DAVIS, Calif. — UC Davis baseball opens its 2025 season this weekend with a three-game home series against Gonzaga at Phil Swimley Field. First pitch is set for Friday at 6 p.m. PT under newly installed stadium lights—the program's first-ever home night game. The series continues Saturday at 2 p.m. PT and concludes Sunday at 1 p.m. PT.

Friday's game will be aired on ESPN+, with Greg Wong and Bob Dunning providing commentary. Live stats will be available for all three games.

GAME INFO
Who: Gonzaga
Games & Projected Starters
Friday, Feb. 14 — 6 p.m. PT
LHP Bryan Green (1-3, 3.86) VS. RHP Payton Graham (1-4, 8.91)
Saturday, Feb. 15 — 2 p.m. PT
RHP Noel Valdez (1-7, 4.14) vs.  LHP Miles Gosztola (4-4, 5.54)
Sunday, Feb. 16 — 1 p.m. PT
RHP Tyler Wood (2-4, 5.68) vs. RHP Justin Feld (4-2, 4.16)
    *2024 stats listed
Where: Phil Swimley Field at Dobbins Stadium
Stream: ESPN+ (Friday Only)

CALLING ALL ALUMNI
To celebrate the season, Head Coach Tommy Nicholson is inviting all baseball alumni back to opening night for FREE! We will have a list of all alumni on the pass list and hope you will join us for what will be the first of many exciting night games. If you would like to purchase additional tickets for family and friends, you can buy at the gate or by using this link: https://ucdavisaggies.evenue.net/list/BB

THE RUNDOWN

• UC Davis is coming off a 29-27 campaign, their first winning season since the shortened 2020 year, and first full year winning season since 2015
• The Aggies are 1-2 on Opening Day under head coach Tommy Nicholson
• UC Davis was 15-11 last season at home
• The Aggies were 13-17 in Big West play last season
• UC Davis enters its second to last year in the Big West, with a transition into the Mountain West set for the 2026-27 academic year
• The Aggies return a pair of Big West honorable mention arms from a season ago in Bryan Green and Carter Delaney
• Tyler Howard looks to build upon a strong freshman season where he hit a team-high .302
• UC Davis ranked second in the country last season in double plays turned and return their entire starting infield

POOL PARTY
The 56-game slate for the regular season features 28 home contests at Phil Swimley Field, including seven straight to begin the season in Davis. As part of this early season home stand, UC Davis will open the 2025 season the weekend of Feb. 14-16 with a three-game set against Gonzaga, with action being played under lights for the first time in program history on the team's home field.

"The addition of lights to Phil Swimley Field is exciting for everyone in and around our program. Players past and present have envisioned playing night games in Davis for a long time. Thanks to Rocko and his staff, we are finally able to see this vision come to fruition. I think night games will give the community and student body a chance to come out and create one of the best college baseball atmospheres in the Big West and a home field advantage for our team," said UC Davis head coach Tommy Nicholson.

The list of opponents UC Davis is scheduled to host under the lights includes Gonzaga, Santa Clara, San Francisco, UC Riverside, Nevada, Cal Poly, UC Irvine, Washington State, Cal State Fullerton, Utah Tech, Northridge, and, of course, Causeway rivals Sacramento State.

ABOUT THE ZAGS
UC Davis and Gonzaga are even in the all-time series, sitting at 4-4. The series between the two programs dates back to 2008, and the most recent matchups came in 2015 in which the Zags and the Aggies split a four-game series in Spokane. The Bulldogs are coming off a 21-32 (14-10 WCC) season, finishing fourth in the WCC. They were picked to finish third in 2025 according to the WCC Preseason Poll and the squad is led by a pair of All-WCC Preseason Team selections: Tommy Eisenstat and Justin Feld.

NEW AGGIES
UC Davis added 11 newcomers ahead of the 2025 season, including nine freshmen and two transfers.

DID YOU KNOW?
Last season's 29-27 year was UC Davis' first winning season since the COVID-19 shortened 2020 season, and the first full winning season for the Aggies since the 2015 year.

AGGIES PICKED SEVENTH IN BIG WEST PRESEASON POLL
The Aggies, on the heels of a 29-27 season, were picked to finish seventh in the preseason poll. UC Santa Barbara was tabbed as the favorite to win the league.

GREEN NAMED TO PRESEASON ALL-CONFERENCE
Bryan Green, a Big West honorable mention a season ago, was one of just seven pitchers recognized on the preseason team and one of only 11 total players. He was UC Davis' only All-Big West preseason honoree, while UC Santa Barbara paced the field with three Gauchos making the team.

Last year for the Aggies, Green proved to be a workhorse at the top of the rotation. His season was highlighted by a seven-inning shutout performance against nationally ranked UC Irvine. He followed that with seven straight starts of five or more innings, never allowing more than four runs in any of his outings.

Green registered a season-high nine strikeouts against eventual conference champion UC Santa Barbara and posted three or more strikeouts in each of his starts during the conference season.

CERTIFIED STOPPER: CD NAMED TOP 100 RELIEVER LIST
After leading UC Davis in saves with six, and wins with five a season ago, Carter Delaney was ranked by D1Baseball as the No. 66 ranked reliever entering the 2025 season.

MAJOR DEPARTURES
Despite being one of the most experienced team in the country with nearly all of their starters back and 27 players from last season roster, there is still production to be filled.

Firstly, UC Davis will be without the services of Damian Stone, the team's leader last year in RBIs, home runs, and stolen bases. Stone during his two years proved to be a staple out in left field for the Aggies, and this season, figures to be a position that will see alot of changes based upon matchups.

The Aggies also will now be without Kaden Riccomini, UC Davis' all-time leader in games pitched by an Aggie, for both a single-season and in a career. Riccomini appeared in a whopping 30 games last season, and 87 during his five year Aggie career. UC Davis will need to find a way to replace his production and poise in high-leverage situations, where he posted a 1.48 ERA across 24.1 IP.

A PUSH FOR THE BIG WEST CHAMPIONSHIP
With the Big West's top five teams at the end of the year advancing to the 2025 Big West Baseball Championship the UC Davis Aggies enter the 2025 season with a rare luxury in college baseball that should help them make a push: continuity. Nearly every contributor from last year's 29-27 squad returns, headlined by a deep, battle-tested roster that blends senior leadership with emerging young talent. Head coach Tommy Nicholson, now in his fourth season, has his most experienced group yet—a junior- and senior-heavy lineup poised to build on a winning season that left plenty of meat on the bone. Despite posting the program's first full winning season since 2015, nine of the team's 27 defeats in 2024 came by a single run, something the Aggies hope reverses this season with added experience.

At the heart of the Aggies' lineup are four seniors. Catcher Riley Acosta (.285, 3 HR, 24 RBI) anchors the defense with above-average catch-and-throw skills while providing steady gap power at the plate. Second baseman Nick Leehey (.277, 3 HR, 31 RBI), who started his Aggie career as a shortstop during his freshman season, has become a staple in the middle of the order while developing into one of the nation's best middle infielders at turning double plays—a category where UC Davis ranked second in the country last season. Center fielder Mark Wolbert (.274, 16 SB) remains the team's most tantalizing talent—a 2022 Freshman All-American whose past two seasons were derailed by injuries. When healthy, Wolbert may be the most prototypical five-tool player in the conference, boasting above-average speed, improved defense and gap-to-gap power, all of which project at the next level. Rounding out the core is third baseman Alex Gouveia, a 2023 All-Big West performer (.313, 22 doubles) who seeks to rebound after a down year (.256 in 2024). His gritty approach, defined by his No. 9 national ranking in toughest-to-strikeout, sets the tone both offensively and defensively.

Complementing the veterans are juniors Ryan Lee and Joey Wright, two versatile pieces critical to the Aggies' flexibility. Lee, a Swiss Army knife who hit .292 with a team-high 13 doubles, can slot into multiple positions, while Wright—a slick-fielding shortstop—aims to rediscover his freshman form (.255, 35 walks) after a 2024 campaign where he drifted in and out of the lineup. Sophomore Tyler Howard, a toolsy outfielder and the team's fastest baserunner, hit a team-best .302 and drew a team-high 19 walks as a freshman. Meanwhile, freshmen catcher Evan Gentil and infielder Everet Johnson have impressed in fall ball, signaling a bright future for the program. Both newcomers could find their way into the lineup sooner rather than later.

Another player who could slot into the everyday mix for UC Davis is transfer Korey Williams from Cosumnes River College. A First Team All-Big 8 Conference selection as a sophomore, Williams hit .324 in 44 games as a freshman and followed it up with a .313 average, two home runs and 38 RBIs as a sophomore. Williams, alongside returners Leighton Helfrick, Ethan Kang, Braydon Wooldridge and Jaxon Murphy, will vie for time to replace Damian Stone's production from a season ago. This group, along with Jason Hanson and Ethan Felix, also will compete for at-bats as the Aggies' designated hitter. Felix and Hanson provide power potential, with both capable of leaving the yard at any moment.

On the mound, UC Davis returns its entire weekend rotation. Senior left-hander Bryan Green (3.86 ERA) headlines the group, boasting a lively 90-93 mph fastball and a knack for dominance in big games, including a seven-inning shutout of UC Irvine and seven one-hit frames against UC Santa Barbara last season. Fellow senior Noel Valdez (4.14 ERA) leans on a four-pitch mix to keep hitters off balance, while junior righty Tyler Wood (5.68 ERA) thrives as a groundball specialist with a heavy sinker-slider combo. The bullpen features closer Carter Delaney (2.23 ERA, 6 saves), a 6-foot-5 right-hander with a devastating curveball, and lefty Mason Lerma, a strike-throwing workhorse who can mix pitches at any point in the count. Freshman Ned Frutchey, a 6-foot-5 righty with a low-90s fastball, could emerge as an immediate bullpen weapon but figures to start regularly on Tuesdays, grooming the Elk Grove native to succeed Green as the Friday starter in the future.