FULLERTON, Calif. - Cal State Fullerton welcomes the number one team in the nation to Anderson Family Field as they face UCLA in a midweek matchup.
The Bruins have been ranked in the top five virtually all season, but just recently took the top spot after sweeping Washington two weekends ago. They come into Tuesday night's game with a 44-3 record which is the best win-loss in the NCAA. They're .352 team batting average ranks second in the country while their 1.76 ERA is good for fifteenth best in the country. They also rank first in slugging percentage (.548), third in on-base percentage (.426), and have the fourth best offense averaging 6.89 runs per game.
Individually, UCLA has three different hitters above the .400 mark with Aaliyah Jordan leading the way hitting .475 which ranks fourth highest in the nation. Jordan also leads the team with 66 hits, 14 doubles, nine home runs, 58 RBI, 111 total bases, a .799 slugging percentage, and a .528 on-base percentage. Kylee Perez (.409) and Bubba Nickles (.406) are the other Bruins above the .400 mark.
The Bruins have had four different arms toss in the circle for them, but their two main arms are Rachel Garcia and Holly Azevedo. Garcia is 16-1 with a 1.13 ERA in 22 appearances. Her 175 strikeouts in 111.1 innings of work is 45th most in the NCAA and her 11 K/7 is the third best in the country. Azevedo also has 22 appearances on the season repping a 14-0 record with a 1.86 ERA in 90.1 innings. Not as much of a strikeout pitcher, Azevedo only has 67 K's on the season.
Fullerton continues to be red hot on the field after coming off a sweep of UC Davis this past weekend. They are now 29-20 overall on the season and while this may not be a conference game, it needs to be pointed out that they are 14-1 in Big West play and have won their last eight games. They are just shy of the .300 mark as a team hitting .298 at the plate while they sport a team ERA of 3.58 in the circle.
Deshea Hill continues to lead the team with a .379 average, but it's safe to say Bryanna Ybarra has been the catalyst of the offense lately. She has her overall average up to .339, good for second best on the team, thanks to a .476 average in conference play. Ybarra also leads the team in home runs (4), RBI (29), slugging percentage (.516), and is currently on a seven-game hitting streak. Zoe Richard has been hitting the ball well lately as she has her average above .300 for the first time this season and is tied for the team lead with 29 RBI.
Sophie Frost continues to be the ace of the Titan pitching staff sporting a 13-5 record and a 2.11 ERA in 125.1 innings of work. In her 18 starts, she has gone the distance in 14 of them including four complete game shutouts. Trish Park continues to impress as the season goes along, now repping a 3.11 overall ERA and a 2.81 ERA in conference play. She is 7-2 on the year in 16 appearances.
Overall, the Titans trail the series record 33-47-1 in the 37 years of matchups against the Bruins. UCLA is currently on an eight-game winning streak with three of those wins coming in the NCAA Regionals.
First pitch Tuesday night is scheduled for 6:00 p.m.
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