Softball Welcomes Hawai'i For Three Game Series Starting Friday

Highlanders In Week Ten
vs Hawai'i
Friday, April 15-3 pm
Saturday, April 16-Double Header Game One-1 pm Game Two-3 pm
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Riverside—The UC Riverside Softball Team will host the Hawai'i Rainbow Wahine in Big West conference play April 15-16. Friday's first pitch is scheduled for 3 pm, and the opening game of Saturday's double header is slated for 1 pm.

The Highlanders are on a four game winning streak, they picked up a road win at CSU Bakersfield and swept UCSB for the first time since joining the Big West. They have also gotten three straight game-winning hits from freshman Hannah Rodriguez in the last three games.

Defensively, UCR (27-12-1, 3-3) is 20th nationally with a .927 fielding percentage. The team's .321 batting average on the season leads the conference and is 33rd in the NCAA.

Big West Pitcher of the Week Tayler Misfeldt (18-8) is coming off a pair of eight inning victories. Tuesday at Cal State Bakersfield, she outdueled the Roadrunners' ace in a 3-1 Highlander victory, Sunday she outlasted the UC Santa Barbara staff in a 4-3 win. Her 18 wins lead the conference and rank sixth in the nation.

Maddy Richard has a current streak of four straight three-hit games (12-14, .857). She boosted her batting average up to .504 which places her third in the NCAA. Her .546 on-base percentage ranks 20th in the country, while the .74 bases she steals per game is 14th.

Haley Harris leads the country with 18 sacrifice hits and an average of .46 per game, while Jenna Curtan's four triples are tied for 15th nationally.

Hawai'i (20-18, 2-4) is currently seventh in the Big West after dropping 2-of-3 at home to CSUN. The Rainbow Wahine took the final game of the series against the Matadors, 6-0.

Keiki Carlos leads the team with a .298 average and eight doubles. Rachel Lack is the top power hitter on the squad, having connected on five home runs and driven in 20 runs.

Brittany Hitchcock (8-10) pitched seven innings of shutout ball in the win for her third shutout of the season. She leads the team with a 2.49 era and 112.1 innings of work. Kanan Aina Cabrales (7-8) also has seen significant action in the circle, tossing 104.2 innings. She has surrendered 12 long balls in her 22 appearances this season.

The Highlanders are 3-17 overall against the Rainbow Wahine, but took last year's series opener, 2-1. That win snapped a 13 game winless streak versus Hawai'i. (view results)

GAME NOTES
AND THEY'RE OFF
The 2015 version of UC Riverside Softball went 39-17 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 were 23-9-1 through 33 games. Last year's squad was 26-7 through 33 games.

MARK ROBERTS WOULD BE PROUD
The 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.

RPI
In 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. In this week's rankings UCR's RPI is 106.

SAVED!
Rebecca Faulkner led the nation in saves a year ago with 8, and this year her teammate Kaylynn Pierce is tied for 21st 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

CONNECTIONS
Last 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 .320, which is the 38th highest average in the nation heading into the week.

DOUBLE DIGITS
The 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 18-8 on the year, and Kaylynn Pierce is 9-4.

CHASING TED WILLIAMS
Only eight times in the history of the UC Riverside Softball program have members of the Highlanders hit .400 or above, and that has occurred only two times since UC Riverside made the move to the Big West Conference in 2002. This season, Maddie Richard is hitting .504 through 40 games, and is looking to become the second member of the Highlander's .500 club.

Single-Season Batting Average (.400 or Above)
Avg	Player	Year
.544	Deanna Dresman	1990
.504	Maddie Richard	2016
.465	Mayra Juarez	1997
.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) BASE
Maddie Richard also boasts an on base percentage of .559 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
.559	Maddie Richard	2016
.546	Mayra Juarez	1998
.528	Melissa Sanchez	2004
.517	Marissa Alvidrez	2008
.505	Dionne Anderson	2014

I'VE GOT THE POWER
Jenna Curtan has a .557 slugging percentage through 40 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
.566	Maddie Richard	2016
.557	Jenna Curtan	2016