Teams: UC Davis vs. UC Santa Barbara
Records: Aggies, 25-25 (14-4); Gauchos, 13-36 (4-14)
Where: La Rue Field – Davis, Calif.
When: Friday at 1:30 p.m., 3:30 p.m.; Saturday at noon
Who to watch: Alex Holmes didn’t just post two wins in last weekend’s sweep of Cal Poly.
The junior from San Juan Capistrano, Calif. also earned the Big West Conference Pitcher of the Week and Player of the Week.
In the series, Holmes also performed at the plate as she recorded seven hits in three games.
From the circle, she picked up a save and two consecutive complete-game victories, striking out eight in 13 innings and allowing the Mustangs to score just three runs.
Did you know? After last weekend’s series, UC Davis is one game ahead of second-place Cal State Northridge.
The Aggies hold the tiebreaker over the Matadors, should the teams end the season tied. The league’s regular season champion receives the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
Preview: Come game time, the Aggies are prepared, ready and confident according to coach Karen Yoder.
Why is this, you ask?
Because this year, the Aggies are true students of the game.
“They’re doing a great job of taking in the information from the scouting report in preparation for each game,” Yoder said.
Additionally, the girls have a belief in their coach’s instruction.
“They’re utilizing the information, trusting it, and executing it well,” Yoder said. “It’s coming to fruition during the games where everything gels in the right order.”
The Aggies’ intelligence has allowed them to reach the top of the conference standings. They head into the final series of the regular season with an 11-game winning streak and consistent performances both at the plate and in the field.
However, UC Santa Barbara has been consistent as well as they rank last in the Big West in batting average (.228), on base percentage (.288) and slugging percentage (.287).
In addition, Pacific swept UCSB last weekend with three shutouts, scoring 18 runs to the Gauchos’ zero.
At this point, Yoder is content with her team’s effort regardless of the quality of their opponent.
“We’re not going to change anything,” Yoder said. “We’re just going to play it one pitch at a time, one out at a time and one inning at a time. The rest will take care of itself.”
– Grace Sprague
