Baseball preview

Teams: UC Davis vs. Washington State

Records: Aggies, 18-8; Cougars, 16-10

Where: Bailey-Brayton Field – Pullman, Wash.

When: Today at 2 p.m.; Saturday at 2 p.m. and 5 p.m.; Sunday at noon

Who to watch: Junior right-hander Brad McAtee dominated hitters last week, allowing just one run in 13 innings. The Poway, Calif. native will look to stay hot on Saturday after earning Pacific Region Pitcher of the Week honors by collegebaseballhub.com.

Did you know? The Aggies have gone 12-1 in their past 13 games, which is their best stretch since they had a 16-game winning streak in the 2004 season.

Preview: To the casual onlooker, the Aggies’ blazing start to their first official Division I season may be surprising. Given that the winning formula in baseball consists of strong pitching and defense, however, it shouldn’t be.

In its Big West Conference-opening series with Pacific, UC Davis was rock-solid with the glove and compiled a microscopic 0.93 ERA in 27 innings.

You’re going to need pitching and defense to help you win games, head coach Rex Peters said. We have a more experienced team this season and they understand what it takes to play at this level and compete in the Big West.

After defeating Causeway rival Sacramento State (10-5) on Tuesday, the break in the Aggies’ conference schedule continues as they take on Pac-10 opponent Washington State.

They’re always an athletic club, and they swing the bats well, Peters said. They play well at home, and it’s going to be tough for us to go on the road and play a quality Pac-10 opponent.

The Cougars, who are 10-4 at home, were ranked 28th in the Collegiate Baseball poll last week before dropping three-straight games.

Washington State will send junior southpaw Ross Humes to the hill to face the Aggies. The Federal Way, Wash. native is 2-0 with a 1.73 ERA in 11 appearances, three of which were starts.

On the other side, senior right-hander Eddie Gamboa (4-0, 2.00) will make his sixth start of the season. The Aggie ace will need to attack the Cougar hitters early, as Washington State has scored first-inning runs in 13 of its 26 contests this season.