San Diego State baseball advances in Mountain West Conference tournament

The Aztecs recorded their second shutout of the season on Wednesday night

Baseball on field at Allegheny College's Robertson Athletic Complex, May 19, 2025. | MIKE COPPER/ERIE TIMES-NEWS / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

In a do-or-die game on Wednesday night, San Diego State kept its season alive with an 8-0 victory over UNLV in a play-in game at the Mountain West Conference tournament at Sloan Park in Mesa, Arizona.

San Diego State got a dominant outing from junior right-handed pitcher Marko Sipila. A transfer from Colorado Springs who earned second-team All-Mountain West honors this season, Sipila struck out six batters over seven shutout innings.

The San Diego State offense pushed across one run in four of the first six innings to put pressure on the Rebels. Sophomore outfielder Zane Kelly and freshman designated hitter Xavier Farnum each had three hits, while middle infielders Finley Bates and Nevan Noonan each finished with two hits. The Aztecs added four insurance runs at the top of the ninth inning to secure the victory while freshman right-hander Peyton Rodgers relieved Sipila with a strikeout over two shutout innings.

San Diego State swept three close games with UNLV during their series at Tony Gwynn Stadium in March, outscoring the Rebels by a combined five runs. In the return series to Las Vegas last month, UNLV returned the favor by sweeping San Diego State. The Aztecs were outscored 31-10 in that series.

The Aztecs swept three games from Washington State during the final weekend of the regular season to clinch their spot in the six-team Mountain West Conference tournament. The Aztecs' offense has come alive, scoring 15 and 12 runs in their final two games against the Cougars before eight runs on Wednesday. The shutout over the Rebels marked San Diego State’s second time holding their opponent scoreless this season, the first time since a mid-April victory at San Jose State.

Earlier in the day, San Jose State eliminated three-seed New Mexico in their play-in game. The sixth-seeded Spartans were the final team to make the conference tournament, finishing one game behind San Diego State in the regular season standings. The Aztecs, seeded fifth, join San Jose State and top seeds Nevada and Fresno State as the four remaining teams in the tournament.

The Wolfpack and Bulldogs received first-round byes after their strong seasons. San Diego State will take on top-seeded Nevada at 1:05 p.m. on Thursday, with San Jose State and Fresno State playing the following game. The remaining four teams are now in a double-elimination bracket, with the winner to be determined on Saturday, battling for the automatic bid into the NCAA baseball tournament.