The UC Davis baseball team dropped two of three to Cal State Fullerton over the weekend and the Aggies have lost their last two Big West series. The good news is that one, they weren't swept, and two, they still have plenty of time to make up ground.
Stanford, ranked No. 3 by Baseball America and 11th by Collegiate Baseball, is at Dobbins Stadium on Wednesday. The Cardinal have been excellent in the Pac-10 but not necessarily as potent in their mid-week games. Stanford is also 9-6-2 away from Sunken Diamond.
The series with Long Beach State at Dobbins should be even more telling. The 49ers swept a poor Pacific team over the weekend, but two of the games were one-run affairs, the last one coming in 11 innings. Long Beach is 9-10 on the road this season. Friday's pitching matchup could be a good one as UCD's Eddie Gamboa squares off against Long Beach ace Andrew Liebel (5-2, 2.09). The Dirtbags are sixth in the country in ERA, and the Aggies are 38th in the country in batting average.
UCD dropped to 46th in RPI this week, according to boydsworld.com. UC Santa Barbara's RPI is 55th, so UCD still has the edge there. UC Irvine (9), Fullerton (19) and Long Beach (31) are ahead of the Aggies in RPI.
UCD second baseman Ty Kelly raised his average to .422 over the weekend and still leads the Big West. He's 22nd in the nation. Catcher Jake Jefferies is second in the Big West at .397 and 73rd in the nation.
Monday, April 28, 2008
Friday, April 25, 2008
Making the grade
Lost in the e-mail yesterday was this note from the NCAA.
UC Davis' men's water polo, women's soccer and women's tennis teams were publicly recognized for their academic performance. Those programs were among the 712 Division I teams that scored above 965 in the Academic Progress Rate. The APR is the way the NCAA measures academic progress, awarding individual teams points for athletes that stay eligible and enrolled in school. The NCAA calls 925 (which translates to 92.5 percent of all points and a 60 percent graduation rate) an acceptable score. Teams that fall below the mark face the loss of scholarships and other sanctions.
The NCAA will release its full report May 6.
UC Davis' men's water polo, women's soccer and women's tennis teams were publicly recognized for their academic performance. Those programs were among the 712 Division I teams that scored above 965 in the Academic Progress Rate. The APR is the way the NCAA measures academic progress, awarding individual teams points for athletes that stay eligible and enrolled in school. The NCAA calls 925 (which translates to 92.5 percent of all points and a 60 percent graduation rate) an acceptable score. Teams that fall below the mark face the loss of scholarships and other sanctions.
The NCAA will release its full report May 6.
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Make or break?
UC Davis baseball takes on eight straight nationally ranked opponents, and if the Aggies are going to make the postseason, this stretch will certainly figure in the equation.
Numbers-wise, this weekend's opponent - Cal State Fullerton - is not overwhelming. The Titans are fourth in the Big West in average and third in ERA. In fact, no one has hit more than five home runs. Even two of the three weekend starters, Jeff Kaplan (4.79) and Cory Arbiso (4.45) appear hittable. Fullerton does lead the conference in fielding percentage, so UCD will likely have to earn its victories.
The Titans are ranked No. 15 in both Baseball America and Collegiate Baseball. UC Irvine checks in at No. 16 and 17 in the two polls, respectively. Long Beach is No. 25 in Baseball America and unranked in the other poll.
Despite dropping two of three to Cal Poly, the Aggies did receive recognition in the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association poll.
UCD third baseman Ty Kelly took over as the Big West batting leader at .415 and is 34th in the nation. Jake Jefferies is second at .407 (45th in nation) and Ryan Scoma is fourth at .394. Jefferies leads the league in hits (66), RBIs (47) and tied for the lead in doubles (16). Ryan Royster leads the conference in runs scored (45).
Numbers-wise, this weekend's opponent - Cal State Fullerton - is not overwhelming. The Titans are fourth in the Big West in average and third in ERA. In fact, no one has hit more than five home runs. Even two of the three weekend starters, Jeff Kaplan (4.79) and Cory Arbiso (4.45) appear hittable. Fullerton does lead the conference in fielding percentage, so UCD will likely have to earn its victories.
The Titans are ranked No. 15 in both Baseball America and Collegiate Baseball. UC Irvine checks in at No. 16 and 17 in the two polls, respectively. Long Beach is No. 25 in Baseball America and unranked in the other poll.
Despite dropping two of three to Cal Poly, the Aggies did receive recognition in the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association poll.
UCD third baseman Ty Kelly took over as the Big West batting leader at .415 and is 34th in the nation. Jake Jefferies is second at .407 (45th in nation) and Ryan Scoma is fourth at .394. Jefferies leads the league in hits (66), RBIs (47) and tied for the lead in doubles (16). Ryan Royster leads the conference in runs scored (45).
Clink to Chico
UC Davis assistant coach Greg Clink has been named head coach at Chico State. The official introduction is due this afternoon.
Monday, April 21, 2008
BREAKING: Spring ball pushed back a week
UC Davis announced today that it is taking a break from it's spring football schedule and will reconvene Monday April 28.. According to a press release, the reasons are health related. The Spring Game, therefore, will also be pushed back a week.
Monday, April 14, 2008
Poll watch
For the first time in Division I, the UC Davis baseball team is making some national noise. Not all of the major polls have been released, but the Aggies did receive consideration in the rivals.com poll and votes outside the top 25 in the USA Today/ESPN poll on Monday.
UCD moved up to No. 31 in RPI, according to boydsworld.com as well after winning two of three against Santa Barbara and one against No. 10 Stanford.
The Collegiate Baseball poll has two Big West teams in the top-25: Irvine at 6 and Fullerton at 18. Long Beach State, which has lost 11 of its last 13, has dropped out. Stanford is 14th and Cal is 15th.
The Aggies aren't ranked in the Baseball America poll eiher, but writer Aaron Fitt admitted this during a chat: "We did discuss UC Davis in the top 25 meeting today, but the resume isn't quite top 25-worthy. Let's see how the Aggies do the next two weeks against Cal Poly and Fullerton."
Here are some numbers to chew on:
UCD has scored 268 runs through 34 games. By contrast, the 2005 and 2006 clubs scored 247 and 252 for the whole season. With 27 homers, the Aggies have already surpassed 2007 (24), 2006 (24) and 2005 (10) season totals. The team has scored double-digit runs 13 times this season, two of those coming last week.
Catcher Jake Jefferies' prolific Sunday afternoon raised his average to .414, second in the Big West Conference. He leads the Big West in hits (60), RBIs (40) and total bases (84). He earned Big West Player of the Week.
Ryan Royster leads the conference in runs scored (40). The Aggies have two others players in the top 10 in hitting, Ty Kelly (.400, fourth) and Ryan Scoma (sixth, .381).
UCD moved up to No. 31 in RPI, according to boydsworld.com as well after winning two of three against Santa Barbara and one against No. 10 Stanford.
The Collegiate Baseball poll has two Big West teams in the top-25: Irvine at 6 and Fullerton at 18. Long Beach State, which has lost 11 of its last 13, has dropped out. Stanford is 14th and Cal is 15th.
The Aggies aren't ranked in the Baseball America poll eiher, but writer Aaron Fitt admitted this during a chat: "We did discuss UC Davis in the top 25 meeting today, but the resume isn't quite top 25-worthy. Let's see how the Aggies do the next two weeks against Cal Poly and Fullerton."
Here are some numbers to chew on:
UCD has scored 268 runs through 34 games. By contrast, the 2005 and 2006 clubs scored 247 and 252 for the whole season. With 27 homers, the Aggies have already surpassed 2007 (24), 2006 (24) and 2005 (10) season totals. The team has scored double-digit runs 13 times this season, two of those coming last week.
Catcher Jake Jefferies' prolific Sunday afternoon raised his average to .414, second in the Big West Conference. He leads the Big West in hits (60), RBIs (40) and total bases (84). He earned Big West Player of the Week.
Ryan Royster leads the conference in runs scored (40). The Aggies have two others players in the top 10 in hitting, Ty Kelly (.400, fourth) and Ryan Scoma (sixth, .381).
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Pitching propels Devils again
Marcus Zuercher pitched a complete game and allowed only five hits on Friday to lead the Davis High baseball team to a 5-1 win over Franklin.
The Blue Devils (8-6-1, 3-0) not only handed the Wildcats their first Delta Valley Conference loss of the season, but took sole possession of first place in the league.
Kyle Williams powered DHS offensively, going 3-for-3 with a double and three RBIs and Joel Baroody pitched in with three hits and three runs scored. Mike Turay and Luke McDonald also had two hits apiece for the Blue Devils.
Zuercher was efficient on the mound – he threw 85 pitches – and didn’t let the Wildcats (11-3-1, 2-1) threaten until the final inning, which is when they scored their only run. In the first six innings, the Wildcats never had more than one runner on base at a time and didn’t get a runner past second base.
It was the second complete game for DHS this week as Brendan Gill went all seven on Wednesday to beat Elk Grove. Franklin, Elk Grove and DHS were the three teams expected to battle for the DVC crown.
For more on the game, check out Sunday’s Enterprise.
–Conor Tekautz
The Blue Devils (8-6-1, 3-0) not only handed the Wildcats their first Delta Valley Conference loss of the season, but took sole possession of first place in the league.
Kyle Williams powered DHS offensively, going 3-for-3 with a double and three RBIs and Joel Baroody pitched in with three hits and three runs scored. Mike Turay and Luke McDonald also had two hits apiece for the Blue Devils.
Zuercher was efficient on the mound – he threw 85 pitches – and didn’t let the Wildcats (11-3-1, 2-1) threaten until the final inning, which is when they scored their only run. In the first six innings, the Wildcats never had more than one runner on base at a time and didn’t get a runner past second base.
It was the second complete game for DHS this week as Brendan Gill went all seven on Wednesday to beat Elk Grove. Franklin, Elk Grove and DHS were the three teams expected to battle for the DVC crown.
For more on the game, check out Sunday’s Enterprise.
–Conor Tekautz
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Blind Item
Which UC Davis team is very likely headed to Europe this summer to take part in an international tour? Maybe the tag gives it away. We'll have more when some concrete information is available.
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Reversal of roles
On Monday, Enterprise sports writer Chris Saur and photographer Greg Rihl switched roles for the Davis High School baseball game against Valley. Chris gave his best shot with a lens and Greg was a scribe for a day.
The Enterprise picked five people as judges, but if you'd like to weigh in on who did the better job, comment below:
And the winner is: Rihl by a 3-2 count. The voters had a tough time deciding but chose the photographer-turned-scribe for finding some interesting points in an otherwise dull 20-1 blowout. As of Thursday evening, Rihl was planning to revel in his victory for weeks to come.
The Enterprise picked five people as judges, but if you'd like to weigh in on who did the better job, comment below:
And the winner is: Rihl by a 3-2 count. The voters had a tough time deciding but chose the photographer-turned-scribe for finding some interesting points in an otherwise dull 20-1 blowout. As of Thursday evening, Rihl was planning to revel in his victory for weeks to come.
Monday, April 7, 2008
Chico State job?
The Chico Enterprise-Record has checked in with this report, naming former UC Davis head coach Brian Fogel and current UCD aide Greg Clink as candidates for the program's open head coaching job.
Cardinal country
After splitting a four-game series at Washington State this weekend, the Aggies travel to Stanford on Wednesday for a single game at Sunken Diamond. The Cardinal are ranked No. 10 by Baseball America and No. 17 by Collegiate Baseball heading into the week after taking two of three from previous No. 1 Arizona State over the weekend.
Stanford has a nonleague game with No. 5 Cal on Monday, so it will be playing its fifth game in six days.
The Aggies could certainly open some eyes with a win over Stanford. They've yet to generate any buzz in the national polls despite the 33rd best RPI, according to boydsworld.com.
Three Big West teams continue to be in the top 25: Baseball America has UC Irvine No. 7, Cal State Fullerton 16 and Long Beach State 20th. Collegiate Baseball has Irvine No. 8, Fullerton 18 and Long Beach 21. Also, UC Santa Barbara (57th in RPI) has earned some votes outside the top 25 in the USA Today/ESPN poll. Long Beach has fallen on hard times, losing eight of its last nine.
Four UCD players are in the top 10 in hitting the Big West: Jake Jefferies (.397), Ryan Scoma (.394), Ty Kelly (.391) and Ryan Royster (.385). Jefferies leads the league in hits and at-bats and Royster leads the Big West in runs, homers and total bases.
Eddie Gamboa and Brad McAtee are in the league's top 10 in ERA. Gamboa leads the league in pickoffs and balks.
Stanford has a nonleague game with No. 5 Cal on Monday, so it will be playing its fifth game in six days.
The Aggies could certainly open some eyes with a win over Stanford. They've yet to generate any buzz in the national polls despite the 33rd best RPI, according to boydsworld.com.
Three Big West teams continue to be in the top 25: Baseball America has UC Irvine No. 7, Cal State Fullerton 16 and Long Beach State 20th. Collegiate Baseball has Irvine No. 8, Fullerton 18 and Long Beach 21. Also, UC Santa Barbara (57th in RPI) has earned some votes outside the top 25 in the USA Today/ESPN poll. Long Beach has fallen on hard times, losing eight of its last nine.
Four UCD players are in the top 10 in hitting the Big West: Jake Jefferies (.397), Ryan Scoma (.394), Ty Kelly (.391) and Ryan Royster (.385). Jefferies leads the league in hits and at-bats and Royster leads the Big West in runs, homers and total bases.
Eddie Gamboa and Brad McAtee are in the league's top 10 in ERA. Gamboa leads the league in pickoffs and balks.
On the farm
Here's some updates on former Aggies in the minor leagues:
Dave McKae is back with the Connecticut Defenders, the Giants' Double-A affiliate in the Eastern League. McKae tossed five shutout innings on Sunday in a 4-2 win over the New Hampshire Fisher Cats. He struck out five and did not walk a batter.
Tyler LaTorre made the jump to the High-A San Jose Giants in the California League this season. LaTorre is again playing for manager Steve Decker, who was the head man in Salem-Keizer last season. For you Giant fans out there, last season's first-rounder, Tim Alderson, is with San Jose as well.
Daniel Descalso is with the High-A Palm Beach Cardinals in the Cardinals' organization. Descalso is 4-for-14 with two RBIs in the early season.
Aaron Hanke is with the Low-A South Bend Silver Hawks in the Diamondbacks' system. He is 3-for-14 with a homer.
Ryan Coultas is with the St. Lucie Mets, a High-A affiliate. No numbers listed for Coultas.
Dave McKae is back with the Connecticut Defenders, the Giants' Double-A affiliate in the Eastern League. McKae tossed five shutout innings on Sunday in a 4-2 win over the New Hampshire Fisher Cats. He struck out five and did not walk a batter.
Tyler LaTorre made the jump to the High-A San Jose Giants in the California League this season. LaTorre is again playing for manager Steve Decker, who was the head man in Salem-Keizer last season. For you Giant fans out there, last season's first-rounder, Tim Alderson, is with San Jose as well.
Daniel Descalso is with the High-A Palm Beach Cardinals in the Cardinals' organization. Descalso is 4-for-14 with two RBIs in the early season.
Aaron Hanke is with the Low-A South Bend Silver Hawks in the Diamondbacks' system. He is 3-for-14 with a homer.
Ryan Coultas is with the St. Lucie Mets, a High-A affiliate. No numbers listed for Coultas.
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