DAVIS, Calif. – UC Davis baseball closes the regular season with a three-game non-conference home series against CBU beginning Wednesday, May 13 at 6:00 p.m. at Phil Swimley Field at Dobbins Stadium. The Aggies (26-25, 14-16 Big West) ride into the weekend having won eight of their last 10 games, a stretch that includes the program's first-ever series sweep at Cal State Fullerton, the program's first win over Cal since the 2010 season and a 2-1 series win over Hawai'i in the Big West regular-season finale. California Baptist enters the week 40-13 (.755) and rated among the top hitting and pitching teams in the country.

HOW TO WATCH/FOLLOW
UC Davis vs. CBU | Phil Swimley Field at Dobbins Stadium | Davis, Calif.
Wed., May 13 | 6:00 PM | vs. California Baptist (TV: ESPN+)
Thu., May 14 | 6:00 PM | vs. California Baptist (TV: ESPN+)
Fri., May 15 | 12:00 PM | vs. California Baptist (Senior Day) (TV: ESPN+)

THE RUNDOWN

• Senior Day Friday: UC Davis will recognize 11 senior players, and two senior student managers prior to Friday's regular-season finale at noon at Dobbins Stadium.
• A historic recent stretch: UC Davis has gone 8-2 over its last 10 games, including the program's first-ever series sweep at Cal State Fullerton (May 1-3), a 6-1 road win at California on April 29 which was the program's first win over the Bears since the 2010 season, and a 2-1 weekend series win over Hawai'i.
• Aggies lead the nation in double plays per game: UC Davis ranks No. 1 in NCAA Division I baseball in double plays per game (1.14) and No. 2 nationally in total double plays (58), powered by the middle-infield pairing of senior Joey Wright and freshman Elijah McNeal.
• Felix continues to play well after Big West Field Player of the Week honor: Redshirt senior Ethan Felix earned the conference's top hitting honor for the week of April 27, the program's first Field Player of the Week recipient since Braydon Wooldridge on March 3, 2025. Felix is hitting .300 with five home runs and 19 RBIs on the season.
• Barnes ranks among nation's elite closers: Graduate right-hander Rowen Barnes converted three saves last week to push his season total to 12, tied for the conference lead and ranked third nationally with a 0.83 ERA across 32.2 innings.
• Final Big West season: 2026 marks UC Davis baseball's final year in the Big West Conference before the program's move to the Mountain West in 2026-27.
• Tournament hopes still alive on the bubble: UC Davis closed conference play at 14-16 (.467) and remains mathematically in contention for one of the five Big West Conference Tournament spots, with the path dependent on specific results around the league this week.

SENIOR DAY
UC Davis will honor a senior class that has spanned multiple chapters of the program's modern era prior to Friday's regular-season finale. The class includes Joey Wright (#2), Ryan Lee (#8), Korey Williams (#9), Noel Valdez (#11), Ethan Kang (#14), Rowen Barnes (#17), Ethan Felix (#18) Matteo Blandino (#22), Braydon Wooldridge (#27), Jack Meek (#31) and Max Hippensteel (#45), along with student managers Jacob Boi and Shotaro Hamada.

SCOUTING CBU
CBU enters Davis as one of the most productive offenses in the country. The Lancers (40-13, .755) rank ninth nationally in batting average (.316), 26th in slugging percentage (.511), fifth in doubles (125) and 35th in home runs (76) while leading the Western Athletic Conference in seven team offensive categories. On the mound, CBU ranks 10th nationally in ERA (3.96), eighth in strikeouts per nine innings (11.2) and 11th in winning percentage. The Lancers are paced by junior Chris Ramirez, who ranks 12th nationally in batting average (.398), second in total hits (88), 12th in doubles (20) and 20th in runs scored (62). Right-hander Michael Malki ties for the national lead in pitching wins (11) and ranks 52nd in earned run average (2.81). Outfielder Bryce McFeely paces the Lancers with 15 home runs and 56 RBIs.

THE PLAYOFF PATH
UC Davis closed Big West play at 14-16 (.467) and now awaits next this week's results around the conference. UC Santa Barbara, Cal Poly and UC San Diego are locked into the top three. With UC Irvine and CSUN holding head-to-head tiebreakers, the Aggies' only path into the top five and the Big West Conference Tournament field requires both of the following over the final week of conference play:

• Cal State Fullerton must be swept by UC San Diego in their three-game series at La Jolla (Thursday-Saturday). A CSF 0-3 finish drops the Titans to 14-16 (.467), tied with UC Davis, who would win the tiebreaker after sweeping CSF in their head-to-head series May 1-3.
• UC Irvine must not sweep Cal State Bakersfield in Irvine (Thursday-Saturday). A UCI 3-0 finish would lift the Anteaters to 15-16 (.484), passing UC Davis outright. UCI must drop at least one game.

The Hawai'i-CSUN series in Honolulu (Wednesday-Friday) does not directly impact UC Davis's path, as Hawai'i finishes ahead of UC Davis in every scenario except a CSUN sweep, and a CSUN sweep would result in CSUN tying UC Davis at .467 with the head-to-head tiebreaker.


AROUND THE BIG WEST

• Wed-Fri: CSUN at Hawai'i (Honolulu)
• Thu-Sat: UC Riverside at UC Santa Barbara
• Thu-Sat: Cal State Fullerton at UC San Diego
• Thu-Sat: Cal State Bakersfield at UC Irvine
• Thu-Sat: Long Beach State at Cal Poly

AGGIES AMONG THE NATIONAL LEADERS
UC Davis leads NCAA Division I baseball in double plays per game (1.14) and ranks second nationally in total double plays (58), with the Big West's leading double-play totals from senior second baseman Joey Wright (42 turned) and freshman shortstop Elijah McNeal (41 turned). Graduate right-hander Rowen Barnes ranks third nationally in saves (12), behind only Oregon State's Albert Roblez (14) and tied with Cal Poly's Nick Bonn for the Big West lead. Right-hander Keenan Anzai's nine-inning, one-hit shutout of CSU Bakersfield on April 9 made him one of only 43 Division I pitchers with a complete game on the season (T-3 nationally). Senior outfielder Braydon Wooldridge ranks 22nd nationally in toughest-to-strike-out (13.8 at-bats per strikeout). UC Davis also ranks 48th nationally and second in the Big West in team fielding percentage (.977).

SHUTDOWN MODE: ROWEN BARNES
Graduate right-hander Rowen Barnes capped a stretch run with three saves in three appearances last week, working 3.1 scoreless innings as UC Davis went 3-1. The Atherton, Calif., native enters the CBU series with a 2-0 record, a 0.83 ERA, 12 saves and 31 strikeouts across 32.2 innings, holding opposing hitters under a .200 batting average. Barnes ranks third nationally and tied for first in the Big West in saves heading into the final week of the regular season.

THE CONFERENCE'S TRIPLE THREAT: TYLER HOWARD
Tyler Howard has continued to lead the Big West in triples with six on the season. The junior outfielder leads UC Davis in runs scored (39), hits (55), stolen bases (13-for-16) and total bases (88), while hitting .271 with four home runs and 25 RBIs on the year.

WOOLDRIDGE: THE TWO-WAY SENIOR
Senior Braydon Wooldridge has continued to contribute in both lineups. The Chino Hills, Calif., native is hitting .224 with three home runs and 20 RBIs at the plate while going 2-1 with a 4.66 ERA over 29.0 innings as a starter and reliever, including five innings of one-run ball in Sunday's 3-1 win over Hawai'i. Wooldridge ranks 22nd nationally and third in the Big West in toughest-to-strike-out at 13.8 at-bats per strikeout, and he delivered the eventual game-winning two-run home run in Saturday's 4-2 victory.

CLUTCH: JAXON MURPHY
Junior outfielder Jaxon Murphy has been one of the Aggies' most productive bats with runners in scoring position, hitting .326 with three home runs and a team-best 14 of his 18 RBIs coming with RISP. Murphy carries a 7-for-17 stretch over the last four games into Wednesday after a 3-for-3, two-RBI performance in the May 5 win over Sacramento State.

KEEP AN EYE ON: KAI MAULT
Freshman Kai Mault has been the most consistent bat among UC Davis's first-year position players. Mault is hitting .264 with two home runs and 24 RBIs through 44 games, with a strong .392 mark with runners on and .400 with runners in scoring position.

THE SHORTSTOP WHO DOES EVERYTHING: ELIJAH MCNEAL
Freshman Elijah McNeal continues to anchor the middle infield defense. McNeal leads UC Davis with 50 hits and is hitting .260 with four home runs and 22 RBIs, while contributing to a Big West-best and nation-leading double-play unit alongside senior Joey Wright.

WRIGHT'S GLOVE AND ON-BASE EDGE
Senior Joey Wright closes his Aggie career having anchored the middle infield with a .990 fielding percentage at second base while turning a team-high 42 double plays. The Newport Beach, Calif., native is hitting .248 with two home runs, 17 RBIs and 25 walks on the year, and in Big West play he leads UC Davis at .324 (24-for-74) with two home runs and a team-best .500 slugging percentage among regulars.

PRODUCTIVE GRINDER: ZACH STORY
Sophomore third baseman Zach Story continues to set the table for the Aggie offense with a team-best .392 on-base percentage and a team-high 28 walks. Story has also been hit by a pitch a team-leading 15 times — ranking 108th nationally — and has scored a team-leading 26 runs.

ANZAI'S COMPLETE-GAME SHUTOUT STILL THE PITCHING SIGNATURE
Right-hander Keenan Anzai's nine-inning, one-hit shutout of CSU Bakersfield on April 9 remains the Aggies' marquee pitching performance — UC Davis's first complete-game shutout since Robert Garcia blanked UC Santa Barbara on May 6, 2017. Anzai is 4-2 with a 4.12 ERA over 54.2 innings, with 53 strikeouts and four quality starts on the year, and his one complete game ties for third nationally in that category.

THE BULLDOG: NOEL VALDEZ
Redshirt senior right-hander Noel Valdez closes his UC Davis career as the rotation's Friday-night anchor. The South San Francisco, Calif., native has logged a staff-high 66.2 innings and 57 strikeouts across 13 starts — tied for the conference lead in games started — and ranks among the Big West leaders in innings pitched.

KOREY WILLIAMS: A SENIOR'S BREAKOUT
Senior Korey Williams has carved out an everyday role at the plate, hitting .288 through 26 games with 21 hits, a home run and 12 RBIs. The Elk Grove, Calif., native delivered a pinch-hit RBI single that broke a 5-5 tie in the ninth inning of UC Davis's 11-5 series-clinching win at Cal State Fullerton on May 2.

WATCH OUT FOR THEM AGGIES — HISTORY AGAINST RANKED AND POWER 5 OPPONENTS
Under head coach Tommy Nicholson, UC Davis has made a habit of toppling programs ranked above them. In 2023, the Aggies defeated No. 19 UCLA. In 2024, they rallied from eight runs down in the ninth inning to stun No. 19 UC Irvine. In 2025, they used a six-run eighth-inning comeback to upend then-No. 13 UC Irvine, giving Nicholson three consecutive seasons with a win over a nationally ranked opponent. This spring, UC Davis added another marquee result with the program's first win over California since the 2010 season on April 29 in Berkeley.

FINAL SEASON IN THE BIG WEST
The 2026 season is the final chapter for UC Davis baseball in the Big West Conference. The Aggies will join the Mountain West Conference in 2027, capping a five-season run under Nicholson that has seen the program grow from 6-35 in his first season to back-to-back 27-plus win campaigns in 2024 and 2025. The remaining Big West games carry added weight as the program's last in a conference it has called home since transitioning to Division I.

FROM DAVIS TO THE WORLD SERIES
The UC Davis program's reach extended to the highest level of the sport in 2025, as former Aggie standout David Popkins served as hitting coach for the Toronto Blue Jays in the World Series. A two-time All-Big West selection who once set the program record with six hits in a single game, Popkins guided one of the most dramatic offensive turnarounds in MLB. Along with Popkins, former Aggie Robert Garcia is a relief pitcher with the Texas Rangers and made an appearance for Team Mexico in the World Baseball Classic. Tanner Murray, recently, also made his MLB debut with the Chicago White Sox.

CORI ROCKET DOG
The Aggies have their very own bat dog in Cori, a Labrador retriever now in her fourth year with the program. Cori retrieves bats during home games and serves as a morale anchor in the dugout. She was adopted by UC Davis veterinarian and professor Lisa Ann Tell, who brought the idea to Nicholson. UC Davis is believed to be the only college program in the country with a dedicated bat-retrieving dog.

HOME SWEET HOME
UC Davis enters its second season of night baseball at Phil Swimley Field at Dobbins Stadium following a $2.1 million lighting upgrade completed in 2024. The LED system debuted in 2025, ending 38 years of daytime-only play and bringing the facility up to NCAA competition standards while limiting light spill. The addition has improved scheduling flexibility for student-athletes and driven increased attendance. Nicholson credited Athletic Director Rocko DeLuca for pushing the project forward, while players point to the lights as a symbol of the program's momentum. Along with a new videoboard and field upgrades, the enhancements position UC Davis for its move to the Mountain West.
 

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ABOUT UC DAVIS ATHLETICS
UC Davis, the No. 2 ranked public university by the Wall Street Journal, is home to 40,000 undergraduate students and 12,000 employees. Ranked No. 1 in Agriculture and Forestry as well as No. 1 in Veterinary Medicine, UC Davis is located in a true California college town nestled between world-class destinations such as the San Francisco Bay Area, Napa Valley and Lake Tahoe. Over 650 Aggie student-athletes compete in 25 Division I varsity sports, with 16 sports transitioning to the Mountain West Conference beginning in 2026–27.