Wednesday, April 17
Riverside, CA
1:00 pm
UC Riverside
vs
Cal State Fullerton
Photo by: Gabriel L. Acosta
Softball Returns To League Play Hosting Titans Wednesday And Aggies This Weekend
4/15/2013 11:47:00 AM | Softball
Riverside, CA—The UC Riverside Softball Team continues its 10-game home stand this week with five Big West Conference games at Amy S. Harrison Field. The Highlanders first host Cal State Fullerton on Wednesday, April 17 for a doubleheader beginning at 1 pm PT before starting a three-game series against UC Davis April 20-21. First pitch of the doubleheader on Saturday is at noon, with the series finale slated for noon Sunday. Live Stats.
The Highlanders got back into the win column over the weekend with a 6-5 come-from-behind victory over San Diego State in non-conference action (box score/recap). The win snapped a 10-game losing skid and avenged an earlier-season loss to the Aztecs.
Kayla White continues to pace UC Riverside offensively hitting .328 on the season and .379 in Big West play.
Cal State Fullerton most recently went 1-2 against nationally ranked Hawai'i to improve to 4-8 in league action. Ariel Tsuchiyama leads the Titans regulars batting .306.
UC Davis has dropped their two most recent games, and hosts Pacific this Wednesday before traveling to the Inland Empire. Redshirt freshman Jasmine Lee is the top hitter for the Aggies batting .299.
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.
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 70 stolen bases in 2013, and rank 31st in the nation in stolen bases per game, with Ariel Shore ranking 47th individually in that category (national rankings thru games played 4/14).
WRONG WAY STREAK
UCR's 10-game losing streak from March 17 - April 6 is a season-high and the longest since a 10-game drought to end the 2010 season.
APOLLO 11
The Highlanders scored 11 runs in a 14-11 loss to Long Beach State on March 29—the most runs scored in a loss since since a 13-11 defeat by Boise State on February 25, 2011. The 14 runs allowed is a season-high and the most since Michigan State scored 15 against UC Riverside on March 6, 2012.
DOUBLEMINT GUM
UCR opponents have scored 10 or more runs on back-to-back occasions twice this season: Hawai'i scored 16 and 12 runs respectively on April 5 and 6, while Long Beach State scored 14 and 10 runs in a doubleheader on March 29. This marks the first time since February 25 and 27, 2011 when Boise State and UNLV garnered 13 and 10 runs respectively.
NOT SO SWEET SIXTEEN
Hawai'i scored 16 runs against UC Riverside on April 5—the most allowed since UC Davis plated 17 on April 30, 2011.
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.
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 on two occasions this season: at the Campbell/Cartier Classic on February 15-17, and at Hawai'i April 5-6. The three games are 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 16 games with 15 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 eight 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.
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 got back into the win column over the weekend with a 6-5 come-from-behind victory over San Diego State in non-conference action (box score/recap). The win snapped a 10-game losing skid and avenged an earlier-season loss to the Aztecs.
Kayla White continues to pace UC Riverside offensively hitting .328 on the season and .379 in Big West play.
Cal State Fullerton most recently went 1-2 against nationally ranked Hawai'i to improve to 4-8 in league action. Ariel Tsuchiyama leads the Titans regulars batting .306.
UC Davis has dropped their two most recent games, and hosts Pacific this Wednesday before traveling to the Inland Empire. Redshirt freshman Jasmine Lee is the top hitter for the Aggies batting .299.
| Highlanders vs. Titans & Aggies Game Capsules | |||
| UC Riverside | Cal State Fullerton | UC Davis | |
| 2013 Record & Stats | 16-24, 0-9 | 17-25, 4-8 | 17-21, 4-7 |
| Roster | Roster | Roster | |
| Schedule | Schedule | Schedule | |
| Conference | Big West | ||
| Current Streak | W 1 | W 1 | L 2 |
| Most Recent Box Score |
W, 6-5 vs San Diego State |
W, 11-3 vs Hawai'i |
L, 1-0 at UC Santa Barbara |
| Next Opponent |
4/24 vs Cal State Fullerton |
4/20 vs UNLV |
4/27 vs Cal State Fullerton |
| Top Hitter |
Kayla White
Senior .328 BA |
 RS Junior .306 BA |
 RS Freshman .299 BA |
| Top Pitcher |
Ashley Ercolano
Freshman 4.94 ERA 6-8 Record |
 Freshman 3.10 ERA 10-13 Record |
 Sophomore 2.13 ERA 11-6 Record |
| DI Record vs. | |||
| DI Current Streak vs. | |||
| Projected Highlanders Lineup | ||||||||||
| (By Position) | ||||||||||
| Pos | # | Name | Yr | B/T | Avg | OBP | SLG | H | RBI | SB |
| C | 6 | Alexis Pickett | Sr. | L/R | .280 | .358 | .344 | 26 | 15 | 5 |
| 1B | 17 | Marissa Escalante | Fr. | R/R | .267 | .391 | .373 | 20 | 11 | 1 |
| 2B | 11 | Nicolette Lujan | So. | R/R | .219 | .269 | .233 | 16 | 4 | 3 |
| 3B | 16 | Brittanie Akey | Fr. | R/R | .242 | .298 | .295 | 23 | 15 | 1 |
| SS | 20 | Natalie Sanchez | Fr. | R/R | .210 | .316 | .346 | 17 | 11 | 1 |
| RF | 19 | Dionne Anderson | Jr. | L/R | .301 | .412 | .381 | 34 | 13 | 18 |
| CF | 4 | Kayla White | Sr. | R/R | .328 | .359 | .656 | 40 | 23 | 14 |
| LF | 7 | Ariel Shore | Sr. | L/R | .295 | .338 | .361 | 36 | 7 | 21 |
| DP | 9 | Ashley Ercolano | Fr. | R/R | .255 | .294 | .391 | 28 | 24 | 0 |
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.
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 70 stolen bases in 2013, and rank 31st in the nation in stolen bases per game, with Ariel Shore ranking 47th individually in that category (national rankings thru games played 4/14).
WRONG WAY STREAK
UCR's 10-game losing streak from March 17 - April 6 is a season-high and the longest since a 10-game drought to end the 2010 season.
APOLLO 11
The Highlanders scored 11 runs in a 14-11 loss to Long Beach State on March 29—the most runs scored in a loss since since a 13-11 defeat by Boise State on February 25, 2011. The 14 runs allowed is a season-high and the most since Michigan State scored 15 against UC Riverside on March 6, 2012.
DOUBLEMINT GUM
UCR opponents have scored 10 or more runs on back-to-back occasions twice this season: Hawai'i scored 16 and 12 runs respectively on April 5 and 6, while Long Beach State scored 14 and 10 runs in a doubleheader on March 29. This marks the first time since February 25 and 27, 2011 when Boise State and UNLV garnered 13 and 10 runs respectively.
NOT SO SWEET SIXTEEN
Hawai'i scored 16 runs against UC Riverside on April 5—the most allowed since UC Davis plated 17 on April 30, 2011.
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.
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 on two occasions this season: at the Campbell/Cartier Classic on February 15-17, and at Hawai'i April 5-6. The three games are 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 16 games with 15 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 eight 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.
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.
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