FULLERTON, Calif. – The UC Santa Barbara Softball team (12-13, 1-2 Big West) continues Big West play, traveling to Cal State Fullerton (16-9, 3-0 Big West) for a typical three-game weekend set. It should be a competitive matchup—the Titans and Gauchos were picked to finish second and third, respectively, in the Big West Preseason Coaches' Poll.

LAST TIME OUT
The Gauchos hosted UC Riverside last weekend to begin Big West play. It was a sporadic weekend, beginning with an 8-0 run-rule victory in game one of the opening doubleheader. Santa Barbara lost game two 4-2 before being shut out 5-0 the following day to drop the series.
 
LOOKING AT THE GAUCHOS
Freshman catcher Delaina Ma'ae has been excellent to start her collegiate career. Her .390 batting average and .472 on-base percentage lead all Gaucho hitters. Add in a .559 slugging percentage, and that amounts to a 1.031 OPS.
 
Ainsley Waddell and Bella Fuentes have been the team's best run producers with 22 and 20 RBIs, respectively. Waddell's seven homers—including a grand slam last weekend—lead the team, as does her .700 slugging percentage and 1.152 OPS. Fuentes' four homers are good for second.
 
In the circle, the Gauchos have used four different pitchers for more than 30 innings each. Malaya Johnson and Grace Luderer have gotten the majority of starts, combining for a 3.53 ERA. Sam Stoll works primarily in relief, logging 12 appearances, to the tune of a 3.32 ERA.
 
SCOUTING THE TITANS
Cal State Fullerton has played a tough schedule, including eight ranked opponents. They beat current No. 4 LSU two weekends ago, the Tigers' only loss of the season so far. Fullerton followed that up by defeating then-No. 20 San Diego State later that weekend. Last weekend, they swept UC San Diego on the road.
 
Nataly Lozano has been swinging a hot bat for the Titans. Last weekend, she went 6-for-10 with a homer to earn Big West Freshman of the Week. Overall on the year, she is hitting .379/.446/.621 for a 1.067 OPS.
 
Pitching-wise, Trisha McCleskey has been a workhorse, logging 70 of the team's 157 innings and compiling a 6-4 record. Leanna Garcia has pitched in 15 games—10 starts—earning a 9-4 record and 4.41 ERA. Eva Hurtado's 3.23 ERA is the best on the staff, albeit mostly in relief.

FOLLOW ALONG
The Gauchos and Titans begin the series with a doubleheader on Saturday; first pitch of game one is scheduled for 1 p.m. at Fullerton's Anderson Family Field. On Sunday, the teams play a third game set for 11 a.m. Fans not making the trip can watch all three games on ESPN+ with live stats available.
 
UP NEXT
Following this three-game set at Fullerton, UC Santa Barbara will stay on the road with another three-game trip to CSU Bakersfield. That series will similarly follow the doubleheader Saturday, one game Sunday format.