Sacramento State returns from a three-game series at Washington State to play its final seven games of the season at Hornet Field. The team has played remarkably better in Sacramento this year, posting a 15-12-1 record at home while garnering only three victories on the road.

The Hornets lost the weekend series with the Cougars 1-2, but evened the season series at 3-3 and now hold a 6-8 record against Pac-10 opponents this year. In the final game of the WSU series on Monday, Sacramento State snapped a nine-game losing streak with a 6-5 victory.

Trailing 4-3 in the top of the fifth inning with the bases loaded and two outs, junior Jim Strombach hit a two-run single to left field scoring freshman David Flores and senior Matt Wilson. With a 5-4 lead, junior Everet Rincon then scored what proved to be the game-winning run off senior Cliff Hinkle''s single to center field. Junior right-hander Travis Kane pitched seven innings in his third win of the season and senior left-hander Marshall Hendon earned his first save of the season after recording the final two outs of the game.

Flores, in his first-year out of James Logan HS, hit .444 in the series with one double and one run. Junior Brian Conradi, who hit .462 while starting in the outfield for all three games, went 3-for-5 with one RBI while recording his eighth stolen base of the season on Monday. Junior Josh Levin batted .571 (4-for-7) with two RBIs in the series.

Scouting Saint Mary''s & San Jose State

The Gaels come into Wednesday''s game on a four-game losing streak after losing one game to Pacific and then being swept 3-0 by West Coast Conference foe Loyola Marymount. Saint Mary''s, who holds a 3-0 record this season against the Hornets, is led by left fielder Sam Carter. He leads the team batting .352 with team highs in hits (63), RBIs (46), runs (37) and home runs (7). First baseman Bryan Byrne is also playing well with 31 RBIs and a .317 batting average. He also has five home runs, while 13 of his 52 hits have been doubles.

San Jose State, the first team Sacramento State will play out of the Western Athletic Conference this season, most recently dropped three games at Fresno State. The Hornets will be joining the WAC in 2006 as an affiliate member.

The Spartans are led by shortstop Anthony Contreras, who is batting .375 and leads the team with 75 hits, 34 RBIs, 37 runs, 13 doubles and two triples. Center fielder Travus Becktel is batting .330 with 60 hits, 34 runs, and 29 RBIs.

First-year Wonders

The year of the freshmen

Sacramento State has been relying on its most experienced juniors and seniors in the lineup this season, but freshmen David Flores and Taylor Watanabe have made a big impact in the infield.

Flores, a Union City, Calif., native is batting .210 on the season, but had one of the best series of his young career against Washington State. Flores, who will be going into this week on a three-game hitting streak, started two games at third base and batted .444 (4-for-9) with one double and one RBI. For the season he also has a .951 fielding percentage.

Watanabe, who redshirted last year, has started 20 games at second base this season and has batted mostly in the second spot. Arguably the best bunter on the team, Watanabe leads the team with eight sacrifice hits this year. That number cracks the top-10 in program history for sacrifice hits in a single season.

The Aiea, Hawaii, native also leads the team with a .311 batting average. He has scored 11 runs while tallying eight RBIs, three doubles and three stolen bases in 30 games.

Always Reliable

Leaders on and off the stat sheet

While the freshmen are just getting their feet wet, seniors Brett Flowers and Matt Wilson and juniors Jim Strombach and Everet Rincon have been the backbone of the year''s team offensively and defensively.

In 174 at-bats this season, Flowers has only 14 strikeouts. Serving as the team''s designated hitter the majority of the season and batting in the clean-up spot, Flowers leads the team with 36 RBIs and is second on the team with a .305 batting average. He also has 11 multiple-RBI games and is second on the team with 17 multiple-hit games.

The Huntington Beach, Calif., native came to Sacramento State after transferring from Santa Ana JC. In two seasons, he has a .308 batting average, 111 hits, 74 RBIs, 40 runs, 19 doubles and eight home runs.

In fact, Flowers'' six home runs this season tie him for the team lead with Wilson. In his fifth-year out of Crespi HS, Wilson has started all but two games behind the plate this season. Batting .229 this year, the Canoga Park, Calif., native has hit two home runs in the Hornets'' last four games. He also is second on the team with 27 RBIs and 11 doubles. His career numbers include 111 hits, 68 RBIs, 58 runs, 24 doubles and 14 home runs. Wislon is also eighth in program history with 470 career at-bats.

Strombach has been topping statistical categories for most of the season. The right fielder, who has also seen time in center field, has only one error on the season and a .991 fielding percentage. In addition to playing great defense, Strombach has cemented himself as the team''s leadoff hitter. Third on the team with a .296 average, he leads the team with a career-high 61 hits. He also leads the team in runs (32), doubles (13), triples (2) and stolen bases (14). Those marks are also all career highs for the Aiea, Hawaii, native. A graduate of Moanalua HS, Strombach is in his third year with the Hornets and currently leads the team with 18 multiple-hit games. He is second on the team with 78 total bases and third with 17 RBIs.

Junior Everet Rincon returned to the diamond this year after redshirting in 2004. The Riverside, Calif., native has seven sacrifice hits this season and now tops all players in program history with 23 career sacrifice hits.

In 2005, Rincon has started 38 games at shortstop and is hitting .227 for the season. He is second on the team with 23 runs and eight stolen bases. On the defensive end, the La Sierra HS graduate has also fielded 30 double plays this season. His career numbers include 458 at-bats, 106 hits, 56 runs, 35 RBIs, 21 stolen bases and 16 doubles.

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 772 wins, ranking him among the top 60 active Division I coaches. The 772 victories and his 26-year tenure are also the most by any coach in Sacramento State baseball history. Smith''s current mark is 772-736.

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

Wednesday vs. Saint Mary''s, May 11, 2:30 p.m.

K. Livesey (0-1, 6.40) vs. TBA

Friday vs. San Jose State, May 13, 2:30 p.m.

E. Katz (5-8, 4.69) vs. TBA

Saturday vs. San Jose State, May 14, Noon

M. Campbell (3-7, 5.04) vs. TBA

Sunday vs. San Jose State, May 15, 1 p.m.

T. Kane (3-4, 5.59) vs. TBA