Aztecs sophomore outfielder Jaden Fein off to a hot start with the bat in the first two weekends of play.
One of the rites of passage for San Diego State baseball players when they come to campus as freshmen is standing up in front of their teammates in the locker room and singing a solo of the school’s fight song.
SDSU head coach Mark Martinez had an additional request for Jaden Fein when he heard the outfielder played the guitar.
“He told me to make a song,” Fein said. “That was absolutely terrifying. I’m not used to performing in front of other people, especially my teammates as a freshman.
“I learned the song, practiced it all night beforehand. I kind of blacked out when I did it. I don’t even remember singing the song.”
The coach was nevertheless.
“He brought it and sang it,” Martinez said. “He’s very good at playing guitar.”
As good as he is strumming a guitar, Fein is even better swinging a bat.
He earned back-to-back Mountain West Player of the Week awards for his performance over the season’s first two weeks.
Fein, a 6-foot-3 sophomore from Simi Valley, comes into this weekend’s Mountain West-opening series against Fresno State (2-2) batting .529 (18-for-34) with 14 RBIs in seven games for the Aztecs (5-2).
He was Baseball America’s preseason prediction as Mountain West Player of the Year, so Fein was not exactly an unknown coming into the season.
Still, such a torrid start to the season was a pleasant surprise.
“I usually do not start hot at all,” Fein said. “I usually find my stride kind of midway through the year, so this is new for me.
“Starting with a positive mindset helped a lot and preseason accolades gave me a lot of confidence, too. Riding those two waves helped a lot.”
Martinez said Fein has been aided by having some hot hitters around him in guys like DH Brian Leonhardt (.433, 14 RBIs) and first baseman Jacob Cruce (.355, 9 RBIs).
“Those guys have done a really good job of creating pressure in order to put Jaden in good position getting pitches to hit,” Martinez said. “It’s really hard to pitch
around a guy who’s really good when you’ve got people on base or a threat to score.
“Usually he’s strong enough and big enough to get the ball over the infield or through the infield for a base knock.”
Fein and the Aztecs will be tested against Fresno State, which was picked for second place behind SDSU in a preseason coaches poll.
Conference play arrived quickly because of an abbreviated nonconference schedule (just seven games) and expanded conference slate
(36 games). It also will have added significance. The regular season winner will receive the MW’s automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament since there will be no postseason conference tournament. Although SDSU has been very successful at the conference tournament — winning five times in seven years — the Aztecs haven’t won a regular season title since 2004.
The teams open the three-game series at Tony Gwynn Stadium with a doubleheader on Saturday, then conclude things with Sunday’s finale.
While fans aren’t allowed, they can follow games on the Mountain West Network at goaztecs.com.
Maybe one of these games Fein could get out the guitar for the national anthem.
“He hasn’t brought out the Jimi Hendrix solos yet,” Martinez said. “I’m pretty sure he does have an electric guitar. He could do that for us.”
UC San Diego meets USD
UC San Diego continued its tour of San Diego with a four-game series against USD (3-3) that began with Thursday night’s game at Fowler Park.
USD catch Shane McGuire hit a two-run homer in the first inning and scored three runs at UC San Diego to get things started for the Toreros, who won 12-4 at Triton Ballpark.
USD senior right-hander Jake Miller allowed three hits and one earned run over the first five innings as the Toreros built an 8-2 lead midway through the game.
USD has won three of four, including two of three games last week against Cal
State Fullerton.
The series continues with a game today at USD, followed by games Saturday and Sunday at UCSD.
PLNU gets started
Point Loma Nazarene, ranked No. 9 in the nation in Division II, opens the season this weekend with a fourgame series against Vanguard.
The Sea Lions (9-8 overall, 3-1 PacWest in 2020) lost just three players from last year’s team and return five seniors who decided to stick around and use the extra year of eligibility they were offered after most of the 2020 season was canceled amid the pandemic.
The starting pitching returns intact, led by 2019 PacWest Pitcher of the Year Zack Noll, a senior lefty who is 12-3 over the past two seasons with a 3.08 ERA and 136 strikeouts over 108 innings. The team’s top seven hitters are back, led by senior INF Brett O’Toole (.314, 2 HR, 10 RBIs), junior OFs Baxter Halligan (.364, 10 RBIs) and Izayah Alvarez (.308) and redshirt freshman INF Otto Kemp (.327, 3 HR, 8 RBIs).