DAVIS, Calif. (Interstat) — The California Baptist Lancers, owners of the nation’s fifth-best winning percentage, put a 40-13 record on the line Wednesday afternoon against the UC Davis Aggies in a nonconference matchup at Dobbins Baseball Complex. First pitch is set for 2 p.m. under cloudy skies with temperatures near 66 degrees.

The Lancers (40-13) arrive having won eight of their last 10, most recently pounding UC Santa Barbara 8-3 on Monday. The Aggies (26-25) have been nearly as hot, taking seven of their last 10 after a series win over Hawaii capped by a 3-1 victory Sunday.

According to the Interstat game simulator, the game projects as a high-scoring affair with California Baptist edging UC Davis 8-7. The two teams meet again Thursday and Friday to complete a three-game set.

Key players

California Baptist third baseman Connor Ross enters on an offensive tear. The junior went 3-for-4 with two home runs and four RBIs in Monday’s win over the Gauchos, part of a stretch in which he has homered four times in his last five games. Over his past 11 contests, Ross is batting .333 with six home runs and 12 RBIs.

For UC Davis, two-way standout Braydon Wooldridge offers both power at the plate and stability on the mound. In Sunday’s win over Hawaii, he threw five innings of five-hit ball, allowing one earned run while striking out two. Over his last two pitching appearances — a combined 9 innings — Wooldridge has surrendered just one earned run. Offensively, he homered with two RBIs in the Aggies’ 4-2 win over Hawaii on May 9 and went 2-for-5 with a home run and an RBI at Cal State Fullerton on May 2.

Recent form

The Lancers’ offense has been rolling, scoring at least eight runs in four of their last six wins. But the pitching staff has shown vulnerability, surrendering 19 runs in a loss to Sacramento State on May 10 and six in a defeat to the Hornets on May 9.

UC Davis counters with a pitching staff that held Hawaii to three runs over the weekend series. The Aggies’ bullpen has been particularly sharp: Rowen Barnes tossed a scoreless inning Sunday, and Tyler Wood worked two hitless frames with one strikeout.

Series context

California Baptist has won three straight games and seven of eight overall. UC Davis has won three of its last four and holds a 4-1 record at home in its last five contests.

The three-game series continues Thursday at 2 p.m. and concludes Friday at 1 p.m., both at Dobbins Baseball Complex.