Davis Enterprise sports blog

Blog has moved

2008-10-24T23:41:00.001-07:00

For the past couple months, we at the Enterprise have been managing two identical sports blogs hosted at different web sites, this one and the one available through our newspaper web site.

This will be the final post on this blog and we will be permanently moving to the new blog, so to see new posts you will have to visit that one.

Here is the link to the new blog.

You can also access it by going to www.davisenterprise.com and clicking on "Blogs" at the top, and then "Enterprise sports blog".

Outside of the site at which we will post, nothing will change about the blog. We look forward to providing you with extra tidbits of information on our blog that doesn't make the paper.

Farewell, Davis

2008-10-18T06:25:00.000-07:00

Sadly, this will be my last post with The Davis Enterprise.

On Thursday, I was informed that the sports editor position was eliminated for budgetary reasons and my services were no longer needed. How can a newspaper survive without a sports editor? Well, you'll have to ask The Enterprise about that one.

Despite the way things ended, I enjoyed my four years in Davis. It was quite a culture change from conservative, rural Marysville (where I worked last) but I adapted eventually.

I will miss the relationships I formed with several individuals, both at UC Davis and Davis High School. It was always a pleasure coordinating our football preview cover with Aggie coach Bob Biggs. No matter how strange the cover sounded originally, he always humored us.

I will miss talking with Davis High coaches like Paul Ochs, Bill Gregg, Dan Gazzaniga and Leigh Whitmire as well. They always seemed to make my job easier and I was floored by the dedication to their sports.

It was a challenge adapting to UC Davis' transition to Division I, but I think our sports writers did an incredible job. We've tried to expand coverage of sports like men's soccer and baseball in the past two years as those programs gained national attention.

My fondest memory reporting on a game came in June when the baseball team played the Cardinal at the Stanford regional. I can still feel the noise from the big Davis crowd as it hung on every Eddie Gamboa pitch in the ninth inning.

As for me, I will bounce back. Maybe I will see Lane Kiffin on the unemployment line.

Thanks for the memories, Davis.

Biggs on comebacks

2008-10-12T10:36:00.000-07:00

Enterprise photo editor Wayne Tilcock put together a video package of UC Davis head coach Bob Biggs talking about some of the top comebacks in Aggie history.

Chris Saur's 60-inch epic story, which featured thoughts of ex-coach Fred Arp as well, ran in Friday's edition.

Here's the link to Wayne's package.

Bulldogs run over Devils

2008-10-10T23:13:00.000-07:00

Alex Bell's 180 yards on the ground and 93-yard kickoff return for a touchdown weren't enough as the Davis High football team fell 56-28 to Vacaville on Friday night at Halden Field.

Vacaville (3-2) got it done on the ground, rushing for 376 yards with Jimmy Hines leading the way by getting 215 on 15 carries and three touchdowns.

The Blue Devils (0-5) had their best offensive game of the season, with their 28 points being twice as many as they scored in their first four games combined.

DHS tied the game at 21 late in the first half on an 18 yard scamper by Bell before Vacaville scored 28 straight points to put the game away.

Also on Friday, Dixon ran wild on Brookside Christian in a 43-0 rout and Pioneer was overwhelmed by Roseville 48-13. Woodland fell to Rio Americano 24-21 on Saturday.

For more on the game, check out Sunday's Enterprise.

- Conor Tekautz

Now on deck ...

2008-10-07T14:37:00.000-07:00

UC Davis women's soccer is the next sport we'll feature on the UC Davis page on Wednesday.

The Aggies are 5-4-2 overall, 2-0 in the Big West Conference after consecutive 1-0 setbacks to UC Irvine and Long Beach State.

UCD had won four in a row before that - all of those one-goal victories.

The Aggies are still a very young team: Nine freshmen and six sophomores are part of the roster. One of the few senior starters - Molly Scott - is pictured against Sacramento State.

By the way, the Aggies are home this week, facing UC Riverside on Friday and Cal State Fullerton on Sunday.

Where does finish stack up?

2008-10-05T11:42:00.000-07:00

The Greg Denham-to-Bakari Grant touchdown pass on the game's final play against Northern Colorado will go down as one of the top finishes in UC Davis' history.

Where does it stack up?

We'll explore that issue this week at The Enterprise.

Feel free to weigh in with other memorable finishes.

New Woodland rivalry?

2008-10-04T13:37:00.000-07:00

David Butterworth’s return to Halden Field was a success on Friday as visiting Pioneer knocked off Davis 21-7 in the first-ever meeting between the two schools.

The Blue Devils (0-4) made some progress, as they turned the ball over just once and cut back on penalties. DHS’ run defense - except for a Martin Galindo 67-yard run - was solid. The Patriots were missing their top running back in Kalin Carlos (high ankle sprain).

DHS running back Alex Bell, who carried the ball a whopping 28 times, found the end zone from 11 yards out in the second quarter to make it a 14-7 game.

The Patriots (3-1) helped put the game away, however with a 23-yard touchdown from quarterback Pat Colin to Galindo with 4 minutes, 13 seconds left in the third quarter. Colin connected with James Tillman a 23-yard score in the first quarter as well.

The Blue Devils had a chance for a second score in the waning minutes of the fourth quarter but the drive stalled on Pioneer’s four-yard line.

In other area games, Dixon fell to rival Vanden 14-7 in a tight game in Fairfield. Michael Hendrix scored on a 37-yard touchdown, but the Vikings took advantage of two Ram turnovers for their two scores. Also, Woodland fell to Roseville 27-9 and Anderson beat Winters 8-0.

For more prep football action, check out Sunday’s Enterprise.

UC Davis page starts Wednesday

2008-09-29T12:56:00.000-07:00

Our UC Davis page will begin again this week. Look for it every Wednesday.

This week, we'll focus on UC Davis volleyball's fast start. The Aggies led nationally ranked Long Beach State 2-0 on Saturday before falling in the final three games.

UCD's new coach Jamie Holmes' team is 8-7 overall, a marked improvement for a program that went 4-24 the last two seasons. Senior Renee Ibekwe is pictured in a match against Sacramento State.

Every week the page will focus on Aggie programs like soccer, volleyball, water polo and cross country, which sometimes get overshadowed by UCD football and basketball.

The page will feature standings, statistics and a look at upcoming games.

Greetings from New England

2008-09-27T11:07:00.000-07:00

BROOKLINE, Mass - I have arrived at Northeastern’s Parsons Field after getting lost for the second time in just 11 hours of being in Boston.

While Google maps seemingly provide perfect directions for the city of Boston, the lack of street signs make it a tough area to navigate.

Though there was apparently a downpour here on Friday, and the skies seem ready to empty at any moment, there has so far been just a sprinkling of rain. The field looks to be in good shape but, like the skies, it also seems poised to become a rainy mess.

Parsons Field is a stark contrast to the 25,000-plus seat stadium the Aggies played in last weekend in Montana. It is essentially a high school stadium, which seats just more than 2,000 fans. Of the teams I’ve seen in the last few years of covering high school and college football, only Davis High would be jealous of this stadium.

Despite this being the Huskies’ first home game of 2008, there probably no more than 700 fans in attendance at the moment due to threat of some pretty heavy rain. About 25 percent of those people are UCD fans that made the trip, including a 15-person group for the Aggie Band-uh.

UCD running back Joe Trombetta is dressed (albeit wearing the No. 6 which usually belongs to Chris Miller who is not with the team because of injury) but will not start. Trombetta has been nursing an ankle injury and participated in most of the week’s practice but I suspect the sloppy conditions could make head coach Bob Biggs weary of playing him unless he needs to.

Brandon Tucker, who performed well as the feature back last week with Trombetta out, will get the start.

- Chris Saur

Devils penalized heavily in loss

2008-09-26T23:33:00.000-07:00

VACAVILLE - The Davis High football team totaled 143 yards on 14 penalties against 139 yards of offense in a 22-7 loss to Will C. Wood on Friday at Vacaville's Tom Zunino stadium.

The Wildcats ran the ball 44 times for 191 yards with Mike McChristian leading the way with 56 yards on 10 carries and a touchdown. Josh Landers added 39 yards on 12 rushes and two short touchdown runs.

The Blue Devils drove 77 yards on 12 plays at the end of the first half for their first touchdown of the season. Derek Nelson found Darius Harris in the back of the end zone for a 12-yard touchdown pass.

Among the plays DHS had negated, the two biggest were a 50-yard return on the opening kickoff by Nelson, and a 45-yard touchdown scamper by Alex Bell which would have cut the lead to 22-14 with 8 minutes to go.

The win was Wood's first on the field since Oct. 7, 2006 - the Wildcats lost to Fairfield in 2007 but ended up winning because Fairfield used an ineligible player.

The question is now - when will the Blue Devils pick up their first win? DHS takes on Division III Pioneer next week at Halden Field. The Patriots beat Foothill 21-16 on Friday.

In other area games, Woodland beat El Camino 24-14 in a Thursday matchup. Dixon rushed for 298 yards and improved to 2-1 with a 22-7 win over Amador. LaRoy Jones and Jason Harvey rushed for TDs and Jeffrey Anderson tossed a TD as well. Winters lost its third straight after a 26-21 loss to Vacaville Christian.

For more on the game, check out Sunday's Enterprise.

- Conor Tekautz

Greetings from Montana

2008-09-20T12:26:00.000-07:00

MISSOULA, Mont. - I just finished the three-hour drive from Spokane, Wash. to Missoula and the views were absolutely incredible. And that was just from the car.

But then I arrived in Missoula and it was like stepping into college football heaven. As soon as I exited the freeway, I saw Montana fans packing the streets on their way to the game. It reminded me of clips I have seen from an SEC or Big 12 college town hours before kickoff.

From college students to grandparents with their grandchildren, everyone is decked out in Grizzlie colors.

When UCD media relations director Mike Robles walked down one of the campus street on his way to the stadium wearing a UCD shirt, he had a friendly exchange with one older lady who politely told him that he was wearing the wrong shirt and offered to give him a red one for the rest of his walk.

When I finally navigated through the thousands of tailgaters to get to Washington-Grizzly Stadium, I was treated to another incredible view. Montana’s stadium is a 25,000-plus seat masterpiece, surrounded by large hills and will soon to be packed to the gills.

As I write this, four sky divers just landed one by one at the 50-yard line followed by 24 Harley Davidson’s driving in and parking on the field one driven by the Grizzlies' mascot and another by Benny the Bull from Chicago.

There was a flyover during the national anthem (which I couldn’t see from the press box) and it was capped off with a cannon blast.

The Grizzlies even had U.S. Olympian backstroker Aaron Peirsol, who won two gold medals and set two world records at Beijing on the field before the game.

It all adds up to another chapter on the Aggies' introduction to major college football.

In on the field news, running back Joe Trombetta. who broke out for 156 yards and two TDs last week and punter Brett Dickinson are both dressed but will be game-time decisions.

- Chris Saur

Rams throttle Warriors

2008-09-20T00:02:00.000-07:00

WINTERS - In a matchup of area teams on Friday, Dixon High scored three touchdowns in each half to blow out Winters, 41-0.

Rams quarterback Jeffrey Anderson threw for two touchdowns and ran for another, a dazzling 23-yard jaunt in the first quarter. Anderson was 5-for-9 for 94 yards with no interceptions.

Dixon ran the ball extremely well after a tough opening week against Escalon. Mike Mercado did the most damage with 120 yards on 12 carries, including a 31-yard run with 41 seconds left in the first half.

The Warriors looked like they might score just before halftime as they used a nine-yard halfback option pass from running back Max Mariani to Ray McInire to get to the one-yard line. But Dixon stuffed Mariani on the next play to end the half. The Rams sacked Winters quarterback Kyle Tobler four times and recovered two fumbles.

For more on the game, check out Sunday's Enterprise.

Also, Woodland fell to 1-1 with a 22-12 loss to Whitney and former coach Mike Gimenez.

Pioneer fell to Rio Americano 26-13. The Patriots were shut out in the first half but used a interception return for a TD by Jacob Snethen and a 4-yard scoring run from Luis Garcia to cut into the lead.

DHS football falls again

2008-09-19T23:48:00.001-07:00

FAIR OAKS - The Davis High football team suffered its second straight blowout loss, this one coming by a 38-0 scoreline at the hands of Del Campo.

The Blue Devils didn't have much of an answer for the Cougar rushing attack, which finished with 305 yards on 58 carries. Mike Dimino led the way for Del Campo with 118 yards on 22 attempts.

DHS, meanwhile, struggled to get much going offensively and finished with just 93 total yards. They also turned the ball over four times - two fumbles and two interceptions.

Alex Bell was the leading rusher for the Blue Devils with 47 yards on 15 rushes. Quarterback Dane Denkers completed 4-of-11 passes for 35 yards and two interceptions.

Del Campo scored two touchdowns in each of the first two quarters and led 28-0 at halftime. The Blue Devils fell to 0-2 on the season while the Cougars are now 2-0.

Area stat leaders

2008-09-18T11:03:00.000-07:00

The Davis Enterprise started its area stat leaders for football in Thursday's paper. Make sure to check it out.

Every week we'll chart how Davis, Woodland, Pioneer, Dixon and Winters high school players stack up against one another.

After the season, we'll pick a Player of the Year from among those schools. My early favorite would be Woodland quarterback Joe Felix, but there's plenty of football left to be played.

Beer and golf at Land Park

2008-09-13T17:41:00.000-07:00

I stopped by the National Golf League's "Suds on the Green" event on Saturday at William Land Park, not too far from where I live.

The NGL is based in Davis and is similar to the Ryder Cup. The founder is Davis' Bob Aube and the commissioner is Doug Powell, another Davis resident.

Here are a few photos I snapped between 1 and 2 p.m.

The first photo is of Davis Zone golfer Nate Allen, who was watching his drive on the ninth hole.

Not sure who the second gentleman is but he looked to be having a good time.

The Sacramento Eagles won the tournament with 29 points, followed by the Zone (27), Silicon Valley Drivers (27), Sonoma Martin Breakers (26) and East Bay Power (20). Look for a follow-up about the event in Monday's paper.

Friday Night Lights

2008-09-12T22:48:00.001-07:00

DIXON - I was at Dixon High on Friday night to check out the new football field. I have to say - very impressive facility. Enterprise photo editor Wayne Tilcock mentioned that it puts Davis High's Halden Field to shame, and he's right.

As for the Rams, they lost the opener to Escalon, 32-14. The score is a little deceiving as the Cougars took advantage of short fields three times in the second quarter, scoring three of their touchdowns.

When Escalon had to drive the length of the field, Dixon made the Cougars earn their yards. Escalon settled for two field goals, and the Rams forced two turnovers as well.

Dixon quarterback Jeffrey Anderson is a player of watch out for later in the year. He is poised in the pocket and he has a nice touch on most of his throws. He connected on touchdown strikes of 61 and 59 to Rhiley Norton and Laroy Jones. The Rams dropped two potential touchdowns as well. Dixon did not run the ball very effectively, although Escalon deserves credit for some of that.

Former Davis High and UC Davis star David Butterworth is off to a good start with Pioneer. The Division III Patriots knocked off Division school Will C. Wood 26-21. Woodland shut down Bert Salinas' old school. Lincoln, 17-0. Winters is 1-1 after a 14-7 loss to Willows. Kyle Tobler scored on a one-yard run for the Warriors.

In case you missed it, Davis High School starts the slate on Saturday at Folsom.

More WAC connections

2008-09-11T15:13:00.001-07:00

Cal Poly and Fresno State have agreed to play two football games in Bulldog Stadium, the Mustangs announced on Wednesday.

The rivalry, discontinued after the 1985 season, will resume on Sept. 4,
2010. The Mustangs and Bulldogs also will play on Sept. 7, 2013.

"We've been talking to these guys for a long time and I am glad it¹s finally
nailed down,² Cal Poly coach Rich Ellerson said in a press release. "It's great for our players and our fans."

UC Davis has played San Jose State the last two seasons and has fellow Western Athletic Conference foes Boise State and Fresno State on the docket for 2009.

You might remember that Fresno State coach Pat Hill causing a bit of a stir in August when he said he thought UCD and Poly might end up in the WAC eventually.

Speaking of the Mustangs, their game at McNeese State on Saturday in Cowboy Stadium has been cancelled due to the potential effects of Hurricane Ike on the city of Lake Charles, La.

Now with only 10 games on its football schedule - Football Championship
Subdivision schools were allowed to schedule 12 games this season - Cal
Poly is pursuing efforts to schedule another opponent for Sept. 27 or Oct.
11, according to a release.

Armstrong in Davis?

2008-09-09T09:35:00.001-07:00

You may have heard some of the reports that Lance Armstrong may be attempting a comeback in cycling.

Well, the Austin Business Journal is reporting that may include five major tours, including the 2009 Amgen Tour of California.

The Amgen Tour starts and ends its first stage in Sacramento, on Feb. 14, and then starts its second stage the next day in Davis, ending in Santa Rosa.

The Armstrong story was reported without attribution by cycling journal VeloNews on its Web site Monday.

However, the report may be more rumor than truth, according to his former sporting director.

Denham's health

2008-09-04T18:19:00.000-07:00

Some tidbits that didn’t make it into the UC Davis/Central Arkansas preview for Friday’s paper:

The Greg Denham era will officially begin this Saturday when the heralded sophomore quarterback starts for the Aggies (0-1) against the Bears (1-0).

But while Denham’s ability to throw deep and accurate passes should give the Aggie offense a boost, don’t forget that the 6-foot-2, 200-pounder missed three weeks of preseason camp. And this was not just any preseason camp - it was his first as a starting quarterback.

Denham said after practice that he thinks he will be fine, but admitted that the time off did affect his timing and footwork and that it takes a little time to get trust back in his knee after the strained MCL.

Head coach Bob Biggs said “Quite honestly, he is a little bit rusty.”

One thing to note, however, is that Denham should not be as affected by playing on the road and sleeping away from home as some of his teamates. That’s because Denham will be living in a hotel room for the next few weeks even when he is in Davis as his apartment isn’t ready yet.

Speaking of the Aggies being on the road, Arkansas has been seeing very heavy rain steadily since Tuesday morning as part of Hurricane Gustav's many negative effects on the South. UCA’s practice schedule has not, however, been drastically affected since the Bears have a $2.5 million indoor practice facility.

Head coach Clint Conque did say though, that his team can’t kick in the facility and with a brand new kicker and punter this season, that might hurt their preparation.

- Chris Saur

Big crowd in Conway?

2008-09-04T10:51:00.000-07:00

Central Arkansas seems to be embracing its football team quite well this season. The opener against Henderson State drew 12,158 fans.

It will be interesting to see what the Bears-Aggies game draws with University of Arkansas home and playing Louisiana-Monroe at the same time.

Coach Clint Conque talked about his team on the school Web site.

We knew him when ...

2008-09-03T21:39:00.000-07:00

Quite a good story today concerning former Sacramento River Cat Scott McClain, who blasted his first major league home run in the San Francisco Giants' 9-2 win over the Rockies. The photo is from the Associated Press.

McClain is in his 19th pro season and had hit 287 homers in 1,664 minor league games.

In case you missed it, here is former Enterprise sports writer Michael Mirer's story on McClain while he was a member of the River Cats. The headline on the story was "Night Shift."

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — There are times, like when he's sitting in yet another airport waiting for yet another connecting flight, that River Cats third baseman Scott McClain will think about the ways he doesn't really need this anymore.

He's financially secure from his time playing in Japan, a league full of train trips and top-notch facilities. And after nearly two decades as a pro, he's seen just about everything professional baseball has to offer.

But McClain still wants another taste of the major leagues, with the big stadiums and the easy travel. That dream is still strong enough to push him through the grind for another year. When you're playing in the three-time-zone monster that is the Pacific Coast League, that's no small commitment.

"It hit me last year a little bit mid- season. It hit me this year mid-season, but you just press on," said McClain , 34, as he prepared to play last week. "Everyone's main goal is to get to the big leagues. That's still my goal, even at the age I'm at. I just want a few more days up there."

So it's back to what McClain called "the night shift." It's what's familiar.

McClain 's baseball career has spanned every level of the minor leagues and includes four seasons with Seibu in the Japanese League. In 17 seasons, he has played in 22 major league games, nine with Tampa Bay in 1998 and 13 last year with the Chicago Cubs.

And, of course, a solid half of those 17 years have been spent in hotels and on long bus rides between games in the minor leagues.

"You get used to it," McClain said of his long hours of moving between cities. "Sometimes you don't even know what day it is. The only way you know what day it is, is that on Sunday you're playing a day game. It gets tiresome. But it's a good job. I still enjoy it."

You would have to, especially in the PCL.

Buses have a certain romance about them for baseball players. And in the minors it's the closest you get to a chartered plane. McClain played parts of five seasons in the Triple-A International League. In the east, cities are closer together. Instead of waking up to fly, teams can leave immediately after the game and wake up in a new town.

"I'd rather have a five-hour bus ride than have to wake up at 4:30 in the morning," outfielder Jason Perry said earlier in the trip.

And McClain feels the same way.

Adjusting to the travel is a process, McClain said, and his routine has changed as he's gotten older. He knows better how to take care of himself. No longer does he catch the early bus to the gym like some of his teammates. He saves his strength for the games.

"You learn to know your body and what you can handle," McClain said. "You listen to your body tell when you need more rest. I used to be (an early riser). And there's times I'll try and do that. I'm more a stay up until 2 a.m. watching TV, and then sleep until noon guy. That's my routine. Grab a bite to eat and then head to field."

The field remains a constant in McClain 's life.

He started his career in 1990 and after working his way to Triple-A in 1995, he spent most of the next six seasons at that level. Feeling as though he was running out of options, McClain tried his hand on another continent.

Japanese baseball is on par with the majors in terms of the player perks, McClain said. The salaries, especially for American players, are excellent. The hotels are first-class and the travel is especially easy.

There is only one time zone. And instead of planes, teams get around on trains. After you learn to navigate the stations in a strange language, it may be the easiest baseball travel there is.

"Once I figured out how to get on the trains and figure out where I was going, it was great," McClain said. "Our longest trip was a three-hour train ride. You get on the bullet trains, in a nice big luxury seat, that made things a lot easier. It was a good time. I enjoyed it. My wife could go if she wanted to. It was easy."

The shock came after he returned from Japan.

The Cubs signed him to a minor-league deal and assigned him to Iowa. That team is based in Des Moines and flies through Chicago on almost every trip.

His situation is better in Sacramento. There are direct flights to a number of other cities in the league. He also has family close by, which was one of the reasons he signed with the River Cats. McClain has enjoyed performing in front of his relatives, who are quickly learning about the every-day nature of Triple-A.

"We get maybe one day off a month," McClain said. "It's nice having my family around. Being out in California, though, my aunts and uncles are realizing that we really do play every day."

That's still exactly what McClain wants to be doing. The night shift isn't so bad.

And the big leagues are still out there.

Another playoff run?

2008-08-29T11:02:00.000-07:00

Sometimes lost in the shuffle because of football, the UC Davis men's soccer team begins the season today at 5 p.m. against Long Beach. The game is part of the Copa de Causeway tournament, co-hosted by Sacramento State. The UCD women take on San Jose State at 2:30 p.m.

The Aggies, as you might remember, made history last season by qualifying for the NCAA tournament in their first season of Divison I. UCD was picked to finish second in the Big West Conference this time and lost just three players to graduation, so it could be another strong year.

The season will feature only 10 conference games due to a newly instated Big West tournament, which will determine the automatic qualifier for the NCAAs. The top four teams will all advance to the tournament with the top two seeds hosting the first-round games. The event is Nov. 12 and 15.

And in case you're wondering, the Aggies host league favorite UC Santa Barbara at noon on Nov. 8.

The Gauchos open the season ranked No. 9 by College Soccer News, No. 10 by Soccer Times, No. 11 by Top Drawer, No. 21 by the NSCAA and No. 22 by Soccer America.

Even more photos

2008-08-28T12:22:00.003-07:00

Here are more photos from our 2008 football preview section:

The first is from Woodland High School. Defensive lineman Seth Young faces off against Robert Boles during practice.

The second is from River City High School in West Sacramento. Coach Brian Watkins watches Marcus Santos during kickoffs last week.

These were shot by Greg Rihl and Wayne Tilcock. respectively.

More football photos

2008-08-28T11:51:00.000-07:00

Here are some more pics from the football preview section. Many of these are in black and white in the preview.

Left is new Winters High School coach Daniel Ward, working with his team.

Right is Dixon quarterback Jeffrey Anderson throwing at practice on Monday.

Dixon actually travels to Winters on Sept. 19.

2008 football preview

2008-08-27T18:05:00.000-07:00

The 2008 football preview section should hit the news stands around 1 p.m. on Friday.

I can't give away too much, but there's plenty of information about UC Davis' upcoming season, which begins Friday at San Jose State. Graphics guru Shawn Collins put together another fabulous cover design.

UC Davis coach Bob Biggs and Davis High coach Dan Gazzaniga were good enough to humor us for what probably sounded like a strange idea at the time.

The section features plenty of high-school coverage as well.

Davis High School doesn't begin until Sept. 13 when it travels to Folsom. The Blue Devils open on a Saturday this season. This date isn't really press-friendly, but we'll have to make due.

Woodland, Pioneer, Dixon, Winters and River City high schools are also featured. The pic (taken by Greg Rihl) is of Patriots coach David Butterworth, although the image did not make the final cut. The Blue Devils host Pioneer in Week 4. Woodland and Davis are not expected to play one another this season - at least in any of the major sports.

The sports staff has literally been up day and night, putting on the final touches.

So enjoy! The sports staff is going home to rest.

J.T. named starter

2008-08-22T18:27:00.000-07:00

49ers coach Mike Nolan may not be one for committment but he did announce today that J.T. O'Sullivan will be the starting quarterback when the team opens the season against the Arizona Cardinals on Sept. 7.

O'Sullivan was 7-for-8 for 126 yards with a touchdown on Thursday during a preseason game against the Chicago Bears.

Of course, O’Sullivan beat out former No. 1 overall pick Alex Smith, who will be the backup, and Shaun Hill who will be the third-stringer.

In the preseason, O’Sullivan completed 20-of-33 passes for 351 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. O’Sullivan put up the best numbers of the three QBs, finishing with a much higher completion percentage, yards-per-attempt ratio and QB rating.

Petersen reunion

2008-08-15T17:11:00.000-07:00

Its official, the Aggies are going into the blue.

No they are not staring in a bad movie with Jessica Alba. Actually, the UC Davis football team will be taking on Boise State on the famous blue turf at Bronco Stadium in 2009.

The nonconference matchup, UCD's second against WAC opponent next season, will take place Sept. 19, 2009.

The Aggies will get a $225,000 game-guarantee for the contest. It will also reunite Broncos head coach Chris Petersen with his alma mater.

Petersen is a former Aggie QB who is in his third year at at Boise State. In fact, the last time these two teams played was Petersen's UCD debut, a 13-9 loss to the Broncos in 1985. He was 23-for-33 for 238 yards while rushing for 63 more yards in that game and finished his Aggie career with 5,555 passing yards and 42 touchdowns.

Football fans will remember his first year at Boise State when the Broncos went 13-0, including a 43-42 victory over Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl, one of the most memorable college football games of all time.

Former Aggie linebacker Viliami Tuivai, who played at UCD in 2000 and 2001, is an assistant on Petersen's staff.

The 2009 game will be the sixth NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision opponent for UCD.

- Chris Saur

Heckman changes course

2008-08-15T10:18:00.000-07:00

A side note from UC Davis practice on Thursday and something that didn't make it into the regular edition:

After suffering multiple concussions, linebacker David Heckman (Sutter High) decided to forgo his final year of eligibility and not play football in 2008. He was on track to graduate at the end of last year, even though he did have to up his load just a bit in his final quarter.

Heckman has now graduated and has been selected to go into the Navy Seals. He is training for that, especially in the water because of the heavy swimming requirements. UCD head coach Bob Biggs says he has totally changed his body from a 235-pound linebacker to a sleeker 200 pounds.

“He just decided after some concussions that it didn’t make sense for him to continue playing football,” Biggs said. “I’m happy for him, joining the Navy Seals.”

- Chris Saur

J.T. to start again

2008-08-14T17:25:00.000-07:00

Not too much of a surprise: J.T. O'Sullivan will start at quarterback for the 49ers again, this time against fellow Northern California star Aaron Rodgers and the Packers on Saturday at Candlestick Park.

It's very tough to read coach Mike Nolan from week to week or even practice to practice, so who knows who the starter will be in the regular-season opener on Sept. 7 against the Cardinals.

This would seem to be a bigger test for O'Sullivan, who did not take care of the ball against the Raiders in the preseason opener last week.

After the Packers, the 49ers travel to Chicago and then host San Diego to conclude the preseason.

Soccer exhibition

2008-08-14T15:01:00.000-07:00

For anyone curious about the UC Davis women's soccer team, the Aggies will take on Stanislaus State on Friday in an exhibition at 4 p.m.

The game will be played at Russell Field.

UCD features 15 returners and 11 newcomers. Coach MaryClaire Robinson is back for her 17th season.

The actual season opener is Aug. 22 against St. Mary's, and the home opener is Aug. 29 against Navy.

Here's more information on the Ags.

Football preview

2008-08-14T14:27:00.000-07:00

It's that time of the year: The Enterprise sports staff is gearing up for the annual football preview section. This is the fourth one I've been a part of and they've all had their fair share of ups and downs and we can get a little stressed as we inch toward deadline.

I don't want to reveal too much but we have another well-rounded theme this year. The special section is expected to appear Aug. 29, a day before the Aggies travel to San Jose State. The preview won't be in the exact same format as years past and I'm even kind of curious to see what it might look like.

The section will also cover plenty of high school football in the area. Besides Davis High, we'll make stops at Woodland, Pioneer, Dixon and Winters. (In fact, Wayne Tilcock is traveling to see the Warriors today). We're experimenting with another school as well, but more on that at a later time.

The Blue Devils open on a Saturday this season when they travel to Folsom on Sept. 13.

Here's the schedule for the other area high schools:

Sept. 5 - Winters hosts Esparto
Sept. 12 - Pioneer at Wood; Woodland hosts Lincoln and Dixon hosts Escalon.

Ratto on O'Sullivan

2008-08-13T20:08:00.000-07:00

Pretty good Ray Ratto column in the Chronicle about J.T. O'Sullivan and Aaron Rodgers, who will face each other Saturday at the 'Stick:

This line was particuarly amusing:

"And Davis fans, whose NFL memories run the gamut of Ken O'Brien to Casey Merrill to Mike Moroski to Rich Martini to Tom Williams, are jacked to see any Aggie who didn't end up working at a winery, a veterinarian's or an engineering firm."

Another playoff appearance upcoming

2008-08-13T19:43:00.000-07:00

WEST SACRAMENTO - Entering play on Wednesday’s, the Sacramento River Cats were 7 1/2 games up on the second-place Las Vegas 51s with 21 games left – 20 for the 51s. That means, barring a 2007 New York Mets-esque collapse, the River Cats will be in the postseason for the seventh time in their nine-year existence in Sacramento.

Unlike the major leagues, the Pacific Coast League does not determine home-field advantage based on which team has the better record. To make the travel schedule easier to plan for the teams, the league rotates every year. The PCL also doesn't have TV contracts to work around like the MLB does.

So if Sacramento qualifies for the postseason, the defending PCL and Triple-A champions would host the first two games of the Pacific Conference Championship on Sept. 3 and 4 and then go on the road for the last three games, Sept. 5 through 7, a Friday to Sunday.

The Pacific Conference Champion will host the American Conference Champion for the PCL Championship starting Tuesday, Sept. 9 as well as the next day. Thursday is a scheduled off day and the American Conference Champion will host the final three games Friday, Sept. 12 through Sunday, Sept. 14.

The Triple-A championship game, which pits the PCL Champion against the champion of the International League, would take place on Tuesday, Sept. 16 at the AT&T Bricktown Ballpark in Oklahoma City.

– Conor Tekautz

Journey of 1,000 Miles

2008-08-12T20:11:00.001-07:00

This came in too late for Tuesday's 9:30 a.m. sports deadline, but Davis High School graduate Gina Miles, riding McKinlaigh, won the individual silver medal in eventing.

Gold went to German Hinrich Romeike, riding Marius.

Germany won the gold in team eventing in an exciting showdown with Australia that came down to the final two riders.

For more on Miles, check out Wednesday’s Enterprise.

J.T. still with first team

2008-08-12T17:38:00.000-07:00

J.T. O'Sullivan continues to see time with the 49ers' first-string unit and figures to be the starter Saturday against the Packers in the second preseason game of the year as well.

If so, two Northern California guys - O'Sullivan and Green Bay's Aaron Rodgers (Chico) - would be the starters for their respective teams.

Here's the latest at 49ers camp from the Chronicle. O'Sullivan continues to be a little feisty with the Bay Area media as well.

A day earlier, O'Sullivan and Alex Smith combined for five interceptions in a morning practice. But O'Sullivan was considerably better on Tuesday, leading the team to a touchdown in a two-minute drill.

Bulldogs in 2009?

2008-08-09T17:42:00.000-07:00

The Fresno Bee is reporting that Fresno State has added UC Davis to its 2009 football schedule.

Coach Pat Hill indicated he wanted to re-establish relationships with UCD, Cal Poly and Sacramento State. And maybe more interestingly, thought the three schools would eventually be part of the Western Athletic Conference.

The Aggies said in June that they were close to releasing a schedule for next season but up until this point had not confirmed a Fresno State date.

For more on the story and possible confirmation from UCD, check out The Enterprise in the next few days.

UPDATE on Saturday night: No confirmation yet but will try again on Monday.

- Chris Saur

Reese update

2008-08-07T11:52:00.000-07:00

One tidbit from UC Davis' first day of football practice on Wednesday: Though the Aggies are almost totally healthy, the one injury of any significance acutally affects four different positions on the field.

Wide receiver Sean Creadick is nursing a foot injury, not a major concern, but the coaching staff is going to give him enough time for it to fully heal before getting him on the field. Creadick being out, however, has caused some reshuffling of positions.

Most notably, former Davis High star Josh Reese has returned to running back after being looked at in the defensive backfield.

Reese had been helping out at cornerback with Marcus North hurt but North is back now and with Creadick injured, Corbin Cutshaw, who had been playing running back, is filling in at receiver. That has opened a spot for Reese to return to the position he dominated in high school. In 2006, the 6-foot, 185-pounder ran for 1,151 yards and scored 15 touchdowns.

Biggs on Reese: "I think he is happier back on the offensive side of the ball and we like him there as well. Josh’s development on defense was going to be great and we thought eventually he would play safety, but he was at cornerback with North out."

- Chris Saur

J.T. to get start

2008-08-06T18:56:00.001-07:00

The Santa Rosa Press Democrat is reporting that J.T. O'Sullivan will start Friday in the exhibition opener against the Oakland Raiders.

Don't get too carried away though Aggie fans. This doesn't mean O'Sullivan is atop the depth chart.

He's expected to start at least one quarter with Alex Smith seeing time second and Shaun Hill finishing up.

Baseball notes

2008-08-06T14:30:00.000-07:00

I talked to coach Rex Peters today for a feature on shortstop-turned-pitcher Ryan Coultas, which will run sometime next week. I also asked him a little about recruiting, the schedule and the prospects for next year.

The Aggies begin the 2009 slate at UCLA on Feb. 20 and then host Pepperdine on Feb. 27. A road trip to San Diego State is also on the docket, along with the usual mid-week games against Stanford and Cal.

Peters said he expected to lose one of his three junior pitchers to a professional team, but all three eventually signed. Brad McAtee was a 45th-round pick with the Rockies, but did get around $60,000, according to Peters.

"He was drafted in the 45th round, but he got top-20-round money," Peters said. "That's the reason we lost him."

The coach does expect to have soon-to-be junior Andy Suiter back. Suiter was taken by the New York Yankees but told Peters a few weeks ago he's "100 percent sure he's coming back."

He also expects to have 20 underclassmen on the roster next season, a far cry from 2008 when the Aggies were senior dominant.

Deely sharp in summer

2008-08-06T12:17:00.000-07:00

Beat writer Chris Saur saw this item recently:

Incoming UC Davis freshman Vicky Deeley recently scored 19 points in a Bay Area Women's Pro-Am Summer Basketball League game in San Francisco.

She's expected to be one of coach Sandy Simpson's top recruits after a sensational run at Justin-Siena High in Napa.

For you trivia nuts, Justin-Siena is the same school that actor Nicolas Cage and ESPN The Magazine writer Tim Keown attended. I can't say I'm a huge Cage fan but "Raising Arizona" is still one of my favorites.

Greetings from Napa

2008-08-05T01:33:00.000-07:00

NAPA - Much has been made of the three-way battle for San Francisco's starting quarterback job, which includes former UC Davis star J.T. O'Sullivan. Everything from the exact number of reps to who plays first, even in practice, has been talked about as 49er fans - and Aggie fans - try to figure out the possible depth chart.

On Monday, when San Francisco traveled north from Santa Clara to have two joint practices with the Raiders in Napa, I decided to have a look for myself.

In the morning pracice, (which I did not make it to) the three quarterbacks (O'Sullivan, Alex Smith and Shaun Hill) split reps against the Raiders' first-string defense. Media members I talked to seemed to think J.T. was the most impressive.

The same was true for the night session as I watched the three quarterbacks once again receive an equal amount of snaps. O'Sullivan was solid despite throwing an interception. His best play of the day came on s 30-yard completion to wide receiver Dominique Zeigler, a second-year man from Baylor.

Zeigler was probably the star of the day for the 49ers' offense, as the former member of the practice squad caught nearly every ball as Smith led San Francisco down the field on a two-minute drill.

O'Sullivan was 19-for-30, according to the San Francisco Chronicle's unofficial numbers.

Two other interesting moments from Redwood Middle School fields: The two rival Bay Area teams appeared to get along well with the exception of a few scuffles, one in the night session between 49ers tight end Vernon Davis and Raiders defensive end Kalimba Edwards.

In fact, the players from both teams who weren't actually participating in the shoving match, were laughing.

Another interesting moment for hardcore Davis Enterprise fans was a Dan Brown sighting. Brown is now a 49ers beat writer, but in a previous life nearly 20 years ago he was the Enterprise's sports editor. And, in 1994, Brown hired a young intern named Chris Saur straight out of the seventh grade.

- Chris Saur

J.T.'s chances?

2008-08-03T18:22:00.000-07:00

The 49ers plan to give equal opportunity to their three quarterbacks the rest of the way in training camp.

This bodes well for former Aggie J.T. O'Sullivan, although Alex Smith and Shaun Hill could catch up once they learn the system better.

Here is the latest from 49ers' camp from the Chronicle.

The Enterprise is trying to obtain press credentials for Tuesday's joint scrimmage in Napa between the 49ers and Raiders. It sounds easy but when dealing with the Raiders, you never know.

J.T. with second string

2008-08-01T14:57:00.000-07:00

Here's an update from the 49ers' camp on Friday from the Santa Rosa Press Democrat: Shaun Hill was back with the first team and former UCD star J.T. O'Sullivan saw reps with the second team. Former No. 1 draft pick Alex Smith received a day off.

49ers coach Mike Nolan was quoted as saying the plan with the three quarterbacks would be "flexible" the rest of camp, indicating everyone would get a fair shot at running the offense.

There's an interesting quote from Nolan about the dynamics between the three quarterbacks as well.

The San Francisco Chroncile reports more about the competition too.

The Chronicle said O'Sullivan went 20-for-26 with the second team with two touchdowns in the red zone.

Heating up

2008-08-01T14:41:00.001-07:00

Former Davis High School basketball player David Johnson had just two days to prove himself to the Sacramento Kings in pre-summer league practices last month.

Even though the Kings did not bring him to Las Vegas to play with their summer league team, citing an overabundance of guards, they appeared to impressed with his talent.

Apparently, the rest of the NBA took notice as well.

Since being let go by Sacramento, Johnson and his girlfriend Jessica Raumer, who has been acting as a de facto manager, have been fielding calls from a who's-who of NBA front office personnel.

Most recently, the Miami Heat have offered to fly Johnson out for a tryout sometime in the next two weeks. This offer came after Johnson was contacted by team president and head coach Pat Riley who said that the Heat were "very interested."

Johnson and Raumer have also received calls from NBA legend and current Pacers GM Larry Bird who told him "I'll keep an eye open."

Other calls have come from the likes of Suns GM Steve Kerr, Mavericks GM Donnie Nelson, the Lakers' Mitch Kupcheck as well as representatives from the Detroit Pistons and the Orlando Magic.

For more on this story, including an inside look at Johnson's experience at Kings camp, see Sunday's Enterprise.

- Chris Saur

Spoke too soon

2008-07-31T18:28:00.000-07:00

The Associated Press is reporting Thursday that J.T. O'Sullivan took repetitions with the 49ers' first-string offense in place of Shaun Hill, who rested a tired throwing shoulder.

Alex Smith and Hill have been slow to learn offensive coordinator Mike Martz's system, according to the report. O'Sullivan completed eight of his 10 passes in 11-on-11 drills.

The 49ers talked about a three-man competition for the quarterback job but have virtually ignored O'Sullivan during the previous five days of camp.

This is what coach Mike Nolan had to say about O'Sullivan on Thursday:

“As I’ve said all along, we’ve got three quarterbacks battling for the position. J.T’s not back in it, he’s been in it. This quarterback position is open. Whoever gives us the best chance to win is the guy.”

O'Sullivan is familiar with the offense and Martz from last season in Detroit. Smith and Hill are not, so it's too early to read into too much of this.

Here is the story that will appear in Friday's Enterprise.

And a final note: This came from Matt Maicco's blog on the Santa Rosa Press Democrat Web site:

"It's bound to come up in a question, so here it goes: Hill and Smith are really good guys. They're friendly and approachable. O'Sullivan does not come off the same way -- and, who knows, that might be a good thing. He seems to have a different personality. I don't know him at all, but like I said, he seems to have a little "edge" to him.

O'Sullivan update

2008-07-30T14:30:00.000-07:00

- Been keeping an eye on reports from 49ers camp and things don't appear to be going too well for former UC Davis standout J.T. O'Sullivan.

Alex Smith and Shaun Hill are getting most of the snaps, even though coach Mike Nolan appeared to indicate in the spring that this would be a three-man competition.

We ran this Chronicle story in Sunday's edition.

However, teams tend to play all of their quarterbacks in the preseason, so expect O'Sullivan to see his fair share of the field. New offensive coordinator Mike Martz likes O'Sullivan as well, so maybe there will be more hope later in the summer.

The Enterprise plans to be there Aug. 8 when the 49ers open the preseason in Oakland. No, we won't be sitting in The Black Hole.

Signing off

2008-07-14T18:02:00.000-07:00

This blog has been quiet for a while, which is just sort how it goes in the summer. But when things to start to heat up in a couple of weeks there will be different voices bringing it to you both here and in the print edition. Today is my last day as deputy sports editor of The Davis Enterprise. I am off to Madison, Wis. as my wife begins medical school and I weigh my options. I'm going to miss the paper, Davis and this blog, but I also know that it's time for something new.

The program has changed so much in the past five years and it's been a challenge and a joy to tell you all about it. I've made a lot of friends, and I think I'll enjoy the chance to be a UC Davis fan for a little while. I am handing off UC Davis athletics beat duties to Chris Saur. He and sports editor Matt O'Donnell will handle much of the blogging duties. Newly promoted Conor Tekautz will appear in this space as well.

So thanks for reading and I hope you will continue to. The next five years have a chance to be far more interesting than the last five.

A Miles high accomplishment

2008-07-14T12:54:00.000-07:00

Davis High School graduate Gina Ostini Miles has just been named to the U.S. Olympic team in the equestrian sport of three-day eventing.

She is training in England with her horse McKinlaigh and will travel to Hong Kong, the venue for the equestrian events, July 31.

Miles and her team won gold at the Pan-American Games last summer.

Here's a video about Miles and her sport.

For more on Miles, check out the Enterprise in the coming days.

Fitzgerald sighting

2008-07-08T10:46:00.000-07:00

The Giants officially have three former UC Davis players in their system.

Justin Fitzgerald has signed and is pitching for the Giants' rookie league affiliate in Arizona. Fitzgerald, the Aggies' closer last season, did not allow a run in one inning in his pro debut.

Pitcher Dave McKae (6-4, 4.56 ERA, 18 games) is with Double-A Connecticut and Tyler LaTorre (.286, HR, 3 RBIs, 25 games) is with the High-A San Jose Giants.

Fitzgerald becomes the sixth UCD player to sign a pro contract this summer. The only Aggie who has not signed is pitcher Andy Suiter, who is throwing in the wood bat Northwoods League for the St. Cloud River Bats.

Here is how some of the other Aggies are faring in the minors:

Ryan Coultas (St. Lucie Mets) 0-4, 4.91 ERA, 30 strikeouts, 16 BBs, 3 saves, 40 1/3 innings

Daniel Descalso (Palm Beach Cardinals) .215, 4 homers, 28 RBIs, 73 games

Aaron Hanke (South Bend Silver Hawks) .236, 7 homers, 23 RBIs, 47 games

Jake Jefferies (Hudson Valley Renegades) .207, 0 HRs, 4 RBIs, 16 games

Ryan Royster (Everett AquaSox) .158, 1 SB, 0 HRs, 19 games

Eddie Gamboa (Bluefield Orioles) 0-1, 2.93 ERA, 10 SOs, 3 BBs, 15 1/3 innings

Brad McAtee (Tri-City Dust Devils) 3-1, 0.50 ERA, 16 SOs, 6 BBs, 18 innings

Bryan Evans (Jamestown Jammers) 1-1, 5.11 ERA, 7 SOs, 3 BBs, 12 1/3 innings

Great West looks to branch out

2008-06-18T07:33:00.000-07:00

The Great West Football Conference is looking to expand, but not in a way that would put UC Davis any closer to an automatic postseason bid in football. According to this article from the McAllen (TX) Monitor, the conference is looking into starting an all-sports division. Among the schools interested in joining this new league -- University of Texas-Pan American, Chicago State, Utah Valley State, Longwood and the New Jersey Institute of Technology. All are currently D-I Independents. I'm all for schools finding a home, but the only people who think of New Jersey as the Great West are New Yorkers, as evidenced by this famous magazine cover.

As someone who lived in New York City for four years, I can testify that this view of the world is absolutely true.

McAtee a Dust Devil

2008-06-14T13:33:00.000-07:00

So much for my projections.

This story indicates UC Davis pitcher Brad McAtee has signed a professional contract and will start the season with the Tri-City (Wash.) Dust Devils in the Colorado Rockies' organization:

McAtee, the Aggies' No. 2 starter who was 8-5 with a 3.18 ERA, was a 45th-round selection.

If Fitzgerald ends up with the Salem-Keizer (Ore.) Volcanoes, there will be three former Aggies in the short-season Northwest League. Ryan Royster was assigned to the Everett (Wash.) AquaSox.

Evans a Jammer

2008-06-13T18:52:00.000-07:00

The Aggies were expected to lose catcher Jake Jefferies and pitcher Justin Fitzgerald, both juniors, to professional teams.

It looks like junior starting pitcher Bryan Evans is gone as well.

This story indicates Evans is on the Jamestown (N.Y.) Jammers short-season roster. Evans was picked by the Florida Marlins in the 14th round of last week's baseball draft.

Evans was 3-3 with a 4.91 ERA but he led the staff with 71 strikeouts.

It's kind of an educated guess, but don't be surprised to see Brad McAtee and Andy Suiter pass on professional contracts and return to UC Davis next season. If that happens, the Aggies' weekend rotation would likely be McAtee on Friday, Suiter on Saturday and Jeremy McChesney on Sunday. Of course, that's a long way away.

More updates on where UCD players are assigned when they become available.

Coming this week

2008-06-11T09:42:00.000-07:00

We're wrapping UC Davis' first season in Division I this week, look for a story on Sunday. By most measures, it was pretty successful.

Today, however, we have a look forward for the football program, which is going to hit the magical 90-percent scholarship funding mark this coming academic year. Leaving aside the question of why the campus isn't at 100 percent, this is a pretty big deal. It means is that starting in 2009 the Aggies can play anyone in the Football Bowl Subdivision without that FBS team having to petition the NCAA for the win to count toward postseason eligibility. More FBS schools (especially regional FBS schools) are likely, therefore, to want to play UCD. For its part, the athletic department seems to be ready to take multiple teams a year up on their offer.

The full story will be available this afternoon.

The Lights are on

2008-06-06T11:15:00.000-07:00

This doesn't look like much, but it's actually a very important picture. Aggie Stadium passed a major test Thursday night, when its emergency-lighting system was approved by the campus fire department. What happened Thursday was that the lights were turned up to full power and then cut off to see if the back-up generators flipped on. This is to make sure that if there's a power outage, there's enough light for people to get out of the stadium in case of emergency. All of these shots are courtesy of Enterprise photographer Greg Rihl.

Greg is a stickler for lighting. So I asked him what he thought of the place. "This is going to be a great place to shoot sports. The are no shadows and the light is even everywhere." Then he proceeded to say some unkind things about the lighting at Toomey and Halden Field at Davis High

UC Davis head coach Bob Biggs walked the field before the lights were even at full power and declared himself excited. Sept. 13's opener is going to be a pretty exciting atmosphere. Biggs also said he expects to use the stadium a little more for practice this summer and fall. For one thing, the season opener against San Jose State has been moved to 5 p.m., and he said he'll want to practice later the days just to get everyone's body accustomed to working at that time.

How good are the lights? Even this guy can look good running on the turf at Aggie Stadium.

Second day of draft

2008-06-06T11:05:00.000-07:00

The Aggies have had four more players taken on the second day of the draft: junior closer Justin Fitzgerald (Giants, Round 11), senior center fielder Ryan Royster (Mariners, Round 13), junior pitcher Bryan Evans (Marlins, Round 14) and senior pitcher Eddie Gamboa (Orioles, Round 21).

If Fitzgerald signs, he'll be the third UCD player in the Giants' organization, joining Dave McKae and Tyler LaTorre. McKae is with the Double-A Connecticut Defenders and LaTorre is with the Single-A San Jose Giants.

More updates when they become available.

Looks like two more Aggies were taken in the later rounds: Set-up man Andy Suiter in the 32nd round by the Yankees and Brad McAtee in the 45th round by the Rockies.

The late pick of McAtee could mean that he returns to the Aggies next season and tries to improve his draft stock. McAtee was just as impressive as Gamboa at times this season and pitched well in the regional against Pepperdine. UCD pitching coach Matt Vaughn said he was surprised McAtee was taken that low.

Teams have until Aug. 15 to sign those players. Otherwise, they lose their rights and they can go back into the draft the following season.

Jefferies is a Ray

2008-06-05T15:59:00.001-07:00

UC Davis junior catcher Jake Jefferies was selected by the Tampa Bay (Don't call them Devil) Rays as the first pick of the third round, No. 78 overall.

Jefferies was the fifth catcher drafted, following Florida State's Buster Posey (Giants, No. 5), high schooler Kyle Shipworth (Marlins, No. 6), Stanford's Jason Castro (Astros, No. 10) and another prep guy Brett Lawrie (Brewers, No. 16).

In case you're wondering, the No. 78 pick from last season, Keith Weiser of Miami, signed with the Rockies for $455,000.

UCD third baseman Daniel Descalso went in the third round last season and was the 112th overall pick.

Super Regionals

2008-06-03T14:28:00.001-07:00

In case anyone is wondering, UC Davis went 7-7 against teams left in the Super Regionals. The Big West will be represented by Cal State Fulleton and UC Irvine as the league did not embarass itself, unlike the SEC, which sent nine schools to the postseason but gained just two in the Super Regionals.

Here's a link to the Super Regional teams, dates and sites by Baseball America:

Check out the Enterprise blog on Thursday and Friday for updates on Aggies taken in the draft. Expect catcher Jake Jefferies to go in the first few rounds. Pitchers Eddie Gamboa, Brad McAtee, Bryan Evans and Justin Fitzgerald are also expected to be taken, along with center fielder Ryan Royster.

Stayin' alive

2008-06-01T14:23:00.000-07:00

STANFORD - The Aggies and Cardinal are fighting for their lives in an elimination game at Sunken Diamond. Stanford is ahead 3-2 heading into the top of the fifth.

UCD pitcher Bryan Evans is laboring, but he escapes a two-on, two-out situation in the top of the inning, inducing Stanford's dangerous catcher Jason Castro to fly out to center to end the inning.

The Aggies had Stanford pitcher Jeffrey Inman on the ropes in the first inning, loading the bases with no outs. The Aggies settle for a single run and Inman seems to have settled down in the third and fourth.

Stanford's second run scored when UCD left fielder Kevin James loses Randy Molina's fly ball in the sun. Castro scored on the play and Molina wound up at second for a double.

Evans is at 91 pitches, so it will be interesting how much longer he can go.

UPDATE at 2:51 p.m. The Aggies tie the game 3-3 in the bottom of the fifth on Ryan Scoma's two-out, RBI single to right. Ryan Royster reaches on a bunt single to lead off the inning and scores from second on the single.

UPDATE at 3:03 p.m. UCD reliever Andy Suiter replaces Evans with a runner at third and one out and keeps the game tied. Jake Schlander strikes out and Cord Phelps grounds out. Evans finishes with 113 pitches in 5 1/3 innings.

UPDATE AT 3:21 p.m. Suiter works out a bases-loaded jam in the top of the seventh as Brandon Domarack pops up to third baseman Ty Kelly to end the inning.

UPDATE AT 3:34. Jake Jefferies, who has struggled for much of the regional, singles against Inman with one out to tie Dave Nix for the single-season school record in hits with 95. Kelly had reached on an error prior to the hit. But Inman retires Scoma to end the inning. Marco Grifantini replaces Suiter in the top of the eighth.

UPDATE AT 3:47 p.m. The Aggies summon closer Justin Fitzgerald to pitch with one on and out out in the eighth. Fitzgerald allows a single to Cord Phelps to put runners at first and third, but Joey August grounds into an inning-ending double play.

UPDATE at 4:04 p.m. The Aggies have the lead! Matt Dempsey's sacrifice fly to left scores Evan Hudson to make it 4-3 in the bottom of the eighth. UCD uses a hit-and-run single from Grant Hirnese to set up Dempsey's RBI.

UPDATE at 4:11 The lead is gone! Castro reaches on Hudson's fielding error and Brent Milleville unloads on a 1-and-0 fastball from Fitzgerald over the left-field fence. The Stanford bench is going nuts! Molina follows with a double and Trevor Fox replaces Fitzgerald, who entered the game with 15 saves. Fox strikes out Sean Ratliff but walks pinch-hitter Toby Gerhart, and Jeremy McChesney is the new UCD pitcher.

UPDATE at 4:28: Stanford continues to pile it on. The Cardinal up the lead to 7-4 with consecutive RBI singles from Zach Jones and Schlander against McChesney. Colin McCusker is UCD's seventh pitcher.

UPDATE at 4:31: Phelps' RBI single scored one more run, but Joey August hits into a double play to end the inning. Stanford leads 8-4 heading to the bottom of the ninth.

FINAL UPDATE at 4:44: Kelly and Jefferies each single with two outs, but Scoma grounds out to end the game. With the hit, Jefferies is the school's single-season hit leader with 96. Kelly was 8-for-13 in the regional and finishes the season at .397.

STANFORD 8, UC DAVIS 4.

The Cardinal will play Pepperdine at 5:45 p.m.

Aggies not only Cinderella

2008-05-31T12:49:00.000-07:00

UNION CITY - The UC Davis baseball team was considered the most dangerous No. 4 seed in the college regionals and the Aggies responded, beating Stanford 4-2 on Friday at Sunken Diamond.

UCD (35-22) was not the only 4 seed to advance though. Lipscomb upset Georgia 10-7 in the Athens Regional and in Long Beach, Fresno State upset the 49ers 7-3. Other Big West teams did advance though as Cal State Fullerton thumped Rider 11-0 and UC Irvine edged Oral Roberts 9-7.

The biggest upset though came in the Tallahassee Regional where Bucknell upset Florida State, the No. 2-ranked team in the nation, 7-0. It was only the Seminoles' 11th loss of the season and first time they had been shut out.

The Aggies will throw Brad McAtee today against No. 2 Pepperdine (37-19). The Waves escaped with a 4-3 win over Arkansas, needing a diving catch in the ninth by Nate Simon to preserve the victory.

The Waves were 7-4 against Big West teams this season, beating Fullerton, Long Beach, Santa Barbara Cal Poly and Riverside. They didn't play UCD or the conference's bottom feeders, Pacific or Northridge.

Since ace Nathan Newman started the opener, Pepperdine has a few choices today, but none has overwhelming numbers: Scott Alexander (7-4, 4.44), Matt Bywater (7-2, 4.97) or Robert Dickman (3-5, 5.46). Baseball America is guessing that the Waves may throw a wild card in Brett Hunter (14 strikeouts in 14 2/3 innings) against the Aggies.

The hat trick

2008-05-30T21:40:00.000-07:00

STANFORD - Internet problems at Stanford did not allow a live blog, but Friday's Stanford Regional was everything the Aggies could have hoped for.

Senior Eddie Gamboa threw an unofficial 127 pitches and outdueled Cardinal ace Erik Davis as the Aggies advanced with a 4-2 win in front of 2,644 fans at Sunken Diamond. UCD beat Stanford for the third time this season.

Gamboa was sensational, striking out seven and allowing four hits, but none after the fifth. He walked the leadoff batter in the ninth, but Brent Milleville lined into a double play and Gamboa blew a 3-and-2 fastball past Randy Molina to end the game.

Gamboa's effort reached beyond the win though. The Aggies didn't have to use their bullpen, as the entire pitching staff will be rested for the rest of the regional.

Davis was sharp himself, retiring the first 10 batters of the game, four of those by strikeout. The Aggies hit into double plays in the fourth and fifth and appeared to be headed for the loser's bracket in the regional.

Instead, UCD rallied with four in the seventh. The key at-bat in the inning might have been Ryan Scoma, who couldn't get a bunt down with runners at first and second but singled to left to make it a 2-1 game. Evan Hudson put UCD ahead 3-2 with a single down the line in left and Matt Dempsey's suicide squeeze scored the final run.

Strangely enough, Stanford held two of the Aggies' big guns - Jake Jefferies and Ryan Royster - hitless in seven at-bats, although Jefferies did walk in the four-run seventh.

The Aggies take on Pepperdine at 5 p.m. on Saturday. A win against the Waves and UCD has the inside track on winning the regional.

For more on the Stanford win and the Saturday game, check out Sunday's Enterprise.

Tickets at Stanford

2008-05-27T11:10:00.000-07:00

This note from the Stanford media relations office:

Here's the link on gostanford.com regarding ticket sales for this weekend.

According to the link, only all-session tickets are available for
advance purchase That began at 9 a.m. on Tuesday. Single-game tickets go on sale on Friday at 9 a.m.

Call 1-800-STANFORD or visit www.gostanford.com for any questions regarding tickets to the NCAA Regional.

Women's wrestling

2008-05-26T21:31:00.000-07:00

UC Davis has completed just about all of the Title IX litigation connected to the cutting of four women from the wrestling program back in the 2000-01 academic year. But there's another side of the story. Former Aggie wrestling coach Michael Burch, who took $725K off the university in a settlement after alleging his firing was retaliation for supporting the women, told me once in an interview that women's wrestling would soon be a growth sport. In fact, he said, UCD was missing an opportunity to get in on the ground floor. Now he's telling the same thing to The New York Times, which has a story today on the growth of women's wrestling at small colleges. Can bigger programs be far behind?

The Ags' chances

2008-05-26T14:28:00.000-07:00

Here's what Baseball America writer Aaron Fitt thought about UC Davis' chances in the Stanford regional:

Q: Tim from Northridge, Calif asks:
I saw UC Davis play against Cal State Northridge all weekend. With good starting pitching and an outstanding offense, can UC Davis win that regional having owned the only standout, Stanford, in the regular season?

A: Aaron Fitt: I think the Aggies can win that regional. They're probably the most dangerous 4 seed in the tournament -- UC Davis and Fresno State are the only No. 4 seeds capable of winning regionals, in my opinion. And I don't like Fresno's chances in that loaded Long Beach regional without Tanner Scheppers, so Davis has the best shot to carry the banner for No. 4 seeds.

Off the bubble

2008-05-26T11:28:00.000-07:00

Players gathered at pitcher Brad McAtee's house on Monday morning to watch ESPN's NCAA Selection Show. The Aggies thought they might have to sweep their final series of the season to make the postseason but dropped the final game at Cal State Northridge on a walkoff homer in the bottom of the ninth.

UC Santa Barbara lost its final game of the season and dropped a series at UC Irvine, however, as both teams had good credentials for being the Big West Conference's final at-large team.

The NCAA ultimately picked UCD, which finished sixth in the Big West but had a stronger RPI than Santa Barbara (52 to 61). The Gauchos, who finished a game ahead of the Aggies in the standings, played two games against NAIA Westmont and also opened the season with a sweep of a terrible Marist squad. The Aggies, to their credit, played all of their games against Division I competition.

UCD coach Rex Peters thought Santa Barbara might have gotten in with a win on Sunday at Irvine.

"Santa Barbara is a quality team," Peters said. "If they would have won a series at Irvine on the road, they might have gotten in. Who knows? They might have taken five teams from the Big West."

The Aggies received one of the final three at-large bids, along with Tulane and Arkansas, according to Baseball America. Defending two-time NCAA champ Oregon State was left off the field, along with other bubble teams Missouri State and Baylor.

The Big West was given four slots last season as well as two eventually advanced to the College World Series, another factor that might have played into the selection process this year.

Peters said the team will begin practicing again on Tuesday. He said Eddie Gamboa will throw on Friday against regional host Stanford (33-21-2), a team the Aggies beat twice this season and have won four of five against dating back to 2006.

The game at Sunken Diamond is 5 p.m. Arkansas (34-22) and Pepperdine (36-19) are scheduled to start at 1 p.m.

For a complete story on the selection, see Tuesday's Enterprise.

Draft possibilities

2008-05-25T11:59:00.000-07:00

This came from a chat about the baseball draft with Baseball America writer Matt Blood:

Q: John Bench from San Diego asks:
With only two college catchers in your top 100, which remaining college catchers follow in the top 200?

A: Matt Blood: The catching crop is thin this year but other names in our list are: Pete Paramore from ASU, Jake Jefferies from UC Davis, Tim Federowicz from UNC, and Ryan Lavarnway from Yale. Expect these guys to go higher than their prospect rankings as there is usually a push for the premium position.

Peters suspended

2008-05-20T15:10:00.001-07:00

The Big West has suspended UC Davis baseball coach Rex Peters one game for his outburst during Sunday's 5-3 loss to UC Irvine. He'll miss Friday's crunch series opener against Cal State Northridge. The Aggies need to win this series to have much a shot at making the postseason.

Peters was thrown in the first inning Sunday for aruging balls and strikes. Presumably he was defending senior Ryan Royster, who had just been ejected. He protest and was kicked out of the game. Before leaving the field, he threw a bag of baseballs onto the field.

"His conduct following this ejection, including the tossing of a bag full of balls onto the field and his approaching of homeplate umpire Rick Scarbery following the game, was inappropriate, unprofessional, and unsportsmanlike," Big West Commissioner Dennis Farrell said in a statement.

Peters spoke harshly about the umpire after the game to The Enterprise:

"In my opinion, the umpire was not ready to umpire when he stepped onto the field, and the strike zone in the first inning showed that," Peters said. "He wasn't calling the strike at the knees, which has been mandated by the supervisor of umps this season. Royster just asked him why he didn't get the same call, and to throw a player like him out in a game of this magnitude for that, isn't right."

UPDATE: Royster will be available for Friday's game against the Matadors.

Aggies vs. Gauchos

2008-05-19T12:06:00.000-07:00

With UC Davis' series loss to UC Irvine, the Aggies' postseason hopes are in serious danger. UCD has lost Big West series to Cal State Fullerton, UC Irvine, UC Riverside and Cal Poly while sweeping Pacific and taking two of three from UC Santa Barbara and Long Beach State. A series win (maybe a sweep) over Cal State Northridge is a must.

Santa Barbara is making a case it deserves the Big West's final at-large berth after sweeping Riverside over the weekend. Another factor possibly working against the Aggies: They're a first-year, Division I school. If it's even close with Santa Barbara, don't be surprised to see the committee give the Gauchos the nod.

Here is how Baseball America's Aaron Fitt thinks it might go down for the Aggies and Gauchos:

"As I wrote in Three Strikes today over on the College Blog, I think the Gauchos will get in if they take two of three from Irvine, and they might still have a chance if they can win just one game from the Anteaters. Davis' chances are sagging, but if the Aggies can sweep Northridge next weekend (which is very much within the realm of possibility) and Irvine wins that series at home against UCSB, Davis and Santa Barbara will have identical 14-10 records in conference play. Davis has the more impressive resume, thanks to series wins against Long Beach State, UCSB and Santa Clara, so you'd have to give UCD the upper hand in that scenario. Of course, if neither team finishes strong, the Big West will be a three-bid league."

Building the resume

2008-05-14T10:11:00.000-07:00

Mid-week nonleague wins aren't quite as impressive as winning series in college baseball because teams are generally saving their best pitchers for the weekend. With that in mind, however, UC Davis' 9-5 win over No. 13 Cal on Tuesday did help to boost the Aggies' resume to make the postseason.

UCD finished 5-3 against the Pac-10 and is now 8-6 against nationally ranked opponents. If the Aggies are on the "bubble" of making the NCAA field, these kind of numbers should come in handy.

The team is still in must-win territory against UC Irvine this weekend and Cal State Northridge next weekend. Losing either series could cost the Aggies an at-large bid.

Baseball America writer Aaron Fitt projected the field again this week and still has the Aggies in the Stanford regional, this time with Pepperdine and Wright State as the other teams.

He did make this point: "UC Davis, Santa Clara, College of Charleston and Notre Dame get in off the bubble, but none of them can afford any hiccups in the next two weeks."

WATER POLO: UCD 9, SDSU 8

2008-05-09T22:31:00.001-07:00

By Michael Mirer
Enterprise staff writer
STANFORD – Casey Hines, with some help from the goal posts behind her, stood tall as the UC Davis women’s water polo team swam into uncharted waters. The Aggies held off San Diego State 9-8 on Friday, advancing to the semifinals of the NCAA Women’s Water Polo Tournament at Avery Aquatics Center.

Hines made six saves, as UCD prevented a talented Aztec offensive team. San Diego State hit the woodwork a number of times, which proved frustrating for a team that boasted two players with more than 70 goals and two more with more than 40.

“You just go one at a time,” said Hines, a sophomore who redshirted two years ago when the Aggies last reached the NCAA Tournament. “Every time I got the ball in my hands and they were swimming away, it was like, that’s one less time, that’s 30 less seconds, that’s one step closer to the end of the game.”

Davis High graduate Christi Raycraft and Lindsay Kiyama each scored three goals for the Aggies.

Kiyama scored twice in the fourth quarter to help the Aggies salt the away the game. Her goal at the far post off a slick cross from Jessica Soza with 6 minutes, 27 seconds remaining made it 7-5 after SDSU had pulled to within one. Kiyama’s six-on-five goal with 1:43 left looked like insurance, but proved to be vital as the Aztecs surged late.

SDSU scored three times in the final 2:20 of the game, but still came up short.

“I knew it was going to a one- or two-goal type of a game,” UCD head coach Jamey Wright said. “We got just enough stops. Casey played an amazing game. She’s done that all year long.”

UCD never trailed Friday, which Hines said made it a little easier to hang in against San Diego State’s determined shooters. She faced 27 shots and pronounced herself frustrated with a couple that got in. But having that advantage was a source of confidence much of the night.

“It helps,” Hines said. “Every time we block it and I get the ball, then you exhale. You still have your lead. You know when it gets to the end of the game, every inch they get, they’re going to take a shot.”

Jenna Schuster, who led the Aztecs with 76 goals this season, scored three for San Diego State.

The Aggies are the first non-Mountain Pacific Sports Federation team to reach the second round of the tournament since 2004. Fifth-seeded UCD earned itself a date with undefeated UCLA (31-0) on Saturday. The Bruins beat little Pomona Pitzer 19-6 in opening-round play earlier Friday.

The Aggies (27-8) haven’t played the Bruins since Feb. 25, 2006, when they lost 10-1 at the Gaucho Invitational in Santa Barbara.

“We’re not going to go out without a fight,” Raycraft said.

Ashley Chandler added two goals for the Aggies

The Aztecs, meanwhile, were left to lament too many missed opportunities. They hit the posts and crossbar a number of times in the first half.

“We were all over that little three-inch crossbar today,” San Diego State coach Carin Crawford said. “We got within and then would give one up. We went down by three and then we really started to take our chances. To lose a game where you don’t feel like you’ve been completely outplayed is frustrating. But credit to Davis, they absolutely put their shots away.”

Notes: Davis High graduate Heather West scored a goal Friday in Stanford’s 12-1 win over Marist. USC topped Michigan 12-3. The Cardinal and the Women of Troy will play in Saturday’s second semifinal at 5:45 p.m. … For the program, it was the first team victory in NCAA competition since 2003, when the Aggie women’s rowing team won the Division II national championship.

--Reach Michael Mirer at mmirer@davisenterprise.com

Ags are lead item

2008-05-07T15:32:00.000-07:00

Baseball America has a lengthy item about UC Davis baseball in its mailbag section. Aaron Fitt talks at length about the UCD pitching staff, the team's draft prospects and the chances of the Aggies being ranked if they win this weekend's road series at UC Riverside.

UC Davis is pretty much making the grade

2008-05-06T10:00:00.000-07:00

The latest Academic Progress Rate data is out, and UC Davis finds itself in pretty good standing with NCAA's grade police. Only two of the school's 26 sports fall below the cutoff point of 925, and even in that news, there's a fairly positive trend. Wrestling, which posted 826 in the initial release of the data two years ago, is up to 914. That said, wrestling did lose the equivalent of one scholarship. Men's swimming is at 923, which is not far enough below the line to subject the team to penalties from the NCAA.

Men's Soccer and softball, which both fell below the cutoff point last year saw marked improvements. The men's soccer team went from 894 to 935. Softball went from 841 to 926. The data is for the 2006-07 academic year.

What do these numbers mean? Every scholarship athlete can earn up to two points per semester/quarter, one for remaining eligible and one for remaining enrolled in school. The number of points earned is then divided by the maximum number of points. That quotient is then multiplied by 1000 to eliminate decimal points. According to the NCAA, the number 925 projects to a 60 percent graduation rate. Continuous offenders face the loss of scholarships and eventually will miss out on postseason events.

More poll watching

2008-05-05T10:42:00.000-07:00

UC Davis' 3-1 week against No. 3 Stanford and No. 23 Long Beach State earned the Aggies consideration outside the top-25 in the rivals.com college baseball poll and the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association poll.

UCD catcher Jake Jefferies and third baseman Ty Kelly appear on rivals.com's power rankings this week, rating the best players at their positions. Kelly is 14th among third baseman Jefferies is 15th among catchers.

Kelly (.415), Ryan Scoma (.381) and Jefferies (.379) occupy the top three spots in the Big West for average.

Baseball America writer Aaron Fitt predicted the field of 64 last week and projected UC Davis would be in the Stanford regional, along with Pepperdine and Lipscomb.

Speaking of Fitt, he was asked a question about why the Aggies weren't ranked in the top-25 this week and this is what he said:

"What's really hurting Davis, as far as the rankings go, is that it lost its last two series before this weekend. I do like that 7-5 mark against the top 25, though. The Aggies really do look like a regional team to me."

UCD ends an eight-game stretch against nationally ranked opponents on Tuesday when it travels to Cal (29-15-2). The Bears are 19-5-2 at home and feature top hitters Josh Satin (.401, 15 homers, 45 RBIs) and David Cooper (.389, 18, 52). Win or lose, the Aggies' matchup with UC Riverside this weekend will loom larger. The Highlanders have been one of the hottest teams since conference play began after an awful preseason.

Also, the Aggies moved up to 41st in RPI this week, according to boydsworld.com. UCD is actually just a spot ahead of Long Beach. Fullerton is 13th, Irvine is 20th and Santa Barbara is 63rd this week.

O'Sullivan in Mix

2008-05-05T09:23:00.000-07:00

UC Davis graduate J.T. O'Sullivan apparently made a pretty big impression during 49ers minicamp this weekend. Our friends at the San Francisco Chronicle (and others) are reporting today that head coach Mike Nolan said the quarterback would in the mix for a chance at the starting job. That would be a pretty big deal.

Good, bad news

2008-04-28T13:47:00.000-07:00

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.

Making the grade

2008-04-25T17:52:00.000-07:00

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.

Make or break?

2008-04-22T15:56:00.000-07:00

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).

Clink to Chico

2008-04-22T12:27:00.001-07:00

UC Davis assistant coach Greg Clink has been named head coach at Chico State. The official introduction is due this afternoon.

BREAKING: Spring ball pushed back a week

2008-04-21T15:10:00.000-07:00

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.

Poll watch

2008-04-14T10:42:00.001-07:00

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).

Pitching propels Devils again

2008-04-12T09:46:00.001-07:00

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

Blind Item

2008-04-10T14:56:00.000-07:00

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.

Reversal of roles

2008-04-08T12:53:00.001-07:00

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.

Chico State job?

2008-04-07T15:21:00.000-07:00

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

2008-04-07T14:32:00.001-07:00

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.

On the farm

2008-04-07T14:21:00.000-07:00

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.

What it will take

2008-03-31T23:38:00.000-07:00

Can the UC Davis baseball team make the postseason? It's a legitimate question considering the Aggies are 17-8 and have won 11 of 12 after a sweep of Pacific on Sunday.

The NCAA traditionally takes three teams from the Big West Conference, although it took four last year with league champ UC Riverside earning the automatic bid. UC Irvine, Cal State Fullerton and Long Beach State were the others.

Both of the major polls have Irvine, Long Beach and Fullerton ranked this week, a good sign for the conference. The Aggies play Irvine and Beach at home this year and Fullerton and Santa Barbara on the road. Those figure to be the crucial series for the Aggies. UCD also plays nationally ranked Cal and Stanford at home and on the road this year, so that's four more big games that could help determine a berth.

If the Aggies are indeed a "bubble" team hoping to get picked, the NCAA traditionally selects more established programs, so that's a major roadblock.

Fullerton travels to Irvine this weekend in the first major series of the conference.

Devils hire Gazzaniga

2008-03-27T18:10:00.000-07:00

The Davis High School announced Thursday it has chosen Dan Gazzaniga to take over the Davis High School football program. Gazzaniga, a former UC Davis player and assistant coach who signed as a free agent with the Los Angeles Raiders in 1985, was offensive coordinator for the Blue Devils last season under Jim Johnson, who stepped down in December.

This was no doubt the right hire. The offense moved the ball much better last season with Gazzaniga in charge and there may be few harder working individuals in Davis.

Gazzaniga has some challenges ahead. The Blue Devils were 7-4 last season and reached the postseason for te first time in 11 seasons. However, that was a senior-heavy bunch and next year's team will miss quarterback Scott Malinoff, running back Jake Lubisch, wide receiver Mauricio Davidson or defensive lineman Steven Hoffart.

Linebacker Cody Keefer and tight end Tanner Mohr should be among the top returners.

For more on the Gazzaniga hiring, see Friday's Enterprise.

Gary Stewart has earned another year

2008-03-21T14:35:00.000-07:00

I've been behind on wrapping up the UC Davis men's basketball season here on the blog (the season ender ran in the print edition on Sunday) because I was feeling a little burnt on college basketball. But watching Drake-Western Kentucky and then UConn-San Diego today reminded me that I still have things to say about this year.

We’ll start with the most important point – UCD head coach Gary Stewart has earned another year on the Aggie bench.

I’m not sure I could honestly have said the same thing 365 days ago – though I’m sure I would have thought it cruel to let him go without giving him a season as a full D-I coach. But there was a haphazard quality to all of last season. The team was young, not particularly deep and the decision to try and play “40 Minutes of Hell” seemed logical when explained, but smacked of vanity in practice. That wasn’t the case this year.

Stewart often speaks of a “blueprint,” and it was actually possible to see what he was talking about this season. UCD finally has an offensive identity with the "Princeton" system, which, when it’s fully installed should make it like an option team in football. The scheme should enable the Aggies to impose its tempo on games in the high-octane Big West. And there were times this year when UCD was able to force Northridge and Fullerton – the two most athletic teams in the conference – to play at a slower pace for extended stetches. The Aggies didn’t have enough ballhandlers to prevent turnovers against pressure in the Big West play. They also didn’t have the rebounding to back up whatever gains they made defensively.

There also was bad luck this year in terms of injuries, although the lack of depth had as much to do with Stewart’s decision to recruit transfers and redshirt his freshman. The Aggies had six legitimate Division I players for the final two weeks of the season. And that’s not enough. That said the fruit of those choices is a pretty solid roster for next year. Assuming no further losses before next season, UCD has:

Posts: Calegari (though he could also be a wing), Harden, Portz, Boone (if he’s healthy), Derek Oestreicher;
Wings: Brucculeri, Malik, Ranger (if he doesn’t redshirt), Clark;
Guards: Oliver, Payne (PG), Lowenthal (PG), Carter, Silva (PG), Toth

I think there are enough wins in that core to at least be wearing white on the first day of the Big West Tournament next season.

The fear with Stewart is that the team's poor record over the last three years will have eroded some of the energy around this coaching staff. Players said all year they still thought the coaching staff was preparing them properly for games, though they were talking to a reporter. But doubt manifests itself in a lot of ways, many of them subconscious. So who knows just how much of a toll losing has taken?

There were times last season when I thought Stewart appeared to be beaten down by the challenges facing the program -- the losing, the slow addition of scholarships and the struggle to build a fan base. That’s wasn’t the case this year. I thought he appeared energized and generally positive, an acknowledgment of the fact that this was a teaching year. That said, I think the time for worrying too much about next year is through. UCD will have 11 scholarship players next season. That still won’t be as many as the rest of the league. But given who is using those scholarships, it should be enough for the Aggies to be competitive.

Stewart deserves the chance to lead the way.

Halftime update

2008-03-20T20:02:00.000-07:00

SPOKANE, Wash. - About the only good thing to say about the first half is it could be a lot worse. The final seconds told the story for the UC Davis women's basketball team as Kirsten Commins turned the ball over and Gonzaga's Michelle Elliott capitalized with a 3-pointer to put the Bulldogs ahead 33-19 at the break in the WNIT.

UCD had a nice start, making three of their first five shots to take a quick 6-2 lead in the first 2 1/2 minutes, but it wasn't pretty after that. Over the next 13 minutes, the Aggies made just two of their next 12 shots and turned the ball over 12 times, a few totally unforced.

As coaches like to say, when you make mistakes, good teams make you pay, and Gonzaga fits that descrption. During that same stretch, the Bulldogs took control with a 23-5 run.

The halftime stats are a nightmare for UCD, which has committed 13 turnovers and is shooting just 32 percent from the field and 0-for-7 from behind the arc. The Aggies have allowed 11 offensive rebounds, and Gonzaga has taken advantage of everything the Aggies have done wrong with 11 second-chance points and 17 off of turnovers.

Jessica Campbell leads UCD with eight points but also has three fouls and Heather Bates has pulled down eight rebounds, but missed all three of her 3-point attempts and scored just two points.

Elliott leads the Bulldogs with nine points.

For a complete story of the game, check out Friday's Enterprise or the Web site later tonight.

- Chris Saur

Greetings from Spokane

2008-03-20T19:24:00.000-07:00

SPOKANE, Wash. - We are just minutes before tipoff at the beautiful McCarthey Center at Gonzaga. The facility opened in 2004 and has a new state-of-the-art arena type feel. At the same time, it is cozy enough and the seats are also as close to the court as possible.

A packed house here could make for quite an NCAA or NIT tournament game. Tonight the arena is about half full and mostly families, but more people are than I expected with competition from day one of the NCAA men's tournament going on.

There are about 15 members of Band-uh under the south basket, but not much else in the way of support for the Aggies. Some people applauded for the UCD starting lineup, but I think they were just Gonzaga fans being nice.

I'll check back in at halftime with first-half analysis.

- Chris Saur

Offensive punch

2008-03-20T18:21:00.000-07:00

UC Davis baseball hasn't exactly been an offensive jaggernaut in recent years. While the Aggies may have been adapt at sacrifice bunts, they often failed to score runs in bunches.

It's been a little different story in 2008, at least through 19 games. UCD leads the Big West in average (.337), slugging (.480), runs (148), walks (148) and yes, even home runs (17). Leadoff hitter Ryan Royster has five of those and leads the league - quite a feat since he was homerless in his first three seasons.

UCD players are scattered throughout the Big West leaders: Catcher Jake Jefferies leads the league in hits, RBIs and total bases, Ryan Scoma leads in average and Royster is first in runs scored. Jefferies has not struck out in 89 plate apperances.

The Aggies are in the middle of the pack in ERA (fifth, 4.79) but have struck out the most batters in the league. UCD has also made the third most errors.

Things we're hearing

2008-03-18T21:09:00.000-07:00

Technically this comes from across the Causeway, but we're hearing Delta College coach Brian Katz and former Seton Hall and East Carolina assistant Greg Herenda (brother of UCD radio color analyst Bill) are among the candidates for the vacant Sacramento State men's basketball head coaching job. We're also hearing the names of Washington assistant Cameron Dollar, NBA scout Clay Moser and former Weber State coach Joe Cravens.

A committee is being formed and interviews will be announced at a future date.

It's the Zags!

2008-03-17T20:56:00.000-07:00

The UC Davis women's basketball team will travel to Spokane, Wash. on Thursday to face Gonzaga for the first round of the Women's National Invitational Tournament, it was announced Monday night. The game will tip off at 7 p.m.

The Bulldogs and Aggies played one another at The Pavilion back on Dec. 6. Gonzaga won 71-58 behind 23 points and 12 rebounds from sophomore forward Heather Bowman. UCD's Jessica Campbell scored 13 and Haylee Donaghe 10 in that contest, which was tight early in the second half before the Zags went on a 20-2 run.

Bowman went on to win West Coast Conference Player of the Year, leading the Zags to their fourth straight WCC regular season title. Gonzaga was beaten by University of San Diego 70-66 in the conference title game.

With a win, the Aggies (19-10) would play at Colorado on Monday in the second round.

A complete bracket can be found at http://www.womensnit.com/photos/bracket.pdf

In case you're wondering, Big West champ UC Santa Barbabara takes on Virginia in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Sunday. Game time is around 6:30 p.m.

A story from Chris Saur will appear in Tuesday's edition.

Bracket Watch '08

2008-03-17T19:56:00.000-07:00

The WNIT organizers have posted the field for this year's tournament, but still haven't put up the pairings. The berths can be found here. All we can say for sure right now is that the Aggies will be getting on an airplane.

So, where to next?

2008-03-16T08:11:00.000-07:00

The WNIT bracket will be unveiled on Monday night, and the question is where will the Aggies be headed. One rumor kicking around the press room in Anaheim on Saturday afternoon was San Diego State, but I'm not sure the RPI works. So far the "Western" teams with automatic bids are Boise State and Idaho State. They've already played each other this year, so that could be a possibility for the Aggies. Gonzaga is listed on ESPN's Women's Bracketology under "Next four out," and if that's true it's a natural for the tournament. The Aggies have already played the Bulldogs this year. Scrolling down the NCAA's RPI list in the 50-100 range, there are some intriguing possibilities. USC is sitting there at 82, UCLA is 94th, Santa Clara is 96th and Fresno State in 99th. I have no idea if any or all of those schools have bid for first round games or whether they would rate first-round byes.

The very same Bracketology page projects that Big West Champion UC Santa Barbara will be a 14th seed and play Cal at Stanford in the first round. Just looking at the numbers, it's hard to say whether the Aggies would have rated, but looking at the RPIs in the projections, I think its more likely they would have been a 15 or a 16.

Land of the Sun

2008-03-15T10:52:00.000-07:00

Greetings from Phoenix where I have been hard at work bringing A's and River Cats coverage to the faithful Enterprise readers. And by hard at work I mean sitting in the sun watching baseball and hanging out with Athletics and River Cats players and staff.

Friday, the assembled Sacramento-area media interviewed A’s general manger Billy Beane. When we arrived at his office I was surprised to see Billy lounging in a Hawaiian shirt and cargo shorts with his dog as the main greeting party. It was at that moment that I finally put it all together: the entire Oakland organization is a model of Beane’s personality, which can be described as the perfect mix between laid back and getting the job done.

Beane gave us a wealth of information while making the interview seem like a type of conversation you might have over a couple of adult beverages. You hear stories of former players like like Jason Giambi and Nick Swisher having fun in the clubhouse and even on the field. The organization still manages to succeed in its own right at the big-league level as well as locally with the River Cats.

Actually I had been thinking about this a few days earlier when I arrived at the A’s spring training complex and interviewed pitching prospect Gio Gonzalez, who Oakland acquired from the White Sox in the trade for Swisher. It seemed no matter what question I asked Gonzalez, his answer ended up being something about how wonderful everyone in the organization has been and how much fun he was having. And it was not a ploy to evade my questions. It was clear that he genuinely liked being
here.

I guess that's more information to support that the A’s are one of baseball’s model organizations.

- Chris Saur

Rivalry renewed

2008-03-15T10:44:00.000-07:00

In what could be the last game in any sport between the two schools in the near future, the Davis High baseball team defeated Woodland 4-2 at Clark Field. It was the first loss of the year for the Wolves.

Brendan Gill was the star of the game for the Blue Devils (4-1) as he went five innings allowing two runs – only one of which was earned – on four hits while striking out five and walking none. The senior also blasted a two-run homer to left-center in the first inning.

Woodland (4-1) entered the contest having allowed just one run in its previous four games, but the Blue Devils put three on the board in the first inning. The Wolves cut the deficit to one with a run in each of the second and fourth innings but Gill was able to work out of jams in both instances to limit the damage.

Cory MacDonald and Trevor Cecil combined with Gill to slow down a Wolves offense that was averaging 10 runs per game. MacDonald pitched a scoreless sixth inning and Cecil closed it out in the seventh to pick up the save.

For more on the game, check out Sunday’s Enterprise.

– Conor Tekautz

Big West Semis--Photos by Wayne Tilcock

2008-03-14T17:53:00.000-07:00

UC Davis' Heather Bates drives past Riverside's Tainoisouti Lott in Friday's 63-53 win over the Highlanders in the Big West semifinals.

UC Davis' Jessica Campbell works against UC Riverside's Amber Cox in Friday's 63-53 win over the Highlanders in the Big West semifinals.

UC Davis' Kirsten Commins leads a break in Friday's 63-53 win over the Highlanders in the Big West semifinals.

UC Davis' Haylee Donaghe battles Riverside's Tainoisouti Lott in Friday's 63-53 win over the Highlanders in the Big West semifinals.

Donaghe drives in for a layup in Friday's 63-53 win over UC Riverside

LIVE: Big West semifinal No. 2 UC Davis vs. No. 3 UC Riverside

2008-03-14T12:00:00.000-07:00

1:30 p.m. ANAHEIM -- So this is the Big West Tournament, huh?

Not bad. The set-up is a little strange because the Arena is oblong. I think it’s probably a strange place to shoot. But we’ll see how the Aggies react to this in their first-ever Big West Tournament game. Also, we’ll see if anyone other than UC Santa Barbara fans bother to show up today.

Preamble: UCD guard Haylee Donaghe probably put it best this week when she said that every game the team played for the rest of the year would be “the most important in the history of school in women’s basketball.” That’s certainly the case for the Division I era. This tournament is the conference’s showpiece event, and for the Aggies to do what they’ve done on the first try is really impressive. UCD clinched its bye into the semifinals eight days ago with a 62-41 win over UC Riverside at The Pavilion. The Aggies outscored the Highlanders 40-15 in the second half of that game. You read that right. Riverside’s top scorer Seyram Gbewonyo missed that game through suspension. She’s here this afternoon for the rematch.

Riverside head coach John Margaritis said on the pretournament conference call that he was concerned coming into the tournament because his team simply wasn’t playing well. It couldn’t score, he said, which was casting a negative tinge over all the things it could do. The Highlanders, who have won this tournament twice in a row, scored 59 points in their quarterfinal win over Cal State Fullerton. And while that’s a considerable improvement over 41, it’s impossible to know just how much significance to attach to it. So I won’t bother to try.

The winner gets UC Santa Barbara, which is currently pummeling Cal Poly by 22 with 7 minutes, 42 seconds to play. The Mustangs’ effort even though they’ve been down big has been pretty impressive.

Dignitaries: How do you know this is a big game? The UCD sports information department has traded its usual uniform of golf shirt and khakis for a jacket and tie, that's how. UCD chancellor Larry Vanderhoef is here. So is vice chancellor for student affairs Fred Wood. Athletic Director Greg Warzecka, not surprisingly, has made the trip as well. Administrator emeritus Pam Gill-Fisher is in The Arena at the Anaheim Convention Center as well. Here in spirit is men’s soccer coach Dwyane Shaffer is here is spirit. The Big West Coach of the Year’s smiling face is peering out from an exhibit just outside the arena of current conference champions.

And it’s over: No. 1 UC Santa Barbara 77, No. 5 Cal Poly 57. The Gauchos advance to their 12th consecutive conference championship game.

UCD-UCR tip-off: Is scheduled for 2:30 p.m.

The implications: A win today assures UCD of a postseason future, either in the NCAA Tournament or in the 48-team WNIT. Now that it is owned by the NCAA, the WNIT awards every regular-season conference champion an automatic berth (in the Big West that’s UCSB). If that team goes to the NCAA tournament, the WNIT spot goes to the second-place finisher (the Aggies). That would also be true, by the way, if the Aggies lost and the Gauchos beat the Highlanders tomorrow.

As we reported today in the daily fishwrap, UCD has not made a bid to host games in the WNIT because of scheduling conflicts at The Pavilion. Should the Aggies end up advancing in that tournament, the athletic department may submit a future bid.

Dramatis personae:
UCD: Starters: G-Kirsten Commins; G-Haylee Donaghe; C-Paige Mintun; F-Jessica Campbell; F-Heather Bates. Subs: G-Anna Harp; G-Genevieve Costello; C-Tatiana Armstrong; C-Monica Mertle; C-Ashley Curry.

UCR:Starters: G-Brittany Waddell; G-Seyram Gbewonyo; F-Roney Friend F-Amber Cox; C-Tainoisouti Lott.
Subs G-Shynell Foree; G-Jacqueline Coble; G-Alyssa Morris; G-Courtney Good; C-Katerina Glyniadaki; G/F-Jessie Schmuckal; G-Vanessa Campillo; G-Jaleesa Connor; G-Chanel Foster.

UCD's lone injury doubt was Anna Harp (knee). She's been going through the warm-ups and my information is that she'll be available.

Around the arena: The crowd has thinned some from the opener, although there is a healthy group of UCD supporters seated on my left in one of the corners. There looks to be about a 20-person detachment from the Aggie Pack, a loud Band that has drawn a positive review from one of the ushers, Gunrock and some cheerleaders. UCSB's coaching staff is camped out behind one of the rims scouting.

20:00 1st: UCD 0, UCR 0: As Dr. Naismith intended, the game will being with a jump ball, Mintun vs. Lott. The tap goes to UCR and we’re under way.

18:39 1st: UCD 5, UCR 2: After Cox opened with a jumper, UCD fed Donaghe on back-to-back possessions, beating Waddell and getting to the foul line twice, once to complete a 3-point play.

15:58 1st: UCD 7, UCR 5: UCD’s defensive rebounding leaves a little to be desired in the early going, but the pressure is having the desired effect. Riverside opened 1-for-6 before Cox drained a 3-pointer. Highlanders have seven shot attempts to UCD’s three.

13:54 1st: UCD 9, UCR 5: Aggie pressure is causing problems. Commins’ steal leads to easy basket for Bates on the other end. UCD is generally finding its way to rim on the offensive end.

13:26 1st: UCD 9, UCR 5: Donaghe has been fouled three times, all going to the basket. She’s 3-for-5 from the line.

11:29 1st: UCD 9, UCR 8: Neither team has scored in a while. Deflection-happy UCD is removing all flow from the Riverside halfcourt offense. On the other end, the Highlanders are allowing UCD to the hoop, but the Aggies aren’t finishing. The rebounding has evened out. Cox still has all UCR’s points. That changes as Friend hits two free throws.

11:00 1st: UCD 12, UCR 8: UCD’s drought breaks with its first 3 of the game, by Costello from the elbow

9:32 1st: UCD 12, UCR 12: Lott ties the game with a layup, then picks up her second foul, a block on the other end. Lott appeared to get the worst of the exchange and had to helped off the court.

7:27 1st: UCD 16, UCR 14: UCD continues to open the back door against the Riverside defense, but its finishing is suspect. It is earning foul shots though and Bates hits two from the line. Meanwhile, the Aggies are being outrebounded 14-7, although the second-chance points aren’t really factor yet.

6:43 1st: UCD 16, UCR 14: Commins picks up her second personal, bringing in Anna Harp. Harp immediately forces a turnover along the sideline.

5:50 1st: UCD 18, UCR 14: Harp’s knee appears to give way as she fights for a rebound. She’s getting attention on the bench. Then she heads to the bike behind the Aggie bench. Porshneva hits two free throws.

3:36 1st: UCD 19, UCR 20: Lot of action, but all the scoring has been from the foul line. Riverside is being physical with UCD’s cutters and the officials aren’t being particularly generous with calls way from the ball. On the defensive end, the Aggies are tipping a lot of a passes, but then coming in second in the races to the loose ball. Donaghe has picked up her second personal on a scramble for a loose ball near halfcourt. Foster gives the Highlanders their first lead in a while. Harp has returned.

3:24 1st: UCD 19, UCR 21: Harp picks up two quick fouls and the Highlanders are in the double bonus. UCR has extended its defense, and giving the Aggies plenty of trouble.

1:29 1st: UCD 22, UCR 22: Costello fires the Aggies back into the lead from the corner. On the other end, Bates picks up her second personal. Gbewonyo splits free throws to tie it.

0:04 1st: UCD 24, UCR 22: Campbell hits a jumper to put the Aggies ahead at the intermission.

Halftime: 20 minutes of basketball, 12 total field goals. Honestly, this is a UC Davis sort of game. The Aggies have won four games in which they’ve hit 17 or fewer field goals this year. Riverside is 10-for-48 in its last 40 minutes of basketball against UCD.

The Aggies are struggling against Riverside’s defense. The Highlanders are extending pressure well beyond the NBA 3-point line and forcing UCD to initiate its offense from further away then it would like. That has created some of the trouble. Riverside is also doing a solid job of not submitting to the Aggie pressure. There have been a lot of tips, but UCD isn’t coming up them.

From the stat sheet: Donaghe and Gbewonyo lead their teams with seven points each.

UCD has five players – Harp, Commins, Bates, Donaghe and Porshneva with two fouls. Riverside had three – Friend, Lott and Campillo.

20:00 2nd: UCD 24, UCR 22: Riverside will restart play from halfcourt.

17:07 2nd: UCD 26, UCR 31: Cox hits a 3, Bates answers with a backdoor layup. Then Gbewonyo beats the shot clock with a 3. Wadell adds a 3 as Riverside threatens an honest-to-goodness run. Donaghe, who has been UCD’s most effective player offensively picks up her third foul on a charge call.

15:58 2nd: UCD 28, UCR 31: Riverside’s recent offensive outburst has brought its field-goal percentage to 25 percent (8-for-32). UCD’s two baskets this half have come off Heather Bates’ drives to the rim. UCD has attempted just 19 shots

15:18 2nd: UCD 28, UCR 31: Bates has picked up her third foul, also on a charge.

14:16 2nd: UCD 30, UCR 31: UCD has committed three offensive fouls this half. Porshneva gets her third as she tries to get position in the post.

13:28 2nd: UCD 30, UCR 34: Now Commins has her third personal, a 3-shot foul for hitting Waddell as she airballed a 3-pointer. Commins didn’t agree, but suddenly the Aggies appear to be rocking every so slightly. The fouls are mounting and the preferred rotation only goes eight deep. Waddell hits the first two, waits out a full timeout and then hits the third.

11:47 2nd: UCD 34, UCR 37: Waddell hit another 3 to extend the lead to five. UCD offers a quick answer, with a Donaghe deflection leading to a Costello layup. Simpson appears to be dialing up the defensive pressure, a dangerous game with fouls mounting.

11:02 2nd: UCD 38, UCR 37: Now it’s Riverside’s turn to almost get a key turnover. After multiple deflections Donaghe hits a layup as she’s fouled. Donaghe misses the free throw, but Bates rebounds and that leads to a Porshneva hook shot to put the Aggies back in the lead.

10:00 2nd: UCD 41, UCR 39: Cox hits a jumper, but Campbell answers, converting a 3-point play to put the Aggies back in the lead. Friend misses a jumper on the next trip and Riverside takes a timeout after the rebound squirts out of bounds to UCD. It has two remaining.

7:26 2nd: UCD 46, UCR 45: Just when it feels as though UCD is danger of pulling away, Riverside hits a big shot. Down 43-39, Waddell cans a 3. Harp answers with a triple and then Gbewonyo hits another one from the elbow. UCD has tied the rebounding margin and starting to find room offensively. But Highlanders won’t go away without a fight.

6:33 2nd: UCD 49, UCR 47: Gbewonyo hits a runner to put the Highlanders in front. Then Harp converts a 3-point play. Big play by the sophomore.

6:17 2nd: UCD 50, UCR 47: Donaghe makes a steal and is fouled as she goes in for the lay up. She missed the front end, her fifth straight missed free throw, before converting the second to make a three-point game.

5:29 2nd: UCD 52, UCR 47: Lott missed a bunny on the low block. UCD answers as Donaghe finishes against the shot clock. Now Riverside is wobbling.

3:57 2nd: UCD 52, UCR 47: UCD turns the ball over, survives two open looks from outside before getting the rebound and then turns the ball over again. The Aggies are a couple of plays away, but they still haven’t made them.

2:38 2nd: UCD 55, UCR 47: Bates hits an open 3 to make it an eight-point game. Friend misses a jumper and UCD rebounds. It now has a 28-25 edge. Timeout UCD. This could make things really tricky for Riverside.

2:25 2nd: UCD 56, UCR 47: Donaghe is tripped as she drives to the hoop and is awarded two shots. She misses the first short and hits the second.

1:12 2nd: UCD 56, UCR 49: UCD was close to finishing it off, but a turnover down low led to a quick break and basket by Friend. Campbell misses the jumper, but Riverside can’t convert on the other end. Ball is out of bounds to UCD. The Aggies are within touching distance of what the English would call a famous victory.

54.3 2nd: UCD 56, UCR 49: Aggies run the shot clock down to nine seconds with the possession. Bates gets in trouble and UCD uses a time-out.

44.7 2nd: UCD 58, UCR 49: Harp hits a stunning runner against the shot clock that I can only hope Wayne Tilcock, our photographer, caught.

19.4 2nd: UCD 61, UCR 51: Campbell seals it with two from the line.

Final: UCD 63, UCR 53

Game time note

2008-03-13T19:36:00.000-07:00

I've gotten word from Anaheim to expect UC Davis' semifinal against UC Riverside game to tip off 30 minutes after the end of the Santa Barbara-Cal Poly game. That very likely could be at 2 or 2:15 rather than 2:30, which is the time we had been getting from the Big West all along. Time is of the essence because the men's semifinals are being televised by ESPNU.

We'll be blogging from Anaheim tomorrow and will put up a page you can follow a little later tonight.