By Rauiri McCann

SDSU baseball has started the season hot, winning six of their first nine games. This has been in large part due to their strong offense and powerful pitching. The top offensive players include:

Chase Calabuig, Matt Rudick, and Jordan Verdon.

Senior, Chase Calabuig, has been the power of the offense, slashing .333/.405/.611. He leads the team in doubles (4), home runs (2), RBIs (7), and total bases (22).

New to the team, Matt Rudick, has made a big impression is his first nine games as an Aztec. He has started his collegiate baseball career slashing .414/.469/.483. He is tied for the team lead in hits (12) and triples (1).

Junior, Jordan Verdon, has provided a solid bat in the middle of the lineup for the Aztecs so far. He is slashing .273/.342/.424, with three doubles, 6 RBIs, and a team leading three Hit By Pitches.

Perhaps the main reason the Aztecs are 6-3 to start the season is because of their pitching. The top pitchers include: Jacob Erickson, Adrian Mardueno, Jorge Fernandez, and Garrett Hill.

Jacob Erickson has been one of the go to men out of the bullpen for Mark Martinez, and Erickson has not let him down so far. He has a 2.53 ERA in 10.2 IP, with 12 strikeouts and a batting average against of .225.

Adrian Mardueno has been another go-to for Martinez, appearing in five of the Aztec’s nine games. He has pitched to an astounding 0.00 ERA in 5 innings, with 8 strikeouts and a batting average against of .235.

Jorge Fernandez has lived up to the expectations of closer, receiving saves in two of the six wins. He has dominated with his electric stuff, pitching to a 1.12 ERA in 8 innings of work. He has 9 strikeouts and a batting average against of .172.

So far, Garrett Hill has been the teams top starter, with a 3.00 ERA through 9 innings in his first two starts of the year. He has sent down 15 batters via the strikeout, dominating lineups with a .250 batting average against.

The Aztecs have a young team full of potential this season, making them favorites to repeat as Mountain West Champions. With the first two weeks of the season down, the Aztecs have proven they are not a team to mess with this year.