Teams: UC Davis vs. Pacific
Records: Aggies 15-24 (0-3); Tigers 19-21 (1-2)
Where: Bill Simoni Field – Stockton, Calif.
When: Saturday at noon and 2 p.m.; Sunday at noon
Who to watch: Batting clean-up for the Aggies, junior Julie Strauder leads the team so far this season in three key categories: batting average (.298), OBP (.402) and runs scored (23).
The Alameda High School product is batting nearly 90 points better than last year’s .209 batting average.
Did you know? The UC Davis softball team is in the midst of an 11-game losing streak.
Offensively, the Aggies haven’t been able to string a solid performance together, having averaged only 1.18 runs per game and been shut out six times during the slump.
Preview: Heading into this weekend’s series against Pacific, the UC Davis softball team will have its hands full trying to stop the bleeding of a season on the brink.
Tigers ace junior Chelsea Engle will look to stand in the Aggies’ way.
Engle leads the Tiger pitching staff in virtually every pitching category with 13 wins, six shutouts, a 2.36 ERA and 124 strikeouts in 136 innings pitched.
Engle or not, the Aggies need to get their bats going even if the Tiger ace is in the circle. As a team, the Aggies do not have one batter hitting above .300 for the season and are a combined 225/960 (.234).
Starting opposite Engle will be Aggie junior Jessica Hancock, who has been dealt losses despite solid pitching outings.
Hancock still maintains a 2.34 season ERA but has still suffered 14 losses on the season. In her last four outings, the Long Beach native has a 2.59 ERA while fanning a total of 25 batters in 27 innings.
Pacific will enter this weekend’s series with a balanced offensive attack that features five batters batting above .280 and a team average of .272.
