ON DECK…
Pacific (15-27) at UC Davis (34-8)
La Rue Field | Davis, Calif.
Tuesday, April 23, 2019 | 4:00 p.m.

Cal State Fullerton (30-15, 10-2 Big West) at UC Davis (34-8, 9-3 Big West)
La Rue Field | Davis, Calif.
Saturday, April 27, 2019 (DH) | 1 p.m.
Sunday, April 28, 2019 | Noon

PLAY BALL: The UC Davis softball team carries five-game winning streak into its final homestand of the 2019 regular season, hosting a pair of opponents for four games this week at La Rue Field. After welcoming Northern California rival Pacific for a mid-week tilt on Tuesday (April 23) at 4 p.m., the second-place Aggies host first-place — and three-time defending Big West Conference champion — Cal State Fullerton in a crucial three-game series to close out the home schedule. The series with the Titans opens with a doubleheader on Saturday (April 27) at 1 p.m., before closing with a single game on "Senior Day" Sunday (April 28) at Noon.

PROMOS: Tuesday is "Pride Day" at La Rue Field as the Aggies team up with Athlete Ally for a t-shirt giveaway to the first 100 arriving fans. Saturday features a pregame recognition for three Aggie greats and their families and is also youth day, featuring post-game autographs. Sunday is "Senior Day" as the Aggies will honor their departing class in a post-game ceremony on the field.

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

AGGIES IN THE RPI: A sweep last weekend in Riverside allowed the Aggies to jump 17 spots to No. 69 in this week's NCAA RPI, trailing only this weekend's opponent in Cal State Fullerton (No. 48) among their Big West sistren… UC Davis has been ranked among the top 100 in the RPI in each of the last six weeks — the longest such run in the program's Division I history… This week's ranking is only five spots behind the program's best of No. 64 set back on March 31 of this year… When UC Davis made its debut at No. 98 in the season's first report on March 17, it marked the first time that the Aggies have been ranked among the top 100 since they were No. 95 on March 22, 2015.

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 TIGERS: Pacific enters the week with a 15-27 overall record and a 1-8 mark in the West Coast Conference, snapping a 14-game losing streak with a 9-1 win over Saint Mary's in the finale of its three-game series on Saturday… The Tigers have yet to win a game on the road this season, posting an 0-11 mark away from Bill Simoni Field… Freshman utility Carly Lucchetti leads the team with a .306 average, scoring 19 runs, slugging nine extra-base hits, and driving in 10… Freshmen Madison Kahwaty and Jessica Mabrey share the team lead with five home runs, the latter leading the team with 22 RBI… Junior right-hander Hailey Reed leads the pitching staff, posting a 6-10 overall record and a 3.08 ERA, striking out 104 in 102.1 innings and holding opponents to a .246 batting average.

SERIES NOTES: Pacific leads the all-time series with UC Davis by a 22-14 count according to records that date back to 1982… The Aggies split a pair of non-conference tournament meetings with the Tigers last season in Fresno, falling by the score of 9-6 before posting a 3-0 shutout… UC Davis was 10-8 against Pacific when both were members of the Big West Conference from 2008-13, then began a non-conference home-and-home series in every year by 2017 beginning the next season… The Aggies are 7-8 at home against the Tigers, falling in four of the last five… UC Davis' last win at home against Pacific came on Feb. 10, 2015, in a 10-1 five-inning victory.

SCOUTING THE TITANS: Cal State Fullerton enters the week with a 30-15 overall record and a 10-2 mark in Big West Conference play, joining UC Davis as the only teams in the league with at least 30 wins this season and leading the Aggies by a single game in the standings… Fullerton is fresh off a sweep of Hawai'i at home last weekend and has won its last 11 Big West series heading into this week… Freshman Alexa Neil leads all regulars with a .368 average, scoring 36 runs, slugging four home runs, and driving in 19… Ranking second in the league with 37 home runs as a team, senior Ari Williams and sophomore Deshea Hill pace the squad with six home runs apiece — the latter pacing the team with 35 RBI… Freshman Dani Martinez (13-5, 2.00) and junior Sophie Frost (12-5, 2.75) have been a potent 1-2 punch in the circle, the former leading the team with 119 strikeouts and a .181 average against.

SERIES NOTES: The Titans leads the all-time series with the Aggies, 27-12, dating back to the 2005 season, winning the last 11 straight games with UC Davis dating back to a 4-1 Aggie victory in the opener of a three-game series in 2015… UC Davis is 4-17 at home against the Titans, losing the last two series against Fullerton at La Rue Field after taking 2-of-3 from the Titans in 2013 for its last series win.

SOFTBALL AMERICA ADDS YANEZ TO PITCHER OF THE YEAR LIST: Adding to a lengthy laundry list of honors and accolades already handed out in her name, UC Davis sophomore left-hander Brooke Yanez has added yet another for the 2019 season, selected by Softball America to its midseason Pitcher of the Year watch list on April 18. Along with Florida's Kelly Barnhill, who was the No. 1 pick in the recent National Pro Fastpitch College Draft, and Louisiana's Summer Ellyson, Yanez has been garnering national attention all season long as the Aggies hit the midway point of their Big West Conference schedule. Read the full story here: https://ucdavisaggies.com/news/2019/4/18/softball-america-adds-yanez-to-pitcher-of-the-year-list.aspx?path=softball.

AGGIE SHORT HOPS…
• UC Davis enters the week having won five straight (tied with Cal State Fullerton for the longest active winning streak in the conference) and 15 of their last 18
• With a Division I program-record 34 wins, the Aggies lead the Big West in victories and are joined by Cal State Fullerton as the only two Big West schools with at least 30 wins on the year
• The 34 wins are the most since UC Davis won 53 games en route to the 2003 NCAA Division II National Championship
• The Aggies' 9-3 mark in conference play matches the team's league win total from all of last season (9-12) and are the most since the 2013 squad finished 11-13
• The record for Big West wins is 15 set by the 2010 team that advanced to the program's first NCAA Division I Tournament, finishing 15-6 in league play
• With their three wins at UC Riverside, the Aggies posted a sweep of a Big West opponent for the first time since 2015 (at UC Santa Barbara) and only the seventh time in the program's Division I history
• UC Davis has had a penchant for jumping on opponents early this season, outscoring its rivals by a 61-13 count in the first two innings, allowing just six runs in the first and seven in the second all year
• UC Davis' offense clobbered 10 hits in each of the final two games against the Highlanders, logging double digits in that category for the third and fourth times in its last five games and a 12th and 13th times overall
• The five doubles in the series finale against the Highlanders were the most in a game this season and the most since the Aggies had five against Santa Clara on March 18 last season
• UC Davis' five-inning win in the UC Riverside finale marked the seventh run-rule win of the year for the Aggies and 10 of their last 11 dating back to last season
• Thanks to her win in the opener at UC Riverside, sophomore communication major Brooke Yanez broke a tie with Justine Vela for the most wins in a single-season at the Division I level in the history of the program with 21
• Senior human development major Meghan Bradbury finished with six RBI on the weekend, setting a new program Division I single-season record with 38, breaking Deanna Menapace's previous mark of 33 in 2008
• With four runs scored, junior cognitive science major Isabella Leon bested Julie Stauder's previous mark of 35 in 2008 for the program's single-season Division I record, which now stands at 37 (and counting)
• Yanez's 10 strikeouts in the opener at UCR marked her ninth double-digit strikeout game of the season
• Her 17 strikeouts this past weekend brought her season total to 218, which stands just eight back of Amy Rosson's 2004 total for fifth on the all-time single-season list and seven behind Jessica Hancock's 2008 total for second on the program's Division I single-season chart
• With two doubles apiece this past weekend Marisa Given and Meghan Bradbury moved their team-high totals to 11 — the most by an Aggie since Kelly Schulze led the team with 11 in 2012
• Leon's 23 walks are just three shy of Julie Stauder's (2008) Division I single-season record

AGGIES IN THE BIG WEST…
Batting Average — 2nd (.290)
Slugging Percentage — 4th (.431)
On-Base Percentage — 2nd (.369)
Runs Scored — 1st (216)
Hits — 3rd (311)
RBI — 3rd (188)
Doubles — t3rd (53)
Triples — t1st (9)
Home Runs — 5th (27)
Walks — 1st (130)
Stolen Bases — 2nd (39)

ERA — 1st (1.54)
Opponents Batting Average — 1st (.206)
Strikeouts — 1st (272)
Wins — 1st (34)
Fewest Hits Allowed — 1st (206)
Fewest Runs Allowed — 1st (77)
Fewest Earned Runs Allowed — 1st (62)
Fewest Walks Allowed — 2nd (86)

Fielding Percentage — 2nd (.975)

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.