FULLERTON, Calif. – UC Riverside (17-26, 5-10) travels to Fullerton this weekend to take on the Titans (25-20, 12-3) in the Highlanders' penultimate conference road series of 2018. Friday's series-opener is set for a 7:00 p.m. start time at Goodwin Field. Saturday and Sunday's games will begin at 6:00 p.m. and 1:00 p.m., respectively.
SAN DIEGO RECAP
UC Riverside ended a four-game skid with a 6-5 win at San Diego on Tuesday, May 8, in the Highlanders' final non-conference outing of 2018. UCR did all of its damage in the third inning, putting up six runs on seven hits. The pitching cominbation of Max Compton and Hazahel Quijada would close out the game strong, keeping Fullerton without a hit or a run over the final three innings to give Quijada his third save of the year.
LEPRE ON A TEAR
Junior catcher Anthony Lepre enters this weekend with a hit in 11 of his last 13 outings. He has two hit streaks of seven or more games this season and ranks second on the team in RBI (29), home runs (5) and slugging percentage (.504).
THAT'S ONE WAY TO START
On Friday, Mar. 29, UC Riverside opened its 2018 Big West campaign with its hottest start ever out of the conference gates. The Highlanders posted 16 runs, 20 hits and 14 RBI, shattering their previous records for runs (7 vs. UCSB in 2007), hits (15 vs. Cal Poly in 2003) and RBI (8, twice) in a conference season-opener since joining the Big West in 2002. It was also the Highlanders' first 20-hit performance in over three years.
Sophomore Connor Cannon led the way with three hits on a career-high tying five RBI, which were split between a three-run homer and a two-run double. Five different Highlanders notched three hits for the first time this season as UCR enjoyed its third six-run inning of the year in the bottom of the third.
FANTASTIC FRESHMAN
Freshman Nathan Webb opened the conference season red hot, recording a hit in each of his first nine Big West games. He currently ranks second in the Big West in doubles (6) during conference play. Prior to the Highlanders' last conference series against Long Beach State, Webb was also second in on base percentage (.464) and sixth in batting average (.375). His 15 doubles for the season also rank third in the conference. Nearly half (16) of his 34 hits have gone for extra bases.
STUD AT SHORTSTOP
Shortstop Colby Schultz has been Mr. Consistency for UCR in his redshirt senior season, entering this weekend's series with a hit in 12 straight outings, the longest streak of any Highlander this season. The Brooks Wallace Award candidate ranks seventh in the conference in hits (55), eighth in batting average (.324) and 11th in runs (30).
ATOP THE PACK
The Highlanders have improved their offensive production significantly during Big West play, ranking in the top three in a number of other statistical categories. They lead the conference in doubles (39), are second in slugging (.448) and homers (14), and third in hits (158) and batting average (.289). They also have more extra-base hits (56) than any orther Big West team.
WHAT A WEEKEND
UC Riverside ended the opening weekend of Big West play with the most runs (27), hits (41), RBI (25), batting average (.383) and slugging percentage (.607) in the conference, all marks which also set Division I program records for a conference-opening weekend. Six different Highlanders batted over .400 with five hits in three games.
The strong start against UC Davis gave the Highlanders their third 2-0 start ever in Big West play. The only other times they started 2-0 were in 2016 – also against the Aggies – and in a 2013 sweep over UC Irvine.
BUILT LIKE A MOUNTAIN
Connor Cannon got back to his power-hitting ways in the Highlanders' last Big West series against LBSU, racking up two hits in all three games. He also homered in consecutive contests for the third time this year. Over his last four conference outings, he is batting .474 with seven hits and seven RBI.
Cannon earned his first career Big West Field Player of the Week Award in early April. From Mar. 27-31, the sophomore batted .467 (7-for-15) and put up a 1.200 slugging and .556 on base percentage to go along with six runs, 10 RBI and three walks. Cannon also launched a home run in three consecutive games. Prior to that week, he had never homered in back-to-back outings.
Already with two 5-RBI games this season, Cannon is the first Highlander with multiple 5-RBI performances since Tony Nix in 2010.
Cannon's first 5-RBI game of the year came in the Highlanders' 8-1 season-opening win over WSU on Feb. 16, when he recorded his first ever grand slam in the bottom of the seventh. For the season, he leads UCR in home runs (6) and RBI (23), marks which rank third and 13th in the Big West, respectively.
HOLDING DOWN THE MOUND
Right-handed pitcher Cole Percival (5-3) is another Highlander having a great freshman season. He has pitched the most innings (69.1) on the team, leading the way in wins (5) and strikeouts (50) and opposing batting average (.237). His team-leading 3.37 ERA is the best of any freshman pitcher in the conference, ranking 10th overall 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.
R' HOUSE
The Highlanders have gone 10-11 at home this season, already matching their 2017 win-total, when they went 10-15. From Mar. 6 to Mar. 30, they were nearly unbeatable at The Plex, posting a record of 7-1. They will close out the regular season with a home series against Cal Poly from May 24-26, with the final two games being broadcast on ESPN3.
RACK 'EM UP
During that run in March, the Highlanders enjoyed three of their top four hitting performances of the season:
Top Hitting Performances of 2018
3/29/18 vs. UC Davis 20 Hits
3/14/18 vs. Grand Canyon 19 Hits
4/14/18 at Hawai'i 18 Hits
3/7/18 vs. Valparaiso 17 Hits
4/29/18 at UC Santa Barbara 17 Hits
JUST GETTING STARTED
Right-handed pitcher Jared Morton has a 2-3 record and a 3.63 ERA in 39.2 innings pitched this year. The senior is also fifth in the Big West in saves (5). Now with nine saves in his career, he is tied for No. 8 all-time in the UCR record books.
Morton earned his first start of the season on April 22 against San Jose State, after serving as the team's primary closer for the first two months. The Highlanders were 10-2 in his first 12 appearances this season, but have lost the last six games where he has seen the mound. In his first conference appearance on Mar. 30, he pitched a perfect three innings to close out the Aggies, retiring all nine batters he faced.
OFFENSIVE EXPLOSION
UC Riverside hit .472 as a team against Valparaiso on Mar. 7, exploding for 14 runs and 17 hits. At the time, 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.
ONE MORE FOR THE ROAD
Following this weekend's series, UCR will play its final non-conference game at San Diego on Tuesday, May 8.
