The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Blazers Meet Aztecs Thursday Night To Open SDSU Invitational
3/11/2010 12:00:00β―AM | Baseball
March 11, 2010
Game Notes 
| Thursday Gametracker | Watch Live (Free)
SAN DIEGO, Calif. -- The UAB baseball team opens the San Diego State Invitational on Thursday at 6 p.m. PT (8 p.m. CT), continuing its non-conference slate against the host Aztecs at Tony Gwynn Stadium.
The Blazers will be squaring off with San Diego State for the first time in program history, as will be the case when UAB meets San Diego on Friday (2 p.m. PT), San Francisco on Saturday (2 p.m. PT) and Cal State Fullerton on Sunday (11 a.m. PT) at the four-day tournament.
Fans can follow each of the Blazers' contests through Gametracker live stats at uabsports.com, while a free video stream of Thursday's game against San Diego State will be available at goaztecscs.com, the official site of San Diego State Athletics.
UAB (7-3) enters the tournament with wins in seven of its past eight games, coming off a 12-1 victory over Alabama A&M on Tuesday as the team wrapped up a nine-game homestand. Thursday's game against San Diego State will be UAB's first away from Young Memorial Field since the season opener Feb. 23 at Mississippi State.
Freshman John Frost, recently named the Conference USA Co-Hitter of the Week, continues to lead UAB offensively with a .405 batting average, including a .588 mark over the past four games. Catcher Digger Towe tops the Blazers in the power categories with three home runs (two in the past four games) and 14 RBI. As a team, UAB has hit .349 over the past five games to raise its batting average from .222 to .285.
The Blazer pitching staff, which owns a 4.11 ERA, will send right-hander Mitch Kloskowski to the mound Thursday against the Aztecs. Coming off an injury in 2009, Kloskowski made his first start of the season March 3 against Kennesaw State and earned the win by holding the Owls to one run over five innings while striking out six.
San Diego State (5-7) counters with right-hander Addison Reed, who saved 20 games as the Aztecs' closer last season. This year, Reed has moved into the starting rotation and owns a 2-1 record with a 3.20 ERA. He has struck out 23 batters and walked five in 19 and two-thirds innings.
At the plate, first baseman Jomel Torres leads San Diego State with a .344 batting average and a .512 on-base percentage. Outfielders Brandon Meredith and Cory Vaughn each own a pair of home runs, while Meredith and catcher Matt Parker top the team with 11 RBI. The Aztecs, which have won five of their past eight games after opening the year 0-4, are hitting .261 as a team.
This week's tournament marks UAB's fourth trip West over the past four seasons. The Blazers played in 2007 at Arizona State, in 2008 at Hawaii and Hawaii-Hilo and in 2009 at the QTI Baylor Classic.
Friday's opponent, San Diego, comes into the tournament at 6-7 on the year and led offensively by outfielder James Meador with a .340 batting average, two home runs and 11 RBI. The Toreros are scheduled to send left-hander Sammy Solis (2-1, 2.93 ERA) to the mound Friday against UAB righty Ryan Woolley (0-1, 5.68 ERA).
San Francisco, the Blazers' Saturday opponent, is 7-6 after posting back-to-back shutout wins over Cal State Bakersfield. Infielder Stephen Yarrow, who is hitting .306, leads the Dons with five home runs and 11 RBI. The San Francisco pitching staff owns a 3.32 ERA and will start left-hander Matt Lujan (1-1, 5.87 ERA) Saturday against UAB lefty Shay Crawford (0-0, 3.18 ERA).
UAB closes the event Sunday against a Cal State Fullerton team that has been ranked the entire season and checks in at No. 26 in this week's National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Poll. The Titans are 4-6 so far and feature infielder Gary Brown's .478 batting average, two home runs and eight RBI. Fullerton is slated to throw right-hander Kyle Mertins (0-0, 0.00 ERA) Sunday against UAB right-hander Beau Pender (1-0, 2.51 ERA).
