Optimism high as Aggie baseball opens Friday with first night game in school history
Gonzaga comes to town for three-game series with first pitch Friday at 6 p.m.
As he enters his fourth year leading UC Davis' steadily improving baseball program, Aggie head coach Tommy Nicholson hopes this may be the year his team competes for a Big West Conference championship.
"Our team is more confident than it's ever been and that's a good thing, but let's not forget that we finished seventh last year and we're picked to finish seventh again this year," Nicholson noted.
"But every year we've improved our win-loss record by playing together selflessly, playing hard and showing our character. As we get more talented, we potentially have a championship team. We're going in the right direction and we'll see if that can happen this year."
Weather permitting, the Aggies will open the 2025 campaign on Friday with the first night game in UC Davis baseball history, a 6 p.m. battle with Gonzaga of the West Coast Conference.
The three-game series with their highly regarded visitors from Spokane continues Saturday at 2 p.m. and concludes Sunday with a 1 p.m. finale.
Nicholson said the newly installed lights and outfield videoboard on Phil Swimley Field at Dobbins Stadium are state of the art and add a new dimension to UC Davis baseball.
"I give Rocko (UC Davis Athletic Director Rocko DeLuca) a lot of credit for making this happen," Nicholson added.
"Getting lights has been on the backburner for a while and Rocko really pushed it forward. It means a lot to so many people, but especially to all the volunteers who put in countless hours building this stadium."
With lights, the Aggies can finally put in a bid to host a four-team regional playoff in the season-ending NCAA baseball tournament, something that was not possible up to this point.
"Playing at night will give more people a chance to come out and see us play," said the Aggie coach.
"It's a chance to make it a social event by coming out to the ballpark and having a hot dog and a drink and enjoying the game."
Nicholson took over the Aggies in the most difficult of situations, hired to resurrect a program that had been placed on suspension due to a hazing scandal.
The Aggies lost their first 15 games in the 2022 season before breaking through with a 12-8 win at UC Riverside and went on to finish 6-35 overall and 5-25 in the Big West.
Things improved in 2023 to 17-37 and 7-23, then took a giant leap last season to 29-27 and 13-17.