UCD designated hitter David Popkins was named to the All-Big West first team for the second straight year, highlighting a list of three Aggies to earned all-conference nods on Tuesday.

Infielder Scott Heylman and left-handed pitcher Anthony Kupbens each earned honorable mention selections, marking the first time either player has been recognized by the Big West during their UCD careers. Popkins’ role as a utility player also earned him a spot on the honorable mention list.

Popkins, who started 53 of 54 games during the 2011 season, led the Aggies in nearly every offensive category, finishing with a .321 batting average and a .459 slugging percentage, ninth-best in the Big West Conference. He posted a UCD-best 63 hits and 23 RBIs to go with 22 runs, nine doubles and four home runs.

The junior from San Diego also made 13 appearances on the mound for the Aggies, allowing seven runs — only three of which were earned — on 13 hits.

Heylman, a senior from San Diego, started 52 games, mainly at shortstop, while batting .281 with a team-best 29 runs. He also posted 54 hits, second-highest on the team after Popkins, and 16 RBIs to go with nine doubles and two home runs.

Kupbens turned in a standout performance on the mound as UCD’s Saturday starter. The southpaw’s earned run average of 2.36 was sixth-best in the Big West and the lowest by an Aggie since Dave McKae’s 2.43 ERA in 2005. In 103 innings, he allowed just 27 earned runs and 93 hits, while striking out 69 batters and walking only 25. The junior also threw his first career shutout.

UCD field hockey

The Aggies released their 2011 schedule this week, a 16-game slate that features 10 nonconference games and six NorPac Conference contests. UCD will face teams from the Big 10, Big East and ACC in the nonleague play, while traveling for 13 games in a competitive road schedule.

The first conference game for the Aggies is the season opener at home against Pacific on Aug. 26 at Aggie Stadium. UCD then hits the road for a seven-game stretch, breaking up the games into two East Coast trips.

The Aggies host the Golden Bears in their home finale on Oct. 23, before closing out the regular season at Pacific on Oct. 29. The NorPac tournament will stay on the West coast this season, with Stanford hosting the four-day championship event starting on Nov. 2.

Nelson excels at nationals

Former Davis High track and football star Derek Nelson took 15th in the 400 hurdles at last week’s NCAA Division III championships.

Running on Thursday, the Ripon College freshman crossed the line with a time of 53.90, the second-fastest of his college career. Nelson missed All-American status by less than one second.

Pellow prevails at Pacific

Davis resident Ann Pellow, a nationally ranked U.S. Professional Tennis Association senior player, won the Women’s 50 Division of the Pacific Coast Seniors Family Tournament on Monday.

Playing at the Berkeley Tennis Club, Pellow came from behind to defeat Kim Lackey 4-6, 6-2, 6-4 in the finals to capture the title for the second consecutive year.

Comments

comments