April 12, 2006

DAVIS, Calif. - For the second straight week, UC Davis freshman Belinda Paine has been named the Division I Independent Newcomer of the Week. The recognition is a result of her efforts in the three games the Aggies played April 3 through April 9. During that time, she batted .375 with stolen two bases while scoring two runs. She helped lead UC Davis to a 2-1 record in its series against UC Riverside.

The Lakewood, Calif., native scored a run in each of the Aggies' two games in Saturday's doubleheader split with the Highlanders. In addition, she stole a base in each game to up her season total to a team-leading 12. Paine has only been caught once in 13 attempts.

In the series finale on Sunday, Paine went 2-for-3, including a triple, with an RBI in the Aggies' 3-1 victory. Her week also included nine putouts in nine attempts in left field.

The freshman has upped her overall batting average to .312, which ranks her second on the team behind senior Megan De La Hoya (.346). Over the past six games, all against future Big West Conference opponents, Paine has gone 8-for-16 (.500) to go along with seven stolen bases.

Paine is the first player this season among D-I Independents to repeat as Newcomer of the Week. There are nine schools in all that are classified among the Independent ranks. They include UC Davis, Georgetown, IPFW, Longwood, North Dakota State, Northern Colorado, Savannah State, South Dakota State and Utah Valley State.

UC Davis (12-23) has won three of its past four games and is next in action Friday when it hosts a doubleheader against UC Santa Barbara (16-13) at 1:30 p.m. at La Rue Field. The Aggies were scheduled to host San Jose State, Wednesday, in a doubleheader that has since been postponed due to rain.