Game #20 & 21
ART U Urban Knights (9-9, 2-2 PacWest) vs. FPU Sunbirds (7-11, 1-2 PacWest)
Friday, March 17, 2023 at 2 & 5 p.m.
Fresno, Calif. – FPU Diamond
Live Stats | Live Video

Game #22 & 23
ART U Urban Knights (9-9, 2-2 PacWest) vs. FPU Sunbirds (7-11, 1-2 PacWest)
Saturday, March 18, 2023 at noon & 3 p.m.
Fresno, Calif. – FPU Diamond
Live Stats | Live Video

SPLITSVILLE
Standing at 9-9 on the season after opening the Pacific West Conference portion of its schedule at 2-2 thanks to a series split with Holy Names, Academy of Art baseball now takes to the road as the ART U heads south to Fresno where the Urban Knights will face the Sunbirds in a four-game conference set beginning on Friday. 

FIRST PITCH
Rainy weather early in the week caused field conditions to be unplayable today, so this four-game series will now take place as two doubleheaders with Friday's pair set for 2 and 5 p.m., while the series concludes with another double day on Saturday beginning at noon and 3 p.m. Remember to follow @ARTU_Knights via the athletics app (Apple App Store, Google Play Store) and on Twitter & Instagram, as well as "Like" the Urban Knights on Facebook for score updates, videos, and recaps.

KNIGHTS' QUEST
While Holy Names won each of the first two games in the first PacWest series of the season for both teams, Academy of Art was able to rally and win the final two games, which included a walk-off win in game three while a solid all-around performance propelled ART U to the series split with the Hawks. Pitching was the theme of the doubleheader during games two and three, as while a pair of runs scored a win for HNU in game two, ART U then had the exciting walk-off win in game three after forcing the pressure on the Hawks' defense which led to the game-winning run scoring on an error. Riding the momentum of the walk-off, the Knights kept it going in the series finale they staked an early lead that they never relented, earning a split in their first PacWest series of the year thanks to a 5-3 victory on a wet and rainy Sunday at Laney College. Having already played six games against each other, splitting them 3-3 with each winning one of the solo non-conference contests over the past couple weeks, that will leave the winner of the regular season's final game between the two teams to decide the season series winner. 

It was an 0-3 start to the 2023 season for Academy of Art despite scoring a total of 16 runs (twice scoring six runs in a game), dropping the season opener against Stanislaus State before dropping both games against Sonoma State after rain shortened the series from three games down to two. The first wins of the season followed as they secured exciting solo victories over Fresno Pacific and Central Washington (both non-conference) thanks to home runs in consecutive games from redshirt junior catcher Liam Rizzo, though they were then limited to taking just the middle contest of three against Cal State East Bay. Continuing the stretch was Holy Names and Simpson, as the Hawks took the first matchup of the season with continued offense while Simpson won the only currently completed game of what was supposed to be another three-game series. 

Following that period, Academy of Art was victorious in each of their past four games starting with another solo contest against Holy Names, that this time the Knights got the better of by a 5-2 final to level the season series prior to the duo opening conference play against each other. Rolling into the weekend, rain forced some flexibility into what was originally scheduled as a four-game series, but even still there were three games completed with ART U taking all three in comeback fashion. A four-run sixth inning helped a 5-3 win in the opener, ART U battled through a Menlo six-run first in the middle game to win 12-9, and then closed the series with a four-run inning late combined with a brilliant relief appearance from junior right-hander Koh Maeda leading to a 5-4 victory. 

Just a day later, Maeda was tabbed as the PacWest Pitcher of the Week on March 6, as he held the Menlo bats to just three scattered hits over seven scoreless innings while picking up his second victory of the year in the series finale. This is the first weekly award for Maeda both this season and in his career, though it is the second weekly award by an Urban Knight this season as he joins senior outfielder Hayato Niki who was named the PacWest Player of the Week on Feb. 20. It is the third consecutive year that ART U has had multiple PacWest weekly awards and at least one PacWest Pitcher of the Week. 

KNIGHT WATCH
Though it has since ended, graduate student outfielder Landon Levine had extended his team-best hitting streak to 10 games while his reached bases safely streak made it to 12 games, and he continues to lead the team (among those who qualify) in batting average (.333, 22-for-66), OPS (.991), slugging percentage (.545), hits (22), runs scored (18), doubles (five), home runs (three), RBI (22) and total bases (36). Additionally, he is a perfect 9-for-9 in stolen base attempts, and his 22 runs driven in are just two shy of the ART U single season top-10 list (aided by his nine-game RBI streak to begin the year), while the slugging percentage is on-pace to top the ART U record of .538 set by current ART U assistant coach Elijah Smith. 

Tied in average though with different numbers are the duo of senior outfielder Hayato Niki and graduate student outfielder Travis Turney, as they are locked at .292 from the dish with Niki going 19-for-65 (second-most hits on ART U) with 16 runs scored (also second-most), four doubles, and four RBI. Meanwhile, Turney has gone 14-for-48, smacking five doubles (tied with Levine and freshman shortstop Gabe Henderson for most on ART U) and scoring 14 runs with 12 driven in. Posting the second-most RBI on the squad is redshirt junior catcher Liam Rizzo, who has driven in 18 on the year with six coming on a pair of three-run homers in consecutive games earlier this season, tying him for second on the team in homers along with sophomore third baseman Emil Jellinek. 

From the hill, junior righty Koh Maeda has collected the most wins on the team by logging a 3-1 record with his 3.55 ERA (10 earned runs in 25.1 innings pitched), which is the second-lowest mark on ART U. That is in addition to his 1.26 WHIP, and he has fanned 12 with seven walks. Just behind him in wins is fellow junior righty Devan Quesada, who has posted a 2-1 record with a 4.71 ERA (15 earned runs in 28.2 innings pitched) and 1.12 WHIP (team lead among those who qualify), punching out an ART U-best 24 hitters while walking 10. Matching Quesada's win total while posting the best ERA on the team is junior right-hander Fernando Dueñas, who is also 2-1 to go along with a team-best three saves and has just a 2.42 ERA (six earned runs in 22.1 innings pitched) to go with a 1.34 WHIP and 22 strikeouts. The last Urban Knight to allow an unearned run was junior lefty Robert Perez, as though that streak ended he still has allowed just one earned in 6.0 innings pitched (1.50 ERA). 

SUNDOWN ON THE SUNBIRDS
Initially ranked as one of the top 10 teams in the NCAA Division II West Region and starting the year 3-1 thanks to a series win over Western Oregon, Fresno Pacific has won just four of its last 14 games and now stands at 9-11 on the season, which includes a 1-2 in PacWest play after dropping the opening series in their most recent set against Biola. Seemingly defying statistics, both Fresno Pacific and their opponents are batting .268 (156-for-582) with 26 doubles through 18 games in the season, though FPU has scored just 88 runs (4.9 per game) to the 95 of their opponents (5.3 per game). Four Sunbirds are hitting above the .300 mark led by Koutarou Matsumaru, who is batting .397 (27-for-68) with 17 runs scored, 14 driven in, three homers and a 1.103 OPS, all of which are team highs. Meanwhile, Andrew Valdez is 23-for-64 (.359) with 10 runs scored and a team-high six doubles, and Tommy Rover is batting .345 (20-for-58) with 15 runs scored and nine batted in. From the mound, Garrett Cooper is the only pitcher that qualifies in terms of counted stats, logging a 2-1 record in five starts to go with a 1.07 ERA (four earned runs in 33.2 innings) and 0.67 WHIP, striking out a team-high 37 and walking just five. The most wins on the team belongs to Brady Crow and his 3-1 record, making nine relief appearances and posting a 4.50 ERA (five earned runs in 10.0 innings) and a 1.60 WHIP. Academy of Art got the better of Fresno Pacific in the earlier non-conference matchup this season and has won two straight over FPU, but the Sunbirds lead the all-time series 39-17.  

5-3 WIN FOR ACADEMY OF ART SPLITS SERIES WITH HAWKS
Riding the momentum of a walk-off win in the second half of yesterday's doubleheader, Academy of Art kept it going into the series finale with Holy Names as ART U staked an early lead that they never relented, earning a split in their first Pacific West Conference series of the year thanks to a 5-3 victory on a wet and rainy Sunday at Laney College. 

ON THIS DAY
On March 16, 2019, Academy of Art swept a doubleheader against Holy Names thanks to a pair of walk-off victories, the first of which came on an RBI single by Angel Mora for a 3-2 win in 10 innings before Justin Summers launched a leadoff solo homer in the bottom of the seventh for a 2-1 victory in game two ... On March 17, 2022, the Urban Knights prevailed in a 13-inning clash with Fresno Pacific 8-7, scoring twice in the top of the 13th while the pitching duo of Ryan Skillman (win) and Collin Carriger (save) helped limit the FPU bats towards the end to preserve the victory ... On March 18, 2017, offense reigned supreme in a doubleheader sweep over Hawaii Pacific, combining for 17 runs on 19 hits while earning a 5-3 victory in game one and a 12-7 decision in game two. 

LOOKING AHEAD
Academy of Art next takes a road trip further south, extending down into Southern California where ART U will battle against Biola in a four-game PacWest series beginning on Friday, March 24.