SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – The Gauchos are set to play UC San Diego this weekend at home. They'll play them in three games split across Saturday (Mar 7) and Sunday (Mar 8). Next Wednesday, the Gauchos face Notre Dame.
ABOUT LAST WEEK
Last weekend the Gauchos hosted the UC Santa Barbara Tournament at Campus Diamond. They beat the LIU Sharks in their first three games and took two of three from the Iowa State Cyclones.
Following the weekend, Dani Rauscher was named The Big West Freshman of the Week. At the end of the tournament, she batted an average of .429, drove in three runs, and scored 2 runs with a double and triple. Giselle Mejia was snubbed of Big West Player of the Week honros after hitting .714 with nine RBIs in the tournament.
SCOUTING THE TRITONS
UC San Diego enters the weekend at 10-10 overall and with a nine-game losing streak. The Tritons have yet to win an away game. Offensively, sophomore Marley Espiau leads the teams in hits with 23, and batting average with a .383. The Tritons also have sophomore transfer Maalia Cherry, who leads the team in home runs, with five. The Tritons currently stand fourth in The Big West and are one of four teams sitting .500 or better.
In the circle, UC San Diego's pitching staff has posted a 5.46 ERA across their 20 games. Leading the way is Callie Howard with a 3.94 earned run average and has appeared in a team high 11 games. Over 32 innings of work she has recorded 16 strikeouts. The Triton pitching staff does not strikeout a lot of batters, only 64 over 123 innings.
SCOUTING THE FIGHTING IRISH
Notre Dame is currently sitting at 7-12 overall, 0-3 in ACC play. The Irish are currently on an eight-game losing streak. Before playing The Gauchos, Notre Dame will be playing in the USD/SDSU Tournament this weekend. They'll face No. 23 Grand Canyon, San Diego, San Diego State, and Princeton.
Leading the Irish in batting averages is Junior Sydny Poeck. She is currently hitting .400 with four doubles and six RBIs. Three other Fighting Irish are hitting over .300 as they enter the weekend. Moving to the circle, Micaela Kasto who has started eight games and posts a 3.50 ERA across 42 innings. Additionally Kami Kamzik, posts a sub 3.50 ERA over 45 innings while striking out 30.
FOLLOW ALONG
The Gauchos play UC San Diego this weekend for their first Big West conference games. They'll play two afternoon games on Saturday, March 7, and one on Sunday at 1 pm. The Gauchos will then face Notre Dame on Wednesday, March 11, at 12 pm. All games will be streamed on ESPN+ with live stats available.
