Riverside, Calif. – UC Riverside (10-10) begins a seven-game home stand this Thursday-Saturday, Mar. 29-31, against UC Davis (6-13) in the first series of Big West play this season. The first two games are set to begin at 6:00 p.m. at Riverside Sports Complex, with Saturday's finale scheduled for a 1:00 p.m. start. All three games will be broadcast live on Big West TV.

Highlanders vs. Aggies Thursday, Mar. 29 - 6:00 PM | RHP Trenton Toplikar Friday, Mar. 30 - 6:00 PM | RHP Cole Percival Saturday, Mar. 31 - 1:00 PM | TBA Live Stats | Video
	UC Riverside	UC Davis
Stats	10-10	6-13
	Schedule	Schedule
	Roster	Roster
Streak	L1	L1
Leaders
ERA	Jared Morton 0.53 ERA	Jared Sasaki 3.97 ERA
B/avg	Colby Schultz .333	Ryan Anderson .397
RBI	Connor Cannon 14 RBI	Caleb Van Blake 18 RBI
History
Record vs.		41-29
Streak		W1

FRESNO STATE RECAP
In their final game prior to conference play on Tuesday, the Highlanders suffered an 11-5 road defeat. UC Riverside got out to a slow start, allowing five runs through the first two innings. Sophomore Connor Cannon recorded his team-leading fourth home run and 14th RBI, while scoring two runs off the bat of junior Matt Hardy. Hardy finished with a season-high 3 RBI on a 2-of-4 mark at the plate, hitting his first home run of the year in the top of the ninth.

R' HOUSE
UC Riverside enters its first Big West series of 2018 a winner in five of its last six home games. The Highlanders are 6-4 overall at The Plex this year.

COOL COLBY
2017 All-Big West Second Team selection Colby Schultz is off to a fine start in his senior season, currently sitting eighth in the conference in batting average (.333) and tenth in runs (16). The senior has multiple hits in eight of his 20 outings and is the only Highlander to have three runs in a game, doing it twice. Schultz is also tied with senior second baseman Cody Sporrer for the team-lead in assists (50) and double plays (10).

HOLDING DOWN THE MOUND
Right-handed pitcher Cole Percival (3-1) has gotten out to a fantastic start to his freshman campaign. He has pitched more innings (31.2) than any other Highlander, leading the way in wins (3) and opposing batting average (.188) and sitting second on the team in strikeouts (22). His team-leading 2.27 ERA also ranks fourth in the Big West.

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. He struck out eight batters, giving up just one hit, one run, and a meager .056 opposing batting average.

THE DEAN
Outfielder Dean Miller has been a key player for the Highlanders in his first year with the team, ranking second on the team in hits (22) and RBI (12), and third in total bases (28). Miller also leads the team with 11 walks and is tied with Schultz for the team-lead in on base percentage (.402).

NO RUN ZONE
Right-handed pitcher Jared Morton has a 1-0 record and a team-leading 0.53 ERA in 17.0 innings pitched this year. The senior is also third in the Big West in saves (4). The Highlanders have won the last five games Morton has appeared in, and are 8-2 this season when he has stepped onto the mound.

THE CANNON STRIKES
Connor Cannon currently leads UC Riverside in home runs (4) and RBI (14), marks which are tied for 2nd and 12th in the conference. Cannon also owns two of UCR's three 3-RBI performances this season. That includes the Highlanders' 8-1 season-opening win over WSU, when the sophomore tallied a career-high five RBI, most coming on his first ever grand slam in the bottom of the seventh.

OFFENSIVE EXPLOSION
UC Riverside hit .472 as a team against Valparaiso on Mar. 7, exploding for season-highs of 14 runs and 17 hits. It was the most hits for the Highlanders since recording 18 against Long Beach State on Apr. 23, 2016.

Seven different Highlanders finished with multiple runs or RBI. Senior shortstop Colby Schultz finished 3-of-5 for 2 RBI, and had his second three-run game in his last five outings. Sophomore Connor Cannon finished with a team-high 3 RBI.

STREAKERS
The Highlanders won four straight games from Mar. 6 - Mar. 11 for their longest win streak so far this season. It was UCR's first four-game win streak since opening the 2017 season with a 4-0 record.

BIG WEST BEGINS
Following Tuesday's game at Fresno State, the Highlanders will be home for their next seven outings. They will open their 2018 Big West campaign this Thursday-Saturday against UC Davis, before hosting CSUN the following weekend.