Teams: UC Davis vs. Sacramento State
Records: Aggies, 0-0; Hornets, 0-0
Where: Dobbins Stadium; John Smith Field – Sacramento, Calif.; Dobbins Stadium
When: Friday at 2:30 p.m.; Saturday at 1 p.m.; Sunday at 1 p.m.
Who to watch: Dayne Quist will be the Friday afternoon guy.
The junior lefty out of Santa Cruz, Calif. was named the West Coast League Pitcher of the Year in September after posting a league low 1.40 earned run average for the Kelowna Falcons.
For the Aggies, Quist went 7-4, pitching three complete games in his first four outings. He recorded a team-high 79 strikeouts in 95.1 innings.
Did you know? The Aggies have been picked to finish 8th this year in the Big West Conference Baseball Preseason Coaches Poll.
Preview: Baseball season has arrived, and the Aggies have hit the field to prepare for a series against the Hornets this weekend.
The intense Sacramento State-UC Davis rivalry always adds to the competition, said coach Rex Peters. Peters anticipates a fun and emotional weekend to kick-start the 2011 season.
Despite the friction between schools, this was not the first thing he said when asked what he is looking forward to most this year.
“We’re excited for the opportunity to play somebody other than ourselves,” Peters joked. “We’re tired of scrimmaging each other. We’re excited to get on the field and start competing for real.”
During the fall season, the Aggies established the core of guys that will fill a lineup, said Peters. Still left is finalizing the guys at the top of the lineup who will be able to get on base consistently.
Peters is also thrilled to see his starting rotation work.
The Aggies will start with Quist on Fridays, Anthony Kupbens on Saturdays, and then Scott Lyman on Sundays, Peters said. He also said Nathan Slater or Scotty Walker will make midweek starts.
UC Davis’ schedule features a home series against 2008 National Champion Fresno State. According to Peters, this series will give the Aggies a good indication of where they stack up heading into Big West play.
The league, itself, will be a challenge as always.
“This is a tough conference top to bottom,” Peters said. “There is no easy weekend, and all of the programs are quality programs – It’s going to be a dogfight.”
To prepare to tackle the Big West, the Aggies will need to throw some strikes.
“That’s where it all begins,” Peters said. “This is a veteran pitching staff, so they should be able to do that. We don’t have a lot of overpowering arms, and we’re going to pitch to contact a lot, so it’s going to be very important for us to play defense.”
– Grace Sprague
