ON DECK…
UC Davis (24-18, 6-6) at Cal State Fullerton (26-20, 11-1)
Saturday, April 28, 2018 | Noon & 2 p.m. (DH) | Anderson Family Field | Fullerton, Calif.
Sunday, April 29, 2018 | Noon | Anderson Family Field | Fullerton, Calif.
TV: ESPN3.com (Saturday only) (Play-by-play: Sam Farber… Analyst: Erin Jones Wesley)
PREVIEW: UC Davis Notes | Cal State Fullerton Notes

FOLLOW ALONG…
April 28 (GAME 1) - Live Stats | Live Video
April 21 (GAME 2) - Live Stats | Live Video
April 22 - Live Stats | Live Video

PLAY BALL: A gauntlet that will see the UC Davis softball team take on the Big West Conference's top two teams over the final three weeks of the regular season begins in Southern California this weekend, as the Aggies (24-18, 6-6) take to the road for the final time in 2018 to open a three-game series against league-leading Cal State Fullerton (26-20, 11-1) on April 28-29 at Anderson Family Field. First pitch is scheduled for Noon on both days, with both games of Saturday's doubleheader broadcast live on ESPN3.

IN THE POLLS: Neither the Aggies, nor the Titans, are ranked in this week's national polls. UC Davis has, however, played five games against four teams that were featured among the top 25 (Tennessee, Arizona, California, and Oklahoma State) and played three more that were among those receiving votes (San Diego State, Fresno State, and the second game against California) in either or both national polls at the time of the game. UC Davis is now 3-5 in those eight contests, with the three wins coming against receiving votes San Diego State (Feb. 11), receiving votes Fresno State (Feb. 16), and No. 18 Oklahoma State (Feb. 24).

"HI, MOM!": This weekend's appearance on ESPN3 will be the Aggies' third appearance on national television, making their debut in 2014 and another appearance in 2016. All three appearances will have been against Cal State Fullerton with UC Davis looking for its first win after posting an 0-4 record in the two previous televised doubleheaders against the Titans.

SCOUTING THE TITANS: League-leading Cal State Fullerton enters the weekend with a 26-20 overall record and an 11-1 mark in Big West play to hold down the top spot in the standings - one game ahead of second-place Long Beach State and five games up on third-place UC Davis and Cal Poly… The Titans have won their last five straight - and 11 of their last 12 - dating back to a loss against the 49ers in the first of their three-game series back on April 13… Fullerton swept Hawai'i in Honolulu last weekend by a combined 21-6 score, including an 11-1 decision in the finale… The Titans are 18-13 at Anderson Family Field this season, winning eight of their last 10 dating back to March 20… Freshman infielder Deshea Hill leads all regulars with a .383 average to go with a pair of home runs and 24 RBI, while reigning Big West Player of the Week Bryanna Ybarra is batting .339 with 10 doubles, four home runs and 28 RBI… Sophomore right-hander Sophie Frost is 11-5 in the circle to lead the pitching staff with a 2.17 ERA and 55 strikeouts in 112.2 innings… Opponents are hitting .298 against the Titans' staff combined this season.

SERIES NOTES: Cal State Fullerton leads the all-time series with UC Davis, 27-12, including wins in each of the last eight games - the longest winning streak by either team in the history of the series… The Titans have won each of the last four Big West series with the Aggies, including season sweeps in each of the last two years… UC Davis' last win in the series came in the 2015 series opener at La Rue Field, posting a 4-1 victory on May 2… The last time the Aggies won a series from Fullerton came in 2013 at home, taking 2-of-3 in a series that saw all three games decided by a single run… UC Davis has never swept a series from the Titans, while Cal State Fullerton has swept the series five times… The two programs have gone to extra innings five times since the first-ever meeting in 2005, with the Aggies posting a 3-2 record in those contests… The majority of UC Davis' wins in the series have come in Orange County as the Aggies are 8-10 on the road against the Titans, but have lost each of the last two series played in Fullerton… UC Davis last won a series at Cal State Fullerton back in 2012, taking games one and three on the weekend.

YANEZ NAMED TO NFCA FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR WATCH LIST: UC Davis freshman pitcher Brooke Yanez was one of 25 first-year players as candidates for the Schutt Sports/National Fastpitch Coaches Association Division I Freshman of the Year award, the organization announced on April 19. The animal science major is one of two Big West Conference players on the list along with Long Beach State outfielder Naomi Hernandez and one of eight pitchers overall. Read the complete release here: http://www.ucdavisaggies.com/sports/w-softbl/spec-rel/041918aaa.html.

LAST TIME OUT: Senior Ashley Lotoszynski reached base four times, including going 2-for-2 with a home run and two RBI, as the Aggies and California battled through eight innings before the Golden Bears posted a, 3-2, victory. Lotoszynski's blast in the second erased a one-run deficit as UC Davis held the lead until the fifth, when a sacrifice fly plated the tying run. Eschewing the international tie breaker and playing things out, a double and two-out single in the eighth produced the eventual winning run for the Golden Bears, but the Aggies had their chances, stranding runners at the corners in the sixth, and getting runners on base in both the seventh and eighth frames, but could not cash in.

"LOTO" NUMBERS: Lotoszynski's first home run of the season and the two RBI against California moved her into sole possession of third on the school's Division I list, while the two runs driven in gave her 87 for her career, extending her school Division I record and giving her sole possession of ninth on the all-time list.

• Her 87 RBI are a program Division I record, and are 11 shy of Kim Nelson (1991-94) for eighth on the all-time list
• Her 34 doubles are tied for fourth on the all-time list with Lindsay Moore (2000-03)
• Her 12 home runs are third on the Division I list, and two shy of Nunez for 10th on the all-time list
• Her 57 walks are third on the Division I list, and tied with Mickie Weekly (1985-88) for 10th on the all-time list
• Her 76 runs scored rank third on the Division I list, eight back of Christa Castello for second

THORPE HITS VICTORY MILESTONE: In bowling, the number 300 denotes perfection. On April 14 in the second game of a doubleheader in San Luis Obispo, Calif., it probably felt that way for head coach Erin Thorpe, who notched her 300th career win - and her 250th at the Division I level - in the Aggies' 1-0 shutout of Cal Poly. The victory was the 77th of Thorpe's UC Davis coaching career, a total that goes along with her 173 victories as the first-ever head coach at Boise State from 2009-14 and her 50 wins at Division III Whittier College from 2003-07.

JUST WIN, BABY: The Aggies' 24 wins this season are the most in the Erin Thorpe era and the highest overall win total since the 2013 UC Davis squad finished with 25 wins. The Aggies stand just two victories shy of matching the 2010 team for the most in the program's Division I history, while a 27th win this year will be the most for a UC Davis team since 2007 when the Aggies finished 31-27-1. This years squad is already the fastest to 20 wins (32 games) in the program's Division I history and owns the record for the most non-conference wins (18) at the Division I level while posting only the second winning non-conference record since 2008.

JUST WIN, BABY (BIG WEST EDITION): A 6-6 in Big West Conference play entering the weekend, the Aggies are one league victory shy of matching their total from last season with nine league games remaining, while two more conference wins would give UC Davis its highest Big West win total since the 2014 squad finished 9-12.

"SERIES"-OUS BUSINESS: After winning their opening league series of the season on the road at CSUN, the Aggies took 2-of-3 from UC Riverside at La Rue Field last weekend, giving the team multiple Big West series wins in a single season for the first time since the 2014 squad took 2-of-3 from Cal Poly, UC Riverside, and Hawai'i.

YOU COMPLETE ME: Freshman left-hander Brooke Yanez went the distance in both of her starts against the Highlanders last weekend, giving her 19 complete games in 23 appearances overall this season. The 19 complete games - which enters the weekend as the highest total in the Big West - are the most by an Aggie hurler since Jessica Hancock finished with 29 in the program's first official Division I season and ranks as the second-highest total in the program's Division I history.

BETCHA CAN'T HIT JUST ONE: Freshman Alyse Rojas likes her hits in pairs… or trios… or, in one case, a quartet. The Vacaville, Calif., native finished with two hits in the series finale against UC Riverside, giving her a team-high 18 multi-hit games this season - including a career-best 4-for-4 against CSU Bakersfield on Feb. 17 at the Bulldog Classic. The 18 games for Rojas are the most since Alex Holmes finished with 19 such games in 2010 - which ranks second on the program's Division I single-season list for such performances, trailing only Christa Castello and her program Division I record 20 multi-hit games in 2014.

STRIKE FIRST, STRIKE HARD, NO MERCY SIR!: Seventeen times this season the Aggies have scored first in a game, posting a 16-1 record in those contests. UC Davis bucked that trend last weekend against UC Riverside, rallying for wins in games one and three against the Highlanders and improving to 8-17 when it has to come from behind in contest this season.

EXTRA, EXTRA!: Wednesday's loss to California marked the Aggies fourth extra-inning game this season, but the team's first loss after posting wins over San Diego State (9 inn.) on Feb. 11, Northern Colorado (9 inn.) on March 9, and UC Riverside (8 inn.) on April 21. The loss snapped a four-game winning streak in extra innings dating back to last season for UC Davis, which is 5-5 in its last 10 extra-inning affairs.

KIBBY WITH THE KIBOSH ON THE OPPOSITION: Following her complete-game performance against California on Wednesday, sophomore right-hander Katie Kibby has now allowed only four earned runs over her last 26 combined innings (four appearances), lowering her season ERA from 2.23 to 1.97 entering this weekend's series against Cal State Fullerton, while limiting opposing hitters to a .221 average (21-for-95) in that stretch.

SHUT(OUT) THE FRONT DOOR: For the sixth time overall this year, Aggie sophomore right-hander Katie Kibby had a hand in a UC Davis shutout, scattering three hits and facing just two batters over the minimum in UC Davis' 1-0 win at Cal Poly on April 14, not allowing a runner to reach second base and retiring 11 consecutive hitters at one point. The five solo shutouts for the managerial economics major rank tied for fourth on the program's Division I single-season list, while her 11 career shutouts over the last two seasons broke a tie with Jessica Hancock (2008-09) for second on the program's Division I career list, just six behind Justine Vela (2012-15) for the lead in that category.

WINNER, WINNER CHICKEN DINNER: A ringing double into the corner by junior Meghan Bradbury lifted the Aggies to an extra-inning win in the series opener against UC Riverside last weekend, making her the eighth different player to drive in a game-winning run for UC Davis this season. Senior Ashley Lotoszynski leads all Aggie players with five - including the game-winner in four straight UC Davis wins from Feb. 28-March 10. Meanwhile, eight different players have crossed home plate with the winning run this season, led by sophomore Isabella Leon's seven -- one of seven Aggie players with multiple game-winning runs. Four UC Davis players are among a select group with multiple game-winning RBI and runs scored this season: Lotoszynski (five and two), freshman Alyse Rojas (four and three), Leon (two and seven), and Riley Siegel (three and two). The Aggies' 1-0 win at Cal Poly on April 14 marked the fifth time that UC Davis has scored the eventual game-winning run in the first inning, while the Aggies have scored their game-winning run in the fifth-inning or later nine times overall.

THAT'S BROOKE… WITH A "K": Six times this season Yanez has rung up double-digit strikeouts - including a career-high 15 in a win over Utah State on March 10, which were the most by any UC Davis pitcher since Justine Vela hit the same number against Santa Clara on Feb. 21, 2012. Yanez ranks second in the Big West (and No. 42 in the NCAA) with 165 strikeouts and 7.9 strikeouts per seven innings (which ranks No. 55 in the country). Her total moves her past Alex Holmes' 2010 total for sixth on the school's Division I single-season list (just seven back of Jessica Hancock's 2009 total) and is the most by a UC Davis pitcher since Vela finished with 175 in 2013 (which ranks fourth).

BIG TIME IN THE BIG WEST: In addition to her strikeout numbers, Yanez also enters the week ranked among the league's top 10 in appearances (9th), starts (6th), wins (4th), complete games (1st), shutouts (8th), innings pitched (4th), batting average against (3rd), fewest hits allowed (9th), fewest runs allowed (6th), fewest earned runs allowed (t5th), and ERA (2nd). Nationally, the animal science major ranks No. 37 in ERA, No. 23 in hits allowed per seven innings, No. 42 in strikeouts, and No. 55 in strikeouts per seven innings.

YOU'VE GOTTA EARN IT: Yanez has allowed one earned run or fewer in 14 of her 21 starts this season - including eight of her last 12 overall dating back to March 10 - including scattering a run on just three hits over six innings in the series opener at Cal Poly on April 14 in a 1-0 loss. Yanez, however, is just 9-5 in those 14 games, receiving a total of just two runs of support in the five defeats. Earlier this year, the Ventura, Calif., native opened her collegiate career with a flourish, enjoying a stretch of 36 consecutive innings without an earned run from Feb. 9-23.

ONE-HIT WONDERS: Kibby's one-hitter against Saint Mary's on Feb. 28 marked the third such performance of her career, the fourth by a UC Davis pitcher this season, and the 10th by an Aggie during the program's Division I history - a span that also includes a combined no-hitter from Jessica Threat and Alex Holmes against Utah Valley in 2011, and a Justine Vela no-no against Idaho State in 2012.

UC DAVIS SOFTBALL ONE-HITTERS (Division I only)
Jessica Hancock vs. Utah (Feb. 28, 2009) - W, 1-0 (9)
Jessica Thweatt (start, 6 inn.) & Alex Holmes (relief, 1 inn.) vs. Albany (March 12, 2011) - W, 2-0
Justine Vela at CSUN (April 7, 2012) - W, 3-0
Justine Vela vs. Fordham (Feb. 24, 2013) - W, 2-0
Justine Vela vs. Pittsburgh (March 10, 2013) - W, 2-0
Katie Kibby at Long Beach State (April 9, 2017) - W, 5-0
Brooke Yanez vs. Fresno State (Feb. 16, 2018) - W, 2-0
Brooke Yanez vs. No. 18/16 Oklahoma State (Feb. 24, 2018) - W, 3-1
Katie Kibby vs. San Diego State (Feb. 25, 2018) - W, 2-0
Katie Kibby at Saint Mary's (Feb. 28, 2018) - W, 8-0 (5)

UC DAVIS SOFTBALL NO-HITTERS (Division I only)
Jessica Thweatt (start, 3 inn.) & Alex Holmes (relief, 4 inn.) vs. Utah Valley (March 5, 2011) - W, 1-0
Justine Vela vs. Idaho State (March 11, 2012) - W, 5-0

ABOUT UC DAVIS
Providing a small-town community feel while providing a world-class academic experience, UC Davis is home to more than 37,000 students and centrally located between San Francisco, Lake Tahoe, and the Napa Valley. The No. 6-ranked public university in the nation according to the Wall Street Journal, and among the top 10 public universities nationwide according to U.S. News and World Report, UC Davis offers nearly 100 graduate programs and more than 100 academic majors across four colleges and six professional schools, ranking among the world and nation's best in numerous disciplines, including veterinary science, agriculture, and plant and animal programs.

LIVE AT LA RUE!
Single-game tickets and tournament passes for UC Davis softball are now on sale by contacting the Athletics Ticket Office at (530) 752-AGS1 or by visiting us online at UCDavisAggies.com.