ON DECK…
Cal Poly (7-29, 1-5 Big West) at UC Davis (29-7, 4-2 Big West)
La Rue Field | Davis, Calif.
Saturday, April 13, 2019 (DH) | 1 p.m.
Sunday, April 14, 2019 | 1 p.m.

PLAY BALL: Winners of its first two Big West Conference series and 10 of its last 12 games overall, the UC Davis softball team welcomes Central Coast rival Cal Poly this weekend for a three-game series at La Rue Field. The weekend opens with a doubleheader Saturday (April 13), welcoming alumni home as part of "Picnic Day" festivities. The series closes with a single game on Sunday (April 14) as part of Cancer Awareness Day. First pitch for both days is scheduled for 1 p.m.

IN THE POLLS: Neither UC Davis, nor Cal Poly, are ranked nationally in this week's polls.

UPDATE YOUR CALENDARS: After Mother Nature spoiled the first Causeway clash between UC Davis and Sacramento State, the Aggies and Hornets will make up the contest on April 30 at 3 p.m. at Shea Stadium in Sacramento. In addition, the Aggies' game against Pacific that was postponed due to weather back on Feb. 19, will now be played at La Rue Field  on April 23 at 4 p.m.

LIGHTS, CAMERA, AGGIES!: UC Davis softball will be making its fourth all-time appearance on the ESPN family of networks as the Big West Conference announced that the Aggies' May 5 contest at Long Beach State has been selected to appear on ESPNU. First pitch from the LBSU Softball Complex is scheduled for 2 p.m. It will be the first time that the Aggies will face someone other than Cal State Fullerton in its four appearances after UC Davis battled the Titans in doubleheaders in 2014, 2016, and 2018. In addition, it was announced that the first two games of the series on May 4 against the 49ers will be broadcast live on ESPN3, giving the nation three chances to catch the Aggies.

SCOUTING THE MUSTANGS: Cal Poly enters the weekend with a 7-29 overall record and a 1-5 mark in Big West play, having dropped its last five straight and nine of its last 10… The Mustangs are coming off a sweep at the hands of Hawai'i at home after dropping two-of-three at UC Riverside to open conference play… Cal Poly is 2-7 on the road this year… Senior catcher Makenna Young leads the Mustangs at the plate, hitting .284 with three home runs and 15 RBI, as well as scoring 12 times… Junior right-hander Steffi Best has seen the majority of time in the circle, posting a 2-18 overall record and a 4.74 ERA in 85.2 innings, striking out 47… Opponents are hitting .342 against the Cal Poly pitching staff this season.

SERIES RECORDS: According to records dating back to the 1983 season, UC Davis is 29-32 against Cal Poly, including a 16-17 record against the Mustangs in Big West play… Cal Poly took 2-of-3 from the Aggies in San Luis Obispo last season and have won the last four series from UC Davis since the Aggies took 2-of-3 on the road in 2014.

AGGIES IN THE RPI: UC Davis enters the week at No. 78 in the latest NCAA RPI rankings (as of April 7), standing third among its Big West Conference sistren behind Cal State Fullerton (No. 64) and Long Beach State (No. 72).

MAKING THEIR PITCH AMONG THE NCAA'S BEST: Led by the 1-2 punch of sophomore left-hander Brooke Yanez and junior right-hander Katie Kibby, the Aggies rank among the top pitching staffs in the nation, ranking No. 8 in the NCAA in team earned run average (1.60) and No. 25 in strikeout-to-walk ratio (3.12). Individually, Yanez is among the top 20 in five different categories, including No. 4 in earned run average (0.98), No. 5 in victories (19), No. 7 in strikeouts (183), No. 11 in shutouts (six), and No. 13 in strikeouts per seven innings (9.9), while standing No. 26 in fewest hits allowed per seven innings (4.4).

YANEZ PICKS UP FOURTH BIG WEST WEEKLY HONOR: Sophomore left-hander Brooke Yanez was named the Big West Pitcher of the Week for the fourth time this season — and the seventh time in her career — on Monday afternoon. Her four weekly honors in 2018 are tied for the ninth-most in a single campaign in league history, while her seven career awards rank just outside the top 10. Read the complete release: https://ucdavisaggies.com/news/2019/4/8/softball-yanez-picks-up-fourth-big-west-weekly-honor.aspx?path=softball.

AGGIE SHORT HOPS…
• The 2019 season will go down as the winningest in the program's Division I history as UC Davis claimed wins No. 28 and 29 thanks to its series victory at UC Santa Barbara, breaking the mark of 27 wins set in 2018
• The 29 wins entering the week are the most since the 2007 squad ended with 31 for the season
• A 3-0 shutout in the opener, and a 9-0 shutout in the series finale, gave the Aggies 14 for the season, breaking a tie with the 2009 squad for the most in the program's Division I history and the most since the 2004 season when they shutout 16 opponents
• UC Davis has won back-to-back Big West series for the first time since taking 2-of-3 from UC Riverside and sweeping CSUN to kick-off the 2012 campaign
• Senior Meghan Bradbury smacked her eighth home run of the year in the sixth inning of game two against UC Santa Barbara, breaking a tie with Lauryn Sanders and Kelly Zboralske for the most in a single season at the Division I level and the most since Deanna Menapace finished with 10 in 2007.
• Bradbury's 13 career home runs rank one back of Amy Nunez's school Division I record of 14 from 2011-15 — a mark that also ranks 10th on the all-time chart
• Bradbury's home run gave the Aggies 26 for the season as a team, just two shy of the program's Division I record of 28 set in 2008
• With two RBI against UC Santa Barbara, Bradbury now has 31 for the year — the most since Deanna Menapace set the school single-season Division I record of 33 in 2008
• With her two wins against the Gauchos, Yanez improved to 19-2 overall, putting her just one win behind Justine Vela's single-season Division I record of 20 set in 2012
• Yanez needs just 17 more strikeouts to become only the fourth pitcher in the program's Division I history to reach 200 strikeouts in a season along with Vela (272 in 2012), Jessica Hancock (225 in 2008), and Alex Holmes (209 in 2011)
• Yanez enters the week having not allowed a run in her last 17 innings and has denied opponents an earned run in her last 20 innings — this after having a run of 31.1 scoreless innings and a 46.2 inning stretch without allowing an earned run earlier this year
• Junior Isabella Leon has posted the second-highest run total in the Big West this season with 32, a mark that ranks tied for third in a single season on the school's Division I chart — just three back of Julie Stauder's 2008 record of 35.

AGGIES IN THE BIG WEST…
Batting Average — 2nd (.289)
Slugging Percentage — 3rd (.435)
On-Base Percentage — 3rd (.365)
Runs Scored — 2nd (181)
Hits — 2nd (266)
RBI — 4th (156)
Doubles — t5th (39)
Triples — 1st (9)
Home Runs — t3rd (26)
Walks — 2nd (103)
Stolen Bases — 2nd (34)

ERA — 1st (1.60)
Opponents Batting Average — 1st (.209)
Strikeouts — 1st (234)
Wins — 1st (29)
Fewest Hits Allowed — 1st (180)
Fewest Runs Allowed — 1st (69)
Fewest Earned Runs Allowed — 1st (55)
Fewest Walks Allowed — 2nd (75)

Fielding Percentage — 2nd (.974)

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.