May 4, 2005

LOGAN, Utah -

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QUICKLY -- With finals winding down, Utah State's softball team rounds out its home schedule with a three game series against UC Davis beginning Saturday, May 7. The two teams open the series with a single game on Saturday at 2 p.m., then close the series with a doubleheader on Mother's Day beginning at 10 a.m. Sunday's doubleheader will also be the Aggies' senior day as they honor seniors Candice Hatch, Michell Vlahos and Kelly Leos... The series will be the first meeting between the two teams... USU is 20-27 under its first year head coach Lonny Sargent. The 20 wins is the most by an Aggie team since 1997.

UC DAVIS PREVIEW -- UC Davis is finishing up its first season with new head coach, Karen Matteson. UCD is currently riding a five-game losing streak and sits at 7-43 on the season. The Aggies most recently suffered a three-game sweep at the hands of Cal State Fullerton. Stacey Benzing is the Aggies' leading hitter, with a .265 average, including three doubles , three RBI, and a home run. Megan De La Hoya is leading the team in hits with 40 including seven doubles, three triples, and eight RBI. As a team, UC Davis is hitting .191, while its pitchers are holding opponents to a .264 average. Pitcher Jessica Hancock (1-9) leads the team with a 2.09 ERA. She has pitched 67 innings, giving up 58 hits and only 20 earned runs. She is followed by Lindsay Tognetti (0-13) who has a 3.15 ERA after 84 innings. The entire pitching staff has a combined 3.20 ERA.

TEAM NOTES -- Utah State is coming off a doubleheader sweep of Utah Valley State last Saturday, which marks the first time it has swept a doubleheader since taking two from Northern Colorado on April 7... Sara Fleming and Leslie Higley have both received Big West Honors this season. Fleming was named the Big West Softball Player of the Week on April 25, while Higley nabbed Co-Pitcher of the Week honors on April 18... Higley is leading the bullpen with a 3.00 ERA allowing 58 earned runs in 135.1 innings.. She is also leading the team with 66 strikeouts and is the first Aggie pitcher with a winning record since 1996... Higley has gone 9-0 with a 1.77 ERA in her last 12 appearances... Fleming leads the Aggies in slugging percentage (.655), hits (46), doubles (15), total bases (93), and home runs (10). She is tied for the lead in two other catagories: batting average (.324) and runs scored (26)... Fleming is currently leading the Big West with 15 doubles. She is also tenth in batting average, third in slugging percentage, second in total bases, and fourth in home runs... Roxanne Ritchie is now tied for second in the Big West in triples as she nabbed a three-bagger against Utah Valley State last weekend... Quela Leonhardt is tied with Fleming with a .324 average and leads the team in RBI (28)... USU is leading the Big West with 28 double plays, which is a new school record.