Every week The Daily Aztec will help San Diego State University fans get ready for the upcoming sports schedule with the Midweek Preview. Here is this week’s calendar of upcoming Aztec athletics events, all event times are in Pacific Standard Time:
Wednesday, Feb. 15
Swim and Dive at Mountain West Championships, all day through Saturday
San Diego State is looking to claim the team conference crown for the fourth time in five seasons. Senior Ximena Lechuga Gonzalez is looking to repeat her 2022 Diver of the Meet honor; she has won six events this season. Senior Kristina Murphy, junior Alex Roberts, and sophomores Meredith Smithbaker and Mai McKenna have earned Mountain West Swimmer of the Week honors this season.
No. 21/20 Men’s Basketball (20-5, 11-2) at Fresno State (9-15, 5-8), 8 p.m.
Senior Matt Bradley earned his second Mountain West Men’s Basketball Player of the Week honor this season, helping the Aztecs to wins at Utah State and against UNLV. Three of the next four will be on the road for SDSU, who remain in sole possession of first place in the conference. This is the only game against Fresno State this season, who are led by the backcourt duo of graduate Jemari Baker and senior Isaiah Hill averaging more than 13.0 points apiece in Mountain West action.
Thursday, Feb. 16
No. 21 Men’s Golf at John A. Burns Intercollegiate, all day through Saturday
SDSU travels to Kauai to take part in the event hosted by the University of Hawaii at the Ocean Course at Hokuala. The Aztecs will be part of a 21-team field, which features No. 10 Texas A&M and No. 19 Arizona. In their most recent tournament, San Diego State finished tied for eighth at the Southwestern Invitational, with sophomores Justin Hastings tying for ninth and Shea Lague tying for 15th individually.
Women’s Tennis (3-1) vs Hawaii (1-4), Aztec Tennis Center, 2 p.m.
The Aztecs have run off three straight wins, with the most recent a 5-2 result over Rice on Feb. 11. SDSU won all three of the doubles matches, with seniors Dariya Detkovskaya, Tamara Arnold and Alicia Melosch, and junior Andjela Skrobonja notching singles wins. Senior Satsuki Takamura and sophomore Ana Vilcek have the best individual records for Hawaii.
Softball (4-1) vs Wichita State (4-1), SDSU Softball Stadium, 6 p.m.
San Diego State is receiving votes in both the ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25 and USA Today/NFCA Top 25 Coaches Polls, while Wichita State is receiving votes in the coaches poll. The Shockers were picked to finish second in the American Athletic Conference; junior outfielder Lauren Lucas was named the first AAC Player of the Week of the season with a home run and six doubles, driving in 12 RBI.
Women’s Basketball (20-7, 10-4) vs Colorado State (17-8, 10-4), Viejas Arena, 6 p.m.
SDSU picked up back-to-back wins to close their four-game road trip, winning 67-51 at Nevada on Feb. 9 and 80-55 at San Jose State on Feb. 11. Colorado State won the first meeting between the teams 71-58 on Jan. 16, as the Aztecs made just 1 of 13 from the field in the fourth quarter. Rams senior guard McKenna Hofschild leads the Mountain West with 22.4 points per game, while senior guard Destiny Thurman averages 14.6 points, the fourth-most in conference.
Friday, Feb. 17
Men’s Tennis (1-2) at Loyola Marymount (2-2), 2 p.m.
The Aztecs are looking to bounce back after falling 4-1 to Santa Clara on Feb. 11. Junior Johannes Seeman picked up the lone win for SDSU, taking a straight-sets decision at No. 1 singles. LMU won their only other home match so far this spring, topping UC Riverside 5-2 on Jan. 18. Graduate Yassine Smiej is 3-1 at No. 1 singles, while sophomore Arthur Pantino is 3-0 at No. 2 singles.
Softball vs UC Riverside (3-2), SDSU Softball Stadium, 4:30 p.m.
This will be the first San Diego State game of the 32nd annual Campbell/Cartier Classic. Sophomore outfielder Bella Espinoza led SDSU with 10 hits and six runs scored during the Season Kickoff tournament. Sophomore pitcher Maddie Heinlin has started three games for the Highlanders, going 1-1 with a 1.90 ERA and opponents hitting .171 against her.
Lacrosse (0-2) vs Ohio State (2-0), Aztec Lacrosse Field, 5 p.m.
Despite dropping both games on their season-opening two-game road trip, the Aztecs have been led by the familiar attacking duo of senior Deanna Balsama and junior Brook Waddell. Balsama has five goals and two assists, while Waddell has scored five times on seven shots with one helper. Senior attacker Nicole Ferrara paces the Buckeyes attack with 10 goals.
Baseball at Arizona State, 5 p.m.
SDSU was picked to finish third in the Mountain West Preseason Coaches Poll, with junior outfielder Cole Carrigg named to the Preseason All Conference team. Arizona State was slotted sixth in the Pac-12 Preseason Coaches Poll. Junior TJ Fondtain is expected to start on the mound for SDSU, he earned second team All-Mountain West honors last season in making the most starts among Aztec pitchers.
Softball vs Loyola Marymount (2-4), SDSU Softball Stadium, 7 p.m.
Since losing 8-2 to Arizona State in the second game of the Season Kickoff tournament, SDSU pitchers have combined to allow two runs and 18 hits over the last 20 innings. Sophomore Dee Dee Hernandez earned two of the wins, throwing 10.2 innings with a 0.66 ERA and 0.96 WHIP. Senior outfielder Morgan DeBord leads LMU with a double, a triple, three home runs and 10 RBI.
Saturday, Feb. 18
Women’s Tennis at Long Beach State (2-0), noon
Long Beach State has notched wins against UC Riverside and UC San Diego, and will play at Loyola Marymount on Feb. 15 before facing the Aztecs. Junior Sarah Medik has the best individual record for the 49ers, posting a 11-6 mark while also going 2-0 at No. 1 singles. Junior Rhona Cook and sophomore Peppi Ramstedt are 5-0 as a doubles pair.
Men’s Tennis vs Utah (6-2), at LMU Tennis Center, noon
This will be the third straight season that SDSU has faced Utah in non-conference action. The two teams did not play from 2014-2020 when Utah left the Mountain West for the Pac-12 conference. Junior Franco Capalbo is 7-0 in singles matches this season, going 6-0 at No. 2, while the team of senior Patrik Trhac and freshman Berk Bugarikj are 5-2 at No.1 doubles.
Baseball at Arizona State, noon
“We want to play in a regional atmosphere and prepare us for the postseason as well,” head coach Mark Martinez said. “Going over to ASU is a great challenge, it’s a storied program and a great venue to play baseball.” Sophomore catcher Ryan Campos, junior infielder Ethan Long and sophomore designated hitter/infielder Jacob Tobias all earned Preseason All-Pac-12 selections for ASU. Sophomore Chris Canada is the expected starter for the Aztecs, he threw 44.0 innings last season with a 2-1 record in seven starts and 15 total appearances.
Women’s Basketball vs Wyoming (17-8, 10-4), Viejas Arena, 1 p.m.
San Diego State picked up a 73-66 win at Laramie on Jan. 21, and will have a chance to sweep the season series. The Cowgirls will be at New Mexico on Feb. 16 before they visit Viejas Arena. Wyoming has the second-best defense in the Mountain West, holding opponents to 61.2 points per game, and are the best in rebounding margin at plus-9.9 rebounds per game.
Softball vs No. 24/24 Oregon (3-2), SDSU Softball Stadium, 4 p.m.
Sophomore catcher Cali Decker launched the first SDSU home run of the season in the 5-4, 8-inning win over CSUN. Redshirt sophomore Mac Barbara blasted a grand slam, while sophomore A.J. Murphy and junior Jillian Celis also left the yard in the 11-1, 6-inning win over Northern Illinois. The Ducks have been led by fifth year infielder Allee Bunker, who was named one of the top 100 players nationally by both D1 Softball and Extra Inning Softball.
Softball vs Utah Valley (2-3), SDSU Softball Stadium, 6:30 p.m.
This will be the first ever meeting between San Diego State and Utah Valley; the Wolverines became a Division I program during 2004, and have been a member of the Western Athletic Conference since 2014. Utah Valley was picked to finish fifth in WAC Preseason Coaches Poll, redshirt sophomore infielder Megan Gibbs has two home runs and seven RBI to power their offense.
Sunday, Feb. 19
Baseball at Arizona State, 11:30 a.m.
San Diego State will start the season without sophomore outfielder Irvin Weems due to injury, he finished tied with junior catcher Poncho Ruiz and senior first baseman Brian Leonhardt for the team lead with five home runs. Redshirt junior Jonny Guzman is expected to get the start for SDSU, he made a team-high 23 appearances last season and held opponents to a .195 batting average, which was tied with redshirt sophomore Jadon Bercovich for best on the staff.
Lacrosse vs California (1-1), Aztec Lacrosse Field, noon
This is the first of four games the Aztecs will play against Pac-12 teams this season. The Golden Bears will face Stanford on the road on Feb. 15 before traveling down the coast to face San Diego State. Senior midfielder Maya Lawliss became the first ever University of California player to be named Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week as she notched eight goals over their first two games of the season.
Tuesday, Feb. 21
Baseball vs CSUN, Tony Gwynn Stadium, 6 p.m.
SDSU is 7-1 in home openers under head coach Martinez, and have won their last six. The Aztecs went 4-7 against Big West opponents last season, including dropping a 9-2 decision to CSUN on Wednesday, May 4, 2022. The Matadors were picked seventh in the Big West Preseason Coaches’ Poll, and will feature Preseason Coaches’ Team selections in junior pitcher Lucas Braun and junior outfielder Andrew Sojka.
No. 21/20 Men’s Basketball vs Colorado State (11-14, 3-9), Viejas Arena, 8 p.m.
The Aztecs are the only Mountain West team in either poll, although Nevada is currently receiving votes in both the AP Top 25 and USA Today Coaches Poll. The Rams will face Boise State on Feb. 15 and Fresno State on Feb. 18 before they travel to Viejas Arena. SDSU won the first meeting in Fort Collins 82-76 in overtime on Jan. 18. Senior guard Isaiah Stevens is fourth in the Mountain West, averaging 19.1 points per game.
