitting .192 on April 19, has raised his average to .299. The senior is 18 for his last 48 (.375). He also has a .625 slugging percentage with six doubles and two home runs during the span.

Fuller is batting .377 (20-for-53) over the last 14 games and has also shown some power at the plate. The senior from Dixon, Calif., has one double, two triples and four home runs since April 26. He has recorded at least two hits in five of the last eight games including a career-high four hits at Fresno State on May 5.

Together, the trio is hitting .380 (57-150) with eight doubles, three triples and seven home runs in the last 14 games. The group has also scored 34 of the team’s last 77 runs.

• News and Notes

Celillo threw two more runners out from right field over the weekend to raise his season total to 11...Rosebrock’s 5.1 innings on Sunday eclipsed his previous career high of 3.2 innings...it was also his first game without a run since April 16.

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