Matador baseball host three games versus Glendale
Caballero Classic: Glendale at Arizona Western
Time: 6 p.m. today, noon Saturday (DH)
Last game: The Matadors beat Southern Nevada 15-3; The Gauchos beat Colorado Northwestern 9-0
Records: AWC (3-1 overall); Glendale (2-0 overall)
Players to watch: Dallas Hessler is coming off an impressive 3 for 5 performance against Southern Nevada with a double and an RBI. ... For the Gauchos, catcher Alex Moreno and outfielder Reese Kanter return from last year's team and remain two of their top hitters from a season ago.
The lowdown: In three games that don't count toward their conference records, both teams will be looking to continue to gain experience under new head coaches. Both Drew Keehn (AWC) and Dave Grant (Glendale) have their teams in the right direction in their first season. ... Grant was a longtime coach at Glendale but stepped down two years ago to focus on athletic director duties. But replacement Paul Hatcher had a family health crisis, so Grant took the reins again from his longtime assistant. ... The Matadors' pitching has looked good in the early season, averaging less than three runs a game. ... Ace Kahana Neal goes today, with Kofa grad Blake Johnston starting the first game Saturday and Angel Olivas going in Game 3.
— Jesse Severson
