SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (April 27, 2023) – The UC Santa Barbara softball team (23-16, 10-8 Big West) returns home this weekend to take on the UC Davis Aggies. The three-game series will be played on Friday, April 28, and Saturday, April 29.
The Gauchos come into the weekend off a three-game series against The Big West-leading Titans of Cal State Fullerton. UC Santa Barbara dropped all three games to the Titans. It was the Gauchos' first series loss in over a month. UC Davis comes into the weekend having dropped two games against UC San Diego. All three games of the series were decided by one run.
The 1-2 punch of Madelyn McNally and Ashley Donaldson continues to produce at the top of the order for the Gauchos. The duo ranks first or second in nine stat categories including batting average, slugging percentage, and on-base percentage. At home this season, UC Santa Barbara has a .330 batting average, averaging 6.0 runs per game, and reaching base at a .415 clip. With a record of 7-2 at Campus Diamond this season the Gauchos are excited to be back home in front of their home crowd.
UC Davis boasts a 25-15 overall record and an 11-7 record in The Big West. Over the last six games, the Aggies have scored more than three runs just one time. The Aggies sit one game ahead of the Gauchos in The Big West.
The UC Davis offense is led by junior Anna Dethlefson who is currently slashing .400/.475/.608 on the season. Dethllefson has recorded 10 doubles, three triples, and three home runs on the season. Bella Pahulu is the only other Aggie hitting above .300 with a .321 batting average.
In the circle for the Aggies Kenedi Brown and Taylor Fitzgerald lead the way both with a sub-2.00 earned run average. Brown posts a 13-7 record with a 1.58 ERA in 119.2 innings while Fitzgerald is 5-3 with a 1.76 ERA in 71.2 innings. As a team, UC Davis ranks second in The Big West with a 2.01 ERA.
UC Santa Barbara and UC Davis will play a doubleheader on Friday, April 28 with the first game set for 12 p.m. (noon). The teams will conclude the series on Saturday, April 29 with a single game starting at 1 p.m. All three games of the series will be streamed through ESPN+ and live stats will be available through ucsbgauchos.com.
