SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (March 31, 2023) — The UC Santa Barbara Softball team (16-11, 3-3 Big West) returns to Campus Diamond Saturday and Sunday, welcoming Cal Poly (10-11, 3-3) to town for the 2023 edition of the Blue-Green Rivalry. The Gauchos hold a 63-58 all-time record against the Mustangs and have won four of the last six meetings, including a three-game sweep the last time Cal Poly came to Santa Barbara in 2021.
UCSB comes into the series tied for fourth place in The Big West standings after winning two of three games against UC San Diego in La Jolla last weekend. The Gauchos enter the weekend leading the nation in triples (20), ranking 38th in on-base percentage (.391) and 46th in batting average (.302). A trio of Gauchos — Madelyn McNally, Chloe Stewart, and Korie Thomas — lead The Big West and are tied for 14th nationally in triples with four each. Ashley Donaldson is close behind, with three. McNally and Donaldson also lead the conference in batting average, hitting .413 and .407 respectively, as the only two players in The Big West batting over .400 this season.
The Gauchos and Mustangs will play a doubleheader on Saturday, beginning at noon with the second game shortly after the conclusion of the first. Sunday's series finale is set for 1 p.m. This weekend, the UC Santa Barbara Athletic Department is offering a Spring Break Special with free admission for students of all ages to each of the softball games on Saturday and Sunday (April 1-2). As a reminder, children 12 and under receive free admission to Saturday and Sunday games all season long. For fans who cannot make it to campus, all three games will be live on ESPN+ with live stats available on ucsbgauchos.com.
