Teams: UC Davis vs. UC Santa Barbara
Records: Aggies, 5-21 (0-3); Gauchos, 17-9 (3-3)
Where: Dobbins Stadium
When: Today at 2:30 p.m.; Friday at 2:30 p.m.; Saturday at 1 p.m.
Who to watch: Grant Bauer has quietly pieced a solid season together at the plate.
A 6-foot-tall, 180-pound Bauer ranks second on the team with a .379 on base percentage. His .305 batting average is third-best on the club, trailing only Daniel Cepin (.309) and Ty Kelly (.308).
The sophomore middle infielder went 6-for-16 (.375) and scored twice during UC Davis‘ four-game series at No. 21 San Diego State over the weekend.
Did you know? The Aggies haven’t had a weekend homestand since they welcomed No. 11 Pepperdine to Dobbins Stadium on Feb. 27 and 28. UC Davis has played nine of its past 11 on the road, going 2-9 over that stretch.
Preview: The Aggies are following up their most hectic week of the season with the lightest week on their schedule.
After playing six games in three different cities last week, UC Davis returns to Dobbins Stadium for a three-game set against the Gauchos of UCSB.
The Aggies are most recently off a 1-3 series loss to SDSU. They salvaged the set with a 6-5 win over the Aztecs on Sunday.
“Last week was very busy and very taxing on our pitching staff,” coach Rex Peters said. “This weekend we get a light [schedule]. That should help us catch our breath and get our pitching staff back in order.“
The Gauchos, meanwhile, are working off a 2-1 series victory over a Pacific team that posted a three-game sweep of UC Davis earlier this season.
UCSB features a potent offensive attack, as it holds a .301/.373/.492 vital as a club. The Gauchos are paced by junior infielder Ryan Cavan. The Belmont, Calif. native leads the Gauchos in both batting average (.386) and on base percentage (.486).
– Adam Loberstein
