THIS WEEK...
UC Davis (20-14-1, 4-5) at UC Irvine (21-12, 8-1)
Friday, April 17, 2015 at Anteater Ballpark, 6:30 p.m.
Live Stats | UCI Audio | ESPN3.com | UC Davis Notes | UC Irvine Notes
Probable Starters
UC Davis: RHP Spencer Koopmans (3-3, 4.60 ERA)
UC Irvine: LHP Elliot Surrey (4-2, 2.43 ERA)

Saturday, April 18, 2015 at Anteater Ballpark, 1 p.m.
Live Stats | UCI Audio | ESPN3.com
Probable Starters
UC Davis: RHP Raul Jacobson (3-2, 4.33 ERA)
UC Irvine: RHP Matt Esparza (7-1, 2.95 ERA)

Sunday, April 19, 2015 at Anteater Ballpark, 1 p.m.
Live Stats | UCI Audio
Probable Starters
UC Davis: RHP Max Cordy (7-1, 3.94 ERA)
UC Irvine: LHP Evan Manarino (3-1, 3.81 ERA)

FIRST PITCH: The tough task of taking on the Big West Conference's top team is next on the list for the UC Davis baseball team (20-14-1 overall, 4-5 in league play), as the Aggies head to Southern California to take on No. 19 UC Irvine in a three-game series at Anteater Ballpark this weekend. The first two games of the series will be shown nationally on ESPN3.com beginning Friday (April 17) at 6:30 p.m., and continuing Saturday (April 18) at 1 p.m. Sunday's finale also begins at 1 p.m.

IN THE POLLS: UC Davis is unranked to begin the week. UC Irvine is nationally ranked for the second consecutive week, standing as high as No. 19 according to Collegiate Baseball and No. 20 according to D1Baseball.com. The Anteaters opened the year receiving votes in at least one naitonal poll during the preseason and first weekend of the regular season.

YOU "LIKE" US... YOU REALLY "LIKE" US: Fans can keep up with the latest in UC Davis Athletics by "liking" us on Facebook (Facebook.com/UCDavisAggies) and following us on Twitter (@UCDavisAggies). Fans can also "like" the baseball program on Facebook by searching for "UC Davis Baseball" and get the latest from the dugout by following the Aggies' baseball program on Twitter (@UCDavisBaseball). Gameday in-game updates are also available on Twitter by following us @UCDavisInGame.

FOLLOW THE AGGIES: Thanks to the Big West Conference's agreement with ESPN, the first two games of this weekend's series will be broadcast like via the ESPN3.com platform and the WatchESPN app. Live stats and streaming audio will be available for all three games of the series in Irvine, with video unavailable on Sunday. Links will be made available via the baseball schedule page of UCDavisAggies.com.

YOU'RE ON THE AIR: Due to scheduling conflicts, this year's broadcast schedule on KDVS 90.3 FM has changed a bit, beginning with this weekend's series against UC Riverside. The station is scheduled to carry games one and three against the Highlanders, as well as contests against Saint Mary's (March 31), Cal State Fullerton (April 11), Sacramento State (May 5), and all three games of the Aggies' Big West series against Cal Poly (May 21-23).

SCOUTING THE ANTEATERS: UC Irvine enters the weekend with a 21-12 overall record and an 8-1 mark in Big West Conference play, having lost two straight following a 4-3 defeat at San Diego State on Tuesday night... The Anteaters took 2-of-3 from Long Beach State last weekend to take their third consecutive Big West series this season, but a 5-0 loss in game three ended a month-long 15-game winning streak for UCI that dated back to a 4-0 loss against San Jose State on Feb. 13... Freshman utility man Keston Hiura leads all regulars with a .374 average to go along with 25 runs scored, 10 doubles, four home runs, and 28 RBI... The Anteaters have four players batting better than .300 on the season, helping lead the team to a .284 average (third in the Big West)... Junior left-hander Elliot Surrey leads the weekend rotation with a 2.43 ERA to go along with a 4-2 record and a .267 average against... Surrey has struck out 57 against only nine walks over 66.2 innings... Junior right-hander Matt Esparza (7-1, 2.95 ERA) and senior left-hander Evan Manarino (3-1, 3.81 ERA) round out the rotation this weekend.

SERIES NOTES VERSUS UC IRVINE: According to records that date back to 1970, UC Irvine leads the all-time series with UC Davis by a 27-6 count, including a 17-4 mark as Division I opponents... The Anteaters have won the last seven meetings with the Aggies, including sweeps at Irvine in 2013 and at Dobbins Stadium in 2014... UC Davis last posted a win in the series in 2012, taking 2-of-3 from UCI at home with 4-0 and 3-1 victories in the first two games of the series... The Aggies are just 2-13 against the Anteaters in Orange County, losing their last four games in Irvine dating back to 2011... UC Davis has never won a series at UC Irvine, winning single games in 2007 and 2011.

A LOOK BACK - SAN FRANCISCO 9, UC DAVIS 4: Brendan Hendriks' infield single scored Michael Eaton with the go-ahead run, part of a string of seven unanswered scores on Tuesday afternoon, lifting visiting San Francisco to a 9-4 victory over UC Davis in a non-conference clash at Dobbins Stadium. Freshman Blake Peters (0-2) suffered the loss, charged with one run on two hits in two-thirds of an inning in relief of starter Nat Hamby, who struck out a career-high nine and scattered four hits in 5.1 innings before leaving with a no decision. Logan West (1-1) earned the win in relief for USF, allowing just three hits over three scoreless innings, striking out a pair. San Francisco scored twice in the sixth on RBI singles from Dominic Miroglio and Blake Valley to tie the game, and took the lead for good with a three-run seventh. Eaton led-off with a double to chase Peters from the game, but reliever Spencer Henderson could not stem the tide, as a wild pitch moved Eaton to third, before Henderson got two quick outs on a strikeout and ground ball. That brought up Hendriks, who bounced a ball deep in the hole at short that was fielded cleanly by Heptig, but the senior would have no play as Eaton scored to make it 5-4. Derek Atkinson added another on an RBI triple to center that just eluded the glove of John Williams on a diving attempt, and he would eventually score on a passed ball to make it 7-4.

GAMBOA GETS THE CALL: On the 40-man roster to begin the year, former UC Davis hurler Eddie Gamboa got the call and joined the Baltimore Orioles' bullpen from Triple-A Norfolk on April 11. Gamboa spent two days in "The Show," but did not get to pitch in a game, sent back to Norfolk on April 13 in time to make his regular turn in the rotation for the Tides, allowing three runs on five hits, while striking out four in a no decision. Only two former Aggies have ever appeared in the major leagues: pitcher Steve Brown, who appeared with the California Angels in 1983-84, and current Colorado Rockies infielder Daniel Descalso, who is in his sixth major league season after making his debut in 2010, helping the St. Louis Cardinals to a World Series title in 2011.

AGGIES ON OPENING DAY: As the 2015 Major League Baseball season gets underway, numerous Aggies are making their mark on professional baseball...

Daniel Descalso (COL) - On the Rockies' active roster to start 2015; has appeared in six games as of April 15.
Ty Kelly (STL) - On the St. Louis 40-man roster; Opened the season with the AAA Memphis Redbirds (PCL).
Eddie Gamboa (BAL) - On the Baltimore 40-man roster; Opened the season with the AAA Norfolk Tides (IL) before being called up to the majors on April 11, 2015. Returned to Norfolk on April 13.
Steven Patterson (CLE) - Will open the season at Short Season A Mahoning Valley Scrappers.
Scott Lyman (MIA) - Will open the season at Advanced A Jupiter Hammerheads.
Tyler LaTorre (MIL) - Will open the season at AA Biloxi Shuckers; oldest member of the roster (31); signed as a free agent in March after splitting time between AA Richmond and AAA Fresno in the San Francisco Giants organization in 2014.
Joe Biagini (SF) - Will open the season at AA Richmond after spending 2014 at A San Jose.

HEPTIG TAKES HIS HACKS: Senior infielder Evan Heptig had himself a day against San Francisco on Tuesday, finishing with a career-high three hits and driving in a pair of runs against the Dons after logging 16 career two-hit games during his three-plus seasons in an Aggie uniform. It was the Lafayette, California, native's third multi-hit game of the season, driving in two in the fourth inning against USF with a single up the middle to five UC Davis a 3-2 lead.

KKKKKKKKK: Although he left with a no decision, junior right-hander Nat Hamby didn't leave the Dons hitters with much of a choice in his start on Tuesday, finishing with a career-high nine strikeouts -- including a stretch that saw him retire nine consecutive hitters, with seven of those set down via the "K". Hamby ranks fourth on the team with 28 strikeouts overall and third with 8.13 strikeouts per nine innings, trailing only sophomore closer Zach Stone (10.55) and junior right-hander Max Cordy (8.67).

YARD WORK: Joining Silva in clearing the fences on the weekend was junior outfielder Tanner Bily, who jacked his first home run of the season in game two against Cal State Fullerton over the left field fence. It was the first home run for at Aggie at home since Nick Lynch left the yard twice against Nevada on March 10, smacking a grand slam and a two-run shot as part of a school-record eight RBI day.

THAT'S ONE: When senior catcher Izaak Silva left the yard to start the scoring for the Aggies in the series finale against Cal State Fullerton, it marked the first home run as an Aggie for the Soquel, California, native and only one of four at Dobbins Stadium for UC Davis this season.

HE KEEPS GOING... AND GOING... AND GOING: Like the Energizer Bunny, Silva just keeps going behind the plate for the Aggies. The senior, who has appeared in 34 of the team's 35 games, has caught all but 22 (over a span of nine games) of a possible 313 innings thrown by the pitching staff in 2015.

MOVIN' ON UP: Also having a big game against San Francisco was senior Nick Lynch, who finished 2-for-3 with an RBI double -- his NATION-LEADING 20th of the year. He becomes only the seventh player in the history of the program to reach that plateau, ranking in a tie for third on the school's single-season list (the first since Ty Kelly in 2009) and standing four shy of Jim Saunders' 1979 record of 24.

SLASH LINE STANDOUT: Leading the way for one of the Big West Conference's best offenses this season has been Lynch, who enters the weekend ranked second in the league in average (.373) and slugging (.611), while leading the league in on-base percentage (.481), following Tuesday's game against San Francisco. Lynch also ranks among the league's top 10 in runs scored (1st, 33); hits (2nd, 47); RBI (t8th, 23); hit by pitch (2nd, 13); total bases (1st, 77); and extra-base hits (1st, 24).

SMOOTH AS SILVA: Senior catcher Izaak Silva is in the midst of a career year, logging at least one hit in all but six games this season -- and 12 of his last 14 -- including standing third on the team with 10 multi-hit games. Silva, who hasn't hit higher than .267 in his previous three seasons as an Aggie, ranks second on the team batting .364 for the year (third in the Big West), while ranking among the top 10 in the league in hits (fifth), doubles (third), triples (tied for eighth), total bases (fourth), walks (tied for eighth), on-base percentage (fifth), and slugging (sixth).

THE HITS JUST KEEP ON COMING: Despite its loss on Tuesday, the UC Davis offense racked up 11 more hits against San Francisco pitching, marking the 16th time that the Aggies have collected double-digit hits in a game this season -- including four-straight outings from March 27-13. UC Davis posted a season-high 18 hits in a 13-1 win at Seattle on March 7 -- the most since exploding for 21 hits in a 12-3 win over Hawai'i on May 18, 2014.

EXTRA, EXTRA: Thanks to Lynch's double against the Dons, the Aggies have now tallied at least one extra-base hit in each of its last 14 games dating back to a 1-0 victory at Fresno State on March 15, when UC Davis talled seven singles and scored the game-winner on an error in the ninth -- standing as the only time this season that the Aggies have finished without an extra-base hit.

ALL ABOUT THOSE BASES, `BOUT THOSE BASES...: No trouble for the Aggies when it comes to extra base hits this season. UC Davis has clubbed a Big West-best 100 extra-base hits this season (UC Irvine is second with 83), including 83 doubles -- surpassing its total from all of last year (75), leading the Big West, and ranking No. 12 in the NATION behind Nevada, who leads the way with 98.

STRIKE FIRST, STRIKE HARD, NO MERCY, SIR!: The first inning has been the best inning this season for the Aggies, who have scored in the opening frame 17 times (winning 10 of those games) and have out-scored the opposition by a 35-20 count.

CLOSING IN: Entering the weekend with a 20-14-1 overall record and a 4-5 mark in Big West play, the Aggies stand just three overall and three Big West victories shy of last year's totals when UC Davis finished 23-31 overall and 7-17 in league games.

SEVENTH HEAVEN: Junior right-hander Max Cordy and his seven wins on the mound are the most by an Aggie pitcher since Dayne Quist finished 7-4 during his 2010 campaign. His seven straight wins was the best start by a UC Davis hurler in the Division I era and the most since Vince DeCoito won the same number en route to an 8-2 record in 2004, while the 7-0 start was the best since Colby Craig started the 1994 season 11-0 before losing his final start of the year against UC Riverside in the NCAA Division II West Regional.

A LONG TIME IN COMING: You'd have to go all the way back to UC Davis' first official Division I season in 2008 to find a pitcher with at least eight wins in a single season. That honor is held by Brad McAtee, who finished 8-5 in 15 starts with a 3.18 ERA to help the Aggies to their inaugural NCAA regional berth.

SHUT THE DOOR AND CALL ME ZACH: Sophomore right-hander Zach Stone picked up his seventh save of the year to nail down a 3-2 win over Cal State Fullerton back on April 10 -- a total that has him second in the Big West entering the weekend -- continuing a stingy stretch that has him listed among those being considered for the NCBWA's "Stopper of the Year" Award for the second consecutive season (more on that later in these notes). In 21.1 innings this season, Stone has yet to allow an earned run (and just two overall), posting a 2-0 record while scattering 15 hits (.203 average against).

TAKE A WALK: But not the kind you're thinking. Stone has struck out 25 batters against only ONE walk this season, leading the NATION in strikeout-to-walk ratio, while also standing No. 20 in the country with his 20 appearances.

ZACH ATTACK ON THE RECORD BOOK: Stone's seven saves this season place him in a tie for sixth on the school's single-season chart, while his 16 career saves have him in sole possession of second place on the all-time list, needing just three more as an Aggie to match Justin Fitzgerald (2005-08) and his school record of 19 set during his four-year Aggie career.

IT'S ALL A BLUR: Did you see that? Could you see that? Opposing catchers, apparently, cannot as the Aggies have wreaked havoc on the basepaths to the tune of 82 stolen bases in 112 attempts -- a number that stands fourth in the NATION entering this weekend's games against UC Irvine, standing behind only Texas Southern (109), Wofford (99), and Campbell (96). UC Davis -- which has stolen at least one base in all but five games this year -- has more than doubled its output from all of last season when they were a combined 38-for-59 in 54 games. The team record for steals was set in 1993 as UC Davis swiped 144 in 191 attempts, while the Big West Conference record is held by UC Santa Barbara, which stole 158 bases in 1990. Should the Aggies reach the century mark, they would become the first Big West school to do so since Cal State Fullerton (112) in 2010.

STOP! THIEVES!: The Aggies' 82 steals are the most for a UC Davis squad since the 1997 team stole 128 bases in 160 attempts, and only the fourth time since that season that the Aggies have stolen 60 bases or more in a year.

THE BRUISE CREW: So, how does one get an opportunity to steal so many bases? Well, there are many, but the one that probably hurts the most is the one the Aggies have been very adept at thus far this season. UC Davis has been plunked by a pitch 63 times this season -- leading the Big West Conference, and standing tied for third in the NATION in that category with Army entering the weekend, trailing only Loyola Marymount (66) and Florida State (65). Individually, Nick Lynch (No. 13) and Kevin Barker (No. 44) rank among the nation's top 50 in the category with 13 and 10, respectively.

GET THIS MAN AN ICE PACK: Lynch's 13 HBP's this season upped his career total to 49 heading into the weekend, matching Carl Velleno (1996-99) for second on the UC Davis all-time list and standing seven back of career leader Jason Shapiro (1991-94).

OH, YES, THEY CALL IT A STREAK: UC Davis' seven consecutive victories from March 14-31 marked the second-longest winning streak in the program's Division I history, standing behind only the eight straight games won from March 9-25, 2008, and tied for the 13th-longest in the history of the program. According to records dating back to 1960, the longest run of wins is held by the 2004 squad, which won 16 straight games from Feb. 24-March 28.

*THIS* CLOSE: On paper, the 2014 season could have looked much better as the Aggies fought their way through 17 games decided by a single run, posting just a 7-10 mark in those contests, with an additional nine more games decided by two runs (3-6). This season, UC Davis has turned things around in that department, posting a 6-2 mark in one-run games, including wins in its last five.

NO RUNS FOR YOU!: UC Davis' 4-0 win over Hawai'i in the finale of a four-game series marked the Aggies' third shutout of the season -- the most since the 2012 squad finished with six. UC Davis' back-to-back 1-0 shutouts in wins over Fresno State (March 15) and San Francisco (March 24) marked the first time that the Aggies had shutout back-to-back opponents since March 11 and March 18, 2012, in wins over Seattle (3-0) and San Jose State (4-0), respectively. According to available year-by-year results that date back to 1960, it was also the first time that UC Davis had won consecutive games by 1-0 scores.

"AND ONE": A term usually reserved the Aggie basketball teams, it has come to mean something different on the diamond for UC Davis baseball. At 20-14-1 entering the weekend, the Aggies are one of 24 teams nationally to have a tie tacked on to their record this season: Illinois (30-6-1), South Florida (24-12-1), Southern Miss (20-12-1), Nicholls State (21-14-1), Bakersfield (20-14-1), NJIT (15-11-1), Illinois-Chicago (16-13-1), Wagner (13-12-1), Florida Gulf Coast (19-18-1), Rhode Island (13-13-1), St. Bonaventure (12-12-2), Texas State (17-18-1), La Salle (15-18-1), George Mason (14-18-1), Rutgers (11-23-1), Niagara (8-18-2), Sacred Heart (8-18-1), Towson (9-23-2), Lafayette (7-18-1), Mississippi Valley State (6-24-1), Saint Peter's (4-22-1), New Mexico State (4-28-1), and Coppin State (3-25-2).