DAVIS, Calif. – UC Davis baseball returns to Phil Swimley Field at Dobbins Stadium for a midweek Causeway rivalry matchup with Sacramento State on Tuesday, May 5 at 6:00 p.m. The Aggies (23-24, 12-15 Big West) ride in having won five of their last six games, a stretch capped by the program's first-ever three-game series sweep of Cal State Fullerton last weekend and a 6-1 win at Cal on April 29, the program's first victory over the Golden Bears since the 2010 season and the first win ever over an ACC opponent.

HOW TO WATCH/FOLLOW
UC Davis vs. Sacramento State | Phil Swimley Field at Dobbins Stadium | Davis, Calif.
Tues., May 5 | 6:00 PM | vs. Sacramento State

THE RUNDOWN

• A historic week on the road: UC Davis swept Cal State Fullerton 7-6, 11-5 and 6-2 between May 1 and May 3, the program's first-ever three-game series sweep against the Titans. Combined with the win over Cal, the Aggies finished the week 4-1.
• Felix named Big West Field Player of the Week: Redshirt senior Ethan Felix slashed .444 (4-for-9) with three home runs and nine RBIs in two starts at Cal State Fullerton, including a six-RBI day Saturday and a go-ahead grand slam in the ninth. Felix is the first UC Davis player to win Big West Field Player of the Week since Braydon Wooldridge on March 3, 2025.
• Hot bats heading in: Kai Mault enters the matchup on a seven-game hitting streak, and Jaxon Murphy carries a five-game hit streak of his own.
• Bullpen tightening: Rowen Barnes has nine saves and a 0.92 ERA across 29.1 innings, while Peter Storjohann (4-1, 2.63) and Mason Lerma (4-2, 3.35) have stabilized the middle innings during the recent run.
• Final Big West season: 2026 is UC Davis baseball's final year in the Big West Conference before the program's move to the Mountain West in 2026-27, giving every remaining matchup added weight.

FELIX EARNS BIG WEST FIELD PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Redshirt senior first baseman Ethan Felix capped a historic series with a record-setting individual stretch. The Redondo Beach, Calif., native delivered six RBIs Saturday at Cal State Fullerton, including a two-run home run in the sixth and a go-ahead grand slam in the ninth that broke a 5-5 tie and powered an 11-5 series-clinching win. He followed Sunday with a two-run home run in a 6-2 sweep-completing victory, finishing the weekend 4-for-9 with three home runs, nine RBIs and a 1.889 OPS while playing flawless defense at first base. Felix is now hitting .284 with five home runs and 18 RBIs through 24 games and earned the program's first Big West Field Player of the Week honor in more than a year.

THE BULLDOG: NOEL VALDEZ
Right-hander Noel Valdez remains the Aggies' Friday-night anchor. He has logged a staff-high 66.2 innings and 57 strikeouts across 13 starts, ranking among the Big West leaders in innings pitched. Valdez has been the kind of durability that defines a weekend rotation, even when the record (1-5) does not reflect his work.

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 a team-best 53 strikeouts and four quality starts on the year. He has continued to produce at the plate as well, complementing his presence on the bump with steady production at the bottom of the order.

SHUTDOWN MODE: ROWEN BARNES
Graduate right-hander Rowen Barnes has settled in as one of the most reliable closers in the conference. Across 23 appearances, Barnes owns a 2-0 record, a 0.92 ERA, nine saves and 27 strikeouts in 29.1 innings, holding opposing hitters to a .196 average. He has converted in each of his recent save chances, including last weekend's series opener at Cal State Fullerton.

STORJOHANN STEPS FORWARD
Right-hander Peter Storjohann has emerged as one of the steadiest arms on the staff over the past two weeks. Storjohann is 4-1 with a 2.63 ERA in 21 appearances, and he picked up wins in three of UC Davis's last six games, including the back-to-back Saturday wins over Long Beach State and Cal State Fullerton. He has 27 strikeouts in 27.1 innings and continues to bridge late innings with consistency.

LERMA: STILL THE BRIDGE
Mason Lerma has been one of the Big West's most utilized setup arms. The right-hander is 4-2 with a 3.35 ERA in 23 appearances, and his 47 strikeouts across 45.2 innings represent a 9.26 K/9 rate. Lerma's ability to cover multiple innings has held the bullpen rotation steady through the spring and was on display in his two-inning win at Cal State Fullerton on Friday.

THE CONFERENCE'S TRIPLE THREAT: TYLER HOWARD
Tyler Howard has continued to lead the Big West in triples, running his season total to six. The junior outfielder leads UC Davis in runs scored (39), hits (54) and stolen bases (12-for-15), while hitting .286 with four home runs and 23 RBIs. Howard scored five times across the three-game sweep at Cal State Fullerton and capped the series with a solo home run in the ninth inning Sunday.

KEEP AN EYE ON: KAI MAULT
Freshman Kai Mault has been the most consistent bat among UC Davis's first-year position players. Mault enters Tuesday on a seven-game hitting streak — the team's longest active mark — and is also riding a 10-game on-base streak. He is hitting .277 with two home runs and 24 RBIs through 40 games and drove in three runs in Friday's 7-6 series-opening win at Cal State Fullerton.

THE SHORTSTOP WHO DOES EVERYTHING: ELIJAH MCNEAL
Freshman Elijah McNeal remains the Aggies' defensive engine at shortstop. McNeal continues to anchor the middle infield with double-play turns and range to his arm side, while contributing offensively with four home runs and 21 RBIs on the season. His two-RBI single in the ninth inning Saturday broke a 5-5 tie and set the table for Felix's grand slam.

WOOLDRIDGE: STEADY ATOP THE ORDER
Senior Braydon Wooldridge has continued to put together quality at-bats from multiple spots in the lineup. The senior has driven in 18 runs and remains one of the toughest hitters in the Big West to strike out. He had a multi-hit night Friday at Cal State Fullerton and added a solo home run during the early stretch of the weekend.

WATCH OUT FOR THEM AGGIES — HISTORY AGAINST RANKED OPPONENTS
Under head coach 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.