Teams: UC Davis vs. San Jose State; vs. Portland State

Records: Aggies, 3-7; Spartans, 5-1; Vikings, 2-9

Where: Marya Welch Tennis Center

When: Thursday 1:30 pm; Friday 1:30 pm

Who to watch: Junior Sidney Brady missed UC Davis’s last two matches because of an illness.

The Granite Bay, Calif. native leads the team with four singles wins in just seven matches. 

Did you know? Junior Shawdee Rouhafza won her first singles match in her first start of season when she defeated her UC Riverside opponent 6-3, 7-6. 

Preview: The Aggies feel that the worst is behind them.

This does not mean that earning wins are any less important.

With a 1-3 record in the Big West Conference, the Aggies begin a seven-game home stand starting Thursday against San Jose State.

Coach Bill Maze said the best way to fight tired legs late in the season is by having a road less traveled.

“We are looking forward to the home stand in terms of fatigue,” Maze said. “I think the schedule was tough early, but now we are going in as the favored team. We are looking forward to it.” 

UC Davis is familiar with their two opponents from last year as they beat the Spartans and the Vikings 7-0 and 5-2, respectively.

The Aggies are expected to have Brady back in the lineup for both matches, but the injury to senior Desiree Stone remains a question mark heading into Thursday.

“She didn’t practice (Wednesday), so we will make a decision on Thursday.” Maze said. “It’s tough to deal with rust, but she is pretty good without hitting many balls.”

It will be important UC Davis to remain healthy during this key stretch if they hope to have success in the Big West Tournament.

“We’ll just stay positive and believe in ourselves” Maze said. “I think our team can do well in the Big West.”

– Marcos Rodriguez

Teams: UC Davis vs. Detroit

Records: Aggies, (5-1); Titans (2-4)

Where: Aggie Stadium

When: 2 p.m.

Who to watch: Junior Gina Hoffmire had never scored more than four goals in one game in her collegiate career. That was before Saturday’s victory over Temple.

The Corte Madera, Calif. native scored seven goals in the Aggies triple-overtime 14-13 victory over the Owls. Her seventh goal was a game winner with 37 seconds in the third overtime.

Did you know? The Aggies 5-1 start is the best under coach Elaine Jones.

Preview: Unfamiliarity with a team can pose a problem.

The Aggies have never matched up against Detroit, a program that was formed just last year. Jones isn’t too worried about playing the Titans, however.

“We got some tape on Detroit and we’ll scout a couple of their games,” Jones said. “We’ll be more familiar with them than some of the teams we played on the past road trip.”

Jones said she’s excited to play a young program like Detroit, but isn’t going to take them lightly.

“We do not want to underestimate them at all,” Jones said. “That’s how you get burned.”

UC Davis is returning home from a three-game east coast swing in which the Aggies went 2-1. UC Davis came within one goal of a perfect 3-0 trip.

Despite not putting an emphasis on home or away games, Jones feels her team plays better at Aggie Stadium.

“The team just plays with more intensity at home,” Jones said. “I can tell they enjoy playing in front of their parents and fans.”

Saturday’s game will be UC Davis’ only home contest until Mountain Pacific Sports Federation rival Oregon travels to Davis on Apr. 18. The Aggies have played the Ducks for their season opener the past three years, so Jones is glad to see them later in the season.

“As the season progresses, the team’s level of play will only increase,” Jones said. “I know we’ll be able to compete against Oregon when the time comes.”

– Jason Alpert

Youth and inexperience can be liabilities for a team.

This is not the case for the Aggies.

No. 26 UC Davis was led by freshmen Demi Runas and Amy Simanton on its way to a second-place finish at the Juli Inkster Spartan Invitational.

“It’s wonderful to have these young players,” said coach Anne Williams. “This is the future of the program and they’re telling the country that this is not short term success. We’re really happy with the way they’re playing.”

Runas had the best tournament of her young career, finishing in second place. She shot a score of 219, just two strokes behind winner Christina Corpus of host San Jose State. The Torrance, Calif. native had four birdies on the final day of the tournament on her way to a single-round score of 72 – the best by any Aggie in the tournament.

Runas’ teammate Simanton followed up her second place finish last week with a fifth place finish in San Jose. The Lake Oswego, Ore. local, shot 222, which was five strokes off the lead.

As a team UC Davis had a rough start.

After the first round, the Aggies were nine strokes back.

The Aggies responded by showing their mental toughness in the final two rounds when they were able to rebound and bring themselves into contention.

“We had a slow start,” Walker said, “but we bounced back. We had a few great runs when we could have given up. It was great that we were able to be in it until the end.”

UC Davis began the final round of the tournament a stroke ahead of No. 14 California and six strokes behind San Jose State. After a final round score of 300, the Aggies were able to move ahead of the Spartans, but could not hold off the Golden Bears.

UC Davis finished just two strokes behind tournament winner Cal and two strokes ahead of San Jose State. The Aggies also beat four teams ranked in the top-50.

One player who struggled for UC Davis in the tough first round was junior Alice Kim. She shot a first round 81, largely due to a score of eight on the par-three 13th hole, but she was able to bounce back in her final round to finish in the top-30 with a score of 232.

“At the start she didn’t play to her normal level,” Walker said. “She’s a great player though and we’re not worried about her at all moving forward.”

The Aggies will next take the course Mar. 26 at the Betsy Rawls Invitational in Austin Texas.

TREVOR CRAMER can be reached at sports@theaggie.org.

Event: Big West Conference Tournament

Teams: UC Davis vs. TBA

Records: Aggies, 20-9 (12-4)

Where: Anaheim Convention Center Arena – Anaheim, Calif.

When: Tomorrow at noon

Who to watch: Forward Paige Mintun is one of the best players in the Big West Conference.

She was named the league’s final Player of the Week and was chosen as a member of the All-Big West First Team.

The junior from Valley Center, Calif. leads her team in points (12.2) and rebounds per game (4.8) as well as total blocks (27).

Did you know? The Aggies are in a win-win scenario.

With their regular season title came both a double bye to begin the conference tournament and an automatic bid for the Women’s National Invitation Tournament should they fall short of the post-season conference crown.

On the other hand, if they win the conference tournament, they earn a spot in the big dance – the NCAA Tournament.

Preview: Years of blood, sweat and tears have come down to this.

For the first time in the program’s history, UC Davis is the No. 1 seed in the Big West Conference Tournament.

“Because of recruiting, this is a culmination of years of work,” said coach Sandy Simpson. “We established the kind of legacy that made us attractive to recruits. We convinced them that we could be a legitimate contender.”

Those recruits have shown both the athletic ability and mental fortitude to succeed in almost any environment. As a result, they are looking forward to the opportunity they possess.

“I’m excited to play in Anaheim,” said senior Haylee Donaghe. “We’ve been a pretty good road team but in this case, everybody is going to be on a neutral court. We have two more games that we want to win to reach the goals we set for ourselves this year.”

The Aggies have had ups and downs this season. Regardless, they are thankful for every bump in the road as they have helped put UC Davis in the best position possible.

“Up to this point, we’ve put ourselves exactly where we want to be,” Donaghe said. “We’ve done everything we can. We are outright Big West champs, we have the No. 1 seed and we have byes into the semi-finals. We’ve had some tough losses along the way but everything has paid off.”

Since the Aggies are used to playing as the favorite, they will not be intimidated by the level of competition in this weekend’s tournament. The bottom line is they crave wins.

“We’ve had a target on our back this entire time,” Mintun said, “so we will not struggle. We want to go all the way – we want to go dancing.”

– Mark Ling

Teams: UC Davis vs. Santa Clara; East Carolina; California

Records: Aggies, (7-12); Broncos, (2-7); Pirates, (8-10); Golden Bears, (16-4)

Where: La Rue Field; Levine-Fricke Field – Berkeley, Calif.

When: Thursday at 1 p.m.; 3 p.m.; Saturday at 12:30 p.m.; Sunday at 1 p.m.; 3 p.m.

Who to watch: Senior outfielder Marissa Araujo [cq] has contributed to the Aggies’ offense this season with 11 hits and three RBI.

The Indio, Calif. native also made three appearances in the circle in last weekend’s tournament.

“Araujo is extremely versatile,” coach Karen Yoder said. “With a limited amount of training last week she kept us competitive and did a good job.”

Did you know? UC Davis leads the Big West Conference with a .276 team batting average and a .351 on base percentage.

The Aggies have posted 131 hits, scored 70 total runs and knocked in 55 RBI.

Preview: After facing some of the nation’s toughest teams in three consecutive weekend road trips, the Aggies come back home for a doubleheader.

“It’s all part of the big picture,” Yoder said after going 1-4 at the DeMarini Invitational this past weekend. “We need to remain mentally tough and remember that this is challenging us at the highest level.

“Defensively and offensively we didn’t capitalize in crucial situations, but the caliber of teams we played definitely challenged us, which will only help us for conference.”

With 12 games left before league play, the Aggies will take on the Broncos in two previously postponed games.

Santa Clara is coming off two wins against Cal State Bakersfield and Cal State Fullerton.

Before that, the Broncos posted seven consecutive losses where their opponents outscored them 46-2.

Last season when the two teams met, UC Davis’ Jessica Hancock pitched a complete-game in a 4-1 victory.

UC Davis scored all of its runs in the bottom of the sixth inning of that game, while posting eight hits to Santa Clara’s four.

Kelly Harman went 2-for-3 with one RBI. Harman, Araujo, Sarah Axelson, and Alex Holmes each scored one run.

– Grace Sprague

Mark Payne wasn’t at the Pavilion on Feb. 10, 2010 when UC Davis beat Pacific for the first time in 70 years – a win that snapped a 49-game losing streak against the school.

Instead, he was sitting in a hotel room with his mom just blocks from both his home in downtown Davis and Hamilton Court, watching UC Davis’ historic win unfold on television.

“It was tough, just sitting and watching [on TV],” Payne said. “You want to just be around to help the guys out in any way you can, cheer them on. … It was tough not being allowed in the gym.”

Why wasn’t Mark Payne – believed by many talent evaluators to have a career in the NBA awaiting him upon graduation – allowed in the gym that night? What was Mark Payne – a 6-foot-8 freak of an athlete with the wingspan of a small airplane – doing in a hotel room within walking distance of his house?

Mark Payne had been all but quarantined. Hospitalized just hours earlier with an undisclosed illness, Payne remained in that hotel room for the next three days. He didn’t see anyone, still contagious some 48 hours after starting antibiotics. He didn’t get to go home, either, not even to pick up his things.

More importantly, Payne didn’t get to experience one of the greatest wins the UC Davis faithful had ever seen – a win against the school just five minutes from his Stockton home, a win against the team he wanted to beat so badly.

Was Payne disappointed? Absolutely. Was he jealous of what his teammates accomplished without him? Not a chance.

“It was frustrating I couldn’t play,” said Payne, the Big West Conference’s Preseason Player of the Year, “but I’m so happy the guys won. Everybody stepped up. It gave some of our younger guys some great experience.”

That’s not someone trying to say all the right things.

That’s just Mark Payne being Mark Payne.

Payne, a 21-year-old junior, could very well be the most talented basketball player UC Davis has ever had. He doesn’t care if you know it, though. In fact, he might not even know it himself. If he does, he’s doing quite an impressive job of covering it up.

The thing about Payne – the pretty normal college guy, the abnormal basketball talent – is he doesn’t have an ego. None whatsoever. He’s the most unassuming superstar you’ll ever meet and that’s the way he’s always been. His father, who’s been a petroleum engineer at Chevron for 35 years and taken one sick day, made sure of it. His mother, who works in foster care, and two older brothers – James, 26, and Matt, 24 – are the same way.

Mark is a very humble young man from a very humble family. He’s a religious man, too. He has one Bible verse posted on the wall of his room, summing his character up in a single passage.

“It’s Matthew 23:12,” Mark said. “It goes, ‘For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.'”

He pauses, adjusts his legs that are far too long for the chair he’s sitting in on Hamilton Court at the Pavilion after practice, then continues.

“It’s not like a conscious thing. That’s just the way I am.”

‘Some guy at Colorado’

Mark Payne is a family man. His older brothers both graduated from the University of Colorado. Their grandmother was in Colorado, too, and their parents were going to move out there to be closer to her.

So, naturally, after finishing his stay at St. Mary’s High School in 2006, Payne was going to attend the University of Colorado.

Payne hadn’t been recruited to play major college basketball. He wasn’t even the best player on his own high school team at the time – that honor went to Joe Harden, who’s been Payne’s best friend since the fifth grade.

It just made sense, Payne said, to join the rest of his family in Colorado.

“It’s a beautiful school,” Payne said of Colorado. “I applied to Colorado, got in, said ‘Yeah, I’ll take it,’ got my dorm assignment, my roommate and everything. I wore the sweatshirt to school and told everyone I was going there. … I was just going to play my [senior year in high school], have fun, try to win and move on.”

St. Mary’s didn’t stop winning, though. The school won its first Sac-Joaquin Section title since 1989 and advanced to its first-ever CIF state title game.

“It was pretty crazy,” Payne said. “It was a really fun time. …With Joe [Harden] – Joe was the big time recruit – there were a lot of coaches coming to our games. UC Davis had been coming to our games for a couple years to watch Joe.”

By the end of the CIF title game, however, it was clear the UC Davis coaches were watching St. Mary’s for more reasons than just Harden, who went on to accept a scholarship to play at Notre Dame.

UC Davis had started recruiting Payne as well. Around the end of March – late into the standard recruiting process – coach Gary Stewart extended a Division I scholarship offer to Payne.

With that, it was time for Payne to buy a new sweatshirt. His nonexistent stay at the University of Colorado was over before it started.

“What if I had just gone to Colorado and not played basketball?” Payne asked. “I ask myself that all the time. I would have never known what I was capable of. …I owe everything to Coach Stewart. He saw potential in me and gave me this opportunity. Without him, I’d just be some guy at Colorado. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, but it’d just be different.”

Going pro

Nothing out of the ordinary happened when the UC Davis men’s basketball team took the court at home on Jan. 10, 2009.

The Aggies were taking on Long Beach State, one of the best teams in the Big West Conference. Mark Payne was his usual, impressive self, filling up the stat sheet with a team-best 22 points to go along with 10 rebounds and seven assists in a 86-78 loss.

Something unusual happened two days later, though. Very unusual.

Eric Musselman, former head basketball coach of both the NBA’s Golden State Warriors and Sacramento Kings, had served as a television analyst for the Long Beach-UC Davis matchup.

There was something – someone, rather – who caught Musselman’s attention at the game.

“Mark Payne is a solid NBA prospect,” Musselman said on his blog. “He has great size for a point guard and really pushes the ball in transition. A strong athlete, he’s worth keeping an eye on.”

With those three sentences, Mark Payne’s star rose from regional lure to national importance. With those three sentences, the name “Mark Payne” was one worth knowing. With those three sentences, Mark Payne had officially become a legitimate NBA prospect.

“I got a lot of attention from that,” Payne said of Musselman’s comments. “It’s amazing how many people heard about it. I mean, people know him, he talks to other people – that’s when it really started to hit home that I could make a career out of basketball.”

People had said Payne could play in the NBA all along. They weren’t the right people, though.

“That’s what your friends and family are supposed to say,” he joked. “Really, that was the first time somebody with those kinds of credentials said something like that. It’s really snowballed from there.”

Payne does his best to stay away from those snowballs, though.

If anyone ever contacts Payne about the NBA – whether its scouts on cell phones or agents on Facebook – his answer is always the same:

“My head coach is Gary Stewart,” Payne said. “This is his phone number.”

That’s it?

“That’s it,” Payne said. “I don’t know what they’re doing, but it’s something to do with the NBA. I just have everything go through [Stewart]. He’ll tell me every once in a while that like the Oklahoma City Thunder or some other team called him, but he doesn’t tell me when scouts come or anything. I try not to worry about it. I’ve still got a long time here.”

That’s because Payne has other things to worry about while he’s here – namely, leading a normal college student’s life.

Payne lives downtown with Harden, who transferred from Notre Dame to team with Payne at UC Davis. They’ve got a pretty big dog, quite possibly the biggest Irish wolfhound you’ve ever laid eyes on. Payne has a girlfriend. Her name is Melanie. When he’s not with her, he’s at the library, studying tirelessly for his economics classes. Or maybe he’s studying tirelessly at the library with her. Maybe Joe’s with them. After all, normal people study together at the library all the time. Why wouldn’t Payne do the same?

That’s where things stop being normal, though. The people around him aren’t even normal. Harden’s an All-Big West performer himself, which isn’t exactly normal. Neither is his girlfriend – Melanie Adams is a 5-foot-11 opposite hitter for the UC Davis women’s volleyball team.

Like Mark, Melanie wears number 11. Like Mark, she’s also left-handed.

“Yeah, that’s all I needed to see,” Mark said, a wide smile across his face. “She’s got hops like me and she’s tall like me. That’s all it took.”

For now, Payne’s priorities are Melanie, studying and making sure the giant dog gets walked by its giant owners – and playing college basketball, of course.

“Beats worrying about the NBA,” Payne said.

Three days in Anaheim

Dominic Calegari thought it must have been a joke.

Calegari, a 6-foot-10 center and the lone senior on the UC Davis men’s basketball team, usually gets picked up by Joe Harden before home games at the Pavilion. Mark Payne is usually in the passenger’s seat. It’s not really a pregame ritual – it’s just a matter of convenience.

When Harden stopped by Calegari’s place on Feb. 10, 2010, however, something looked different. That’s because Payne wasn’t in the car. Calegari didn’t think much of it. He assumed Payne had class or something and decided to drive himself.

Calegari wanted to know for sure, though, so he simply asked where Payne was.

“Dom, Mark was in the hospital last night,” Harden said.

Calegari knew Harden was the kind of guy who liked to joke around. He just didn’t expect a joke about something as serious as Payne being hospitalized.

“Geez, that’s not a real funny joke,” Calegari replied.

Harden repeated himself. He said it over and over again.

Calegari started to believe him. When he got to Hamilton Court, coach Gary Stewart confirmed exactly what Calegari didn’t want to hear: Mark was actually in the hospital last night. He wouldn’t be available against Pacific.

For 70 years, nothing had gone right for UC Davis against the Pacific Tigers. Forty-nine losses in a row is 49 losses in a row, no matter how hard you try to spin it.

There was a different vibe at practice the day before, though – a legitimate belief that with the trio of Payne, Harden and Calegari leading the way, this could finally be the time the Aggies broke through against the first-place Tigers.

Then Pacific’s Law rang true once again: Anything that can go wrong for UC Davis against the Tigers, will go wrong against the Tigers. The crowd of 2,800-plus was quickly deflated upon hearing Payne wouldn’t be able to play.

The fans felt fine once the final buzzer sounded, though. Final score: UC Davis 62, Pacific 59. History – finally – had been made.

And no one was happier than the contagious superstar on house arrest.

“It was a great, great win,” Payne said. “It gave us a lot of momentum moving forward.”

Payne’s focus is on moving forward – not too far forward, though, because the NBA can wait. His past – the humble upbringing that molded his egoless personality, the fact he’s not at the University of Colorado – is a reality as well, but it’s not the focus, either.

Right now, the focus is moving forward with the season.

Payne and his teammates begin Big West Tournament play at the Anaheim Convention Center tonight against Cal State Fullerton at approximately 8:30 p.m. The Aggies went 2-0 against the Titans during the regular season.

The game can be heard locally on KFSG 1690-AM.

If UC Davis wins three games in three days, it takes not only the conference title, but also an automatic bid to the NCAA Division I Tournament – both would be firsts for the Aggies.

Mark Payne is patient. Healthy once again, he can wait on everything else. As long as the UC Davis men’s basketball team keeps winning games, Payne really couldn’t be any happier.

“My goals are here with this team first,” Payne said. “I don’t think about this as work. It’s basketball. Playing this game is the hardest thing I do all day, just messing around with my 12 best friends and going over some plays. I think about it like that and I’m thankful this is what I do. You have to keep it in perspective.”

Event: Aggie Open

Where: Woody Wilson Track

When: Saturday, All Day

Who to watch: After opening the indoor season by capturing first in the triple jump, senior Igor Seriba is determined to maintain his success.

“He’s on a mission,” said coach Jon Vochatzer.

This La Jolla, Calif. local placed first in both the triple jump and the long jump this past Saturday.

Did you know? Senior Sirena Williams was named Big West Track Athlete of the Week on Tuesday for her performance at the Stanford meet.

This Fresno, Calif. native captured first in the 100-meter hurdles and despite hitting a slight head wind, she marked a time of 13.90.

Williams currently holds the school record in the 100-meter hurdles with a time of 13.50.

Preview: The Aggies had a strong showing at the Stanford Opener last weekend, taking 10 wins to begin their outdoor season.

This performance signals a turning point for the Aggies in their transition to Division I.

“To be getting these kinds of marks at this point in the season is really great,” Vochatzer said.

With finals just around the corner the Aggies are looking to pace themselves this weekend as they host the Aggie Open.

“When you have a meet so close to finals you have to understand that the athletes might not be getting as much rest as they should be,” said coach Deanne Vochatzer. “We’re looking to hone in on the competition and be more specific with the events we place people in.”

Stepping up to the challenge on the women’s side is junior Ashley Hearn.

At Stanford she claimed first in both the shot put and discus throw, capturing a personal best of 48.46 in the latter.

On the men’s side of the action, 2009 conference champion Polly Gnepa looks to continue his strong performance.

He took first in the 110-meter high hurdles at Stanford with a time of 14.31.

– Madeline Weeks

Event: Big West Conference Tournament

Teams: UC Davis vs. TBA

Records: Aggies, 13-17 (8-8)

When: Tonight at 8:30 p.m.

Where: The Anaheim Convention Center – Anaheim, Calif.

Who to watch: How far the Aggies advance in the Big West Tournament will be determined by several factors.

One of the biggest is Mark Payne.

“Mark is a very versatile guy and makes us better,” said coach Gary Stewart. “We can play a bit differently when he’s on the floor.”

In his junior season, Payne has averaged 16.3 points, 4.1 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 2.1 steals per game while shooting 52 percent from the floor and 46 percent from beyond the arc.

Stewart thinks there’s room for improvement.

“I think he can play a lot better,” Stewart said. “He’s still trying to get his timing and rhythm back.”

Payne missed seven games this season due to a shoulder injury and illness.

Did you know? No team seeded lower than third has ever won the Big West Tournament. The Aggies are the fourth seed.

Preview: Five months and 30 games after their regular season started, the Aggies’ second season begins.

After beating Cal State Fullerton in overtime on Saturday – and thanks to a Cal Poly loss – the Aggies secured a first-round bye to the Big West Tournament. Despite the bye, the Aggies will have their hands full.

“We’ve got a short roster with several injuries,” Stewart said. “It’s a daunting task to win three games in three days, let alone four.”

The last time the Aggies played three games in three days was at the very beginning of the season as part of the Basketball Travelers Tip-off Tourney.

They went 1-2, dropping their first two games to Colorado State and tournament host Oregon before beating Winston-Salem State. The Aggies are 2-6 in conference road games.

UC Davis begins its tournament life tonight against the highest remaining seed – either Cal State Fullerton, Cal Poly or UC Irvine. If the Aggies win, they will advance to the semifinals and play either UC Santa Barbara or Pacific with a spot in the title game on the line. The winner of the championship on Saturday will receive an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.

Stewart knows his team will have to improve if it wants to get that far.

“We’re going to have to grab more defensive rebounds if we want to get past Thursday,” he said. “We have to do a little bit better in all areas. We’ve got to play and execute better in the last four minutes.”

– Richard Procter

Teams: UC Davis vs. Texas Woman’s; California

Where: The Pavilion

When: Sunday at 2 p.m.

Who to watch: Senior Christine Tao was the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation co-champion on balance beam in her sophomore season.

This year, the Maple Valley, Wash. native averages a 9.425 on beam with a season-high score of 9.725 against Air Force.

Her 9.675 score in last week’s meet helped the Aggies to their second-best beam score in program history.

Did you know? UC Davis is currently ranked 41st in the nation with a Regional Qualifying Score of 193.090.

Should the team fall short of the top 36 to qualify for the NCAA Tournament, up to seven Aggies are in position to qualify as individuals.

Preview: With the stakes high at the end of the season, the Aggies focus on their final two home meets.

“We’ve been talking this whole second half of the season about finishing the season strong,” said coach John Lavallee. “We’re in a very important stretch right now and we need to get a couple big performances.”

The Aggies hit their season-high score of 194.250 in last weekend’s home triangular-meet, defeating Eastern Michigan and Causeway rival Sacramento State.

The total tied the fourth-highest score in program history.

Lavallee would like to hit a 195 score to break the school record, but that’s not what’s on his agenda.

“For us, it’s about performance,” Lavallee said. “While the outcome of a school-record score would be great, the performance is what we can control, so that’s our focus.”

This weekend, UC Davis will take on California and Texas Woman’s University.

This week in the gym, the Aggies are working on the minor details to boost their score.

“Right now, we’re doing a lot of fine-tuning,” Lavallee said. “[We’re looking to] do better at hitting handstands or having bigger and cleaner jumps – those little tenths and half-tenths make the difference.”

– Grace Sprague

Event: Frank Gifford Memorial Tournament

Teams: UC Davis vs. Air Force; vs. Southern Illinois; at Santa Clara; at San Jose State

Records: Aggies, 6-6; Falcons, 3-9; Broncos, 5-4; Spartans, 5-5

Where: Municipal Stadium – San Jose, Calif.; Stephen Schott Stadium – Santa Clara, Calif.

When: Today, Friday and Saturday at 6 p.m.; Sunday at 3 p.m.

Who to watch: Freshman Seth Batty is making a good first impression.

The Fresno, Calif. local has started just seven of the team’s 12 games to this point. Despite this, he’s tied for third on the squad with eight runs scored, is three-for-three in stolen base opportunities and leads the team with four sacrifice hits.

“Batty’s one of those energetic players that sparks a team,” said coach Rex Peters. “He can do a lot of things with the bat so he’s a natural top of the order hitter. He could be a leadoff guy for us for years to come.”

Did you know? The Aggies know when to step up their game.

So far this season, UC Davis has hit a total of six home runs.

Four of them came last weekend against rival Sacramento State – three of which left the park in the only Aggie home game of the series.

Preview: This weekend’s tournament poses a couple unique challenges for the Aggies.

They will be playing four different teams, starting with two they’ve never seen before, in four consecutive days.

“We’re going to go in a little bit blind,” Peters said. “We don’t really know the style of play [of Air Force and Southern Illinois]. We have to just go in and focus on our game the best we can. If we do that I think we’ll be okay.”

The Aggie style of play has proven to be of the small-ball variety. With the lack of big-time power threats, UC Davis has learned how to manufacture their runs.

“We’ll bunt, sacrifice and hit and run to create scoring opportunities,” Peters said. “Hopefully somebody then gets a good at-bat while we have runners in scoring position.”

The only concern thus far for the Aggies has been a heavy workload. This weekend marks the second consecutive week in which the team has to play four days in a row.

“It’s not easy,” Peters said. “You can only do this so much before you start to wear down.”

– Mark Ling