ON DECK…
UC Davis (0-0) co-hosts 2019 NorCal Kickoff
Fri.-Sun., Feb. 8-10, 2019 | La Rue Field | Davis, Calif.
TOURNAMENT CENTRAL: https://ucdavisaggies.com/sports/2019/1/2/sports-w-softbl-spec-rel-19-norcal-kickoff.aspx
PARTICIPATING TEAMS: UC Davis, Sacramento State, Santa Clara, Montana, UC Santa Barbara, CSU Bakersfield, Montana, Nevada
FOLLOW ALONG…
Feb. 8 vs. Montana, Noon —
Live Stats |
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Feb. 8 vs. Santa Clara, 2:30 p.m. —
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Feb. 9 vs. Montana, Noon —
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Feb. 9 vs. CSU Bakersfield, 2:30 p.m. —
Live Stats |
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Feb. 10 vs. Nevada, 2:30 p.m. —
Live Stats |
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PLAY BALL!: Coming off the winningest season in the program's Division I history, the UC Davis softball team takes the field for the first time, co-hosting the three-day 2019 NorCal Kickoff with Sacramento State this weekend at La Rue Field in Davis, Calif, and Shea Stadium in Sacramento. Play begins at 9:30 a.m. at both sites on all three days beginning Friday (Feb. 8) and running through Sunday (Feb. 10).
TICKETS, PLEASE: Single-day and tournament passes for this week's NorCal Kickoff are available for purchase from the UC Davis athletics ticket office and online at UCDavisAggies.com. A tournament pass is available for $25, with a youth (3-13) and senior (65+) pass available for $20. Day passes are also available for $10 for adults and $8 for youth and seniors.
CAN'T MAKE THE TRIP?: For those fans unable to make the trek to La Rue Field this weekend, live stats will be available for all games, while live video will be available for UC Davis contests at La Rue Field only. Links are available above and on the tournament central page at
https://ucdavisaggies.com/sports/2019/1/2/sports-w-softbl-spec-rel-19-norcal-kickoff.aspx.
IN THE POLLS: None of the teams in this weekend's event are ranked among the top 25 in either the preseason ESPN.com/USA Softball or NFCA coaches polls… As of the preseason polls, the Aggies are scheduled to face four teams that are either ranked or receiving votes to start the year: Long Beach State (#25/RV), Cal State Fullerton (RV/RV), California (RV/RV), and Boise State (NR/RV).
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.
SCOUTING THE LADY GRIZ: Montana, which started its program in 2015, was picked to finish fourth in the seven-team Big Sky Conference according to a preseason vote of the league's head coaches… The Lady Griz lost 11 seniors off of last season's squad that finished 25-30 overall and finished fifth in the conference with a 10-11 mark in league play… Montana returns two position starters and four pitchers among seven letter winners overall and eight newcomers… The Lady Griz lost their top five hitters from a season ago with sophomore catcher Jessica McAlister leading the way after batting .256 with a home run and 17 RBI in her first season… Senior Colleen Driscoll anchors the pitching staff after finishing 8-9 with a 2.62 ERA and 71 strikeouts in 104 innings in 2018.
SERIES NOTES: The series between the Aggies and Lady Griz is tied at 1-1, with both teams claiming a win at La Rue Field… UC Davis won the first-ever meeting between the two by the score of 4-1 in 2015, with Montana returning the favor by the score of 4-3 in 2016.
SCOUTING THE BRONCOS: Santa Clara was picked to finish fifth in the six-team West Coast Conference after finishing 9-37 overall and 4-11 in league play a season ago… Junior catcher Hannah Russell, a first-team all-conference selection as a sophomore, was a preseason All-WCC pick after leading the Broncos with a .331 average in 46 starts, posting a .380 on-base percentage and five doubles while ranking second on the team with 16 RBI… Junior right-hander Aubree Kim paces the pitching staff after posting a 5-19 overall record and a 6.17 ERA in 34 appearances, striking out 89 in 151 innings.
SERIES NOTES: UC Davis enjoys a 42-15 lead in the series with Santa Clara, having won the last six straight games and 16 of the last 19 dating back to the 2006 season… The Aggies are 22-6 at home against the Broncos, including winning the last four meetings at La Rue Field… Santa Clara's last win in the series came on March 1, 2014, with a 5-4 win on its home field, but hasn't won in Davis since a 4-0 triumph on March 11, 2010.
SCOUTING THE ROADRUNNERS: Future Big West Conference rival CSU Bakersfield was picked to finish seventh among seven teams in the preseason Western Athletic Conference coaches poll after finishing 6-38 overall in 2018… Senior infielder Paige Johnson is the leading returner at the plate after batting .296 with seven runs, three doubles, and 14 RBI… Sophomore Daryn Hitzel paces the returners in the circle after posting a 4-9 overall record and a 5.87 ERA in 95 innings while striking out 38.
SERIES NOTES: UC Davis holds a narrow 38-37-1 lead in the series with CSU Bakersfield according to records that date back to 1986… The Aggies won the only meeting between the two last season by the score of 7-3 on a neutral field in Fresno — the first meeting between the two programs since 2016… UC Davis is 8-4 against its former Division II rival since making the jump to Division I… The Aggies are 11-10-1 at home against the Roadrunners, but this will be the first meeting in Davis since 2016.
SCOUTING THE WOLF PACK: Nevada was picked to finish sixth in the nine-team Mountain West Conference after finishing 27-27 overall and 12-12 in conference play last season for fifth place… Junior infielder Sierra Mello is the leading returning hitter after batting .379 with 27 runs scored, three home runs, and 15 RBI, in 2018… Kenzi Goins (.353, seven home runs, 37 RBI) and Sadaria McAlister (.330, two home runs, 25 RBI) also hit over .300 a season ago… Sophomore right-hander Julia Jensen leads the returners in the circle after posting a 13-12 overall record in 35 appearances with a 4.27 ERA and 151 strikeouts in 175 innings with a .269 average against.
SERIES RECORDS: According to records that date back to 1988, the series between the Aggies and Wolf Pack is tied at 9-9, with each team alternating wins over the last seven meetings… UC Davis won the only meeting between the two programs by the score of 9-4 at La Rue Field last season — the first contest between the two since 2016… Ten of the 18 games between the two have been played at La Rue Field — including eight of the last 11 — with each team winning five of those 10.
AS THE WORLD TOURNEY'S: During head coach
Erin Thorpe's previous four seasons, the Aggies are a combined 25-13 (.658) in home tournaments, posting a 10-5 mark in four home tournaments in 2016, an 8-4 mark in two events in 2017, and a 7-4 record in two tournaments last season.
LID-LIFTERS: Since their Division I debut in the 2008 season, the Aggies are 7-4 in season-opening games, winning four of their last six, including a 3-1 win over South Dakota at the Kajikawa Classic to kick-off the 2018 campaign… UC Davis won its first three season openers at the Division I level fro 2008-10 with victories over Utah State, Liberty, and Kent State, and also own season-opening wins over Southern Miss (2013) and Arkansas (2014)… The Aggies hold a, 50-31, scoring advantage in their previous 11 regular season openers, including a pair of 10-run wins in 2008 and 2010… Each of the team's last seven openers have been decided by two runs or fewer.
FIRST TIME FOR EVERYTHING: The Aggies will meet five teams for the very first time this season beginning with a clash against Miami (Ohio) on Feb. 16 at the Boyd Gaming Rebel Classic in Las Vegas. UC Davis will also encounter first-time opponents in Georgetown — also in Las Vegas — Northern Kentucky at the Silicon Valley Classic II on March 8 in San Jose, Calif., and both Rider and Marist at their own Capital Classic Tournament on March 15 and 16, respectively.
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.
