DAVIS, Calif. – After defeating Cal State Fullerton in the series finale last weekend for the first time since 2017, the UC Santa Barbara Softball team will start their six-game road trip as they travel north to Davis. The Gauchos and Aggies are currently tied in The Big West standings as both teams currently post an 8-10 record in conference play.
 
LAST TIME OUT
Gaucho softball took on Big West leaders Cal State Fullerton last weekend at Campus Diamond. The offense was hard to come by for both teams, but after dropping the first two games of the series, Santa Barbara rallied to avoid the sweep in front of a sold-out crowd. Leading the way in the series finale win was Elicia Acosta who went 2-for-3 in the game with an RBI.
 
WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT THE GAUCHOS
The Blue and Gold produced five runs throughout the series, as the Titans' pitching staff lived up to their elite billing. However, on Sunday the Gauchos scored twice in the fourth inning to capture the lead and then stave off any potential response by Fullerton to win the game.

This statement win came in front of local youth softball teams, who were happily cheering on Malaya Johnson's first save of the season. The sophomore allowed no hits while in relief of Ainsley Waddell.

Elicia Acosta was a spark plug – going 2-for-3 with an RBI on Sunday, adding to the two RBI and home run she had in game two. The junior leads her team in slugging percentage at .495.

SCOUTING THE AGGIES
The Gauchos and Aggies both sport an 8-10 record in Big West play, but overall UC Davis has won three more games. This series will be instrumental if the Gauchos look to emerge from the three-way tie for fourth place between them, UC Davis, and UC Riverside in the conference.

As was the case with their last opponent, the Gauchos are in for another tough duel against opposing pitching. Three of the Big West's ten best ERAs belong to Aggies (Kenedi Brown 2.54, Ashley Sawai 2.56 and Sarah Reineman 3.00). Kenedi Brown has been named Pitcher of the Week two times while Sawai has garnered some freshman accolades. 

UC Santa Barbara needs to be on high alert if Anna Dethlefson gets on base (.383 OBP). Her 31 stolen bases are good for second in the conference. She leads her team in batting average (.328) and slugging percentage (.453). 

FOLLOW ALONG
Santa Barbara begins their doubleheader at UC Davis on Friday, April 26 with the first pitch at 1 p.m. The Gauchos will wrap up on Saturday, April 27 at noon. For those unable to attend in person there will be a multitude of ways to follow along. All three games of the series will be streamed through ESPN+ along with an audio-only broadcast, lastly, live stats will be available throughout the series as well.