Saturday, March 23
Stockton, CA
2:00 pm
UC Riverside
at
Pacific
Photo by: Gabriel L. Acosta
Softball Opens Big West Conference Play With Road Series At Pacific Saturday
3/19/2013 8:43:00 AM | Softball
Stockton, CA—The UC Riverside Softball Team opens the 2013 Big West Conference schedule with a three-game road series at Pacific on March 23-24. Saturday's doubleheader gets underway at noon PT, with Sunday's single-game finale also slated for noon. Live Stats.
The Highlanders went 6-2 this past week with doubleheader sweeps of Southern Utah, Iona, and Bethune-Cookman. Kayla White paced the squad hitting .545 and slugging .909 to earn Big West Conference Softball Field Player of the Week honors.
UC Riverside has lost the last seven straight to the Tigers and 27 of 33 in the program's Division I history (DI results). This will be the last conference series between the clubs as Pacific is set to join the West Coast Conference starting next season.
After winning six of their first seven games of the year, the Tigers are 1-7 over their last eight dropping to 15-15 on the season. Pacific travels to Fresno State on Wednesday before hosting the Highlanders on Saturday.
GAME NOTES
STOP, THIEF!
UCR stole nine bases against Southern Utah on March 11, setting the program's Division I record for most stolen bases in a single game. Dionne Anderson added her name to the UCR record books as she stole four bases that game—the most in a single game in the program's DI history.
PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Kayla White earned Big West Conference Field Player of the Week honors on March 18 for games played March 11-17. The senior outfielder lead the Highlanders to a 6-2 week while batting .545 and slugging .909 with 10 runs scored and seven RBI. White is the first UCR player to earn the league's weekly honor since Jessica Vasser was named player of the week on April 23, 2012.
GONE STREAKING
UC Riverside's six-game winning streak from March 10-13, 2013 is the longest streak in the program's Division I history. The previous high was five, set on multiple occasions most recently during the 2012 season.
SHUTOUT
The Highlanders recorded their first two shutouts of the season at the Wildcat Invitational on March 1-3—1-0 vs Portland State on March 1, and 2-0 vs Boston on March 2. Last year, UCR recorded five shutouts.
WALK THIS WAY
Ashley Ercolano hit a three-run walk-off home run for UCR in its win against Weber State on February 23. Prior to Ercolano's shot, the last Highlanders player to record a walk-off homer was Kaylie Atkinson, who drilled a shot against Idaho State on Feb. 25, 2012.
OFF TO THE RACES
The Highlanders won their 2013 season opener against Southern Miss on February 8—the first season-opening victory since 2007.
FEELING A LITTLE RANK
UCR faced off against three ranked opponents in consecutive games at the Campbell/Cartier Classic on February 15-17—the most ranked opponents the team has faced in a row since a three-game series against #21 Cal Poly on May 8-9, 2009.
ERROR MESSAGE
UC Riverside committed five errors in its loss against Fresno State on Feb. 8, the most since April 16, 2011 when the Highlanders recorded six errors.
BREAKING RECORDS
UCR finished the 2012 season with a 25-28 overall record, setting a new program Division I mark for most wins in a season and for best winning percentage.
The Highlanders won 13 games in 2011, but nearly doubled that win total in 2012 with 25 victories. This season, UC Riverside has won 15 games with 25 remaining.
BRINGING OUT THE BROOMS
The Highlanders sweep of Cal State Northridge on May 5-6, 2012 was the first such sweep over the Matadors in the team's Division I history. The sweep was also the first for UCR in conference play since taking a three-game series from Sacramento State on May 4-5, 2002.
SHOWING NO MERCY
UCR won six games last year by the eight-run mercy-rule—the most times in the program's DI history. This season, they’ve won three games by the mercy rule, but have been mercy ruled six times by opponents.
BATTER UP
UCR finished the 2012 season with a team batting average of .281— the highest single-season average in the team's Division I history, besting the 2011 squad with a .276 batting average.
CATCH ME IF YOU CAN
The Highlanders stole 73 bases in 2012, 10 more than the program's previous DI record of 63 set in 2011. UCR already has 61 stolen bases in 2013, and rank 17th in the nation in stolen bases per game, with Ariel Shore ranking 33rd individually in that category (national rankings thru games played 3/17).
OFF THE CHARTS
UC Riverside's 16 runs against Eastern Kentucky on March 7, 2012 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.
CONFERENCE DIVAS
The Highlanders led the Big West Conference last season in triples, stolen bases, and steal attempts while ranking second in batting average, slugging percentage, on base percentage, and RBI. On the national scale, UC Riverside ranked 12th in double plays per game and 44th in both triples per game and stolen bases per game.
COACHING CHANGES
UC Riverside welcomes an entirely new coaching staff to the dugout in 2013. Head Coach Linda Garza was hired in June to lead the program, and named Jodie Cox and Chez Sievers as assistant coaches and Morgan Stuart as a volunteer coach.
ALL-BIG WEST
Four UC Riverside players were selected to the Big West All-Conference Team last season, with outfielder Kayla White garnering All-Big West First-Team awards while Alexis Pickett was selected to the Second Team, and Ariel Shore and Kaylie Atkinson both received Honorable Mention accolades.
The Highlanders went 6-2 this past week with doubleheader sweeps of Southern Utah, Iona, and Bethune-Cookman. Kayla White paced the squad hitting .545 and slugging .909 to earn Big West Conference Softball Field Player of the Week honors.
UC Riverside has lost the last seven straight to the Tigers and 27 of 33 in the program's Division I history (DI results). This will be the last conference series between the clubs as Pacific is set to join the West Coast Conference starting next season.
After winning six of their first seven games of the year, the Tigers are 1-7 over their last eight dropping to 15-15 on the season. Pacific travels to Fresno State on Wednesday before hosting the Highlanders on Saturday.
| Highlanders at Pacific Game Capsules | ||
|
UC Riverside |
Pacific | |
| 2013 Record & Stats | 15-15 | 15-15 |
| Roster | Roster | |
| Schedule | Schedule | |
| Conference | Big West | |
| Current Streak | L 1 | L 3 |
| Most Recent Box Score |
L, 7-0 vs Northern Illinois |
L, 6-4 vs Washington |
| Next Opponent |
3/29 vs Long Beach State |
3/29 vs UC Santa Barbara |
| Top Hitter |
Kayla
White Senior .326 BA |
 Steinmehl Sophomore .344 BA |
| Top Pitcher |
Ashley
Ercolano Freshman 3.60 ERA 6-5 Record |
 Armagost Senior 1.55 ERA 8-3 Record |
| DI Record vs. | 6-27 | |
| DI Current Streak vs. | L 7 | |
| Projected Highlanders Lineup | |||||||||
| (By Position) | |||||||||
| Pos | # | Name | Yr | B/T | Avg | OBP | SLG | H | RBI |
| C | 6 | Alexis Pickett | Sr. | L/R | .313 | .400 | .391 | 20 | 13 |
| 1B | 17 | Marissa Escalante | Fr. | R/R | .278 | .394 | .370 | 15 | 9 |
| 2B | 3 | Meagan Esteban | Fr. | L/R | .188 | .273 | .188 | 13 | 4 |
| 3B | 16 | Brittanie Akey | Fr. | R/R | .233 | .269 | .301 | 17 | 14 |
| SS | 20 | Natalie Sanchez | Fr. | R/R | .217 | .329 | .333 | 15 | 9 |
| RF | 19 | Dionne Anderson | Jr. | L/R | .305 | .414 | .415 | 25 | 12 |
| CF | 4 | Kayla White | Sr. | R/R | .326 | .355 | .573 | 29 | 15 |
| LF | 7 | Ariel Shore | Sr. | L/R | .289 | .333 | .340 | 26 | 5 |
| DP | 9 | Ashley Ercolano | Fr. | R/R | .263 | .318 | .375 | 21 | 16 |
GAME NOTES
STOP, THIEF!
UCR stole nine bases against Southern Utah on March 11, setting the program's Division I record for most stolen bases in a single game. Dionne Anderson added her name to the UCR record books as she stole four bases that game—the most in a single game in the program's DI history.
PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Kayla White earned Big West Conference Field Player of the Week honors on March 18 for games played March 11-17. The senior outfielder lead the Highlanders to a 6-2 week while batting .545 and slugging .909 with 10 runs scored and seven RBI. White is the first UCR player to earn the league's weekly honor since Jessica Vasser was named player of the week on April 23, 2012.
GONE STREAKING
UC Riverside's six-game winning streak from March 10-13, 2013 is the longest streak in the program's Division I history. The previous high was five, set on multiple occasions most recently during the 2012 season.
SHUTOUT
The Highlanders recorded their first two shutouts of the season at the Wildcat Invitational on March 1-3—1-0 vs Portland State on March 1, and 2-0 vs Boston on March 2. Last year, UCR recorded five shutouts.
WALK THIS WAY
Ashley Ercolano hit a three-run walk-off home run for UCR in its win against Weber State on February 23. Prior to Ercolano's shot, the last Highlanders player to record a walk-off homer was Kaylie Atkinson, who drilled a shot against Idaho State on Feb. 25, 2012.
OFF TO THE RACES
The Highlanders won their 2013 season opener against Southern Miss on February 8—the first season-opening victory since 2007.
FEELING A LITTLE RANK
UCR faced off against three ranked opponents in consecutive games at the Campbell/Cartier Classic on February 15-17—the most ranked opponents the team has faced in a row since a three-game series against #21 Cal Poly on May 8-9, 2009.
ERROR MESSAGE
UC Riverside committed five errors in its loss against Fresno State on Feb. 8, the most since April 16, 2011 when the Highlanders recorded six errors.
BREAKING RECORDS
UCR finished the 2012 season with a 25-28 overall record, setting a new program Division I mark for most wins in a season and for best winning percentage.
| Best Winning Pct. (DI) | |
| .472 | 2012 |
| .449 | 2006 |
| .407 | 2010 |
| Most Wins (DI) | |
| 25 x | 2012 |
| 22 | 2006 |
| 22 | 2010 |
The Highlanders won 13 games in 2011, but nearly doubled that win total in 2012 with 25 victories. This season, UC Riverside has won 15 games with 25 remaining.
BRINGING OUT THE BROOMS
The Highlanders sweep of Cal State Northridge on May 5-6, 2012 was the first such sweep over the Matadors in the team's Division I history. The sweep was also the first for UCR in conference play since taking a three-game series from Sacramento State on May 4-5, 2002.
SHOWING NO MERCY
UCR won six games last year by the eight-run mercy-rule—the most times in the program's DI history. This season, they’ve won three games by the mercy rule, but have been mercy ruled six times by opponents.
BATTER UP
UCR finished the 2012 season with a team batting average of .281— the highest single-season average in the team's Division I history, besting the 2011 squad with a .276 batting average.
CATCH ME IF YOU CAN
The Highlanders stole 73 bases in 2012, 10 more than the program's previous DI record of 63 set in 2011. UCR already has 61 stolen bases in 2013, and rank 17th in the nation in stolen bases per game, with Ariel Shore ranking 33rd individually in that category (national rankings thru games played 3/17).
OFF THE CHARTS
UC Riverside's 16 runs against Eastern Kentucky on March 7, 2012 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.
CONFERENCE DIVAS
The Highlanders led the Big West Conference last season in triples, stolen bases, and steal attempts while ranking second in batting average, slugging percentage, on base percentage, and RBI. On the national scale, UC Riverside ranked 12th in double plays per game and 44th in both triples per game and stolen bases per game.
COACHING CHANGES
UC Riverside welcomes an entirely new coaching staff to the dugout in 2013. Head Coach Linda Garza was hired in June to lead the program, and named Jodie Cox and Chez Sievers as assistant coaches and Morgan Stuart as a volunteer coach.
ALL-BIG WEST
Four UC Riverside players were selected to the Big West All-Conference Team last season, with outfielder Kayla White garnering All-Big West First-Team awards while Alexis Pickett was selected to the Second Team, and Ariel Shore and Kaylie Atkinson both received Honorable Mention accolades.
Thursday, May 21
Monday, May 04
Friday, May 01
Tuesday, March 24
