UC Riverside’s Department of Intercollegiate Athletics this week released schedules for its spring athletic teams.
Baseball
UC Riverside head baseball coach Justin Johnson has announced the Highlanders’ 2023 schedule. UC Riverside returns more than half of its starting lineup from 2022 and its top three starting pitchers in Tyler Frazier, Tucker Juline, and Eric Marrujo. Click here for the full schedule.
UCR’s 53-game schedule will include 26 home contests at the Riverside Sports Complex, including Big West series against Long Beach State, Cal State Fullerton, Hawaii, UC Santa Barbara and UC San Diego, plus three editions of the Crosstown Showdown and a late-season visit from Arizona State.
All told, the Highlanders will take on four schools from Power 5 conferences - three of whom hail from the Pac-12, including one of UCR’s first opponents of the year in Washington State. Kansas State, which will visit the Riverside Sports Complex in a midweek matchup on April 25, is UC Riverside’s lone Power 5 opponent not from the Pac-12.
UCR’s intracity rivalry with California Baptist renews three times in 2023 with the lone matchup at The Riverside Sports Complex coming Tuesday, May 9 at 6:30 p.m. The Highlanders will also receive a visit from one of the nation’s newest Division I programs, Tarleton State out of Texas, on Wednesday, April 12 at 6:30 p.m.
Softball
UC Riverside, which hosts home games at Amy S. Harrison Field, has released a tough 53-game 2023 schedule, announced by head coach Nikki Palmer on Tuesday. Click here for the full schedule.
The Highlanders, who were picked to finish ninth in last year’s preseason poll, ended the season in fourth thanks to a program-record six Big West series wins. The Highlanders return five of UCR’s seven All-Big West honorees from last season.
The Highlanders face a total of seven teams from last year’s NCAA Tournament, including Super Regional participant Florida at the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic. The Highlanders will face a second SEC school in Kentucky in a return trip to one of the country’s premier college softball tournaments, marking UCR’s first game against the SEC since 2020.
UC Riverside will play six schools overall from Power 5 conferences this spring, ending the stretch by welcoming Boston College to Riverside on Monday, March 6.
The Highlanders will also host their annual Lynn R. Miller Classic and Amy S. Harrison Classic in the Inland Empire this year, featuring NCAA Tournament participant Howard in March in addition to a date in the Crosstown Showdown at California Baptist on February 15.
UC Riverside opens the 2023 Big West slate on March 18 at Long Beach State and the home conference slate on March 25 against Cal Poly. UCR will also welcome Cal State Fullerton, CSUN and CSU Bakersfield to Amy S. Harrison Field in 2023 in addition to the Mustangs.
Track and Field
UC Riverside has released its 2023 spring track & field schedule, announced by Director of Cross Country/Track & Field Nate Browne. Click here for the full schedule.
UCR begins its season primarily in the Pacific Northwest, with appearances at the Lauren McCluskey Memorial and Washington State Open before competing at the MPSF Indoor Championships in Spokane on February 17 and 18.
UCR will continue hosting its annual home meets, the UC Riverside Spring Track Classic (March 23-24) and the Chris Rinne Twilight (April 21) in addition to making the short trip to the RCC Invitational on Friday, March 3, at Riverside City College.
The Highlanders will make their usual stops at the Ben Brown Invite, Rafer Johnson/Jackie Joyner-Kersee Invitational, Vince O’Boyle Classic, Triton Invitational, Bryan Clay Invitational, Mt. SAC Relays, Steve Scott Invitational and Fresno State Invitational in addition to more meets.
UC Riverside will look to replicate a complete team Big West performance when the Highlanders travel to the Big West Championships at nearby Cal State Fullerton. The Big West will hold the Multis on May 5 and 6 before capping off the event the following weekend.
This year’s NCAA West Preliminaries will be held in Sacramento in late May prior to the NCAA National Championships in Austin, Texas.
Women’s Golf
Newly promoted Director of Golf Mary Ritchie has released UC Riverside’s women’s golf schedule for the 2023 spring season, it was announced on Tuesday. Click here for the full schedule.
The Highlanders, who finished third at last year’s Big West Championships, will make their routine stops at the GCU Women’s Spring Invite (February 27-28), Fresno State Classic (March 27-28) and Wyoming Cowgirl Classic (April 3-4) with new stops added on the schedule.
UCR will begin the spring schedule during the first week of February at the CSU Bakersfield-hosted Valley Invitational at the Bakersfield Country Club, also traveling to the Pizza Hut Lady Thunderbird in Cedar City, Utah to round out the spring.
UC Riverside has enjoyed tremendous success in past years at GCU, recording two of the program’s lowest individual rounds against par in the last three years from Kate Villegas and Tiffany Le. Last year’s Grand Canyon trip also produced the program’s lowest score at the event and fourth-lowest 54-hole total at any event in program history.
The spring season concludes at the Big West Championships from April 16-18.
Men’s Golf
UC Riverside men’s golf has released its spring 2023 schedule under newly promoted Director of Golf Mary Ritchie. In addition to Ritchie’s new title, UCR will also compete under former Korn Ferry Tour member and newly appointed assistant coach, Michael Drake. Click here for the full schedule.
The Highlanders will compete in five tournaments for the fourth straight year in the spring before heading to the Big West Championships from April 30 to May 2.
UCR will begin its spring season at the UC Irvine-hosted Orange County Collegiate Classic before staying local for The Joust the following weekend at the Goose Creek Golf Club. The Highlanders will tee off March at the Wyoming Desert Intercollegiate in Palm Desert before closing out the spring at a pair of UC-hosted events at UC San Diego and UC Santa Barbara.
Last spring, Josh Hu carded back-to-back top-20 finishes at the Wyoming Desert Intercollegiate and UC San Diego Invitational and will look to have a similar outcome in 2023.
Men’s Tennis
UC Riverside has released its 2023 spring schedule under newly promoted Director of Tennis Mattias Johansson, alongside new assistant coach Sergio Romero. Click here for the full schedule.
UCR will open the season on January 18 and 19 with a road match at Loyola Marymount before returning home to host Sacramento State. UC Riverside is then headed back to Las Vegas this year for a UNLV-hosted event, also competing against New Mexico State, Weber State and Big West foe Hawaii.
The Highlanders then head on an Arizona road trip to Grand Canyon and Ottawa — one of four non-Division I opponents on the docket — before enjoying a stretch of seven straight matches at the SRC Tennis Courts from February 20 to March 25. The home stand will include visits from Army West Point, Navy, Boston, and Utah State.
UCR’s Big West contests in the 11-match home schedule will include UC Irvine, UC San Diego, and Senior Day against UC Davis prior to the Big West Championships at the end of April.
Women’s Tennis
UC Riverside women’s tennis enters a new era this spring under newly promoted Director of Tennis Mattias Johansson alongside new assistant coach Sergio Romero, as the Highlanders have released their 22-match schedule for the spring of 2023. Click here for the full schedule.
UCR will host 11 matches at the SRC Tennis Courts this spring, including nine consecutive matches from February 9 to April 7. Five of those nine contests are against Big West foes in Hawaii, CSUN, Cal Poly, UC Irvine, and UC Santa Barbara.
The Highlanders will also compete against four non-Division I opponents, hosting Hope International, Westmont, and Azusa Pacific while traveling to Ottawa University in Arizona. UCR will also host a pair of cross-country opponents at the SRC Tennis Courts in Ball State and Fordham.
Big West contests away from the Inland Empire will include Cal State Fullerton (April 22) and UC San Diego (April 23) before UCR heads to the Big West Championships at the end of April.
