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Davis

Davis, California

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Baseball Preview

Teams: UC Davis at Santa Clara; vs. No. 13 Cal State Fullerton; at Nevada

Records: Aggies, 4-14; Broncos, 11-10; Titans, 16-8; Wolf Pack 5-15

Where: Stephen Schott Stadium – Santa Clara, Calif.; Dobbins Stadium; Peccole Park – Reno, Nev.

When: Wednesday at 6 p.m.; Friday at 2:30 p.m., Saturday at 1 p.m., Sunday at 1 p.m.; Monday at 2 p.m.

Who to watch: Despite a troublesome start to the 2011 campaign, Paul Politi has been consistent for the Aggies thus far.

The third baseman from Los Gatos, Calif. is currently tied for ninth in the Big West Conference with a .333 batting average.

Politi leads UC Davis starters with 18 hits on the year, along with eight RBI and a slugging percentage of .426.

Coach Rex Peters tipped his hat to the sophomore for his solid standout performance at the plate in the recent Jack Gifford Memorial Tournament.

Did you know? In Monday’s second game against San Jose State, UC Davis had team game highs with eight RBI and nine runs scored.

Preview: Due to northern California’s inclement weather last weekend, two away games for the Aggies’ series against the Spartans had been rescheduled for a Monday doubleheader.

After dropping the afternoon contest 5-2, UC Davis came alive for 15 hits that evening in a 9-1 victory.

In game two, junior Brett Morgan and senior Alex Dreyfuss had multiple RBI, while seven different Aggies had at least one hit.

The third game has been moved to April 26, when UC Davis will have a chance to take the series. That contest will be played at Dobbins Stadium.

Meanwhile, the Aggies will have a shot at revenge against the Broncos of Santa Clara under the lights on Wednesday.

Last time the teams met was at the mid-March Jack Gifford Memorial Tournament, when the Aggies fell in a heartbreaking 9-8 loss.

After the midweek matchup, the Aggies will begin a three-game series at home against the Titans, marking the conference home opener for the 2011 campaign.

With eight wins in their last nine contests, the Titans sit in the 13th spot in the nation. Cal State Fullerton’s 16 non-conference wins are good for second among Big West teams.

Given the inconsistency of the Aggie offense as of late, and the tough competition in conference, Peters says that finding a rhythm in league play will be no easy task.

“We need to find a lineup that can consistently produce runs,” Peters said. “I think we’re playing the right guys. We just need to put them in the right order. It’s not going to be easier in the Big West. It’s going to get harder.”

On Monday, the Aggies will hit the road again for Reno to take on Nevada. First pitch for that game is set for 2 p.m.

– Grace Sprague

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