At John Thurman Field
• Thursday, April 5, 7:05 PM
• Friday, April 6, 7:05 PM
• Saturday, April 7, 7:05 PM
• Sunday, April 8, 1:05 PM

Probable Starting Pitching Matchups
• Thursday - Shawn Sanford (0-0, ---) vs. Tyler Matzek (0-0, ---)
• Friday - Taylor Rogers (0-0, ---) vs. Joshua Slaats (0-0, ---)
• Saturday - Ryan Bradley (0-0, ---) vs. Josh Mueller (0-0, ---)
• Sunday - Justin Schumer (0-0, ---) vs. Christian Bergman (0-0, ---)

Giants Begin Regular Season At Modesto On Thursday... The San Jose Giants begin the 2012 regular season Thursday evening with the opener of a four-game series versus the Modesto Nuts at John Thurman Field. After the four games in Modesto, the Giants will travel to High Desert for a three-game series. San Jose's home opener is scheduled for Thursday, April 12 against the Bakersfield Blaze.

Media Coverage... The entire series can be heard live on www.sjgiants.com with Joe Ritzo calling all of the action. All 140 games this season will be aired on the club's official website.

2011 Review... The Giants posted the top regular season record in the California League last year with a 90-50 mark - the fourth-most victories in team history. San Jose won the first half North Division title with a remarkable 51-19 ledger before finishing 39-31 in the second half. The Giants led the California League in ERA for the seventh time in the last eight years while the offense ranked third overall in runs scored. Individually, center fielder Gary Brown won the California League Rookie of the Year award while catcher Tommy Joseph and starting pitcher Craig Westcott also earned postseason All-Star honors. San Jose fell short in their bid to become the first team in league history to win three straight championships when they fell to the Stockton Ports, three-games-to-one, in the North Division Series. Despite the postseason loss, MiLB.com recognized the 2011 San Jose Giants as the Class A Advanced Team of the Year.

Top Prospects... Seven players on San Jose's opening day roster are among the top 30 prospects in the organization according to Baseball America: Shortstop Joe Panik (#4), catcher Andrew Susac (#6), outfielder Jarrett Parker (#15), first baseman Ricky Oropesa (#17), pitcher Josh Osich (#23), pitcher Stephen Harrold (#25) and third baseman Adam Duvall (#28).

First Half Success... The Giants enter the 2012 season having won a California League record seven consecutive first half North Division titles (2005-11). First half division winners clinch a playoff berth and earn a first round bye. San Jose has qualified for the playoffs in eight consecutive seasons overall (2004-11).

Andy Skeels Returns To Manage Giants... Andy Skeels returns for his third season as manager of the San Jose Giants after leading the club during the 2009 and 2011 campaigns. Skeels has won two league championships in four years as a manager in the San Francisco Giants organization, claiming the 2008 South Atlantic League title as skipper of the Augusta GreenJackets (Low-A) and the 2009 California League crown with San Jose. Under Skeels' leadership, the SJ Giants have enjoyed two of the finest seasons in franchise history. The 2009 squad set a team record with 93 victories en route to the championship before a 90-win campaign last year that resulted in a playoff berth. Skeels' two-year managerial record with San Jose is 183-97 (.654).

Power Hitters... Three of the top five home run hitters from last season's San Jose team have returned in 2012. Infielder/catcher Alex Burg ranked tied for second on the club with 14 homers last year while first baseman Luke Anders and outfielder Jarrett Parker smacked 13 round-trippers each. Newcomer Adam Duvall belted 22 home runs last season in Augusta to rank tied for fifth in the South Atlantic League. Additionally, Andrew Susac (Oregon State) and Ricky Oropesa (USC) led their respectively collegiate teams in home runs last spring.

High Draft Picks... Three high picks from last year's draft, headlined by first rounder Joe Panik, will open the season with the San Jose Giants. Panik, who is expected to start at shortstop, won the Northwest League Most Valuable Player award last year hitting .341 with six home runs and 54 RBI's for the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes. Catcher Andrew Susac (second round) and first baseman Ricky Oropesa (third round) will be making their professional debuts this year with San Jose.

Projected Starting Lineup (2011 stats in parenthesis)...
C - Andrew Susac (making professional debut this year)
1B - Ricky Oropesa (making professional debut this year)
2B - Carter Jurica (San Jose: .250, 4 HR, 23 RBI, 5 SB)
3B - Adam Duvall (Augusta: .285, 22 HR, 87 RBI, 4 SB)
SS - Joe Panik (Salem-Keizer: .341, 6 HR, 54 RBI, 13 SB)
LF - Jarrett Parker (San Jose: .253, 13 HR, 61 RBI, 20 SB)
CF - Chris Lofton (Augusta: .237, 1 HR, 31 RBI, 22 SB)
RF - Ryan Lollis (Augusta: .314, 2 HR, 37 RBI, 10 SB)
DH - Alex Burg (San Jose: .298, 14 HR, 45 RBI, 2 SB)

Shawn Sanford To Make Opening Night Start... Right-hander Shawn Sanford is slated to make the start on the mound for San Jose on Thursday. Sanford was named the South Atlantic League Most Outstanding Pitcher in 2011 after compiling a 10-10 record with a 2.55 ERA for the Augusta GreenJackets. He ranked second in the league in ERA and innings pitched and tied for fourth in wins. Sanford allowed one or no runs in 14 out of his 25 starts. Overall, he struck out 107 compared to just 30 walks in 169 2/3 innings. The former 13th round draft pick was a non-roster invitee to major league spring training this year.

Opponent Notes: Modesto Nuts... The Modesto Nuts, an affiliate of the Colorado Rockies, finished the 2011 regular season with a 74-66 overall record. Modesto won the second half North Division title, but fell to Stockton in the Mini-Series. Former San Jose skipper Lenn Sakata enters his first year as manager of the Nuts. Sakata is the winningest manager in San Jose franchise history recording 466 victories over six years (1999, 2001, 2004-07). He won California League championships with the Giants in 2001, 2005 and 2007. 2009 first round draft pick Tyler Matzek is expected to make the opening start on the mound for the Nuts.