May 4, 2011

May 4, 2011

Complete Release in PDF Format

• The Schedule
Friday, May 6, 2011 - 12 & 2 p.m.
Saturday, May 7, 2011 - 12 p.m.
UC Santa Barbara (24-23, 8-7) vs. Pacific (32-16, 11-4)
All-time series record vs. Tigers: 38-61
Last series vs. Tigers: 0-3 (May 8-9, 2010)
Last series win vs. Tigers: 2-1 (April 25-26, 2009)

To view games on Gametracker, click here. 

• This Week In Gaucho Softball
UCSB will play its final regular season road series this Friday and Saturday at Pacific. The Gauchos will be looking to bounce back after suffering their first Big West series sweep of the season at the hands of Long Beach State. The series loss snapped a three-series win streak by UCSB, which was its first since the 2004 season.

• For The Record
The Gauchos have posted a 24-23 overall record and an 8-7 mark in Big West play. With two conference series left on its slate, UCSB is currently in fourth place in the league standings, two games behind third-place Cal State Fullerton (10-5) and three games behind first-place Long Beach and Pacific, which have each gone 11-4 in league.

• Two For One
The Gauchos currently rank third nationally for double plays per game. They are averaging 0.60 per game and have tallied a school-record 28 so far this season.

• Doubling Up
UCSB continues to lead the conference in doubles with 65, which is a new school record, surpassing the 2000 squad's 64. The Gauchos posted five doubles during last weekend's series at Long Beach, including four in game two.

• Not So Lucky No. 13
The second game of Saturday's doubleheader at Long Beach State stretched to a whopping 13 innings before 49er Sarah Carrasco delivered a walk-off homer to end the game before the sun set on the day. The game was the longest for the Gauchos since May 2, 2004 when UCSB played 16 innings against former Big West member Utah State. UCSB had a better result in that game as it topped the Aggies, 2-1. The Gauchos have had five games go into extra innings this season - including game two and three of last weekend's series - and have gone 1-4 in those contests. The lone extra-inning win was in the opening game of the series with Cal State Northridge (Apr. 22).

• Offensive Behavior
UCSB rates as one of the top teams in the league offensively, ranking second in runs (209), hits (411), RBI (188), stolen bases (39) and total bases (491). This weekend's series will mark the battle of the league's top offensive teams as Pacific leads the Big West in batting (.321), slugging percentage (.431), on-base percentage (.404), runs (257), hits (411), RBI (231) and total bases (491).

• In The Circle With Krista
Despite suffering three tough losses last weekend, junior pitcher Krista Cobb has been a solid presence in the circle for the Gauchos during Big West play. She has recorded a 6-4 record and a 2.28 ERA in 83 innings of work. For the season, she owns a 3.55 ERA and 12-12 record. She is also moving her way up in the UCSB record books and ranks fifth in career wins (38), seventh in shutouts (13), eighth in complete games (43), ninth in strikeouts (247) and 10th in innings pitched (430.2).

• Taylor Made
Junior outfielder Allison Taylor led the Gauchos offensively last weekend with her .308 batting, four hits, two doubles and three RBI. Taylor leads the team with 12 RBI in Big West games and has had nine multiple RBI games this season, which is also a team high. The Orange, Calif. native has had hits in seven of the last eight games and has driven in nine runs during that span. She tied her career-high of three hits during Saturday's 13-inning game with Long Beach and posted three RBI and two doubles in that game. She is currently batting a career-high .300 and is tied for fifth in the Big West in RBI (31) and is tied for third in doubles (10).

• Popping Pilpils
Freshman Kathryn Pilpil has been exemplary at getting on base this season. She has reached safely in 44 of the 47 games this season - if you include fielder's choices - and in each of the last 30 games. Also, in one of the three games she failed to reach (against Oklahoma State on Feb. 24), she still managed to drive in a run with a sacrifice fly. During Saturday's series opener at Long Beach, she drew three walks and then registered hits in games two and three. The second baseman ranks fourth in walks (25) and runs (30), and eighth in RBI (28) in the Big West. She is batting .291 on the season and has a .315 average in Big West games.

• Catching Up With Our Catcher
Junior catcher Lainey DePompa, who had hits in 13 of the last 16 games prior to the series at Long Beach, was limited to just one hit over the weekend. She did contribute two runs while also drawing two walks during the series. She is batting .258 on the season and .286 in Big West games. DePompa has also already more than doubled her career totals in doubles and RBI, with sixth and 16, respectively this year.

• Kane Is Able
Freshman McKenzie Kane is the team leader in batting average (.333), hits (57) and stolen bases (13). She is the first Gaucho freshman to lead the team in batting and hits since current assistant coach Christine Ramos did so in 2006. The center fielder is tied for first in the Big West in stolen bases, is second in hits and is tied ninth in runs (26). The center fielder has posted a team-high 15 multiple-hit games - including four games with three hits - and has had a hit in all but eight games.

• Brooke's Bat
Junior Brooke Putich leads UCSB's active players with her .340 batting average in Big West play. She has had five multiple-hit outings during league games, including her 2-for-3 performance in the series finale at Long Beach in which she hit an RBI double. She ranks second in the Big West in triples (5) and 10th nationally. She also ranks fifth in stolen bases (11) and ninth in hits (44) among league players.

• Jennings Out for the Remainder of the Season
After suffering a knee injury in the final game of the UC Riverside series, sophomore shortstop Keilani Jennings will be forced to sit out the remainder of this season. This is the second season-ending injury of her career; she broke her leg early in the 2009 season and had to use a medical redshirt year. Jennings ended her season with a .344 batting average, 27 runs, 15 doubles, six home runs and 31 RBI. This season she tied the program's single season doubles record, set by Tiffany Wright in 2008.

• Super Senior
Senior Jessica Beristianos continues to carve out her place in the UCSB record books. With just six regular season games left in her career, she is second in career doubles (40) and needs just two more to tie Mandy Edwards' (1997-2000) school record. She is also tied fourth in career RBI (89) and is ninth in career runs (75).

• The Galicinao File
Head coach Brie Galicinao, who is now in her fourth season at the helm of the UCSB softball program, has coached the Gauchos to a 96-109 cumulative record for a .468 winning percentage, the second-best since the softball program went Division I in 1982. Galicinao has coached three players to All-Region honors, two players to Big West Field Player of the Year accolades, one Big West Freshman Pitcher of the Year and 16 All-Big West Conference selections. In 2008, Galicinao was named the Big West Co-Coach of the Year after her first season leading the Gauchos.

• Gauchos.360
The Gaucho softball team has entered the blogsphere. Several members of the team are contributing regularly to "Gauchos.360" filling in UCSB fans on their student-athlete experience. To check it out visit click here.

• Tweet, Tweet
Head coach Brie Galicinao is on Twitter. To get her insights and updates throughout the season (and the rest of the year), follow her here.

• Get Your Tickets
Tickets for all of the Gauchos' home contests this season are now available. To purchase tickets, please call (805) 893-UCSB, visit the Ticket Office located inside the Intercollegiate Athletics building on campus or click here.