Event: DeMarini Invitational
Teams: UC Davis vs. Oregon State; Loyola Marymount; Indiana; Northwestern; No. 10 Florida
Records: Aggies, (6-7); Beavers, (5-10); Lions, (2-4); Hoosiers, (5-6); Wildcats, (6-8); Gators, (12-1)
Where: Anderson Family Field and South Field – Fullerton, Calif.
When: Friday at 3:45 p.m., 6 p.m.; Saturday at 9 a.m., 3:45 p.m.; Sunday at 9 a.m.
Who to watch: With 11 hits and seven RBI this season, Sarah Axelson continues to lead the Aggie offense.
The senior from Danville, Calif. hit her first homerun of the season against Texas at the Cathedral City Classic last weekend.
“Axelson proved she can hit off the best pitchers in the country,” said coach Karen Yoder. “It shows how hard she’s been working in the off-season and how hard she’s working this season.”
Did you know? UC Davis competed against No. 1 Washington and defending national champion in last weekend’s tournament.
This week it will face two more top-ranked teams (Northwestern is receiving votes) in a total of five scheduled games.
Preview: The first of the weekend’s matchups will be against Oregon State.
The Beavers have also had a challenging schedule this season as they competed in the Cathedral City Classic – the premiere softball tournament in the country, according to Yoder.
There, Oregon State posted one win against Syracuse while suffering losses to Oklahoma, Fordham, Ohio State, and Texas.
The Aggies finished last weekend’s tournament with a 9-1 loss to the top-ranked Huskies.
In that game, freshman hurler Dana Waldusky posted seven strikeouts in 5.2 innings.
In Yoder’s eyes, this was just one of the positives that proved the Aggies will benefit from their difficult schedule in the long run.
“Anytime you’re challenged it gives you a moment to pause and collect your thoughts,” Yoder said. “[The tournament] created a great environment for us to ultimately bring out the best in our team. It exposed our weaknesses, which is a good thing because that’s the only way to get better.”
– Grace Sprague
