FROM CBD NEWS SOURCE
DAVIS, Calif. – The UC Davis baseball team will open the 2013 campaign in a big way, hosting back-to-back four-game series against Pac-12 competitors Washington and Utah as the Aggies open the year with nine straight games at Dobbins Stadium in Davis.
A single matchup against Super Regional participant Stanford in Davis, a road series at Oklahoma State and four Big West Conference home series also highlight an exciting and challenging schedule as announced by second-year head coach Matt Vaughn.
“The more challenging you can make your nonconference schedule, the more prepared you’ll be for conference play,” said Vaughn who begins his 26th total season with the Aggie baseball program. “The Big West is a great conference and we always look at those games as our toughest stretch of the year, so playing against some Pac-12 teams and a Big 12 opponent will help us prepare for that.”
UC Davis opens up the season against Washington on Feb. 15, playing a single game on Friday prior to a doubleheader on Saturday. The Aggies and Huskies return to Dobbins Stadium for the series finale on Feb. 17.
Following the season opener, UC Davis hosts San Jose State, then faces Utah in another four-game series Feb. 22-25. The Utes, who completed their first season in the Pac-12 last year, return to Davis for the second consecutive season and the third time in four years.
The Aggies take their first road trip of the year on Mar. 1, traveling to Stillwater, Okla. and storied Allie P. Reynolds Stadium for their first-ever matchup against Oklahoma State. The Cowboys have advanced to the College World Series 19 times, the fourth most in NCAA history, and most recently saw junior All-American pitcher Andrew Heaney selected by Miami as the No. 9 overall draft pick in the 2012 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft.
After the three-game series against Oklahoma State, UC Davis returns home for five straight contests, including a home series against CSU Bakersfield which enters its first season in the Western Athletic Conference. Last year, UC Davis claimed two-of-three games from the Roadrunners, including a 10-6 victory in a 16-inning thriller in Bakersfield.
Stanford, which ranked 13th nationally by Baseball America at the end of last season, visits Dobbins Baseball Complex on Mar. 26 for a midweek matchup. The Cardinal were the No. 1 team in the country when UC Davis traveled to Sunken Diamond last season and finished the season in a Super Regional for the second straight time.
“Over the last three or four years we have continuously played some of these perenially-ranked teams and I think that speaks to our program being headed in the right direction,” said Vaughn.
Big West Conference action gets underway on Mar. 28 when UC Davis opens league play on the road at Cal Poly.
The Aggies return home to host their first Big West Conference series Apr. 5-7 when Cal State Fullerton arrives in Davis. The reigning conference champions advanced to their 21st consecutive NCAA Regional last season and were ranked as high as 18th nationally at the end of the 2012 season.
UC Davis will also host home series against UC Riverside (Apr. 19-21) and Cal State Northridge (May 3-5) before closing out the 2013 campaign at home against UC Santa Barbara (May 23-25).
In his first year as head coach, Vaughn led UC Davis to an overall record of 27-30 as the Aggies won the last four straight Big West series of the 2012 season, taking 2-of-3 from Cal Poly, Long Beach State, Cal State Northridge and UC Irvine. The Mustangs, DIrtbags and Anteaters finished second, third and fourth, respectively, in the Big West.
The Aggies won seven of their last 10 games for their highest win total since the 2008 season when UC Davis advanced to an NCAA Div. I regional. Nick Lynch was selected to the 2012 Louisville Slugger Freshman All-America team and he and third baseman Paul Politi were each selected to the All-Big West Conference second team.
