LA JOLLA, Calif. – The UC San Diego softball team will return to Triton Softball Field for a six-game home stand, beginning with a three-game conference series with UC Riverside on May 1 – May 2. Saturday's doubleheader and Sunday's single game are slated for 1 p.m. in La Jolla.
THE SCHEDULE (GAMES 27-29)
Game 1
vs.
UC Riverside (6-21, 5-13 BWC)
Saturday, May 1 • 1 p.m.
Triton Softball Field • La Jolla
Watch Live on ESPN3 •
Live Stats
Game 2
vs.
UC Riverside (6-21, 5-13 BWC)
Saturday, May 1 • 30 mins following game 1
Triton Softball Field • La Jolla
Watch Live on ESPN3 •
Live Stats
Game 3
vs.
UC Riverside (6-21, 5-13 BWC)
Sunday, May 2 • 1 p.m.
Triton Softball Field • La Jolla
Watch Live on ESPN3 •
Live Stats
Series Record: UC Riverside leads, 5-14
Last Meeting: UC Riverside won, 2-6 (4/3/1993)
UC SAN DIEGO AND COVID-19
UC San Diego's nationally renowned Return to Learn program was created to return to in-person teaching, learning, conducting pioneering research and serving our communities in the safest way possible. The program has three adaptive pillars that are central to our strategy to resume on-campus activity: risk mitigation, viral detection, and intervention.
For the latest information on UC San Diego and COVID-19, please visit the University's
Return to Learn site.
ATTENDING THE GAMES
Per current COVID-19 safety guidelines and protocols implemented by UC San Diego, spectators are not permitted to attend home games at Triton Softball Field at this time. Each UC San Diego scholar-athlete is permitted to admit two guests per contest. Scholar-athlete guests must be pre-registered and follow all campus safety guidelines including – but not limited to – health screening surveys, wearing masks that cover nose and mouth at all times, and proper physical distancing. UC San Diego reserves the right to deny entry to, or remove, guests who are not in compliance, and may amend this policy at any time. Due to current campus policy, student-athlete guests for visiting teams are not permitted.
ABOUT UC SAN DIEGO
Roster |
Schedule |
Stats
Overall: 9-17
Big West: 5-10
Home: 6-8
Away: 3-9
Neutral: 0-0
vs. Ranked Opponents: 0-1
Streak: L1
ABOUT UC RIVERSIDE
Roster |
Schedule |
Stats
Overall: 6-21
Big West: 5-13
Home: 5-12
Away: 1-9
Neutral: 0-0
vs. Ranked Opponents: N/A
Streak: L1
LAST TIME OUT
Last weekend, UC San Diego fell 1-2 to UC Davis on the road, including two nine-inning, one-run heartbreakers. Game scores were 2-3 (9 Inn.), 5-1, and 4-5 (9 Inn.). The Tritons have now played five extra-inning contests in 2021, but have lost four consecutively.
Highlighting the three-game series was sophomore right-hander
Kaia Simpson who snapped the Aggies eight-game win streak in the first game of Saturday's doubleheader. Simpson tossed a career-best seven-inning, one-run, complete game, earning her first victory of the season. Accumulating an ERA of 1.00, Simpson allowed just five hits, none which were extra bases and fanned four. She held the Aggies to a 2.00 batting average and retired them in order, two out of the seven frames.
From an offensive standpoint, sophomore
Sophia Real led the Triton sticks, batting .455 (5-for-11) with a double, a walk and a .500 on-base percentage. Senior
Isabel Lavrov also contributed at the plate, going 3-for-9 (.333), nearly hitting for the cycle over the course of the three games. She was just shy of a single as she slugged for 1.000. Additionally, she scored three times and drove in three runs.
SCOUTING REPORT
In the preseason coaches' poll, UC Riverside was picked to finish in the middle of the pack at number six.
The Highlanders have three players lining the Big West leader boards. Lauryn Garewal is tied for fourth in stolen bases (10), while right-handed hurler Chrys Hildebrand is fourth in strikeouts (75) and Caitlyn Rivera is tied for second in saves (2).
The Highlanders are another big running team as they rank second in the Big West with 24 stolen bases among conference play. They are right behind UC San Diego in league home runs with 10, but have committed the most errors during Big West action at 29.
Against teams the Tritons have already faced, UC Riverside was swept in three games by Long Beach State, Cal State Fullerton, and UC Davis. They won one of three games against Hawaii.
UC RIVERSIDE TIES
Another special moment awaits UC San Diego Head Coach
Patti Gerckens when the Tritons take on UC Riverside this weekend. On April 23-24, Gerckens went head-to-head with one of her former players and 2000 UC San Diego grad, Erin (Bridges) Thorpe who is currently at the helm of UC Davis.
Gerckens will face another former player in
Nikki Palmer, head coach of the Highlanders on May 1-2. Palmer was a four-year letter-winning catcher for the Tritons, graduating in 2007 with a double major in sociology and communication. Palmer started in 146 of the 158 games she played in, tallied 63 hits, 13 which were extra bases, and drew 38 walks.
Following her senior season, Palmer became the assistant coach for UC San Diego in 2008, alongside Sara (Robinson) Allard, the Tritons' ESPN3 color analyst. Gerckens, the two UC San Diego alum and the rest of the coaching staff guided the program to the 2008 NCAA DII West Region Tournament that year.
Nikki Palmer '07
MILESTONE MADNESS
UC San Diego has seen multiple Tritons reached career milestones throughout the month of April.
Sherriah Harrington notched career hit number 150 on April 11, as
Bobbi Aguirre (April 10),
Keila Bosinger (April 17), and
Isabel Lavrov (April 23) tallied base knocks 100, one weekend after another.
Additionally,
Danica Kazakoff stole her 50th career base on April 17, becoming eighth on the all-time list as
Robyn Wampler continues to etch her name in various individual pitching categories.
KAIA SIMPSON GARNERS USE CREDIT UNION ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
Sophomore
Kaia Simpson was named UC San Diego's Athlete of the Week on April 26 for her dominant pitching performance against UC Davis in game two of the three-game conference series. For more, click
here.
LEAD OFF SUCCESS
Keila Bosinger has been everything a coach can ask for from a leadoff batter. The junior has reached safely 20 times out of 37 opportunities, good for .547 when she is the first Triton up in an inning. She also leads the teams in multi-hit games with nine.
THE REAL DEAL
Sophomore
Sophia Real has lifted her batting average .146 since beginning Big West play. The Poway native got off to a slow start in 2021, but ever since conference games kick-started on Mar. 26, the third baseman/shortstop quickly found a way out of the rut. Real is batting .326 in league games with 14 hits and has only struck out three times in 55 plate appearances.
TRITONS HIGHLIGHTED ON NCAA TOP PLAYS
Keila Bosinger and
Bobbi Aguirre were featured on the @NCAASoftball Instagram and Twitter handles for their spectacular defensive plays against UC Santa Barbara.
DEEN THE MACHINE GARNERS BIG WEST WEEKLY HONORS
Week seven of conference weekly awards brought the Tritons their first-ever Big West freshman accolade.
Deena Pederson was named the Big West Freshman of the Week on Mar. 29 following her breakout weekend against UC Santa Barbara. For more, click
here.
NFCA TOP PERFORMERS
The National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) selected Harrington and Pederson as top performers for the week of Mar. 30 based on their numbers against the Gauchos. In the mix were various players from top-ranked teams, including Oklahoma, Oregon, and Washington.
FIRST-EVER BIG WEST CONFERENCE WEEKLY ACCOLADES
Senior
Robyn Wampler and junior
Clarissa Reynoso were named the program's first-ever Big West Pitcher of the Week and Field Player of the Week, respectively, for their efforts against Grand Canyon. For more, click
here.
BIG WEST LEADER BOARDS
UC San Diego fares well among the league's leader boards, despite playing the third-fewest games in the league (26). Its defense is tied for second in double plays (10) alongside three other teams, while its offense is ranked second in home runs (18) and fifth in slugging percentage (.381). Individually,
Kaia Simpson is tied for third in saves (2).
FIELDING
| TEAM |
DOUBLE PLAYS |
| 1. Cal Poly |
13 |
| 2. UC San Diego |
10 |
| 1. Cal Poly |
10 |
| 4. Cal State Fullerton |
10 |
| 5. UC Davis |
10 |
HITTING
| TEAM |
HOME RUNS |
| 1. Cal State Fullerton |
49 |
| 2. Long Beach State |
18 |
| 2. UC San Diego |
18 |
| 4. UC Davis |
16 |
| 5. Cal Poly |
14 |
| TEAM |
Slugging Percentage |
| 1. Cal State Fullerton |
.525 |
| 2. Long Beach State |
.497 |
| 3. Cal Poly |
.411 |
| 4. Hawaii |
.404 |
| 5. UC San Diego |
.381 |
COMING UP CLUTCH
UC San Diego has capitalized in pressured situations as well as situational play all season long. The team is batting .391 with the bases load, .271 with runners in scoring position and .593 with a runner on third and less than two outs.
Individually, with the bases juiced,
Bobbi Aguirre is 4-for-5 (.800). With runners in scoring position, she is 11-for-28 (.393) and .875 (7-for-8) with a runner on third and less than two retired.
Sherriah Harrington has shown her ability to extend an inning, generating an average of .379 (11-for-29) with two outs. Like Aguirre, Harrington has been crucial in contributing runs as she is currently 5-for-9 (.556) with a runner on third and less than two down.
LINEUP SHUFFLE
The Tritons have seen 23 different starting lineup arrangements by batting order and have prepped 19 different lineups by position.
ON THE MOVE
After 20 seasons playing as an NCAA Division II team, the entire athletics program has begun a four-year transition to NCAA Division I, culminating in full DI status as a member of the
Big West Conference for the 2024-25 academic year. At that time, all sports will be eligible for conference and NCAA postseason play.
SUCCESS IN DIVISION II
The Tritons accumulated a 391-274 (.588) record in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) – widely considered the best Division II conference in the nation. In the last 20 years, as part of the league, UC San Diego was named regular season CCAA Champion twice (2011, 2019) and claimed a pair of CCAA Tournament titles (2012, 2016). The Tritons also earned three National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) West Region Championships (2011, 2012, 2019), were National Championship Runners-Up (2012), and brought home the program's first and one of UC San Diego's 30 National Championship trophies in 2011.
In the abbreviated 2020 season and final year in Division II, the blue and gold posted a 21-8 overall mark and ranked 24th in the final NFCA Top 25 Coaches Poll.
BIG WEST PRESEASON POLL
The Tritons were picked to finish ninth in the Big West Preseason Coaches' Poll, as determined by the league's head coaches. UC San Diego collected 26 points in the poll, just one point below UC Santa Barbara (27). To view the full poll, click
here.
RUNNING THE RECORD BOOKS
WAMPLER MOVES TO SECOND ALL-TIME IN WINS & Ks, TOSSES 500TH CAREER STRIKEOUT
Over the span of her career, Wampler has embedded herself into multiple categories of the UC San Diego record books. After taking game one from USD on Mar. 21, Wampler surpassed Melissa Ward (2005-08) in all-time career wins. Then, on April 16, against arguably the best team in the Big West, Cal State Fullerton, Wampler fanned her 500th batter in game one of the four-game series.
Overall, she is prevalent in saves (14/1st), strikeouts (516/2nd), innings (639.2/4th), complete games (63/4th), and appearances (122/4th).
Saves
Wins
Strikeouts
LOVIN' THE LONG BALL
Like Wampler, Harrington and Aguirre have also left their marks in the record books, specifically in the home run category. With 15 four-baggers, Harrington sits at sixth in Triton history, while Aguirre is in ninth with 11 of her own.
HEAD COACH PATTI GERCKENS
Patti Gerckens enters her 29th season at the helm of the UC San Diego softball program in 2021. Over her 28-year career, Gerckens has compiled an overall record of 787-626 (.556) with 12 30-win seasons in the last 14 years. Throughout her tenure, Gerckens has earned three CCAA Coach of the Year awards (2007, 2011 and 2019) and three NFCA West Region Coaching Staff of the Year honors (2011, 2012, and 2019).
In 2011, Gerckens and her coaching staff were also named NFCA National Coaching Staff of the Year upon guiding the blue and gold to a record 45-win season that was capped with the university's final Division II National Championship team title. The winningest coach in program history, Gerckens has witnessed the institution transition from Division III to Division II and now to Division I. For Gerckens' complete bio, click
here.
TRITONS SIGN SIX TO CLASS OF 2025
The UC San Diego softball team inked six accomplished high school scholar-athletes to National Letters of Intent this past November.
Alexa DeMarse, Jada Cecil, Marissa "Munchie" Hassis, Marissa Fondtain, Morgan Eng, and
Reilly Erickson have committed to join the Tritons in the fall of 2021. For more on the incomings, click
here.
WHAT'S NEXT
UC San Diego will remain at home the following weekend, May 7-8 to host CSUN for Senior Weekend. The three-game series will begin Friday, May 7 at 5 p.m., as Sunday's doubleheader is slated for 1 p.m. Games will be located at Triton Softball Field and broadcast on ESPN3.
UC SAN DIEGO ON THE WORLDWIDE LEADER
Most UC San Diego home softball, baseball, men's and women's basketball games and men's and women's volleyball matches are broadcast live on ESPN3. For more information on where to watch UC San Diego softball, visit
UCSDTritons.com/live.
SARA ALLARD TO SERVE AS COLOR ANALYST
Sara (Robinson) Allard '07 will star as the Tritons' ESPN3 color analyst for most of UC San Diego softball's home games this season. Former first baseman for the blue and gold, Allard amassed a fielding average of .989, tallying 430 put outs, 28 assists and just five errors over the course of four season. Allard later went on to serve as an assistant coach for the Tritons from 2008-12, where she was part of the 2011 National Championship Title and the 2011 NFCA Coaching Staff of the Year honor.
UC SAN DIEGO ATHLETICS LAUNCHES WEEKLY PODCAST
As part of UC San Diego's transition to Division I, the Athletics Department launched a weekly podcast, Tritoncast. Produced by UC San Diego Athletics Communications, Tritoncast features in-depth interviews with UC San Diego personalities including scholar-athletes, alums, coaches, and administrators. Triton fans will get an inside look at the UC San Diego Athletics Department as the program transitions to NCAA Division I and the Big West Conference. New episodes of Tritoncast are available each week on the most popular podcasting apps, including Apple Podcasts, iHeartRadio, Spotify, Stitcher, and TuneIn. In addition, each episode can be heard and downloaded on UCSDTritons.com. For individual show information and listen links, follow Tritoncast on Twitter
@Tritoncast.
FOLLOW THE TRITONS
Keep up with the Tritons all season long on social media through
Twitter,
Facebook, and
Instagram. The team's handle is @UCSDsoftball.
GEAR
For the latest Triton apparel and accessories, visit the official team store of the Tritons
here.
FOR THE YOUNGER CROWD
Got some young Triton fans in your family? If they are eighth grade or under, check out the
Junior Triton Club. Membership includes a free t-shirt, admission to over 100 UC San Diego home athletic events, and much more!
About UC San Diego Athletics
After two decades as one of the most successful programs in NCAA Division II, the UC San Diego intercollegiate athletics program has begun a new era as a member of the Big West Conference in NCAA Division I. The 23-sport Tritons earned 30 team and nearly 150 individual national championships during its time in Divisions II and III and helped guide 1,400 scholar-athletes to All-America honors. A total of 83 Tritons have earned Academic All-America honors, while 37 have garnered prestigious NCAA Post Graduate Scholarships. UC San Diego scholar-athletes exemplify the academic ideals of one of the world's preeminent institutions, graduating at an average rate of 91 percent, one of the highest rates among institutions at all divisions. For more information on the Tritons, visit UCSDtritons.com or follow UC San Diego Athletics on social media @UCSDtritons.
Return To Sport… Safely
In order for UC San Diego scholar-athletes to be permitted to return to training and competition safely and within federal, state, local and university guidelines, the athletic department implemented a number of measures designed to complement and enhance the university's highly-successful Return To Learn program. Notable actions include being physically distanced when practical, including during out-of-season training sessions; wearing masks, except when undergoing physically strenuous exercise; and maintaining proper hygiene. Athletes, coaches and staff are testing at a higher frequency than the campus population, teams adhere to CDC, NCAA and Big West Conference guidelines and department officials participate in regular meetings with conference and university-affiliated physicians and the UC San Diego emergency operations staff.
