UC SANTA BARBARA OFFICIAL ATHLETIC SITE

The senior claimed the weekly award after leading the Gauchos to a series win over Cal Poly and becoming the conference's all-time career strikeout leader.

April 30, 2007

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - UC Santa Barbara senior pitcher/designated player Jennifer Davis was named the Big West Conference Player of the Week for the week ending April 29, it was announced today. Davis picked up a pair of victories and hit .417 with a homer and five runs scored over the weekend, leading the Gauchos to a series victory over Big West-leading Cal Poly.

The Whittier, Calif. native not only got a decision in all three games against the Central Coast rival Mustangs, she was a force at the plate, as well. Davis recorded a base hit and a run scored in every game, collected a pair of two-hit games, and scored twice in two of the three contests against Cal Poly. Her best game of the series came in the 6-5 nine-inning win in game three, when she went 2-for-5 with her team-leading sixth home run of the season, to go with two runs. Davis scored the game-winning run in the top of the ninth after starting the game-winning rally with a leadoff single.

For the week, she hit .417 (5-12) with a homer, an RBI, five runs scored, and two walks. Davis continued to swing the bat well in Monday's loss to No. 13 Oregon State, recording one of the Gauchos' four hits and driving in UCSB's second run of the game.

In the circle last week Davis went 2-1, leading Santa Barbara to its first series win of the season. She shut down the high-powered Mustang offense in game one, holding Cal Poly scoreless on just four hits. After earning a tough loss in Saturday's nightcap, Davis bounced back and earned the victory Sunday, retiring the final six batters she faced in order after the Mustangs tied the game with four runs in the bottom of the seventh.

More importantly, with a total of 15 strikeouts against Cal Poly, Davis became the Big West Conference's all-time career leader with 801, surpassing Cal Poly's Desarie Knipfer (1995-98) who had 798. She is the only pitcher in Big West history to record 800 career K's.

This is the first-career Big West Player of the Week Award for Davis. The right-hander has earned conference pitcher of the week accolades twice this season and a total of eight times during her career.

UCSB returns to Campus Diamond this weekend in its final home series of 2007. The Gauchos will take on UC Riverside beginning with a doubleheader Saturday, May 5 at 12:00 p.m.