Sacramento State is 10-7 in the month of April and the team looks to better that record in its three-game series with Cal Poly this weekend.

In their last four games, the Hornets are 1-3, but the lone victory was a 7-4 upset of then fifth-ranked Arizona on Saturday, April 23. The Wildcats were the fifth team from the Pac-10 that Sacramento State had played this season. The Hornets now boast a 5-6 record against the conference with wins over Washington State (two), Stanford and Cal.

Senior right-hander Ethan Katz earned the win against Arizona after pitching seven innings and giving up four runs on nine hits. For Katz, it was the second time he has earned a win over a top-25 team this season. On Mar. 25, he went eight innings in a 4-3 victory over 10th-ranked Stanford.

It was junior Brian Blauser''s second home run of the season in the fourth inning that was the difference in the game. The three-run bomb gave Sacramento State the lead for good. Junior Jim Strombach also had a big day at the plate going 2-for-3 from the plate with three RBIs and two doubles.

Sacramento State then suffered a heart-breaking 4-3 loss to UC Irvine last Sunday that was highlighted with a home run from senior Brett Flowers. Most recently at the Best of the Midwest Tournament, Sacramento State fell 14-3 to Kansas State on Tuesday and a 12-5 to Kansas on Wednesday. Despite the losses, the Hornets showed promise at the plate with Flowers hitting his sixth home run of the season and Blauser going 4-for-4 in the game against the Jayhawks.

Scouting Cal Poly

Cal Poly comes into the series winning 11 of its last 13 games including a three-game sweep of UC Santa Barbara last weekend. The Mustangs boast a 27-14 record and are currently second in the Big West with a conference record of 8-1, just behind Cal State Fullerton. Cal Poly is ranked 24th in the Collegiate Baseball poll and is also receiving votes in the Sports Weekly/ESPN poll.

The Mustangs are led by Kyle Blumenthal''s .389 batting average and 39 RBIs. Matt Cooper leads Cal Poly with 12 doubles while producing 28 RBIs with a .308 batting average. Expected to start on the mound is Garrett Olson (9-2, 2.77) on Friday, Jimmy Shull (5.26, 5-5) on Saturday and Gary Daley (5.04, 4-0) on Sunday.

Flowers'' Power

Senior is clearing the wall

Flowers has been the back bone of the Hornets lineup this season. The Huntington Beach, Calif., native has cemented himself as the Hornets'' cleanup hitter and he leads the team with a .322 batting average and 36 RBIs.

In his second year with Sacramento State after transferring from Santa Ana JC, Flowers has posted 10 multiple-RBI and 16 multiple-hit games. His longest hitting streak of the season extended to 10 games, the longest of any Hornet this year. He currently is on a three-game hitting streak in which he has posted six hits, five RBIs, three runs, two home runs and one double. Also, in 152 at-bats this season, Flowers has only 10 strikeouts.

Leading Off

Strombach continues to post big numbers

The only player to start in the same position in all 43 games this season, Strombach has carved out a home in right field and as the team''s leadoff hitter.

The third-year player out of Moanalua HS is having the best season of his career. He leads the team in hits (54), runs (32), stolen bases (14), doubles (11) and triples (2). All Strombach''s marks this year are career highs. The Aiea, Hawaii, native also has 16 multiple-hit games this season.

In Sacramento State''s 7-4 victory over Arizona, Strombach went 2-for-3 with three RBIs and two doubles. His double down the right field line scored two runs to help Sacramento State out of an early 3-0 deficit. Later in the game his sacrifice fly scored the Hornets'' third run of the game.

Katz is Back

Top-25 success

Katz has now posted two wins over top-25 teams this season. Most recently, his seven-inning performance against then fifth-ranked Arizona improved his season record to 5-6. The Los Angeles, native, allowed four runs on nine hits.

Earlier in the season, he pitched over eight innings in 4-3 victory at then 10th-ranked Stanford on Mar. 25.

He has 14 career wins in just his second year with Sacramento State and leads the staff this season in wins (5), starts (12), innings pitched (70.2) and strikeouts (51). Katz''s 141 career strikeouts now rank him ninth in program history.

Good Save

Seniors step up in the clutch

Senior right-hander Warren Rosebrock was rewarded with his second save of the season after coming into the game in the eighth inning on Saturday against Arizona.

He struck out the final batter of the inning and then retired three batters in the ninth inning to help preserve the 7-4 victory.

Rosebrock is in his fourth season with the Hornets out of Valley Christian Academy. Rosebrock leads the team with 18 appearances in 2005, bringing his career total to 72, ranking him second in program history. He is 3-3 this year and has pitched 43.1 innings. His career total of 201.1 innings is just two short of cracking the program''s top-10.

Senior Marshall Plouffe, who leads the team with four saves this season, has also made his way into the record books. After redshirting last season and recovering from Tommy John surgery to return to the mound, Plouffe has made 17 appearances in 2005 to bring his career total to 70. He now ranks third in program history for career appearances..

The Crespi HS graduate is also third in program history with 251.1 innings pitched. Plouffe has also recorded 30 strikeouts this season, bringing his career total to 180 and ranking him fourth in program history.

First-year success

Watanabe and Conradi excel on the diamond

With the junior and senior classes posting big numbers this season, Sacramento State''s newcomers are also proving their value to the team.

Freshman Taylor Watanabe stepped in for an injured Pat Keiper at second base and is batting .317, second on the team. In his 60 at-bats this year, the Aiea, Hawaii, native has 19 hits, eight RBIs, three doubles and two stolen bases while scoring 11 runs.

Another first-year player experiencing success is junior Brian Conradi. In his first year out of Taft JC, he is batting .304 on the season and ranks in the top-5 of 10 categories. His 15 RBIs and seven stolen bases tie him for third on the team in both categories.

Head Coach John Smith

Since taking over the Sacramento State program in November of 1978, head coach John Smith has produced 18 winning seasons, including 12 years with at least 30 wins and four years with at least 40 wins.

In his 27th season as a head coach, he has posted 771 wins, ranking him among the top 60 active Division I coaches. The 771 victories and his 26-year tenure are also the most by any coach in Sacramento State baseball history. Smith''s current mark is 771-730.

Smith has led the team to four NCAA postseason appearances, winning two regional crowns and making 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.

A native of Redding, Calif., Smith spent three years in the U.S. Army Special Forces as a Green Beret. He played collegiately at Sacramento State in 1971 and 1972 and began his coaching career the following season. After five seasons as the head coach at Encina HS in Sacramento, Smith took over the Hornet program in 1978.

A Look at the Hornets

This Week’s Probable Starters

Friday at Cal Poly, April 29, 6 p.m.

E. Katz (5-6, 4.33) vs. G. Olson (9-2, 2.77)

Saturday at Cal Poly, April 30, 6 p.m.

M. Campbell (3-5, 4.13) vs. J.Shull (5-5, 5.26)

Sunday at Cal Poly, May 1, 1 p.m.

T. Kane (2-3, 5.36) vs. G. Daley (4-0, 5.04)