Teams: UC Davis vs. No. 10 Stanford
Records: Aggies, 20-10; Cardinal, 15-9
Where: Sunken Diamond – Stanford, Calif.
When: Today at 6 p.m.
Who to watch: Senior UC Davis outfielder Ryan Royster went 8-for-20 (.400) this past weekend in Washington and hit his Big West Conference-leading seventh home run. The Aggie leadoff man also paces all conference players in runs scored and total bases.
Did you know? Stanford has had 43 consecutive winning seasons at the Sunken Diamond, including a 320-106 (.751) mark at home over the last 12-plus seasons. The Cardinal is 11-6 so far through its first 17 home contests of 2008.
Preview: UC Davis defeated the ranked Fresno State Bulldogs to kick off the 2008 season.
Now it will have a chance to top a ranked opponent yet again in No. 10 Stanford.
The Cardinal is coming off of a 5-5 tie against rival No. 5 California. The two teams played to the 13th inning before the game was called off due to darkness.
This past weekend, Stanford took two of three from previously top-ranked Arizona State. While the Cardinal has gone 8-3 against nationally ranked teams this season, it is also just 7-6 against non-ranked opponents.
The Aggies got a taste of the Pacific-10 this past weekend with Washington State, from which it took two of four on the road.
UC Davis has won 14 of its last 17 games, and head coach Rex Peters can’t complain.
“We can’t ask for a much better start,” Peters said. “We feel pretty good about the way we’re playing and where we are at this point.”
UC Davis has felt particularly good at the plate this season. Despite being picked to finish last in the Big West pre-season polls, the Aggies are leading the conference in runs scored (223), team batting average (.334), on-base percentage (.405), hits (362) and total bases (513).
Stanford’s offense this season has been led by junior outfielder Sean Ratliff. The Longmont, Col. native, who doubles as a left-hander on the mound, is hitting .337 this season with eight doubles, eight home runs and 26 RBI.
