TURLOCK, Calif. — Stan State continues its eight-game home-stand this weekend, hosting Western Oregon in a four-game series at Warrior Baseball Field, Feb. 20-22. The set begins with a single game at 6 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 20, continues with a 1 p.m. doubleheader on Saturday, Feb. 21, and concludes with a noon single game on Sunday, Feb. 22. The Wolves enter the weekend with a 3-5 overall record and are an NCAA Division II member of the Great Northwest Athletic Conference.
Warriors Update
Stan State has opened the season 7-3 overall, hitting .307 as a team with 107 hits, 21 doubles, three triples, and nine home runs through 10 games. The Warriors have scored 67 runs and driven in 63 while slugging .463 as a club. The lineup has shown depth from top to bottom, drawing 27 walks and adding 11 stolen bases, averaging 6.7 runs per game in the early going.
On the mound, Warrior pitching owns a 3.24 team ERA across 86.0 innings, limiting opponents to a .236 batting average. Stan State has allowed 31 earned runs while striking out 64 batters and collecting three saves. The staff has combined solid starting performances with steady bullpen work, helping secure seven wins in the first 10 contests.
Balanced Attack Setting the Tone
Kian Sanchez has powered the offense, batting .568 with 21 hits, three doubles, a triple, a home run, and a team-best .784 slugging percentage. Mason Kelley leads the team with 13 RBIs and two home runs, while AJ Carter has driven in 12 runs. Zach Lewis paces the squad with seven doubles and is hitting .349, and Korey Likens has scored 11 runs to go along with his .333 average.
Hitting Streaks and Offensive Trends
The Warriors have totaled 32 multiple-hit games this season, led by Kian Sanchez with seven and AJ Carter with five. Korey Likens and Zach Lewis have four multiple-hit games each, while Mason Kelley has three. Carter leads the team with four multiple-RBI games, with Kelley adding three and Sanchez and Lewis recording two apiece. Sanchez has produced a team-best nine-game hitting streak, while Lewis and Kelley each have five-game hitting streaks. Sanchez and Kelley have reached base safely in all 10 games this season, and Likens carries a nine-game reached-base streak, highlighting the consistency throughout the lineup.
Depth and Production on the Mound
Austin Balentine headlines the pitching staff with a 3-0 record and a 1.12 ERA over 16.0 innings, while Pierce Sailer owns a 0.90 ERA in four appearances. Eli Blurton has recorded 11 strikeouts in 8.0 innings of work, and Herman Luna has added a 1.17 ERA in relief. As a staff, the Warriors have limited big innings, surrendered just two home runs, and consistently worked to keep opposing offenses in check through the first stretch of the season.
Movin' On Up:
After his first three starts of the season, senior Austin Balentine has continued to climb the Stan State record book. Balentine has moved into a tie for ninth place on the Warriors' all-time wins list with 18 career victories and now ranks 10th in program history with 146 career strikeouts. He is tied with Dave Butler (18 wins) and sits just behind Gene Oliver (19) and Tyler Murphy (19), while also trailing Andrew Stueve (20), Louie Souza (23), Terry Rodger (26), Marquis Fleming (28), Peter Maldonado (29), and all-time wins leader Jeff Blobaum (41). In strikeouts, Marquis Fleming (2005–08) continues to hold the program record with 292 career punchouts.
About Western Oregon
Western Oregon enters the weekend hitting .258 as a team with 65 hits, nine doubles, and five home runs through eight games. The Wolves opened their season with a four-game road series at Fresno Pacific before traveling to Chico State, where they dropped three of four games by scores of 10-6, 10-1, and 5-4 before earning a 4-1 victory in the series finale. Offensively, WOU is led by Zane Garvey (.355, four doubles) and Chris Arce (.346), while Alex Harden is batting .310 with a team-high two home runs and six RBIs. On the mound, the Wolves own a 5.72 team ERA over 61.1 innings with 46 strikeouts, highlighted by Wyatt Rosales (2-0, 1.64 ERA) and Ayden Holker (1-0, 1.64 ERA), who have combined for 22.0 innings of work.
Season Series vs. WOU:
Western Oregon leads the all-time series 8-4 since 2008. The two teams split their four-game series in both 2012 and 2013, and they last met in 2022 when the Wolves won three of the four contests.
Listen and Watch
All four games of the series will be streamed live on FloCollege. Stan State home games can also be heard on BlueChip Broadcasting, with Bryan Nelson providing the play-by-play.
Up Next
After this weekend, Stan State travels to Chico State for a three-game non-conference series at Nettleton Stadium, beginning Friday, Feb. 27, and continuing with a Saturday doubleheader.
CCAA play begins the following weekend as the Warriors open conference action at home against Cal State East Bay with a four-game series at Warrior Baseball Field, March 6–8. The conference opener is scheduled for Friday night, followed by a Saturday doubleheader and a Sunday finale.
