Riverside, Calif.— The UC Riverside Baseball Team (3-5) will host a three-game series with the University of San Francisco (4-3) this weekend, starting with a Friday matchup set for 6:00 PM at the Riverside Sports Complex.
Highlanders vs. Dons
Friday, Mar. 2 - 6:00 PM | RHP Trenton Toplikar
Saturday, Mar. 3 - 7:00 PM | RHP Cole Percival
Sunday, Mar. 4 - 1:00 PM | RHP Kevin West
Live Stats – Video
|
|
UC Riverside |
USF |
| Stats |
3-5 |
4-3 |
|
Schedule |
Schedule |
|
Roster |
Roster |
| Streak |
L1 |
L1 |
| Last Result |
L 6-1
vs UNLV |
L, 6-1
vs. San Jose St. |
| Leaders |
| ERA |
Jared Morton
0.00 ERA |
Brendon Jenkins
0.00 ERA |
| B/avg |
Dean Miller
.379 |
Matt Campos
.429 |
| RBI |
Connor Cannon
10 RBI |
Jonathan Allen
7 RBI |
| History |
| Record vs. |
|
22-8 |
| Streak |
|
L1 |
UNLV RECAP
UCR fell to UNLV (8-1) in its home season-opener, 6-1, this past Tuesday. Junior outfielder Dean Miller nabbed the Highlanders' sole run of the day, tying junior Yeager Taylor for the team-lead with two hits on four at bats apiece.
BATTLING THE DONS
USF has won three of its last four games coming into the weekend series, but the Dons lost their last matchup with SJSU 6-1. The Highlanders own the all-time record over USF (22-8), but the Dons won the most recent series between the two teams, winning two out of three games in March of 2015.
THE CANNON STRIKES
Sophomore Connor Cannon has gotten out to a fast start this season, ranking second in the Big West in home runs (3) and is fourth in RBI (10). Half of those RBIs came in the Highlanders' 8-1 season-opening win over WSU, when Cannon tallied a career-high five, most coming on his first ever grand slam in the bottom of the seventh. The Riverside native also ranks 11th in the conference in slugging percentage (.581) and 9th in total bases (18).
NO RUN ZONE
Right-handed pitcher Jared Morton is one of just two Big West players to have a perfect 0.00 ERA in over eight innings pitched. The senior has appeared in four games this season – including all three of UC Riverside's wins – and is one of two Highlanders with a save.
COOL COLBY
2017 All-Big West Second Team selection Colby Schultz is off to a fine start in his senior season, leading the Highlanders in runs (6) and ranking second in hits (10). Schultz has a hit in six out of eight games and already has four multi-hit outings. Defensively, the shortstop has a .937 fielding percentage and is second on the team in both assists (21) and double plays (7).
THE DEAN
Junior outfielder Dean Miller also had a strong opening weekend against Washington State and Nebraska, leading the team in batting average (.533), hits (8) and on base percentage (.588) in the Highlanders' first four games of the season. Through two weeks of play, he ranks first on the team in hits (11) and second in RBI (5).
PERCIVAL DAZZLES IN DEBUT
Right-handed pitcher Cole Percival impressed many in his first career start on the mound, leading the Highlanders to an 8-1 victory over Nebraska in just under six innings pitched. The freshman struck out eight batters, giving up just one hit, one run, and a meager .056 opposing batting average to a team that had defeated UCR 8-3 less than 24 hours prior.
TWO OF A KIND
Percival's numbers have remained very close to redshirt sophomore righty Trenton Toplikar's through two starts each. Both pitchers have one win apiece, but Percival has the slight edge in innings pitched (10.0 to 9.2) and strikeouts (13 to 12). The pair are ranked 4th and 6th in the Big West, respectively, in the strikeout department.
SPORRER LOCKS UP
Senior second baseman Cody Sporrer leads UC Riverside in both assists (22) and double plays (8). Offensively, he has recorded at least one hit in five of eight outings.
DOUBLING DOWN
More than one-fifth of UC Riverside's 63 hits this season have been doubles (14, .222), which leads the Big West. The Highlanders finished with a season-high four doubles in their 6-3 win over Washington on Sunday. Freshman utility Nathan Webb leads the team with four doubles on the year, while Schultz, Cannon, and Miller have tallied two each.
LOOKING GUD, GUDINO
Redshirt senior catcher Tony Gudino has made the most of his chances on offense. While his 14 at bats are the 11th-most on the team, he has the second highest batting average (.429) and on base percentage (.438) of any Highlander this season.
HOME SWEET HOME
Beginning with UNLV, UC Riverside will be at home for 10 straight contests from Feb. 27 - Mar. 14. This Friday through Sunday, the Highlanders will play a three-game series against San Francisco.
