UC DAVIS AGGIES
Baseball, Softball Mixes Veterans With New Faces

Head coach Rex Peters looks to continue growing his group of young players and use last year's experiences as a foundation for success in 2010.

Sarah Axelson is a formidable batter. Photo: Wayne Tilcock, Davis Enterprise

"We have to throw strikes and our defense has to improve. If we do those two things, we're going to at least give ourselves a chance to be competitive and win some games," said Peters.

Sophomores Dayne Quist, Anthony Kupbens and Scott Lyman will serve as UC Davis' weekend pitching rotation, while junior right-hander Tom Briner will slip into the role of short reliever and closer.

Senior Kyle Mihaylo returns to right field while Daniel Cepin continues as the Aggies' anchor in center field. Cepin started 48 of 49 games in 2009 and posted a .289 batting average. UC Davis will have a variety of options to try at left field including true freshman Seth Batty as well as Lyman.

The infield will feature a plethora of young talent. Sophomore Eric Johnson takes over first base duties while Scott Heylman will split time between second base and shortstop. Heylman, a junior, started 39 games and finished with a .279 batting average in 2009. Paul Politi, a redshirt freshman, will occupy third base while time behind home plate will be divided between Scott Kalush and Alex Dreyfuss. Kalush started 37 of 46 games in 2009 while Dreyfuss, a junior, returns from an injury that sidelined him a year ago.

"I think we are still a growing group of young players who are trying to find their way and discover their roles," said Peters. "I think our goal is just to get better as the year goes on and get the program back on track after an off-year last year."

The 2010 schedule boasts 15 games against teams who qualified for postseason play in 2009, including a home series against powerhouse UC Irvine, which earned the No. 6 national seed in the NCAA tournament last year. The Aggies begin Big West Conference action April 1 with a trip to Cal State Fullerton. The Titans were the No. 2 national seed and advanced to the College World Series last year.

Aggie Softball Preview

The 2010 Aggie squad will feature plenty of veteran talent mixed in with many new faces as the program begins its sixth season under head coach Karen Yoder.

The Aggies had four players receive postseason honors a year ago, including Alex Holmes, who was named first-team All-Big West as a designated player and honorable mention as a pitcher. In addition, Kelly Harman was recognized as the Big West Freshman Field Player of the Year while also garnering honorable mention as a shortstop.

"We're definitely stronger defensively," said Yoder. "We have depth at more positions and more players who are playing multiple positions, which creates versatility and strengthens our team."

Ten players return from last year and are complemented by six true freshmen. The seniors include Marissa Araujo, who started 48 games as a junior. Sarah Axelson has logged 134 games so far in her UC Davis career while Michelle Espiritu was a perfect 7-for-7 in stolen bases in 2009.

Aggie softball will also deal with a challenging schedule. UC Davis will take on defending national champion Washington and perennial power Florida. The Aggies will also play at UCLA, twice against both Stanford and Northwestern, and three times against UC Berkeley.

"We're facing some strong competition that will challenge us and serve as a measuring stick going into the Big West portion of our schedule," said Yoder.