Davis, Calif. — The Aggies continue Big West play at home this weekend with a three-game set against Cal State Fullerton. Starting Friday, March 24, and running through Sunday, March 26, the Aggies look to climb up the rankings after dropping two of three games this past week against CSUN.
UC Davis (6-10), will get the luxury of four straight home games with Cal State Fullerton (8-8) accounting for three games, while the Aggies will also welcome LMU, (9-9) Monday, March 27 in a midweek game that takes place right on the heels of a series finale.
Looking to capitalize on two weekends straight at their home field, the Aggies will look to pick up a series win, along with a midweek, to try and gain momentum for the coming weeks, which has the Aggies playing 11 straight road contests after this week's home-stand.
SERIES INFORMATION
UC DAVIS BASEBALL | GAMES 17-20
MARCH 24-27 | DOBBINS STADIUM | DAVIS, CALIF.
CAL STATE FULLERTON:
FRIDAY, 2:30 P.M. | ESPN+
SATURDAY, 1:00 P.M.
SUNDAY, 1:00 P.M.
LMU:
MONDAY, 12:00 P.M. | ESPN+
TICKETS | TICKET PACKAGES
LIVE STATS
**ESPN+ STREAM ONLY AVAILABLE FOR FRIDAY AND MONDAY**
PROBABLE STARTERS
FRIDAY: UC Davis RHP Alejandro Huezo vs. Cal State Fullerton LHP Tyler Stultz
SATURDAY: UC Davis LHP Bryan Green vs. Cal State Fullerton RHP Trevor Hinkel
SUNDAY: UC Davis RHP Carter Delaney vs. Cal State Fullerton RHP Evan Yates
MONDAY: TBD vs. LMU
ABOUT THE AGGIES
The Aggies opened up Big West competition with a 1-2 showing against the CSUN Matadors. Nowhere close to the standards they set to achieve this year, the Aggies showed progress on both sides of the ball. Within striking distance in both of the losses against CSUN, the Aggies couldn't bring across that game winning run in the extra inning opening game, while also running into some bad luck during the series finale, most notably a bases-loaded, no-out double play off the bat of a Joey Wright line drive.
Leading the team in hitting is a pair of newcomers, as Damian Stone and Alex Gouveia are neck and neck for the top batting average among Aggies. From the pitching side, UC Davis is still being fueled by Bryan Green who has a Big West leading four wins to his name alongside a 3.54 ERA through 28 innings pitched.
Defensively the Ags have been sharp, ranking first in the Big West in fielding percentage, all while running out bunch of different starting lineup variations. The versatility throughout the roster has been showcased most in this department as the Aggies have been able to plug and play guys depending on matchups.
ABOUT CAL STATE FULLERTON
The Titans are led by Jason Dietrich who is in his second year at the helm. A versatile team possessing a few recent Big West Player of the Week honors in Tyler Stultz and Maddox Latta, the Titans 8-8 record doesn't tell the whole story, as they have played some college baseball heavyweights already in the young season. Winning their most recent series against UC Irvine to open Big West play, taking another series against Texas, and going stride for stride with Stanford, the Titans are as formidable as they come.
Outside of Stultz and Latta, the Titans also possess the Big West's leader in batting average, Carter White who is hitting a blistering .442 in 43 at bats. Like many Big West teams, Cal State Fullerton preaches defense and pitching but a stat that standouts most about the Titans this year is their ability to hit consistent doubles, ranking 13th in the nation in doubles per game.
YOUNG BUCKS
Entering the season with development on the mind of the staff, the Aggies have had to accelerate that process and utilize some freshman early in the season to play big innings. While Joey Wright was slated to be the everyday shortstop from the jump, the play of Braydon Wooldridge, Ethan Kang, and Leighton Helfrick has found the Aggies shuffling the lineup more than intended to mix and match depending on pitching matchups.
Kang like Wright, is as elite as they come defensively and has the makings of being one of the best outfielders UC Davis has seen in recent years. Slowly working towards playing time, Kang has taken that to the next level and already has been moved to center field due to his impact and ability to track down balls. Coach Andrew Ayers notes that "Kang is an elite defender," so much so that he believes, "at some point I think he's going to get a Gold Glove in the Big West."
Wooldridge has shown in his time to be one of the toughest outs in the Aggie lineup. Receiving high remarks, the staff is excited for Braydon's future. Coach Nicholson has said, "He's someone that man, I can't wait to see what he looks like a year from now… He takes really good at bats." A complete competitor on the field, Wooldridge has even pitched a couple innings this year and looks to be a building block of the Aggies moving forward.
Helfrick has been a welcoming surprise to the Aggie lineup. Even with a small sample size, he sits tops among Aggies in conference only batting average at .400 through three games. Coach Ayers noted that how all the freshman and Helfrick especially, came into the season with a mindset of doing whatever it takes to win and attributed his recent success to his willingness to "make a lot of adjustments," to be more comfortable and help in recognizing pitches in the box.
NEW FACES
The talk of the freshman doesn't diminish or overshadow the impact of some other new faces. At the head of those new faces is Alex Gouveia and Damian Stone who figure to be staples of the Aggie lineup during conference. Stone the speedy leadoff hitter who made his way to Davis after time at UC Santa Barbara and Ohlone, has shown when healthy, he is the engine of the offense. Leading the Aggies in average at .293, Stone also leads UC Davis in on base percentage, at .408.
Along with Stone, Gouveia has been as good as advertised. An All-Big 8 infielder a season ago at Modesto College, Gouveia is hitting .292 on the season and leads UC Davis with 19 hits. His offensive production paired with his defense up the middle with Wright has been "awesome" by coach Nicholson's standards.
Slowly coming along as well is Jack Gallagher from Petaluma by way of Santa Rosa Junior College. Known for his ability to "jump ship" at any point during any given at-bat, Gallagher has strung together hits in four straight games while tapping into his power. Leading the Aggies with five home runs, if Gallagher can produce consistent contact, it will be a game-changer for this Aggie offense who would love to rely on his power production on a daily basis.
GREEN MEANS GO
Saturday's have been the most successful days of the year for UC Davis. A lot of that can be contributed to Bryan Green and his ability to mow down hitters. Posting the lowest ERA among qualified pitchers for the Aggies, Green's 3.54 ERA and .96 WHIP have been a welcoming sight to see out of a staff that is still adjusting in the early season period. Posting a career high 11 strikeouts against Santa Clara, Green has recorded 29 K's on the year which ranks tied for eighth in the conference.
Green has been the most consistent Aggie this season at holding the lead and giving his offense a chance to stack together scoring innings. He will continue this weekend and for the foreseeable future as the Saturday starter.
KEEP CALM AND CARRION
An electric reliever and team leader, Danny Carrion is building in his first season as a full-time pitcher. Coach Tommy Nicholson ushered that "what we want to be able to do is get the ball in Daniel Carrion's hands with the lead." Running the radar gun up to the mid-90's and sitting consistently in the low-90's, Carrion has proven he can be the stopper UC Davis envisioned him to be when presented the opportunity. UC Davis will rely on him in high leverage situations and look to utilize him more with the Big West schedule.
DEFENSE WINS CHAMPIONSHIPS
Under the leadership of Tommy Nicholson the Aggies have already transformed their defense from a season ago. Currently leading the Big West in fielding percentage, (.979) UC Davis has seen practically a whole new lineup come together and improve a defense that finished in the bottom half of the league a season ago.
