MORAGA, Calif. — The Gaels (19-13) will look to finish off their best non-conference slate since the start of WCC softball with a couple more wins on the road, as they get set to take on Cal and UC Davis in their final week before the start of WCC play. Both of these games will be rematches for the Gaels, who fell to the Golden Bear 7-1 on March 5, and defeated UC Davis in their opener 6-0 on February 9.
THE DETAILS
Saint Mary's Gaels at #20 Cal Golden Bears
Wednesday, April 3 at 3 PM
Levine-Fricke Field – Berkeley, Calif.
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LIVE STATS
Saint Mary's Gaels at UC Davis Aggies
Thursday, April 4 at 3 PM
La Rue Field – Davis, Calif.
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LIVE STATS
FERGUSON IN THE RECORD BOOKS…AGAIN
Prior to last week, Hannah Ferguson's name already appeared in the SMC Softball history books once, as her 35 career stolen bases rank her in the top-10 all time. That said, Hannah etched her name into the history books again last week. It was only a matter of time before she found herself ranked in the top-10 in program history in batting average, but after her two contests last week, she reached 250 at-bats, the qualifying number to rank in that category. The sophomore is 79-for-254 in her illustrious career, good for a 0.311 average. That ranks her eighth all-time in that category. Ferguson is one of three active Gaels in the record books, as Marissa Montelong ranks fifth all-time with 42 career stolen bases, and Sam Buckley, just a freshman, ranks tenth all-time with six triples.
ONE AWAY FROM A MILESTONE
Head Coach Sonja Garnett sits at 199 career wins between her time at Saint Mary's and Academy of Art. Garnett tallied 110 wins at the helm of the Urban Knights, and sits at 89 for her Saint Mary's career. The 89 wins at the helm of the Gaels ranks her fourth in program history, but is five wins away from moving into third, and 15 wins away from moving into second all-time. The program record holder for wins at the helm is held by Jessica Hanaseth, who led the team from 2005-2018, and won 278 games.
ABOUT THE GOLDEN BEARS
The Gaels will meet up with the Golden Bears for the second time this season. Cal comes in ranked 20th in the country according to USA Softball with a record of 26-10. They're coming off of a 2-2 week that saw them defeat Weber State before dropping two of three to Utah, all on the road. Fourth year head coach Chelsea Spencer recently celebrated her 100th win at the helm of the Cal program. The middle infield duo of Acacia Anders and Elon Butler have been stars 1 and 1A for the Golden Bears. Anders is batting .400 with 23 extra base hits and 30 RBI. Butler is batting .398 with 19 extra base hits and 30 RBI. Cal defeated the Gaels in their last meeting this season, 7-1. Catcher Lagi Quiroga blasted a pair of home runs against Saint Mary's. All-time, Cal leads the series 65-2.
ABOUT THE AGGIES
It's been nearly two months since the Gaels last met up with UC Davis. Since the Gaels won their season opener against the Aggies, they have totalled a 12-16 record, including a 3-6 record in Big West play. Tenth year Head Coach Erin Thorpe recently became the second winningest coach in program history with a record of 220-239. Leah Polson has led the offense this season for Davis with a .310 batting average, while Anna Dethlefson is batting .306 with a team-high six extra base hits and 22 stolen bases. In the circle, senior Kennedi Brown has been the team's overall leader, going 5-8 with a 2.53 ERA in 18 appearances (14 starts). In their first matchup this season, the Gaels, led by Odhi Vasquez, one hit the Aggies, winning 6-0. In 61 prior meetings, the Aggies lead the series 44-17.
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