Teams: UC Davis vs. Portland State; vs. Maine; vs. South Carolina
Records: Aggies, 5-12 ; Vikings 7-7; Black Bears 1-6; Gamecocks 10-4
Where: Harrison Softball Field — Riverside, Calif.
When: Saturday at 2 p.m.; Sunday at 9 a.m. and 11:30 a.m.
Who to watch: Rachael Miller has gotten off to a fantastic start this season. The senior catcher already has three home runs on the season and leads UC Davis with 11 RBI.
Miller is not just a slugger, however, as she is also composed at the plate with a team-high seven walks through two weeks of play.
Did you know? Freshman Cassandra Ginnis leads the Aggies in at bats (52) as well in hits (16). Ginnis has been a shining example of UC Davis’ great freshman class which has already made a strong impact on the team.
“It’s a really good group of women who continue to want to make an impact now as opposed to in a year or two,” said coach Karen Yoder.
Preview: The Aggies are in big need for some wins coming off a disappointing weekend in the Cathedral City Classic, in which they finished 1-4.
After yesterday’s game against Sacramento State was postponed due to weather, UC Davis now directs their attention to their fourth pre-season tournament of the year: the Highlander Classic in Riverside starting on Saturday.
Unlike the previous tournaments where UC Davis faced numerous Top 25 teams such as Stanford, UCLA, and Washington, the Aggies’ opponents in the Highlander Classic are all unranked.
Additionally, because South Carolina is the only team UC Davis will face that has a winning record, this will be a great opportunity for the Aggies to collect some wins.
The road to .500 will not be easy, however, with the Gamecocks winning five of their last six games to go along with the Vikings winning four of their last five. The game against Maine, who has been outscored 47-6 in their difficult early schedule, will also be a good test to see if UC Davis can pounce on an opponent going through offensive struggles.
The opener versus Portland State should give fans an early preview to how the Aggies stack up against other teams in the Big West Conference, as the Vikings have already blown out Big West members Long Beach State and Cal Poly in a 12-1 game and a 9-0 game, respectively, both in five innings.
— Doug Bonham
