DAVIS, Calif. – UC Davis baseball closes the regular season and its tenure as a Big West Conference member with a three-game home series against Hawai'i beginning Friday, May 8 at 6:00 p.m. at Phil Swimley Field at Dobbins Stadium. The Aggies (24-24, 12-15 Big West) ride into the weekend on a five-game winning streak.

HOW TO WATCH/FOLLOW
UC Davis vs. Hawai'i | Phil Swimley Field at Dobbins Stadium | Davis, Calif.
Fri., May 8 | 6:00 PM | vs. Hawai'i
Sat., May 9 | 6:00 PM | vs. Hawai'i
Sun., May 10 | 1:00 PM | vs. Hawai'i

THE RUNDOWN

• UC Davis baseball's final Big West series: This weekend marks the final Big West Conference series in UC Davis baseball history. The program will move to the Mountain West Conference for the 2026-27 season, ending a Division I conference run that has been the Aggies' home since the program transitioned up.
• Riding a five-game streak: UC Davis enters the weekend having won five in a row, sweeping at Cal State Fullerton (7-6, 11-5, 6-2), beating Cal 6-1 on the road, and topping Sacramento State 3-1 in the Causeway midweek.
• Felix Big West Field Player of the Week: First baseman Ethan Felix was named the Big West's top hitter for the week of April 27 after slashing .444 with three home runs and nine RBIs in two starts at Cal State Fullerton, including a go-ahead grand slam Saturday. Felix is the program's first Field Player of the Week recipient since Braydon Wooldridge on March 3, 2025.
• Bullpen arm in form: Rowen Barnes recorded his 10th save of the season Tuesday with a scoreless ninth against Sacramento State. Across 24 appearances, the graduate right-hander owns a 0.92 ERA with 27 strikeouts in 29.1 innings, holding hitters under .200.
• Active streaks at the plate: Jaxon Murphy carries a six-game hitting streak into the series after going 3-for-3 with two RBIs Tuesday. Joey Wright leads UC Davis with a .399 on-base percentage and an active eight-game on-base streak.
• Aggies in the win column over the Bay Area: UC Davis closes its non-conference slate having beaten Stanford ACC opponent California in late April, the program's first win over the Golden Bears since the 2010 season.

THE FINAL BIG WEST WEEKEND
The 2026 season is UC Davis baseball's final year in the Big West Conference. Friday's first pitch begins the program's last conference series before the Aggies join the Mountain West Conference in 2026-27, and the weekend at Dobbins Stadium represents the closing chapter of a Big West tenure that has included the program's growth under head coach Matt Nicholson from a 6-35 first season to back-to-back 27-win campaigns in 2024 and 2025.

FELIX EARNS BIG WEST FIELD PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Redshirt senior first baseman Ethan Felix was named Big West Field Player of the Week on May 4 after powering UC Davis to its three-game series sweep at Cal State Fullerton. The Redondo Beach, Calif., native delivered a six-RBI performance Saturday that included a two-run home run in the sixth inning and a go-ahead grand slam in the ninth that broke a 5-5 tie. He followed Sunday with a two-run home run in the second inning of UC Davis's 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 hitting .286 on the season with five home runs, 18 RBIs and a .543 slugging percentage, and he leads UC Davis with a 1.000 fielding percentage at first base. In Big West play, Felix is hitting .298 with four home runs and 15 RBIs.

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. In Big West play, the right-hander is 2-2 with a 3.71 ERA across 43.2 innings and 36 strikeouts. Anzai has continued to produce at the plate as well, hitting .250 with a home run and eight RBIs across 28 games.

SHUTDOWN MODE: ROWEN BARNES
Graduate right-hander Rowen Barnes has settled in as one of the Big West's most reliable closers. Across 24 appearances, Barnes owns a 2-0 record, a 0.92 ERA, 10 saves and 27 strikeouts in 29.1 innings, holding opposing hitters to under a .200 batting average. In conference play, his numbers are even sharper: 6 saves, a 0.55 ERA in 16.1 innings, and a .179 opposing batting average. He has converted in his last several save opportunities, including Tuesday night's scoreless ninth against Sacramento State.

STORJOHANN STEPS FORWARD
Right-hander Peter Storjohann has emerged as one of the steadiest arms on the staff. Storjohann is 4-1 with a 2.63 ERA in 21 appearances, and he picked up wins in the back-to-back Saturday victories over Long Beach State and Cal State Fullerton during the recent stretch. In Big West play, Storjohann is 3-1 with a 2.13 ERA across 12.2 innings — the lowest conference ERA among UC Davis pitchers with at least 10 innings of work.

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. In conference play, Lerma is 3-2 with a 3.45 ERA, 30 strikeouts in 28.2 innings, and he picked up the win in UC Davis's 7-6 series-opening victory at Cal State Fullerton on May 1.

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 (13-for-15), while hitting .281 with four home runs, 23 RBIs and a .453 slugging percentage. Howard scored five runs across the three-game sweep at Cal State Fullerton and capped the series with a solo home run in the ninth Sunday. In Big West play, he is hitting .284 with three home runs, three triples and 14 RBIs.

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 .271 with two home runs, 24 RBIs and a 10-game on-base streak through 40 games, and he ranks among the team leaders in RBIs despite being one of the youngest regulars in the lineup. The center fielder excelled with runners on (.392) and runners in scoring position (.400) on the year, and his 1.000 fielding percentage in the outfield speaks to a two-way presence the Aggies have leaned on.

THE SHORTSTOP WHO DOES EVERYTHING: ELIJAH MCNEAL
Freshman Elijah McNeal remains the Aggies' defensive engine at shortstop, posting 67 assists in conference play alone and contributing to 24 Big West double plays. The Aggies' middle infield with second baseman Joey Wright has been a defensive cornerstone all season. At the plate, McNeal leads the regular starters with 47 hits and is hitting .261 with four home runs and 22 RBIs, including a key two-RBI tying single in the ninth inning of UC Davis's 11-5 series-clinching win at Cal State Fullerton on May 2.

WRIGHT'S GLOVE AND ON-BASE EDGE
Joey Wright continues to anchor the middle infield, fielding at a .989 clip at second base on the year. His .399 on-base percentage is the second-best mark on the team behind Story, and his 25 walks pace the lineup along with two stolen bases on Tuesday night. In Big West play, Wright 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
Zach Story continues to set the table for the Aggie offense, leading the team with a .402 on-base percentage and 28 walks. His patient approach remains a cornerstone of UC Davis's conference-leading walk total, and he has been hit by a pitch a team-high 14 times. Story scored 25 runs on the season — second on the team behind Howard.

WOOLDRIDGE: THE TWO-WAY SENIOR
Senior Braydon Wooldridge has continued to put together quality at-bats while also taking the ball as a starter. The senior is hitting .224 with two home runs and 18 RBIs and remains one of the most disciplined hitters in college baseball — fanning only once every 14.2 at-bats. On the mound, Wooldridge is 2-1 with a 6.30 ERA across seven appearances and four starts, and he tossed four scoreless innings in Tuesday's win over Sacramento State.

KOREY WILLIAMS MAKING HIS CASE
Korey Williams has forced his way into the everyday mix, hitting .288 through 26 games with 21 hits, two doubles, a home run and 12 RBIs. His .381 on-base percentage mirrors the Aggies' patient team identity, and his pinch-hit RBI single broke a 5-5 tie in the top of the ninth inning of UC Davis's 11-5 win at Cal State Fullerton on May 2.

CLUTCH LEFTY: JAXON MURPHY
Jaxon Murphy has been one of the Aggies' most productive bats with runners in scoring position, hitting .326 with three home runs and 14 of his 17 RBIs coming with RISP. The junior outfielder rides a six-game hitting streak into the weekend after a 3-for-3 night against Sacramento State that included a pair of RBI singles. He authored a grand slam against Fresno State on April 20 and has continued to deliver in run-producing opportunities.

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.