Aztecs Meet BYU in Playoffs

San Diego State’s baseball team will try to put a season of adversity behind when it meets Brigham Young University at noon today in the first round of the Western Athletic Conference double-elimination playoffs at Provo, Utah.

San Diego State, the defending WAC champion, struggled to a 12-10 conference record (31-26-1 overall), but it was good enough for second place in the conference’s Western Division and a spot in the playoffs.

Left-hander James Campbell (7-3) is expected to start for the Aztecs against BYU (20-4, 40-20).

The Aztecs have struggled this season. Starting shortstop Steve Montejano missed most of the season before he returned to the team two weeks ago. Starting third baseman Curt Lewis quit the team two weeks ago to concentrate on soccer. Designated hitter Nikco Riesgo missed a four-game series in Hawaii because of academic problems. And the team has played 10 of its last 11 games on the road.

Still, right fielder Bob Parry has compiled a team-leading .428 average, and Riesgo is hitting .407 with a school record-tying nine triples.

The other first-round game matches Western Division champion Hawaii (21-2, 41-17), the nation’s 17th-ranked team, against Eastern Division runner-up New Mexico (13-8, 29-27).