DAVIS, Calif. -- Heading into the NorCal Kickoff season opener, UC Davis softball had plenty of knowns and only a handful of question marks, but certainly many doubts were assuaged in a 4-1 weekend in which the Aggies hit a Big West Conference-best .371.

UC Davis now heads to the second of five preseason tournaments, the Golden State Classic, hosted by San Jose State at the Rosetta Canyon Sports Park this Friday through Sunday.

UP NEXT
What: Golden State Classic
Who: UC Davis, San Jose State, Seton Hall, Utah State, Portland State, San Diego, Army, Loyola Marymount, Sacramento State, Hawai'i, Bradley, LIU.
When: Friday-Sunday, Feb. 14-16
Where: Rosetta Canyon Sports Park (Lake Elsinore, Calif.) 
Tournament Central: goldenstateclassic.com

Among the roles to fill at the start of the 2020 season was the hot corner, with Meghan Bradbury having started all 53 games in 2019. Freshman Leah Polson made an immediate case for that spot, hitting 7-for-13 (.538) with her first collegiate home run. In fact, she was one of six Aggies with OPS totals of better than 1.000: catcher Riley Siegel (1.257), outfielder Alyse Rojas (1.167), first baseman Maddie Rojas (1.096), second baseman Sommer Kisling (1.063) and Monday's Big West Player of the Week, Isabella Leon (1.776).

Leon's weekend was so productive that she has already matched her home run total (3) from all of 2019. Furthermore, she is one of 10 players nationwide to reach double-digit RBIs (10) in the opening weekend, a total that is more than a fourth of her sophomore and junior seasons combined (38). 

Futhermore, Leon (9-for-17) and Alyse Rojas (8-for-18) are among 55 Division I players to amass 15 or more at-bats without a strikeout thus far. Leon's whiffless streak dates back to the Long Beach State series on May 5 last year, while Rojas last had a "K" by her name in the final trip of last year's May 9 doubleheader in Hawai'i.

Of course, the other question mark belonged to the pitching staff, of which only senior Katie Kibby (2-1, save, 3.50 ERA) had previous collegiate experience. Freshman Taylor Fitzgerald enjoyed a quality start (5-5-2-1-0-2) en route to her first collegiate win on Sunday, while fellow first-year Kenedi Brown posted two relief appearances. Brown went 5.2 frames with two hits allowed and five strikeouts for the relief victory against CBU on Thursday.

UC Davis takes on Bradley (10 a.m.) and Loyola Marymount (5 p.m.) on Friday, Utah State (2 p.m.) and Portland State (4:30 p.m.) on Saturday, then wraps up the weekend with a 9 a.m. first pitch against LIU on Sunday. Bradley is a first-time opponent for the Aggies, while PSU is perhaps the most familiar: 39 previous meetings including three in the 1993 and 1996 NCAA West Regionals.

PINCH HITS
• Isabella Leon won the program's 11th all-time Big West Conference Player of the Week award, but the first for an Aggie shortstop since Elizabeth Santana on May 3, 2010... Kelly Harman also won such honors (Feb. 16, 2009) playing the No. 6 position... Leon's 10 RBIs in a weekend is also the most by any Aggie since Deanna Menapace had exactly that many during the 2009 Diamond Devil Invitational... She also is the first UC Davis player to homer in three straight games since teammate Megan Bower achieved the feat almost exactly one year ago.

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 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: Established 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.

MARYA WELCH INITIATIVE: Named after the former physical education instructor, coach and Dean of Women who founded women's sports on the campus 25 years before the passage of Title IX, the Marya Welch Initiative for Women's Athletics provides comprehensive support for UC Davis' 16 women's athletics programs. Through the support of the Marya Welch Initiative and its group members, student-athletes are provided the best possible opportunity to succeed inside the classroom, and in competition, through special project gifts and by increasing visibility and participation at women's events throughout the year. All gifts to the Marya Welch Initiative are matched 1:1, doubling the impact on our women's programs. Visit this site for more information.

DON'T MISS OUT: Tickets for all UC Davis sports are on sale by contacting the Athletics Ticket Office at (530) 752-AGS1 or by visiting us online at tickets.ucdavis.edu.