DAVIS, Calif. — Just one year removed from the winningest season in the program's Division I history, the Big West Conference head softball coaches raised the bar just a bit higher for the UC Davis softball team, which was picked to finish third in the race for the 2019 league crown according to the results of a vote released on Thursday afternoon.
The Aggies received 34 points overall and one first-place vote, finishing behind three-time defending conference champion Cal State Fullerton (62 points and six first-place votes) and second-place Long Beach State (55 points, one first-place vote), while shading Hawai'i (33 points) and CSUN (32 points) in a tightly-packed middle of the poll.
UC Riverside (30 points) in sixth, Cal Poly (26 points) in seventh, and UC Santa Barbara (16 points) in eighth, round out the coaches' preseason rankings.
It is the highest that UC Davis has been voted in the Big West preseason poll since the Aggies were picked to finish second (including receiving three first-place votes) prior to the 2011 campaign after claiming a share of the league title and a trip to the NCAA Tournament the year prior.
Led by Big West Freshman Pitcher of the Year and NFCA All-Pacific Region selection in sophomore
Brooke Yanez and first-team All-Big West outfielder
Alyse Rojas, UC Davis returns six position starters, four pitchers, and 16 letter winners overall off of last season's squad that finished 27-24 overall and 9-12 in league play — the latter good for a fourth-place tie.
The overall win total was the program's highest since making the jump to the Division I level in 2008 and marked the program's first winning season as a Division I program. The nine league victories were also the most since the Aggies finished with the same number in 2014, while the fourth-place tie in the standings was the program's highest Big West finish since ending the 2012 season in third.
Yanez, who become only the third Aggie to earn all-region honors at the Division I level in 2018, finished 15-11 in the circle with a 1.75 ERA, going the distance in 26 of her 29 starts and striking out 190 against only 66 walks in 188 innings of work. Opponents hit only .184 against the southpaw last year, finishing the regular season ranked among the top five in the Big West in 10 different categories.
She forms a powerful 1-2 punch with junior right-hander
Katie Kibby, who finished 11-10 with a 2.19 ERA a season ago, leading the team with six shutouts in 23 starts, while holding opponents to a .230 average over 138 innings of work.
At the plate, Rojas started 48 of the team's 51 games a season ago, batting .372 with 22 runs scored, nine doubles, a pair of home runs, and 21 RBI. Her season average set a new Division I standard and was the highest by an Aggie hitter since Susan Churchwell hit .406 in 2003, while her 61 hits were the most by a UC Davis freshman since Sharlie Cunningham had 74 in 1997.
Junior infielder
Isabella Leon, who hit .317 with a team-high four home runs and 21 RBI, also returns to bolster the offense, as does senior infielder
Meghan Bradbury, who hit .291 over 30 games, as the Aggies return their top four hitters off of last season's squad.
UC Davis opens its 2019 campaign in a little over a week, hosting the first of three tournaments at La Rue Field this season on Feb. 8-10 with the NorCal Kickoff. First pitch for the Aggies is at Noon on Feb. 8 against Montana, with games against Santa Clara, CSU Bakersfield, and Nevada, to follow throughout the weekend.
A complete tournament schedule for opening weekend, as well as ticket prices for the event, are available online at
https://ucdavisaggies.com/sports/2019/1/2/sports-w-softbl-spec-rel-19-norcal-kickoff.aspx.
2019 BIG WEST CONFERENCE SOFTBALL PRESEASON COACHES POLL
1. Cal State Fullerton (6) - 62 points
2. Long Beach State (1) - 55
3. UC DAVIS (1) - 34
4. Hawai'i - 33
5. CSUN - 32
6. UC Riverside - 30
7. Cal Poly - 26
8. UC Santa Barbara - 16
NOTE: Numbers in parentheses denote first-place votes.
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. 5-ranked public university in the nation according to the Wall Street Journal and Times Higher Education, 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.
AGGIE EVO
Launched in 2017-18, the Aggie EVO System is UC Davis Athletics' investment in the primary mission of preparing student-athletes for a successful "launch" after graduation. Thanks to a collaboration of alumni, university resources, corporate partners, coaches and Student-Athlete Outcomes staff, all Aggies are guided over four years to acquire the skills, knowledge, opportunities and tools to better know and navigate the "World of Work" after graduating from UC Davis. Follow the Aggie EVO system on Twitter and Instagram at @AggieEVO.
