Saturday, April 21
Fullerton, CA
6:00 pm
UC Riverside
at
Cal State Fullerton
Photo by: Lorie Shore
Softball Readies For League Series At Cal State Fullerton Beginning Saturday
4/17/2012 1:15:00 PM | Softball
| Live Stats | Purchase Tickets |
Riverside—The UC Riverside softball team looks to get back into the win column this weekend with a three-game set scheduled at Cal State Fullerton. The Big West Conference series gets underway with a doubleheader beginning at 4:00 pm on Saturday, April 21, and concludes with a single game on Sunday at 12:00 pm in Fullerton, CA.
The Highlanders have lost seven in a row and eight of their last nine games dating back to the start of league play on March 31. They most recently dropped a three-game series to UC Santa Barbara (watch the video recap for Saturday's DH).
Cal State Fullerton brings a 16-21 overall record into Saturday's games, including a 4-5 mark in Big West play. The Titans have lost their last three games and four of five, but own a 24-6 mark against UC Riverside in conference play.
| Highlanders at Cal State Fullerton Game Capsules | ||||||||||||
| UC Riverside | Cal State Fullerton | |||||||||||
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2012 Stats, Record |
18-23, 1-8 | 16-21, 4-5 | ||||||||||
| Schedule | Schedule | |||||||||||
| Roster | Roster | |||||||||||
| Conference | Big West | |||||||||||
| Current Streak | L 7 | L 3 | ||||||||||
|
Last Box Score |
L, 3-1 vs UC Santa Barbara |
L, 10-5 at Pacific |
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Next Opponent |
4/28 at Long Beach State |
4/25 at San Diego State |
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|
Top Hitter |
Alexis
Pickett Junior .355 BA |
 Johnson Senior .370 BA |
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Top Pitcher |
Jordyn
McDonald Senior 3.87 ERA |
 Ybarra Freshman 4.21 ERA |
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D1 Record Against |
6-24 Results |
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D1 Current Streak Against |
L 2 | |||||||||||
| Projected Highlander Lineup | |||||||||
| (By Position) | |||||||||
| Pos | # | Name | Yr | B/T | Avg | OBP | SLG | H | RBI |
| C | 6 | Alexis Pickett | Jr. | L/R | .355 | .431 | .430 | 38 | 20 |
| 1B | 13 | Jessica Vasser | Jr. | L/L | .293 | .455 | .404 | 29 | 14 |
| 2B | 11 | Alaina Thomas | Jr. | L/R | .128 | .196 | .170 | 6 | 1 |
| 3B | 9 | Brittany Keeney | Sr. | R/R | .310 | .370 | .448 | 36 | 13 |
| SS | 8 | Yesenia Duenas | Fr. | R/R | .273 | .385 | .288 | 18 | 6 |
| RF | 19 | Dionne Anderson | So. | L/R | .252 | .312 | .348 | 29 | 15 |
| CF | 4 | Kayla White | Jr. | R/R | .325 | .392 | .595 | 41 | 32 |
| LF | 7 | Ariel Shore | Jr. | L/R | .303 | .346 | .369 | 37 | 13 |
| DP | 1 | Halle Luna | Fr. | L/R | .294 | .333 | .294 | 10 | 3 |
GAME NOTES
BATTER UP
UCR is batting .278 as a team this year, and should they maintain that, it would be the highest single-season average in the team's Division I history. The 2011 squad currently owns the record with a .276 batting average.
CATCH ME IF YOU CAN
The Highlanders have stolen 64 bases so far in 2012, one more than the program's DI record of 63 set last season. The team still has a ways to go before reaching the Big West's record of 131 set by New Mexico State in 1996.
WRONG WAY STREAK
After dropping nine of their first 10 games, the Highlanders then won 16 of 22. UCR has lost its last seven straight, however, and eight of nine.
WHAT A DIFFERENCE A YEAR MAKES
The Highlanders won 13 games last season, but have already won 18 games in 2012.
ON TOP OF THE WORLD
UCR is 18-23 in 2012, and should they maintain that winning percentage, it would be the second-highest in the program's Division I history.
| Best Winning Percentage (UCR DI) | |
| 2006 | .449 |
| 2012 | .413 |
| 2010 | .407 |
YEAR OF THE PITCHER
Jordyn McDonald is 8-12 in the pitchers circle this season for the Highlanders, while Taylor Alvarez boasts a 6-4 record. The eight wins by McDonald are just outside the top-5 for most wins in UCR's Division I single-season history, while Alvarez's six wins are one away from breaking into the top-10. Marissa Alvidrez currently owns the record with 15 wins set during the 2010 season.
OFF THE CHARTS
UC Riverside's 16 runs against Eastern Kentucky on March 7 are the most in the Division I history of the program for a single-game total. The previous high was 15, set at Utah State on May 3, 2003.
HOME RUN QUEENS
The Highlanders hit three home runs in each game of their doubleheader on March 7. The three homers are tied for third in a single-game in UCR D-I history.
UC Riverside also had 14 home runs in 32 non-league games in 2012, compared to just two homers in the team's 25 non-conference games a year ago.
CONFERENCE DIVAS
The Highlanders are ranked among the top-three in the Big West Conference in nearly all statistical categories, and lead the league in triples, stolen bases and steal attempts. On the national scene, UC Riverside is ranked 33rd in triples per game, and 32nd in stolen bases per game.
| UC Riverside Individual National Rankings (thru 4/15) | |||
| Kayla White | Triples | 4.0 | 14th |
| Kayla White | Triples Per Game | 0.1 | 26th |
| Jessica Vasser | Walks | 0.73 | 41st |
SHOWING NO MERCY
UCR has eight-run, mercy-ruled five opponents so far in 2012—UIC on Feb. 24, South Dakota on Feb. 26, Portland State on Mar. 4, Eastern Kentucky on Mar. 7, and UC Davis on Apr. 1. It is the most since the 2007 squad also mercy ruled five opponents.
ALL-BIG WEST
The UC Riverside softball team placed three players on the 2011 All-Big West Team. Kayla White was named to the first team—just the third Highlanders player in the program's Division I history to gain a spot on the league's top squad—while Kameryn Hebenton and Brittany Keeney were named to the All-Big West Second Team.
COACHING CHANGES
UC Riverside will have two new faces in the dugout this season, as Michell Vlahos joins the Highlanders as an assistant coach, and former player Kameryn Hebenton joins the staff as a volunteer coach.
Thursday, May 21
Monday, May 04
Friday, May 01
Tuesday, March 24
