Spartans stats on the mound as of March 26, 2011

Roberto Padilla: (WAC pitcher of the week during March) (JC transfer, first year in Division I)

2011 Season Stats

4-1 W-L (team high in Wins)

2.35 Earned Run Avg. (best among SJSU starters)

38 1/3 Innings pitched (team high)

29 Strikouts (team high)

.212 (opponents batting average)

3 Complete Games (team high)

Blake McFarland: (2011 WAC preseason pitcher of the year) (JC transfer from SBCC last season)

2011 season stats

3-0 W-L

3.52 Earned Run Average

30 2/3 Innings pitched

23 Strikeouts

.277 (opp. AVG)

8 BB

Eric LaBaron: (Senior)(JC Transfer from Marin)

2011 Season Stats

1-0 W-L

0.90 ERA

10 Innings pitched

6 strikeouts

.143 (opp. AVG)

7 BB

SJSU offensive leaders as of March 26, 2011

1B Danny Stienstra: (SR)
Stienstra's return to form has turned what looked to be an average offensive team into what has proven to be much better. His .373 average leads the team, as do his eight doubles and 19 RBIs. Stienstra also hasn't committed an error at first base in 179 attempts and has only struck out twice in 83 at-bats.
2B Jake Valdez: (FR)
Valdez wasn't on the lineup card on opening day and didn't start until SJSU hosted Albany on Feb. 23.
His two hits that night were a prelude to what he has done all season since earning Piraro's favor. Valdez has the second best average on the team at .370 and boasts a .460 on-base percentage. Five errors on the young season is the only thing keeping Valdez from being the everyday second baseman for the remainder of the year.
SS/UTIL Zack Jones: (SO)
Piraro still is trying to figure how to best utilize Jones' vertile talents. It's a nice problem to have as Jones is hitting .361 with two homeruns and 13 RBIs while posting a 2.65 ERA in 17 innings on the hill. His stuff is electric, evidence by 23 strikeouts in 17 innings, but Jones walks are the cause of most of his long innings as he needs to cut down on the 11 he has issued thus far.
OF Craig Hertler: (SR)
Hertler was another Spartan who wasn't considered an everyday guy until his bat started to think differently. He has established himself as SJSU's  leadoff hitter with a .355 average and .467 ob-base percentage. He's also been hit by a team hight six piches, stole five bases in six attemps and hasn't committed and error in 22 chances.
Nice Surprises:
Andrew Rodriguez: 17 at-bats, .353 AVG, 5-5 SB (team high), .577 OBP (team high), 9 BB (team high)
Caleb Natov: 34 at-bats, .344 AVG, 1 HR, 7 RBI

Spartans stand at 14-6 with conference play approaching

With just more than a week left to go before WAC play begins, the Spartans have leveled off a bit after an 8-1 start to the season.
Since their 4-2 win over Santa Clara on March 4, the Spartans have managed a 6-5 record while enduring their longest losing streak of the season (3).
After SJSU took the first game from Santa Clara, the Broncos strormed back by taking the final two games, limiting SJSU to a total of five runs in the two losses.
The Spartans' third loss in a row came two days later to Pacific in 13 innings, as SJSU botched a 6-1 lead in the 11-10 defeat.
The 13 inning defeat at Pacific spurred a four game winning spree for the Spartans who responded by defeating Wisconsin Milwaukee twice, while taking games from UC Davis and Utah during the two day Jack Gifford memorial tournament.
SJSU's winning streak was abrubly halted by a hot USF team who dismantled the Spartans 10-0 in their March 15 contest. It was the first time SJSU had been held without a run all season.
Inclement weather washed out the start of the Spartans trip to Seattle, but once play resumed SJSU was able to take two out of three on the road-trip.
SJSU won 6-5 and 9-5 in the first two games, dropping the final contest 6-2 in a shortened seven inning game.
Once the rain stops, SJSU is set to play UC Davis for a three game set. Roberto Padilla (4-1, 2.35 ERA) and Blake McFarland (3-0, 3.52 ERA) are both likely to throw during the series versus the Aggies. SJSU has already beaten UC Davis twice on the young season.

SJSU bounces back after first loss of season to top St. Mary's 5-2

Tuesday's 5-2 win against St. Mary's put SJSU at 7-1 for the year and saw an assortment of arms combine to hold the Gael's to one earned run.
Five Spartan pitchers contributed to the victory, as Estaban Guzman, John Austin, D.J. Slaton and Eric LaBaron each pitched two innings without allowing an earned run.
Zack Jones came on in the ninth for SJSU and allowed a run on an RBI-single to pinch-hitter Riley Heinzer.
Slaton picked up the win in relief and struck out four in just two innings of work for his first collegiate victory.
Leadoff hitter Andrew Rodriguez walked three times and had a hit in his first Spartans start while freshman second baseman Jake Valdez stayed hot with another 1-for-2 performance to go along with an RBI.
SJSU will begin a three game series with Santa Clara on Friday and will likely send WAC Preseason Pitcher of the Year Blake McFarland to the hill for the first game.
WAC Picher of the Week Roberto Padilla (2-0) will aim for his third win of the year on Saturday.
Santa Clara was swept to open the season by defending national champion South Carolina to open the year but bounced back with a four-game sweep of Albany. They stand at 4-4 for the year after losing 8-4 to Stanford on Tuesday.

San Jose State splits final two games with No. 1 UCLA to win weekend series

Just eight games into the 2011 season, SJSU already has the makings of a formidable front-end of the rotation and enough offense to hang with the big boys of college baseball.
For the second weekend in a row strong starting pitching paced the Spartans, this time on their road trip to UCLA where they won the first two games of a three game set.
Starter Roberto Padilla earned his second victory of they season with a complete game on Saturday, going the distance and allowing just three runs to the Bruins.
WAC Preseason Pitcher of the Year Blake McFarland followed up by pitching five innings in the victory on Sunday in SJSU's 8-3 win, marking the Spartans' sixth straight win to open 2011.
Freshman reliever Johnny Melero replaced McFarland in the sixth and worked three scoreless innings for SJSU before giving way to Zack Jones in the ninth.
SJSU scored eight runs on 10 hits, courtesy in part to Danny Stienstra who was 3-for-5 on the day with 2 RBIs. Stienstra leads the team after seven games with five RBI.
Hertler was 2-for-3 with a walk while Jason Martin entered the game as a reserve and finished 2-for-3 with an RBI. Senior Kerry Jenkins also added two RBIs on a double for SJSU.
Possibly the most impressive aspect of SJSU's offensive output was the fact that they did it against UCLA pitcher Gerit Cole who was a Preseason All-American. The Spartans tagged Cole for five runs in just 5 1/3 innings of work, a statline Cole hasn't had that often while playing for the Bruins.
The Bruins took out their frustrations in the final game by pounding out 22 hits on the way to a 12-2 route of the Spartans. Dean Espy had 4 RBI for UCLA while Cody Regis and Cody Keefer finished with three hits a piece.
Martin accounted for all of the Spartans' scoring with a two-run single but finished 1-for-4.
Spartans (6-1) host Saint Mary's on Tuesday as part of a make-up game after the rains washed out some of opening weekend.