Teams: UC Davis vs. No. 24 Stanford
Records: Aggies, 4-4; Cardinal, 4-3
Where: Dobbins Stadium
When: Today at 2 p.m.
Who to watch: Centerfielder Daniel Cepin has been the spark that’s fueled the UC Davis offense.
The Coronado, Calif. native has started all eight games so far this season and leads the team with a .379 batting average and three stolen bases. His .438 on base percentage ranks second.
Did you know? The Aggies have shown a remarkable ability to get on base so far in the young season.
Five UC Davis hitters have an on-base percentage above .400. They are Cepin, David Popkins, Scott Lyman, Eric Johnson, and Paul Politi.
Preview: On the surface, you may think this game is a mismatch.
You should dig a little deeper.
Stanford, who is ranked 24th in the nation according to Baseball America, played UC Davis twice last year.
The teams split the two games but the Aggies outscored the Cardinal 13-7 in total which includes an 11-2 Aggie victory in May.
In that win, UC Davis received a boost from infielder Ty Kelly as he went 2-for-5 with five RBI and three runs scored.
Kelly, who has since moved on to play professionally, was not the only player to have an offensive outburst against the Cardinal.
Cepin went 2-for-3 with two runs scored while right fielder Kyle Mihaylo went 3-for-4.
As a result of performances like this, coach Rex Peters knows what his team is capable of despite having lost its last three contests.
“We have a chance,” Peters said. “We have confidence that if we go out and play our game by throwing strikes and playing defense we can beat people.”
The most important factor is that the Aggies won’t be overwhelmed by the Cardinal. Peters made this fact apparent when asked about the game’s magnitude.
“They’re all big games,” Peters said. “I’m sure our guys will be excited because Stanford is a rival. But it’s just another game.”
– Mark Ling
