RIVERSIDE, Calif. – UC Riverside (16-23, 5-7) returns home this weekend to face Long Beach State (18-26, 4-8) in the Highlanders' first ESPN3 broadcast series of the season.
LAST WEEK RECAP
UC Riverside ended a five-game losing streak with a come-from-behind effort at UC Santa Barbara on Sunday, scoring the final 10 runs to go on to a 14-10 win. Back-to-back home runs in the 11th inning from Anthony Lepre and Matt Hardy put the finishing touches as the Highlanders narrowly avoided their first weekend sweep of the year. Two days later, UCR fell at San Diego State, 8-6, after falling behind by six runs for the second straight game.
LEPRE ON A TEAR
On Tuesday, junior catcher Anthony Lepre saw an eight-game hit streak come to an end, one more than his previous season-long streak of seven. His 10 multi-hit outings, 28 RBI and three triples this year are second-to-none for UCR, while his .315 batting average and four home runs rank second on the team.
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 first in the Big West in doubles (6), second in on base percentage (.464) and sixth in batting average (.375), all marks which lead UCR. His 14 doubles for the season also rank second in the conference.
STUD AT SHORTSTOP
Senior shortstop Colby Schultz enters the Highlanders' weekend series with Long Beach State with a hit in eight straight outings, the longest current streak on the team. The Brooks Wallace Award candidate leads UCR in runs (28), hits (48) and assists (113) by a significant margin this season.
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 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.
ATOP THE PACK
The Highlanders have improved their offensive production significantly during Big West play, leading the pack in batting average (.304) and slugging (.462) while ranking in the top three in a number of other statistical categories. With 48 extra-base hits and 35 doubles, they trail UC Davis for the conference-lead by one and two, respectively. The Highlanders also rank third in runs (73), home runs (10), RBI (70).
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.
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
3/31/18 vs. UC Davis 15 Hits
HOLDING DOWN THE MOUND
Right-handed pitcher Cole Percival (5-2) is another Highlander having a great freshman season. He has pitched the most innings (63.0) on the team, leading the way in wins (5) and strikeouts (48) and opposing batting average (.222). His team-leading 3.00 ERA also ranks eighth 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.
JUST GETTING STARTED
Right-handed pitcher Jared Morton has a 2-2 record and a 3.48 ERA in 33.2 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 five 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.
