MORAGA, Calif. — The Gaels took on some high level competition to open the season at the NorCal Kickoff Classic, but managed to depart the tournament with a strong 3-2 showing, with their only two losses coming at the hands of unbeaten Cal Poly. The Gaels quickly established themselves as a high level offensive team that also boasts a deep arsenal of pitching talent. The Gaels will continue their first month of the season on the road, next taking part in the Fresno State Invitational, in which they will take on Utah Valley, Oregon State and host Fresno State between February 16 and 18.

THE DETAILS
Saint Mary's Gaels vs Utah Valley Wolverines 
Friday, February 16 at 10 AM 
Wright Diamond – Fresno, Calif. 
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Saint Mary's Gaels vs Oregon State Beavers
Friday, February 16 at 1 PM
Wright Diamond – Fresno, Calif.
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Saint Mary's Gaels vs Utah Valley Wolverines
Saturday, February 17 at 1 PM
Wright Diamond – Fresno, Calif. 
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Saint Mary's Gaels at Fresno State Bulldogs
Saturday February 17 at 7 PM
Wright Diamond – Fresno, Calif.
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Saint Mary's Gaels at Fresno State Bulldogs
Sunday, February 18 at 11:30 AM
Wright Diamond – Fresno, Calif. 
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SWEEP OF WCC WEEKLY AWARDS PUTS THE EXCLAMATION POINT ON OPENING WEEKEND
Not only did Saint Mary's put together a strong opening week in Davis, but they turned heads doing it, and as such, earned their first sweep of the WCC Weekly Awards since March of 2020. Tori Cervantes picked up player of the week honors after going 6-for-15 at the plate with a triple, three home runs and seven runs batted in. Through one week of the season, Cervantes leads the conference in triples, home runs, and RBI. Meanwhile, in the circle, freshman Mia Nishikawa tossed 10.2 innings in three games of work, amassing a 1.97 ERA, a 0.84 WHIP and a 0.200 opposing batting average, all in her first collegiate action. The last duo to sweep the WCC weekly awards were Alex Casas and Sofia Earle in the final week of the shortened 2020 season. 

ABOUT THE WOLVERINES
Utah Valley opened their season winless at the Puerto Vallarta Collegiate Challenge, but don't let the 0-4 record fool you, as they did battle with three top-15 teams, and battled #5 Washington and #13 Nebraska to one run defeats. Third year Head Coach Cody Thomson continues to build his program at UVU after making his way to the Wolverines from the University of Utah, and will hope that year three is the one in which he can take UVU to a WAC title. So far, this year's team has been led by transfer Halle Morris, who Coach Thomson coached at the University of Utah. Morris not only leads the Wolverines with a 0.300 batting average, but also leads her squad in innings pitched, strike outs, ERA and opposing batting average. These meetings will be the 21st and 22nd all-time between the Gaels and Wolverines, with Utah Valley leading the all-time series 12-8. 

ABOUT THE BEAVERS
Set to be conference foes in 2025, Saint Mary's will get an early look at the Beavers in their final season in the Pac-12. Oregon State started their season in Tampa at the USF Rawlings Invitational, going 3-2 with a pair of narrow one run losses to Florida and Michigan. Laura Berg is in her 12th season at the helm of the Oregon State program and looks to make it back to the Women's College World Series for the second time in her career. Offensively, the team has been led by catcher Lici Campbell, who has logged a hit in every game of the young season, including two home runs, en route to a 0.357 batting average. The real story for Oregon State, however, is their terrific pitching staff. The trio of Ellie Garcia, Logan Hulon and Sarah Haendiges have combined for a team ERA of 1.08 and a team WHIP of 0.90. Garcia has not given up a run this season, Hulon leads her team in strikeouts after transferring from Texas and Haendiges looks in all-conference form after being named All-Pac12 as a freshman back in 2022. This will mark the 26th meeting all-time between the Gaels and Beavers, with the Beavers leading the all-time series 21-4. 

ABOUT THE BULLDOGS
Fresno State will play tournament host for the second consecutive weekend after going 4-1 in the Fresno State Kickoff Classic a week ago. The Bulldogs dropped their season opener to South Dakota State before rattling off four straight victories. Third year Head Coach Stacy May-Johnson made a four win jump between year one and year two in the Valley and hopes to take an even bigger leap in year three. Long time Bulldog Keahilele Mattson enters her senior year with the program, and already looks like she's primed for another all-conference bid, batting at 0.357 with two doubles and five RBI in the early going. In the circle, sophomore Serayah Neiss looks dominant, tossing 13 innings over opening weekend and allowing just one earned run for a 0.69 ERA. Fresno State is 25-4 all-time against the Gaels. 

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