Riverside—The UC Riverside Softball Team has a slate of four games this weekend—two as part of the CSUN Mizuno Classic on Saturday, and single home games Sunday against UNLV and LMU.
On Saturday, the Highlanders take on Idaho State at 11 am PT before playing Yale at 1:30 pm. On Sunday, LMU and UNLV square off against one another at 9:30 am at Amy S Harrison Field, followed by UC Riverside against LMU at noon and the Highlanders against UNLV at 2:30 pm.
UCR (20-7) had its 11-game winning streak snapped over the weekend, but bounced back with a sweep of Yale in a Sunday double header as part of the Highlanders Mizuno Invitaitonal. In the first game of the day, Kaylynn Pierce allowed just one hit over five innings in a complete game shutout. Pierce carried a no hitter into the fifth, but allowed a one out double to center.
In the second game, the Highlanders again put up eight runs on the Bulldogs, while getting a strong pitching performance from Tayler Misfeldt in the, 8-1 win. Natalie Sanchez and Haley Harris each had three RBI's in the win, and Misfeldt scattered seven hits over seven innings, while allow just one run.
The Highlanders are hitting .328 as team which is the 30th highest figure in the nation. They also rank in the top 30 nationally in fielding percentage (12th, .976), on base percentage (27th, .416) and stolen bases per game (28th, 1.89).
Maddie Richard's .459 bating average is third in the conference and 50th in the country, and her 1.07 runs scored per game lead the Big West and place her 43rd nationally. Jenna Curtan leads the league in RBIs with 26, while Natalie Sanchez is third in Big West with 22 runs driven in.
Kaylynn Pierce's three saves rank are the second most in the nation, and her nine victories in the circle are tied for 30th. Misfeldt's 11 victories lead the conference and place her in a tie for fifth nationally.
GAME NOTESAND THEY'RE OFFThe 2015 version of UC Riverside Softball went 36-17 giving the Highlanders their most victories since joining the Big West Conference prior to the 2002 season. They also went 11-10 in conference play, breaking the program record for Big West wins in a season. This season, the Highlanders are 20-7 through 27 games. Last year's squad was 21-6 through 27 games.
MARK ROBERTS WOULD BE PROUDThe Highlanders won 11 straight games from February 26 through March 11 of this year which is the longest winning streak for the program since the team made the move to the Big West Conference in 2002.
RPIIn 2015, the Highlanders rose to as high as 63rd and finished the season ranked 70th out of 295 teams in RPI—the best showing for the program since the NCAA began keeping track of RPI for Division I softball teams.
SAVED!Rebecca Faulkner led the nation in saves a year ago with 8, and this year her teammate Kaylynn Pierce is tied for sixth with 3. That ties Pierce for the second most saves for a member of the Highlanders since the team joined the Big West Conference.
| Single-Season Saves Since 2002 |
| Saves | Player | Year |
| 8 | Rebecca Faulkner | 2015 |
| 3 | Tayler Misfeldt | 2015 |
| 3 | Kaylynn Pierce | 2016 |
| Career Saves |
| Saves | Player | Years |
| 8 | Rebecca Faulkner | 2015 |
| 4 | Ashley Henderson | 1991-92 |
| 3 | Tayler Misfeldt | 2015 |
| 3 | Kaylynn Pierce | 2016 |
| 3 | Alicia Zinner | 1991-92 |
| 3 | Laura Fay | 1987-90 |
CONNECTIONSLast year's version of the Highlanders compiled a .284 batting average which is the highest average for the program since joining the Big West Conference. This season, UC Riverside is hitting .329, which is the 29th highest average in the nation heading into the weekend.
DOUBLE DIGITSThe Highlanders haven't had two pitchers record double digit wins in the same season since joining the Big West Conference in 2002, but they might pull off that feat this season. Tayler Misfeldt is 11-4 on the year, and Kaylynn Pierce is 9-3.
CHASING TED WILLIAMSOnly eight times in the history of the UC Riverside Softball program have members of the Highlanders hit .400 or above, and that has occurred ony two times since UC Riverside made the move to the Big West Conference in 2002. This season, Maddie Richards is hitting .459 through 27 games, and is looking to become the ninth member of the Highlander's .400 club.
| Single-Season Batting Average (.400 or Above) |
| Avg | Player | Year |
| .544 | Deanna Dresman | 1990 |
| .465 | Mayra Juarez | 1997 |
| .459 | Maddie Richard | 2016 |
| .445 | Deanna Dresman | 1991 |
| .435 | Melissa Sanchez | 2006 |
| .424 | Marissa Alvidrez | 2008 |
| .422 | Mayra Juarez | 1998 |
| .413 | Cindy Taylor | 1990 |
| .406 | Missy Laramie | 1991 |
ACE OF (GETTING ON) BASEMaddie Richard also boasts an on base percentage of .531 on the season, and could become the sixth member of the Highlanders to reach on more than 50 percent of her plate appearances in a single year.
| Single-Season On Base Percentage (.500 or Above) |
| Avg | Player | Year |
| .583 | Deanna Dresman | 1990 |
| .577 | Melissa Sanchez | 2006 |
| .546 | Mayra Juarez | 1998 |
| .531 | Maddie Richard | 2016 |
| .528 | Melissa Sanchez | 2004 |
| .517 | Marissa Alvidrez | 2008 |
| .505 | Dionne Anderson | 2014 |
I'VE GOT THE POWERJenna Curtan has a .600 slugging percentage through 27 games, and could become the seventh member of the Highlanders to slug .600 or better in a single season.
| Single-Season Slugging Percentage (.600 or Above) |
| Avg | Player | Year |
| .774 | Melissa Sanchez | 2006 |
| .722 | Marissa Alvidrez | 2008 |
| .699 | Barrie Greer | 1985 |
| .696 | Mayra Juarez | 1998 |
| .682 | Kayla White | 2013 |
| .676 | Mayra Juarez | 1997 |
| .602 | Angela Melander | 1983 |
| .600 | Jenna Curtan | 2016 |
