ON DECK…
UC Davis (3-0) at 2019 Boyd Gaming Rebel Classic
Fri.-Sun., Feb. 15-17, 2019 | Las Vegas, Nev. | Eller Media Stadium & Stephanie Lynn Craig Park
TOURNAMENT CENTRAL: https://unlvrebels.com/feature/2019BoydGamingRebelClassic
PARTICIPATING TEAMS: Fordham, BYU, UNLV, Hawai'i, Utah Valley, Miami (Ohio), Weber State, Georgetown, UTEP, UC Davis, SeattleU
FOLLOW ALONG…
Feb. 15 vs. Weber State, Noon -
Live Stats
Feb. 15 vs. BYU, 4:30 p.m.
Feb. 16 vs. UTEP, 9 a.m. -
Live Stats
Feb. 16 vs. Miami (Ohio), 1:30 p.m.
Feb. 17 vs. Georgetown, 8 a.m. -
Live Stats
PLAY BALL!: One of 31 remaining unbeaten squads following the first weekend of play, the UC Davis softball team will "let it ride" in week two, making the trip to Las Vegas as one of 11 teams competing at the 2019 Boyd Gaming Rebel Classic hosted by UNLV beginning Friday (Feb. 15) and running through Sunday (Feb. 17). Along the way, the Aggies will take on Weber State, BYU, UTEP, Miami (Ohio), and Georgetown.
IN THE POLLS: Neither UC Davis, nor its opponents, are ranked nationally this week.
LOOK AT THE BIG BAT ON BRAD(BURY): For the first time in her career, senior human development major
Meghan Bradbury was named the Big West Conference Player of the Week on Feb. 11, after helping the Aggies slug their way to a 3-0 start at the weather-shortened NorCal Kickoff. Building off a season that saw her hit a career-high .291, Bradbury hit .667 in three games last weekend with three extra-base hits, three runs scored, and five RBI. Read the complete release here:
https://ucdavisaggies.com/news/2019/2/11/softball-bradbury-slugs-her-way-to-big-west-weekly-honors.aspx.
IT'S A START: As one of the nation's remaining handful of unbeaten squads, the Aggies' 3-0 start is their best since the 2009 squad also opened with victories in its first three contests. A win over Weber State in its tournament opener in Las Vegas would put UC Davis at 4-0 to start the season for the first time since 1998, while the 1990 squad posted an 11-0 — the program's best since records are available dating back to 1982.
YARD WORK: The Aggies left the yard three times in their run-rule win over Santa Clara in game two of last weekend's tournament — the program's first three-home run game since UC Davis slugged four against Cal State Fullerton on May 4, 2014. Junior human development major
Maddie Rojas slugged a second-inning grand slam for a 4-0 lead, Bradbury piled on with a two-run shot in the fourth, and sophomore communication major
Brooke Yanez walked the Aggies off with a solo shot in the fifth. Freshman
Megan Bower added her first career home run a day later, leading off a 10-4 win over Montana with a solo shot for a 1-0 lead.
MADDIE ABOUT YOU: Maddie Rojas' five RBI against the Broncos are the most by an Aggie since
Ashley Lotoszynski drove in five against Bryant on March 16, 2017, while her grand slam was the first by a UC Davis player since teammate
Isabella Leon did so against UTEP on Feb. 11 of last season.
WALK THIS WAY: Sophomore viticulture & enology major
Riley Siegel made opposing pitchers pay for putting her on base, drawing four walks at the plate and coming around to score three times. That number is already almost halfway to her total from all of last season when the San Anselmo, Calif., native finished with 10 walks.
STINGY: The Aggies' pitching staff has bent, but has not broken to start the year, limiting opponents to just a .210 average (13-for-62) — without an extra-base hit — over the first 19 innings of play.
BOWER POWER: One of five Aggie newcomers to make their Division I debuts during opening weekend, freshman communication major
Megan Bower had herself quite the coming out party, hitting .400 with her first career home run, a pair of runs scored, and two RBI. The Orinda, Calif., native finished with hits in each of the three contests, collecting her first career hit with a single in the opener against Montana and posting her first multi-hit game against the Lady Griz in game three, leading off the scoring with a solo home run and adding a sixth-inning RBI single.
RUN, AGGIES, RUN!: UC Davis closed out opening weekend with a pair of 10-run performances, already one more than they had all of last season (a 12-4 win over UTEP) and the first time the Aggies have posted back-to-back double-digit scoring performances since taking a pair from South Dakota by the scores of 11-10 (eight innings) and 11-1 (five innings) in 2016.
SCOUTING THE WILDCATS: Weber State enters the tournament with a 2-3 record after spending opening weekend in the desert at the Kajikawa Classic hosted by Arizona State… The Wildcats posted wins over Bradley and Stanford, while falling to Oregon State, SeattleU, and the host Sun Devils… Junior outfielder Landi Hawker leads all regulars at the plate with a .500 (7-for-14) average, two runs scored, and three RBI… Junior right-hander Tatiana Su'esu'e started the three of the first five contests, posting a 2-1 record with a 3.06 ERA, holding opponents to a .222 average over 17.2 innings of work.
SERIES NOTES: UC Davis and Weber State, rivals in the Big Sky Conference for football, will meeting for only the second time on the softball diamond after the Aggies posted a 9-8 victory over the Wildcats — also in Las Vegas — on Feb. 21, 2016.
SCOUTING THE COUGARS: BYU enters tournament play after finishing with a 1-3 mark at the Puerto Vallarta College Challenge during opening week, posting a win over Baylor while falling to South Carolina, Liberty, and North Carolina… The Cougars will take on Fordham and Hawai'i on Thursday before facing UC Davis… Junior outfielder Rylee Jensen leads all regulars at the plate with a .385 average, slugging two doubles, and driving in four… Pitcher Arissa Paulson has thrown the majority of innings thus far for the Cougars, posting a 1-0 record and a 4.61 ERA… Opponents are hitting .349 against the Cougars' pitching staff.
SERIES NOTES: BYU leads the all-time series with UC Davis, 2-1, but the two programs haven't met since 2012… Two of the three all-time meetings have been played in Las Vegas, with the Cougars winning 11-0 in five innings in 2006, and the Aggies answering with a 5-0 victory in 2009… The last meeting saw BYU post a 9-0 win in six innings at the Judi Garman Classic in Fullerton, Calif.
SCOUTING THE MINERS: UTEP enters the weekend with a 1-3 overall record after opening the season at the New Mexico State Invitational… The Miners, who face Weber State and Hawai'i before taking on UC Davis, split a pair of games against Creighton, while also falling to New Mexico and the host Aggies… Freshman infielder Kasey Flores is off to a strong start, batting .643 with a pair of doubles, three home runs, seven runs scored, and 10 RBI, in the team's first four games… Five different pitchers have seen action already in the circle, led by senior right-hander Julia Wright, who is 1-1 overall… Opponents are batting .341 against the UTEP staff, averaging 11 runs per game.
SERIES NOTES: UC Davis leads the all-time series with UTEP by a 3-1 count, as the two programs will meet for the second time in as many years… Two of the four previous meetings have been contested in Las Vegas, with the Aggies posting a 6-5 win in 2006 and the Miners prevailing 8-2 in 2008… UC Davis has won the last two, edging UTEP, 5-3, in Fresno, Calif., in 2013, and 12-4 in six innings last year at the Kajikawa Classic in Arizona.
SCOUTING THE REDHAWKS: Miami (Ohio) enters the weekend with a 2-3 overall record after opening the season at the USC Upstate Tournament, posting wins over Youngstown State and East Carolina, while falling to Towson, the Pirates, and the host Spartans… The Redhawks take on Utah Valley and UNLV before taking on UC Davis… Sophomore infielder Ashton Slone leads Miami (Ohio) at the plate, batting .417 with a double, two runs scored, and five RBI… Sophomore Taylor Rathe is one of three pitchers to have seen action in the circle this season, posting a 1-0 record with a 1.91 ERA and a .268 average against in 11 innings.
SERIES NOTES: Saturday's meeting with Miami (Ohio) will be the first between the two programs.
SCOUTING THE HOYAS: Georgetown enters the weekend with a 1-3 overall record after opening the year at the Gardner-Webb Tournament, opening with a win over George Washington, before falling to Furman, the host Bulldogs, and the Colonials… Freshman Mae Forshey leads the team with a .429 average, slugging a pair of doubles, driving in three, and scoring twice… Junior Katie Vannicola leads the pitching staff thus far, posting a 1-1 record with a 1.66 ERA, striking out seven in 12.2 innings of work, and holding opponents to a .264 average.
SERIES NOTES: Saturday's meeting with Georgetown will be the first between the two programs.
A QUICK LOOK AT THE AGGIES: After losing only one senior and four letter winners overall off of last season's squad, the cupboard is far from bare for Head Coach
Erin Thorpe's fifth campaign on the Davis campus as the Aggies return 16 letter winners, six position starters overall, and a quartet of pitchers, for the 2019 campaign after finishing 27-24 overall and 9-12 in Big West play — the latter good for a tie for fourth in the league standings. Big West Freshman Pitcher of the Year and NFCA All-Pacific Region selection
Brooke Yanez (15-11, 1.75 ERA) is joined by All-Big West honorees in sophomore outfielder
Alyse Rojas (first team), junior utility
Isabella Leon (honorable mention), and junior right-hander
Katie Kibby (honorable mention). Rojas hit .372 with 22 runs scored and 21 RBI to pace the Aggies at the plate, while Leon batted .317 with a team-high four home runs and 21 RBI. Kibby formed a powerful 1-2 punch alongside Yanez, finishing 11-10 with a 2.19 ERA and a team-high six shutouts in 23 starts while holding opposing hitters to a .230 average.
IT'S NOT A MATTER OF IF, BUT "WIN": The 27 victories overall in 2018 marked the program's highest win total since making the jump to the Division I level in 2008 and the program's first winning season as a Division I program. The nine Big West victories were also the most since the Aggies finished with the same number in 2014, while the fourth-place tie was the program's highest league finish since ending the 2012 season in third place.
RAISING THE BAR: The Big West Conference head coaches raised the bar just a big higher for the UC Davis softball team, which was picked to finish third in the race for this year's league crown according to a vote released on Jan. 31. Receiving 34 points overall and one first-place vote, it is the highest that an Aggie squad has been voted in the conference's preseason poll since they were picked second (including receiving three first-place votes) prior to the 2011 campaign after claiming a share of the Big West title and a trip to the NCAA Tournament in 2010. Read the complete release here: https://ucdavisaggies.com/news/2019/1/31/softball-aggies-picked-third-in-race-for-big-west-crown.aspx?path=softball
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.
