MORAGA, Calif. — The Gaels will play a mid-week matchup against UCSB on Tuesday before hitting the road for a three-game series against BYU.

SCHEDULE
Game #25
Saint Mary's Gaels (15-9) vs. UC Santa Barbara Gauchos (17-3)
Tuesday, March 26, 3:00 p.m.
Moraga, Calif. –– Louis Guisto Field
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Game #26
Saint Mary's Gaels (15-9) at BYU Cougars (17-5)
Thursday, March 28, 6:00 p.m. MT
Provo, Utah –– Miller Park
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Game #27
Saint Mary's Gaels at BYU Cougars
Friday, March 29, 6:00 p.m. MT
Provo, Utah –– Miller Park
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Game #28
Saint Mary's Gaels at BYU Cougars
Saturday, March 30, 1:00 p.m. MT
Provo, Utah –– Miller Park
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SCOUTING REPORT
The Gaels are entering this week with a 15-9 record and are 3-0 in conference play. The team is currently ranked first in the conference ahead of second place LMU and third place BYU. The team is ranked fourth in the nation in fielding percentage (0.988). The squad is also tied 19th in the nation in doubles per game (2.25) and are ranked seventh in total doubles on the season (54). Joe Vranesh is ranked 20th and first in the conference with 28 doubles this season. Austin Chauvin and Vranesh are tied for 24th in the country and first in the WCC with three triples. Ryan Novis' 37 hits are also ranked 20th in the NCAA and first in the conference.

Three Gaels are hitting over .300 on the season including Novis, whose .393 batting average is ranked second in the conference and 51st in the nation. He also leads the team with 27 RBI. Vranesh is batting .372 with a .686 slugging percentage and a .500 on-base percentage (OPS 1.186). He also leads the team with four homeruns while Novis, Milam and Eddie Haus each have two homeruns. Kevin Milam has a .319 batting average and is tied with Vranesh for the most doubles on the season with nine apiece. Saint Mary's is also experiencing great success at home with a record of 9-1 at Louis Guisto, which is tied with San Francisco for the best home record in the WCC.

Standouts for SMC last week included sophomore Jack Murphy who batted .417 (5-for-12) in the Gaels' 4-game set at Cal Poly. Murphy has eight runs batted in, two doubles, and scored a run. Freshman Bryce Willits also had a strong series as he batted .562 against the Mustangs (9-for-16) including going 5-for-5 in the series finale. On the mound, sophomore Carlos Lomeli pitched his longest outing of the season in his fifth start last Saturday against Cal Poly. He allowed just one earned run on five hits and no walks.

UC SANTA BARBARA
The Gauchos are visiting Louis Guisto Field with a record of 17-3 so far and have yet to play a conference matchup. USCB is coming off of a three-game sweep of Missouri State where they collected a total of 22 runs compared to the Bears who recorded just seven. Prior to a 5-1 loss against California Baptist on March 17, the Gauchos were on a 12-game winning streak since February 22. The team has a record of 7-2 on the road and has not lost a matchup on the road since their fourth game of the season against UNLV.

Junior Eric Yang is leading UC Santa Barbara this season with a batting average of .417 and a slugging percentage of .569. He has 30 total hits on the year which is first on the team as well as 19 RBI. Yang has recorded the most doubles on his team (8) and is one of nine players for the Gauchos who have at least one homerun this season. Junior Armani Smith has also been big for USCB this season as he has six homeruns thus far and three triples, which is tied with Vranesh and Chauvin for 24th in the nation. Smith also has the second highest slugging percentage on the team (.640).

On the mound, sophomore starter Jack Dashwood has been a key piece of the Gaucho defense. Dashwood has an ERA of 2.61 through his five starts and 31.1 innings pitched this season. He has only allowed nine earned runs and 25 hits, while striking out 40 batters and walking only eight. Dashwood has also only given up one homerun all season. Freshman Mike McGreevy has been the main reliever for UCSB and has made 11 appearances so far with 25.2 innings pitched. He has an ERA of 1.40 with three wins and four saves. McGreevy has allowed only four earned runs while striking out 30 batters and walking only five.

BYU
The Cougars have a 17-5 record this season and a 4-2 conference record. BYU is currently on a four-game winning streak after beating Utah Valley in a single-game matchup and then sweeping Portland in a three-game series. Prior to the winning streak, the Cougars dropped two games of a three-game series against Gonzaga. The squad has a record of 9-2 at home this season with the only two losses being to the Bulldogs. BYU is ranked third in the conference behind LMU and Saint Mary's.

Senior Brian Hsu is leading the Cougars with a batting average of .380 and has started in 20 game for BYU this season. He has 30 hits and a slugging percentage of .430 and an on-base percentage of .456. Senior Brock Hale has also been important for BYU as he leads the team with three homeruns and a slugging percentage of .467. Jackson Cluff has the most doubles on the team (8) and is tied for first on the team with two triples. Cluff is one of just two players along with Hale who has started in every game for the Cougars this season.

On the hill, senior Jordan Wood has been pitching well for the Cougars through his six starts. Wood has an ERA of 1.63 and has pitched 38.2 innings pitched. He has only allowed seven earned runs and 33 hits, while striking out 29 batters and walking only 11. Sophomore Walker Easton has made 10 appearances this season and still holds a 0.00 ERA. He has allowed just 11 hits and has stuck out 14 batters.

#GaelsRise – For ticket information to all home baseball games, call the SMC Ticket Office today at 925-631-4689 or click the ticket link here to purchase your seats now.