Event: Stanford Louisville Slugger Classic
Teams: UC Davis vs. San Diego State; Penn State; No. 6 Stanford; Illinois State
Records: Aggies, 10-5; Aztecs, 9-9; Nittany Lions, 5-5; Cardinal, 18-1; Red Birds, 6-7
Where: Palo Alto, Calif.
When: Saturday at 9 a.m., 11:15 a.m.; Sunday at 1:30 p.m., 3:45 p.m.
Who to watch: With all of the power the Aggies pack at the plate, it’s the patience of junior first baseman Erin Emde that has gotten her recognition elsewhere.
The Murrieta, Calif. native has a club-high .362 on base percentage, is second on the team with five walks and has not struck out once this season. She has also driven in seven runs, good for second on the team.
Did you know? No. 6 Stanford is one of only three UC Davis opponents that are currently ranked in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25.
The Aggies will face No. 21 Fresno State in doubleheader action on Mar. 24 and then will meet No. 9 California on Apr. 29. UC Davis will also play a game against Oregon State and a series against Cal Poly in April, two teams also receiving votes in the national poll.
Preview: After a rainout forced UC Davis‘ doubleheader matchup with rival Sacramento State to be postponed to Mar. 11, the Aggies will focus on a four-game slate of action this weekend at the Stanford Classic.
UC Davis will begin play on Saturday against the San Diego State team that has won four of its last five and defeated No. 12 Missouri last weekend. Senior Dani Sidoti had the game-winning RBI single in the top of the eighth inning to propel the Aztecs to victory.
UC Davis will then face off against Penn State in the second game of the day.
Freshman Lisa Akamine leads the Lions offensively with a .375 average and seven RBI. The Escondido, Calif. native has also dominated in the pitcher’s circle, collecting three wins in five appearances with a 0.64 ERA.
Sunday’s action will begin with a nationally ranked Stanford team that has accumulated a 16-game winning streak.
The Cardinal is powered by junior Alissa Haber, who boasts a .540/.603/.937 vital line with 15 RBI on the season.
Weekend play concludes for UC Davis when it matches up with Illinois State. The Red Birds have won four of their last six games behind the bat of junior Niki Stansell, who leads the team in home runs (three), runs (12), hits (15) and total bases (28).
– Max Rosenblum
