Printer-friendly version
Aztecs will once again host Mountain West Championship next May
Source: goaztecs.com
Photo courtesy goaztecs.com
September 28, 2021 (San Diego) - San Diego State baseball head coach Mark Martinez has unveiled the team’s 2022 schedule, featuring a 55-game docket with 32 home dates at Tony Gwynn Stadium. In addition to the seventh annual Tony Gwynn Legacy, the Aztecs will play host to the Mountain West Championship from May 26-29.
In all, SDSU will play 15 games against five opponents that qualified for NCAA Regionals in 2021, including defending MW champion Nevada, Arizona State, Grand Canyon UC Irvine and TCU. Of the Aztecs’ 17 different opponents on their 2022 schedule, 12 teams posted a winning record during the 2021 campaign, while 10 schools finished among the top 100 in the final NCAA RPI rankings last spring.
SDSU opens the season at the MLB4 Tournament over the weekend of Feb. 18-20 at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick in Scottsdale Arizona, the spring training home of the Colorado Rockies and Arizona Diamondbacks. In addition to the Aztecs, the three-day event includes TCU, California and Houston.
Following a quick trip to UC Irvine for a Tuesday night clash on Feb. 22, San Diego State will play 20 of its ensuing 27 games at home, including the seventh annual Tony Gwynn Legacy over the weekend of Feb. 25-27, with the Aztecs’ three opponents still to be determined. After wrapping up the tournament, SDSU continues its busy stretch with back-to-back evening games vs. Hawai’i and UCI, Feb. 28-March 1.
Shortly thereafter, the Aztecs welcome Arizona State to “America’s Finest City” March 4-6, marking the return of former associate head coach/pitching coach Sam Peraza, who joined the Sun Devils’ staff last summer. In addition, SDSU opens Mountain West play against UNLV the following week March 11-13 before locking horns with Big Ten member Iowa on March 15.
The Scarlet and Black heads north to the Bay Area for its next series to battle San José State March 18-20 before returning to the county on March 22 for a single engagement with UC San Diego in La Jolla. SDSU then closes out the month with a home set against Fresno State March 25-27, while UCSD returns to pay a midweek visit to The Mesa on March 29.
As the calendar flips pages, the Aztecs will make the first of their three remaining regular-season road trips outside California April 1-3 when they travel to the Silver State to face Nevada. Upon returning home, a midweek game with Long Beach State awaits SDSU on April 5, before the Aztecs renew acquaintances with San José State at Tony Gwynn Stadium April 8-10.
San Diego State will play two games against USD six days apart on April 12 (away) and April 18 (home), sandwiched around a conference series with New Mexico April 14-16 in Albuquerque. Following its second clash with the Toreros, the Scarlet and Black will head back to La Jolla for another crosstown battle at UCSD on April 19.
The Aztecs close out the month with a non-conference home set against Grand Canyon April 22-24, before hitting the road to face Long Beach State (April 26) and Fresno State (April 29-May 1).
Unlike last year when San Diego State played its final nine contests on the road, the Aztecs conclude their regular-season slate with eight of their last 11 games at Tony Gwynn Stadium. SDSU will battle UCSD for the fourth and final time in 2022 on May 3 before playing host to CSUN in a rare Wednesday game the following night on May 4.
For the remainder of the month, the Aztecs will square off against conference opponents, including their lone set against Air Force May 6-8, followed by another potentially pivotal series on The Mesa with Nevada May 13-15. SDSU then heads to Sin City to battle UNLV in their final three games of the regular season May 19-21.
After a one-year hiatus, the Mountain West Championship returns this season and will be conducted at Tony Gwynn Stadium, May 26-28. The top four teams in the MW regular-season standings will qualify for the double elimination tournament, with the winner receiving an automatic berth into NCAA regional competition. NCAA Regionals will be held June 3-5.
SDSU has hosted the MW Championship on four previous occasions, most recently after the 2018 season when the Aztecs claimed their fifth conference crown in a six-year span.
In addition to its regular-season slate, SDSU will also battle two opponents during the fall, playing host to UCSD in a doubleheader at Tony Gwynn Stadium on Nov. 6 before traveling to Long Beach State for another twin bill on Nov. 20.
San Diego State was the lone team in the Mountain West to record at least 30 victories in 2021, finishing with a 30-16 overall record and a second-place mark of 22-14 in conference play. The Aztecs claimed series victories in 12 of 15 weeks and were the only MW team to play all 36 games on their original league schedule.
Recent comments