DAVIS, Calif. — Rain drops and cool temperatures for the season's opening weekend did nothing to chill the bat of senior human development major Meghan Bradbury in the first event of the year for the UC Davis softball team, as the San Pablo, Calif., native was named the Big West Player of the Week for the first time in her career on Monday afternoon.

Building off a season that saw her hit a career-best .291 as a junior, Bradbury clinched the league's first weekly honor of the year after batting .667 (6-for-9) during the weather-shortened NorCal Kickoff at La Rue Field, three of those hits going for extra bases to help the Aggies to a perfect 3-0 record out of the gate — the program's first such start since the 2009 squad also opened with victories in its first three contests.

Bradbury reached twice in the season opener for UC Davis against Montana, driving home the eventual game-winning run with a single in the third and reaching base twice overall following a fifth-inning walk in the Aggies' 2-1 victory, marking the fifth time in the team's last seven season openers that UC Davis opened with a win. Just two hours later, Bradbury opened the floodgates in a five-inning, 10-2, win over Santa Clara, tying her career high with a 3-for-3 day at the plate, including a fourth-inning two-run home run — one of three balls that left the yard off an Aggies' bat.

She also added a single in the second and an RBI single as part of a three-run third inning to close out Friday's first day of play, then built upon that performance with another two-hit game on Saturday, leading UC Davis to a 10-4 win over Montana. Bradbury collected an RBI double and a triple in the second meeting with the Lady Griz in as many days, helping the Aggies jump out to a 6-0 lead in the first three innings and the team never looked back.

UC Davis returns to the diamond for its first road contests of the year this weekend in Las Vegas, taking part in the 2019 Boyd Gaming Rebel Classic hosted by UNLV. The Aggies open on Friday (Feb. 15) with games against Weber State and BYU, continue on Saturday (Feb. 16) against UTEP and Miami (Ohio), and close out Sunday (Feb. 17) against Georgetown.

A complete tournament schedule is available online at https://unlvrebels.com/feature/2019BoydGamingRebelClassic.

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.