SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The No. 22 UC Santa Barbara Baseball team continues to roam this weekend, as the Gauchos will head to the state capital for their series against Sacramento State, Feb. 23-25. The series was originally slated to take place at Chukchansi Park, home of the Fresno Grizzlies, but was moved to Sacramento after the Grizzlies withdrew from hosting Wednesday evening.
 
WHEN AND WHERE TO WATCH
All three games will take place at John Smith Field on the campus of Sacramento State, with first pitch times set for 2 p.m. Friday, 6 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday. An audio broadcast and live stats will be available through ucsbgauchos.com for all three games. For fans making the trip up to Sacramento, tickets are available from $3-$10 through Sacramento State's website, hornetsports.com.
 
LAST TIME OUT
The Gauchos opened their 2024 campaign in Buies Creek, North Carolina last weekend, taking on back-to-back NCAA Regional participants Campbell in a three-game series. Santa Barbara hung 20 runs on the Camels for a season-opening victory but dropped the final two games of the series, 5-4 and 7-3. Zander Darby opened his junior season with a bang, or rather three bangs, hitting a home run in every game of the weekend. The Gauchos' rotation was solid but shy of elite, with all three starters allowing three runs in under five innings of work. Both teams did have to contend with a tight (but consistent) strike zone all weekend, combining to walk 57 batters. Ryan Troye, younger brother of former Gaucho Chris Troye, punched out three Camels in 1 1/3 innings of relief.
 
SERIES HISTORY
UC Santa Barbara holds a 34-28-2 record all-time against the Hornets and won the most recent series between these two teams back in 2020. The Gauchos took the last two games of that three-game season-opening series in Sacramento four years ago, including a 1-0, 11-inning win in the Saturday matchup. Undergraduate Assistant Coach Michael Marsh made his Gaucho debut as a player in that series, making his first career start at designated hitter in the finale.
 
WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT THE GAUCHOS
UC Santa Barbara's offense was all about speed and power in 2023, and it was no different in their first three games of 2024. The Gauchos proved they can be elite on the basepaths, swiping 11 bags without being caught. Coming into the weekend, Santa Barbara's 3.67 steals-per-game ratio is the sixth-highest in the country and the best on the West Coast. It was business as usual in the power department as well last weekend, with Santa Barbara clobbering five home runs in their opening series. The Gauchos set a program record with 86 homers in 2023, and by whatever indication three games can be, they are primed to finish around that number again this year.

Darby led the homer hitting in North Carolina, bashing one in each game, and comes into this weekend as Santa Barbara's top slugger, hitting .308/.438/1.000. The Gauchos' catcher tandem of Aaron Parker and Brendan Durfee each hit one out of the park against Campbell as well. Durfee, whose .417 batting average and .533 on-base percentage are both the best among qualified Gauchos, handled most of the catching duties last weekend after Parker picked up a knock. Parker is expected to feature in this weekend's series.
 
Santa Barbara's pitching staff was highly lauded leading up to the season but got off to a slow start at Campbell, with none of the Gauchos' starters making it five innings. Four relievers did provide some sharp performances out of the bullpen, with Ryan Troye, Cole Tryba, Brady Huddlestun and Jackson Flora all working scoreless outings. Highlights include Tryba picking off a runner with his very first throw in college baseball and Troye fanning three Camels.
 
Preseason All-American Matt Ager is set to take the ball again in Friday's game. He was not at his best last Friday, giving up three runs (two earned) in four innings of work, though he did string together some sequences that reminded everyone why he has drawn so much attention this offseason. Mike Gutierrez will likely move up a spot in the rotation this weekend and start Saturday's game. The lefty had three very strong innings last Sunday but got into trouble in the fourth. Ryan Gallagher was originally going to pitch last Tuesday, but with the Gauchos' game at Pepperdine being rescheduled, he is now set to make his first appearance of the year on Sunday. The 2022 Big West Freshman Pitcher of the Year missed all of last season with an injury.
 
SCOUTING THE HORNETS
Sacramento State tallied 30-plus wins for the 11^th straight season in 2023 but missed the Western Athletic Conference Tournament last season, finishing ninth in the conference. The Hornets return just one of their three All-WAC honorees from 2023, sophomore designated hitter JP Smith, who was an All-WAC First Teamer and a Freshman All-American. WAC Freshman of the Year shortstop Wehiwa Aloy transferred to Arkansas, and First Team All-WAC catcher Martin Vincelli-Simard graduated. Only one Hornet, junior outfielder Cesar Valero, earned a spot on the 2024 All-WAC Preseason Team, and Sacramento State was picked to finish seventh in the conference.
 
So far this season, Smith has picked up right where he left off, leading the team in nearly every offensive category. The sophomore DH is hitting .438/.550/1.000 with a team-high three home runs and six RBI through four games. Two of those homers came in Wednesday night's rivalry win over Fresno State. The only Hornet with a higher on-base percentage than Smith is junior outfielder Matt Masciangelo (.588). The nation's hit-by-pitch leader, Masciangelo has been plunked eight times this season, with seven of those painful passes to first coming in the Hornets' season-opening doubleheader against Loyola Marymount.
 
On the mound, expect to see Tyler Stewart, Evan Gibbons and Bryce Stockton as starters for Sacramento State. Stewart opened the season on the mound, taking the loss after giving up three runs through his five innings of work. The junior spent most of his first two seasons in Sacramento State's bullpen, starting just four of his 24 appearances in 2023 and working just 38 2/3 innings. Gibbons started the Hornets' Sunday win over LMU, allowing just one run on four hits through five innings of work, the best performance by a starter through four games for Sacramento State. The veteran righty is coming off a 2023 campaign in which he made 12 starts and worked 63 innings, both career highs by far. The freshman Stockton has pitched just 1 2/3 innings at the college level, walking a batter and striking out two on Friday.
 
UP NEXT
The Gauchos will be on the road again on Tuesday, Feb. 27, as they head to Malibu for a mid-week matchup at Pepperdine. First pitch from Eddy D. Field Stadium is set for 1:30 p.m. The game will be live on ESPN+ with an audio broadcast and live stats available through ucsbgauchos.com.