Game #5
ART U Urban Knights (1-3) vs. SF State Gators (0-0)
Saturday, February 11, 2017 at 1 p.m.
Oakland, Calif. – Laney College
Live Stats

Games #6 & 7
ART U Urban Knights (1-3) vs. SF State Gators (0-0)
Sunday, February 12, 2017 at Noon & 3 p.m.
Oakland, Calif. – Laney College
Live Stats

Game #8
ART U Urban Knights (1-3) vs. Sonoma State Seawolves (0-0)
Tuesday, February 14, 2017 at 6 p.m.
Oakland, Calif. – Laney College
Live Stats
 
RAIN PRODUCES MORE HOME GAMES FOR ACADEMY OF ART
Following their opening series with Cal State East Bay, ART U baseball now looks ahead to a weekend series with SF State and single game hosting Sonoma State early next week. Though the series had originally featured two games at SF State and one at the Urban Knights' home field of Laney College, inclement weather has changed all to be played at Laney's turf field.
 
FIRST PITCH
The Knights and Gators will play a three-game series across two days with the opener this Saturday, Feb. 11 at 1 p.m. ART U then faces SF State twice on Sunday, Feb. 12 with a nine-inning and seven-inning doubleheader starting at noon. Academy of Art then hosts Sonoma State on Tuesday, Feb. 14 at 6 p.m. All games will now be played at Laney College. Live coverage will be available at the links listed above, but as always, you can follow the Urban Knights on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
 
KNIGHTS OF KNOTE
Exiting the first series of the year, junior infielder Brennan Mauchline leads ART U with six runs batted in, four of which came on his Feb. 4 grand slam. Sophomore third baseman Gio Villanueva leads the team with a .400 batting average plus two driven in while senior infielder Erick Luna reached base in each of the four games and is hitting .375 (6-for-16) with a team-best seven total bases. On the mound, senior Brett Bovee (1-0) threw 7.0 innings with two runs allowed and four strikeouts in his only start while junior Alex Fernandez (0-1) paces the team with a 2.45 earned run average after allowing one run in 3.2 relief innings.
 
GATORS CHOMPING AT THE BIT
Coming off a season that saw the most wins (23) since 2005, SF State had its season opener with Sonoma State rained out and will now begin 2017 with this weekend's series at ART U. The Gators, who are guided by second-year head coach Tony Schifano, return a core of three senior All-CCAA Team honorees in Bryce Brooks, Myles Franklin, and Chris Nicholson, who each hit over .270 with 20 or more runs batted in apiece. SFSU's 4.23 earned run average was the third lowest in over 20 years by a Gator pitching contingent and eight members of that squad return, highlighted by starter Matthew Hernandez who went 3-4 with a 3.77 ERA through eight starts and 43.0 innings. The Gators are picked to finish tied for fifth place in the CCAA North Division. In five historical meetings, SF State is 4-1 versus Academy of Art.

GETTING TO KNOW NOMA
Sonoma State as 21-27 and just over .500 in conference play last season, finishing fourth in the California Collegiate Athletic Association North Division. The Seawolves return two of their best hitters from that run in Daniel Caresio and Matthew Richards, both All-CCAA Team honorees, along with lefty starter Matt Hammonds who posted a 4-3 record plus a 3.13 ERA with 38 strikeouts in 54.2 innings. SSU will face SF State on Monday, Feb. 13 prior to next week's game at ART U. Historically, Sonoma State is 4-2 all-time against the Urban Knights after ART U defeated them twice in 2016.

PREVIOUS SERIES: KNIGHTS TAKE SEASON OPENER, GO 1-3 AGAINST EAST BAY
Beginning their 2017 quest on Feb. 2, Academy of Art baseball used a strong first start by Bovee, two clean relief innings, and timely hitting to secure the 4-2 victory over Cal State East Bay. The Knights and Pioneers then battled late into the night on Feb. 3, eventually settling a 6-5 CSUEB win in the 10th inning. As the series switched over to Hayward on Feb. 4, the Pioneers were able to take home the two-game sweep despite the Urban Knights mounting a comeback in each contest.

LOOKING AHEAD
Finishing off what will now be 10 of its first 12 games at home, ART U baseball hosts Central Washington in a four-game series over two days, beginning Friday, Feb. 24.