RIVERSIDE, Calif. – The UC Santa Barbara softball team will wrap up its seven-game road stretch in the Inland Empire this upcoming weekend as they take on UC Riverside Saturday and Sunday before playing its final non-conference game at California Baptist. The Gauchos are currently 15-15 overall and 6-0 in Big West play, sitting atop The Big West standings.
 
ABOUT LAST WEEK
After nearly defeating ACC opponent Notre Dame in a midweek contest, the Gauchos quickly forgot about the loss. UC Santa Barbara headed north to San Luis Obispo and swept the Blue-Green Rivalry series to continue its perfect start in Big West play. The Gauchos held the Mustangs to just three runs on 13 hits across the three games. Ainsley Waddell continues her tear at the plate, batting .600 across the three games and driving in four while not striking out. Emily Carr also had an explosive weekend, as well hitting .444 with a grand slam and driving in six runs.
 
SCOUTING THE HIGHLANDERS
UC Riverside comes into the third weekend of Big West play with a 3-18 overall record and 1-5 in Big West action. The Highlanders' lone conference win came against CSUN while their two other victories came against Utah Tech and UNLV.
 
As a team, the Highlanders are hitting .223 the lowest mark in The Big West. UCR is averaging under three runs per game as an offense and under six hits per contest. No Riverside hitter is batting above .300 with their leader hitting .292 across 18 games. Leilani Juan leads the team in batting average, home runs, RBIs, total bases and slugging percentage. Juan, along with Rebeca Cabezas and Trendee Kahunahana, are the top three hitters and account for over a third of all of the Highlanders offensive production.
 
In the circle, the struggles continue for the Highlanders. As a pitching staff, UCR posts a 7.17 ERA over 126 innings. They are allowing opponents to hit .352 against them while giving up 32 home runs, and striking out just 39 batters.
 
SCOUTING THE LANCERS
Following the three-game set with UC Riverside, the Gauchos will stay in Riverside and take on future Big West opponent California Baptist on Tuesday, March 24. Prior to their meeting with the Gauchos, the Lancers will head to Cedar City, Utah, to play a three-game series with WAC opponent Southern Utah. Overall, CBU is 22-10 as they open up Western Athletic Conference play this weekend
 
The Lancers are currently 7-0 against Big West competition, beating Cal State Bakersfield, UC San Diego and Hawai'i so far this season. The Lancer offense is led by Kenzie Farrier-Pilon, who is hitting .372 over 32 games played. Along with Farrier-Pilon, Makayla Medellin, Malachy Russell-Millen and Mattie Severns are all hitting .320 or better. The Lancers average just under six runs per game while hitting at a .288 rate as a team.
 
In the circle, the Lancers are a solid unit posting a 3.24 ERA across 207.1 innings. Leading the way is Miranda De Nava who has started 14 games and appeared in 22. She has thrown 91 innings and posts a 3.00 ERA while striking out 81. The California Baptist staff ranks 16^th in shutouts this season with six so far, they are also a top 50 staff in ERA and allow less than seven hits per contest.
 
FOLLOW ALONG
All four contests will be broadcast on ESPN+ with live stats available. The Gauchos and Highlanders will play a single game on Saturday, March 21, with first pitch at 1 p.m. The following day on Sunday, March 22 the Gauchos and Highlanders will conclude their series with a doubleheader begining at 11 a.m. Following a day off the Gauchos will take on the Lancers on Tuesday, March 24 at 5:30 p.m.