2008 Woodie Awards
Starting pitching rotation hurls UC-Davis to NCAA D-II championships
Nick Di Zinno & Suresh Raman-- The California Aggie (U. California-Davis)
Issue date: 5/23/03 Section: Sports
- Page 1 of 2 next >
(U-WIRE) DAVIS, Calif. - It's official: The UC Davis baseball team is for real. After a 5-0 win over Sonoma State University Sunday evening, UCD advances to its first NCAA Division II National Championship since 1995.
As the No. 4 seed in the D-II West Regional Championship, the Aggies proved to be a dominant force, defeating top-seeded California Collegiate Athletic Association rival Sonoma State twice, and upending the nation's top hitting team in D-II thanks to a masterful no-hitter from sophomore Dave McKae against host Fort Hayes State University (Kan.).
The tournament started off with the Aggies getting the chance to avenge their prior loss to Sonoma State at the CCAA Tournament on May 9.
Behind the stellar pitching of freshman left-hander Michael Potter, who retired the first 13 batters he faced, and the bat of senior second baseman Mark Wells, who went 4-for-5 with three RBI, the Aggies assured all doubters that they could handle Sonoma State.
After jumping to a 10-0 lead through seven innings, the Aggies went into the ninth ahead 12-2. Despite a six runs by Sonoma State in the final frame, the Aggies held on for a 12-8 win as freshman reliever Travis Bearden closed out the game for the save.
"We showed up ready to play today, and I don't think Sonoma did," said head coach Rex Peters said afterward. "Getting the first win in this type of tournament should give our kids some confidence and momentum."
Indeed, the Aggies played with even more confidence on Saturday's game against Fort Hayes State, a make-up for a Friday rainout. The Tigers came into the tournament with a Division II-leading team batting average of .379. However, the Aggies' starting pitcher was not intimidated.
McKae pitched near-flawless baseball, retiring the first 13 hitters before yielding a walk in the fifth inning. The walk, one of only two McKae allowed on the day, was erased when he got the next batter to hit into an inning-ending double play.
As the No. 4 seed in the D-II West Regional Championship, the Aggies proved to be a dominant force, defeating top-seeded California Collegiate Athletic Association rival Sonoma State twice, and upending the nation's top hitting team in D-II thanks to a masterful no-hitter from sophomore Dave McKae against host Fort Hayes State University (Kan.).
The tournament started off with the Aggies getting the chance to avenge their prior loss to Sonoma State at the CCAA Tournament on May 9.
Behind the stellar pitching of freshman left-hander Michael Potter, who retired the first 13 batters he faced, and the bat of senior second baseman Mark Wells, who went 4-for-5 with three RBI, the Aggies assured all doubters that they could handle Sonoma State.
After jumping to a 10-0 lead through seven innings, the Aggies went into the ninth ahead 12-2. Despite a six runs by Sonoma State in the final frame, the Aggies held on for a 12-8 win as freshman reliever Travis Bearden closed out the game for the save.
"We showed up ready to play today, and I don't think Sonoma did," said head coach Rex Peters said afterward. "Getting the first win in this type of tournament should give our kids some confidence and momentum."
Indeed, the Aggies played with even more confidence on Saturday's game against Fort Hayes State, a make-up for a Friday rainout. The Tigers came into the tournament with a Division II-leading team batting average of .379. However, the Aggies' starting pitcher was not intimidated.
McKae pitched near-flawless baseball, retiring the first 13 hitters before yielding a walk in the fifth inning. The walk, one of only two McKae allowed on the day, was erased when he got the next batter to hit into an inning-ending double play.