The big leaguers roll into Yolo County

WEST SACRAMENTO -- Oakland A's manager Bob Geren was quite interested to see the River Cats had done with the place. Geren, who managed Oakland's top affiliate for three years, was back at Raley Field today for the A's-River Cats exhibition game. Geren said the park holds a lot of happy memories for him.

"My kids practically grew up in this park," Geren said.

The game was certainly what you would expect from an exhibition. The A's, playing the major leaguers, dominated for three innings. In all, the teams combined for 21 runs and 33 hits. At one point, Oakland went with an eight-man lineup, skipping Mike Piazza's third turn in the order. Then they put Kurt Suzuki in that spot later. Piazza was ticketed for the first Oakland bus home, the one that left after the fifth inning.

For those that care deeply about the A's, tomorrow's papers will be full of the news that Esteban Loaiza pulled out of his planned start. He threw some warm-up tosses on flat ground before and then stopped due to tightness in his trapezius, which is a muscle in the upper back. He'll be evaluated Friday, but Geren didn't seem too concerned immediately after the game. I haven't been around Geren enough to know if he's doing the stiff-upper-lip bit or if he's really not worried.

Coming this afternoon

It's another busy day in the glorious gold-flagged Enterprise sports section. Here's what you can expect this afternoon, when the paper hits the streets.

Stadium set for UC Davis lacrosse
The long-awaited $30 million new stadium will open for games Sunday, when the Aggies host Saint Mary's.

Devils claim playoff rematch
Mari Egan and Taylor Powell each scored twice in the first half and the Blue Devils notched a 4-1 victory over Elk Grove. The four Blue Devil goals were double the two that Elk Grove had allowed in its eight other games this year.

And, coming Friday:

The Enterprise looks at the Big West Conference in baseball and softball

The Sacramento River Cats take on the Oakland Athletics at Raley Field

Breaking: New stadium opens this weekend

UC Davis athletic director Bob Bullis said today he expects to hold Sunday's lacrosse game against Saint Mary's in the $30 million new facility.

Check Thursday's Enterprise for more information.

Coming this afternoon

Here's what to expect when today's Enterprise sports hits the streets today.

Alaska team hopes to thaw out in NorCal
While some Northern California girls soccer games can get washed out, those teams probably have it easy compared to schools in Alaska. Take Juneau-Douglas High for example. The Crimson Bears, who visit Davis High on Thursday at Halden Field, haven’t even stepped foot on their home field. A record snowfall of more than 200 inches hit the area this winter.

Matadors tame Devils
Every team suffers an off day or has a game when things don’t go its way.
The Davis High girls lacrosse team would have preferred a day like that rather than what actually transpired at Halden Field. Behind five goals from Allegra Cabellon and a hat trick from Emma Gibson on Tuesday, Miramonte thrashed the Blue Devils 15-1 in a Diablo Valley Lacrosse League contest.

UCD selects new class
Five former players and one former coach have been chosen for the 25th Cal Aggie Athletics Hall of Fame induction class, it was announced Tuesday. The hall honors those who achieved or contributed to UC Davis athletics with unusual distinction. The inductees are chosen by the CAAHOF Advisory Board and approved by Chancellor Larry Vanderhoef.

And coming up in the next couple days: A stadium update, a look at how the Big West is shaping up in both baseball and softball and a report from Raley Field as the A's visit Yolo County and

Football planner

Popped into the football offices this morning, where everyone seems to be in serious study mode. Head coach Bob Biggs was in his office going over the offensive self scout compiled by assistant Eric Sanders. And over in the Moroski/Buckley suite, there were some in depth exploration of some potential offensive line schemes going on. The takeaway message today is that this year's football team will be quite young, and Biggs said the youth gives the coaching staff the freedom to try some new stuff this spring. Then there is a quarterback competition and some major work to be done in the defensive secondary. So that should be interesting, and we'll get into it in the coming weeks.

UCD opens spring conditioning on Monday. The on-field drills begin April 9. There will be two Saturday practices in the new stadium, Picnic Day (April 14) and the spring game (May 5, 9 a.m.)

Back from Spring Break

The finals dead period has ended, and we're ready to get back to work on this site as well.

The biggest surprise of the spring, so far, is the Aggie softball team. Those of us that keep an eye on these things (your humble newspaper, for instance) expected UCD to be improved. But after a combined 22 wins the previous two seasons, I'm not sure even the most optimistic of us would have predicted this start. With today's win over Portland State, the Aggies have 19 wins in the first 31 tries. Lindsay Tognetti is striking out everyone in sight. The team is slugging .400 and the next home run it hits will tie its total for the last two years combined (25). It's probably the best story of the spring.

But it's more than just the on-field success. In 2003, this program won the Division II national championship. And then it struggled to find its footing at the D-I level. Softball is like baseball, the sort of sport where a team can build a national profile (as much as there are national profiles in softball) while playing in the Big West. It will be extremely interesting to see how this team does in the league play. A good showing over the next two months this year would certainly make it a contender to go on the growing list of teams we expect will challenge for a postseason berth next year, the first while being D-I eligible.

If you were curious, the UCD teams currently on that list are: Men's soccer, football, women's basketball. But we're always looking for new additions.

Breaking: Moore wins National Championship

UC Davis senior Derek Moore capped a weekend of firsts for the Aggie program with a national championship at 141 pounds. Moore defeated No. 1 seed Ryan Lang of Northwestern by technical fall, 17-2, to win Division I national championship at 141 pounds.

Moore became the first UCD player or team to claim a national championship since the rowing team won the 2003 Division II title. On Friday, Moore became the UCD's first D-I All-American, clinching a top-8 finish with a win over Michael Keefe of Tennessee-Chattanooga in the quarterfinals. He defeated Nathan Morgan of Oklahoma State to reach the championship bout.

Moore scored reversals in both the first and second period to take a 4-2 lead, and came close to pinning Lang twice. He would have to content himself with a pair of near falls in the second period to build a commanding 10-2 lead into the period. He clinched the victory with 1:19 remainining in the final period.

Moore finished the season 24-0.

For more on this story, pick up Sunday's Enterprise.

Coming this afternoon

The glorious gold-flagged Enterprise sports page is packed with news today. Here's what you can expect when it hits the streets and doorsteps this afternoon

UC Davis wrestler wants Moore
Derek Moore at his fourth Division I nationals. The second seed at 141 pounds has eyes on moving over one place. Both he and teammate Ken Cook (174 pounds) have the chance to become the first D-I All-Americans in UCD history.

Tognetti fans 15 more for Ags
Senior pitcher was overpowering at times as the UCD softball team split a doubleheader against Purdue. The Aggies, winners of seven in their last eight, equaled their victory total from last season.

Rivalry comes up nill
In a game featuring two teams that are expected to make serious runs at the Sac-Joaquin Section title this year, 80 minutes was not enough time to determine which was the better team. The Davis High girls soccer tied rival St. Francis 0-0 at Yudin Field.

St. Francis topped DHS 1-0 at the Folsom Challenge Cup 11 days ago in a game that was very similar to this one.

UCD names Richardson as successor to Gill-Fisher
Nona Richardson, associate director of athletics at Ball State University, has been named senior associate athletics director at UC Davis, the university announced on Wednesday.

Coming this afternoon

It was a big day on the baseball diamonds around Davis. Here's what you'll find when the brilliant B Section hits the streets in mere hours.

Ninth-inning heartbreak

The Daniel Descalso and Aaron Hanke hit parade continued Tuesday at Dobbins Stadium. Unfortunately for the Aggies, Cal staged a ninth-inning comeback that was the final showstopper. Down to the final strike in the ninth, Bears second baseman Josh Satfin’s two-run single capped a three-run inning as Cal edged UCD 7-6 in the Aggies’ toughest defeat all season.

Unseasonable victory for Devils

It was hard to tell whether it was March or May for the Davis High School baseball team.
On a warm and sunny and warm day at the ballpark, and the Blue Devils received strong pitching, flawless defense and production from every player in the lineup against a traditionally strong opponent. The Blue Devils looked to be in mid-season form in an 8-2 victory over Vacaville on Tuesday at the DHS field. The calendar, of course, read March.

And, coming Thursday:

Davis High girls soccer takes on rival St. Francis. The game has been switched from 7 p.m. at Halden Field to 3:30 p.m. at Yudin Field. The Blue Devils and Troubadours tied 2-2 in last season’s contest.

March Madness: Local Edition, Part 2

The UC Davis women's basketball team went 1-3 against NCAA Tournament teams this year, equaling the men in that particular category.

The Aggies split two games with Big West champion UC Riverside, with each team winning on its home floor. The Highlanders are the No. 14 seed in the Greensboro region, and have drawn Arizona State in the first round. UCD lost to Boise State and Gonzaga on a tough weekend road trip last November. Both of those teams are No. 12 seeds. It should be noted that No. 12 seeds in the women's tournament don't have the same illustrious tradition as they do on the men's side.

All three Aggie opponents will play their first round games in California. Boise State and Riverside will be in Los Angeles. Gonzaga plays Middle Tennessee State at Maples Pavilion at Stanford.

March Madness: Local Edition

In case you were wondering, UC Davis went 1-3 against NCAA Tournament teams this year. Here's the breakdown:

Jackson State is the 16th seed in the Midwest Regional, and will take on Florida in the first round. It's hard to see this ending well for the Tigers. But Jackson State does have Trey Johnson, and when you have a scorer like that you're always have a chance to make things interesting. UCD beat the Tigers 66-58 on Dec. 2.

Long Beach State won the Big West Tournament and will represent the conference as the 12th seed in the South Regional, drawing Tennessee. Long Beach is a worthy champion, and were the best team I saw during the second round of conference play. On first glance, you see 12th seed and think, "Oh, upset game." To be perfectly honest, I have a hard time seeing it. Long Beach needs to run to be successful, and that sort of plays into the hands of a team like the Vols. Long Beach won both meetings, 89-75 at The Pavilion and 102-77 at The Pyramid.

Stanford is also in as the 11th seed in the South Regional. The Cardinal beat the Aggies 84-72 on Nov. 28.

Two notes before I officially start my vacation

BROOKLYN, N.Y. -- Just filed my men's basketball season wrap-up, which will hit the streets in the next couple of days. I talked with Gary Stewart yesterday, and it's quite interesting to see just how much that win over Fullerton seems to have lifted his spirits. We talked about a lot of things during the 45-minute chat, but the takeaway message was that he feels pretty optimistic about the future.

UC Davis can add two scholarship players this year, and the program (as well as all the others in the program) will be funded at 83 percent of the maximum scholarship level. That's a deceptive number because players with other sources of funding (like Pell Grants etc.) also are recorded as countable aid. For example, all UCD programs were funded at 78 percent, but with all extra aide factored in, the wrestling program was within $400 of the maximum.

--In the football department, South Dakota State just sent out a media alert for an afternoon press conference regarding its affiliation with the Gateway Football Conference. The league commissioner will be available, which seems to suggest that the programs have struck a deal. That means the Dakota States are probably gone. They'll probably be replaced by the Dakotas. Although, perhaps I'm speaking out of turn. We'll see how that all plays out.

The science of the transition

UC Riverside completed a two-game season sweep of UC Davis last night, riding out a back-and-forth game to take an 80-76 victory. The Highlanders' year, although there are some serious mitigating factors, has gone almost as poorly as the Aggies'. Riverside beat only one Division I team in its first 18 tries. The Highlanders completed their regular season last night with a 7-22 record, although they are playing much better basketball than they did even when they beat the Aggies the first time back in late January. The reality of Riverside's situation is this: If it can piece together the requisite luck and timing, it could end its season in the NCAA Tournament. If there were ever a reason not to come apart during a tough season, it's that.

This is all to say that there's really no honest comparison for what UCD' senior class has lived through. The four-year Division I transition is basically uncharted territory in the NCAA. And men's basketball may have been the program that has suffered the most. Because there is no sport in the NCAA where the postseason is such an integral part of the entire lore around the sport. March Madness trumps all.

UCD will say good-bye to three program stalwarts on Saturday, Thomas Juillerat, Rommel Marentez and Ari Warmerdam. At a time in their lives when maximum selfishness is expected and often even encouraged, those three players chose to stick things out at UCD, even if the transition wiped out any chances they would have to play in the NCAA Tournament. Aggie coach Gary Stewart said on Tuesday he had a hard time putting into words what those three players have meant to the program over the last four years. But this is what Juillerat said when asked what the program meant to him.

“I have -- along with a couple of other people in the program – probably the biggest vision as to what UC Davis can become. Soon, UC Davis is going to be my alma mater. I want to see the program escalate in level and success in terms of honors.”

So I expect a great deal of emotion Saturday, although the game itself probably will be quite a tough one. Afterward, we'll start looking to what the future holds. Check the paper and this space for details on that.

Two close losses and some baseball

Here's what you can look forward to this afternoon, when today's Enterprise hits the streets about 1 p.m. Also, check back with the blog today for a meditation on this year's UCD men's hoops senior class.

Sharp shooting doesn’t bring a victory

It ended with a turnover, a desperation lead pass picked off by a UC Riverside team whose guiding principle in those seconds was not to commit a foul. And that proved fitting Thursday night. On a night when its soon-to-be-departing seniors shined, UC Davis did everything but secure the much-needed victory.

Donaghe scores 24, but Ags fall

FULLERTON — The UC Davis women’s basketball team has made a late run at finishing over .500 in recent weeks, but the Titans played the role of spoiler on Thursday.
Despite a career-high 24 points off the bench by sophomore wing Haylee Donaghe, UCD was unable to protect a narrow halftime lead, falling 62-53 to Cal State Fullerton at Titan Gym.
The Aggies move to 13-15 overall with one game left in the regular season.

Blue Devils bludeon pen

For five innings, things looked bleak for the Davis High baseball team as the Blue Devils couldn’t touch Lincoln starting pitcher Michael Garber.But Lincoln coach Randy Ortega removed Garber from the game and that proved to be all DHS needed.
The Blue Devils (1-0) sent 11 batters to the plate and scored seven runs in the sixth inning Thursday to top their rival from Stockton, Lincoln 7-6. Scott Malinoff capped the rally with a two-run, two-out triple down the right field line.

A farewell to basketball

It's the final week for college and prep hoops here in town. The Davis High girls' basketball team completed its season last night in the semifinals of the Section playoffs. The college teams do the same this weekend. As usual the Enterprise's brilliant B Section has you covered. Here's what's coming this afternoon when we hit the streets:

‘Introvert’ makes final stand
Thomas Juillerat claims that personality testing has shown he's techincally an introvert, an assertion that few around the UCD program actually believe. And really, the labels don't matter. The Aggies will miss what the senior's personality has brought to the program during the transition to Division I.

Aggies doing it with D
Even though UC Davis' women's team is finishing the transition to Division I and won’t officially be part of the Big West Conference until next season, the Aggies have allowed just 62.1 points per game, which would be good enough for second place in the league.

Another Peters coaching at Feather River College
UC Davis baseball coach Rex Peters might be more closely associated with his brother-in-law, J.T. Snow, but his actual brother, Reed Peters, has closer ties. Reed Peters is the head baseball coach at Feather River College in Quincy, one of the top community college programs in Northern California.

Devils’ road ends in Lodi
LODI -- For the second year in a row, the Blue Devils girls basketball team saw its season end in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division I semifinals.