Aztecs Get Favorable Draw for NCAA Tournament

The Aztecs had to win the Mountain West Conference Tournament to get in to the NCAA Tournament. They did that by going through the loser’s bracket, winning the title on Sunday afternoon before bussing 10 and a half hours home to San Diego from Reno, NV.

“We ended up getting back around 4 a.m., 4:30,” said Junior OF Spencer Thornton. “I got in my bed around 5:00. It was pretty rough, but I’m glad to be here.”

Having to wake up three hours later to find out where you’re playing in the NCAA Tournament sure beats a quick turnaround to take a final exam. On Monday morning the Aztecs learned they’re playing as close to home as they possibly could without hosting the tournament.

SDSU will head to the Lake Elsinore Diamond, home of the Padres’ Single-A minor league affiliate, on Friday night to face U.C. Santa Barbara, the number one seed in the quadrant. USC and Virginia are the other two schools in the regional, meaning the 4th-seeded Aztecs have a shorter trip than any of the top three seeds.

“Far enough away to call it an away game,” said head coach Mark Martinez, who wants to play to one of his team’s strengths. “We had one of the better away records in the nation this year. But it’s close enough to where we can get some support from our home town and hopefully get a big contingent up there to go beat Santa Barbara on Friday and throughout the whole weekend.”

The Aztecs went 17-5 on the road and 4-1 in neutral site games but just 19-15 at home, so calling it a road trip is a solid way to go. The opening game will not be an easy one. SDSU will likely run up against UCSB ace Dillon Tate, who is in the conversation for the number one overall pick in June’s MLB Draft.

Tate was electric this season, going 8-4 and striking out 100 hitters in 95.1 innings. But, Tate faded down the stretch, showing fatigue in his first year as a starting pitcher. Gauchos head coach Andrew Checketts, who also serves as the pitching coach, held Tate out of the Big West Conference Tournament to get his ace rested for regional play. Santa Barbara’s overall staff ERA of 2.39 was third-best in the nation.

The Aztecs think their arms are on par with the Gauchos, led by juniors Mark Seyler, who went 9-2 with a 2.80 ERA this season.

“Our pitching staff lines up just as good in a regional setting,” said Martinez, “so we’re just as good on the mound. We’ll have to find a way to generate some runs.”

That’s an area where the Aztecs have the advantage. SDSU ranked 29th in runs scored; UCSB sits 124th. Still, the Aztecs will not be the favorite in any game they play in Elsinore. That means they have the rest of the field right where they want them.

“With our backs against the wall,” said junior RHP Bubby Derby, “that’s when we’re most dangerous.”

This is the third straight NCAA Tournament appearance for the Aztecs. The program was built up by late head coach Tony Gwynn, who passed away almost one year ago, just after his team was knocked out of the regionals in Lafayette, LA. If this is the year the Aztecs finally break through and make their first trip to Omaha and the College World Series … well, it would have been awesome if Tony could have seen that.

Then again, maybe he will. Watch the video to see how the Aztecs believe that they will win for Gwynn.