Mountain West Commissioner Gloria Nevarez pays a visit to new member UC Davis
Aggies will step up to the Mountain West on July 1, 2026
With UC Davis intercollegiate athletics set to make a major move to the Mountain West Conference for the 2026-27 season, the Aggies welcomed Mountain West Commissioner Gloria Nevarez for a campus visit over two days last week, giving her an opportunity to connect with student-athletes, coaches and staff as well as tour the campus and the city of Davis.
“It was an honor to welcome Commissioner Nevarez to Davis and showcase the people and values that define UC Davis Athletics,” said Director of Athletics Rocko DeLuca.
“Her visit affirmed how aligned we are with the Mountain West’s mission and vision for the future of college athletics. This is a place where excellence, humility and community matter, and we’re excited for what’s ahead as we prepare to officially join the conference in 2026.”
Coming to campus initially to spend time watching the Aggie baseball team battle Cal State Northridge, Nevarez’s first order of business was opening the game by throwing out the ceremonial first pitch.
During the first several innings of the game she joined the ESPN+ broadcast team of Greg Wong and Bob Dunning in the booth, sharing with fans a few of her insights into the values and expectations that come with joining the Mountain West.
Both Wong and Dunning told the commissioner that her "first pitch" was clearly a 100 mph fastball directly in the strike zone, though there was no game umpire available to confirm the call.
The wide-ranging interview was briefly interrupted in the bottom of the second inning as Nevarez called a two-run home run by Aggie third baseman Korey Williams.
“This was my first time on the UC Davis campus in a long time,” noted Nevarez, a Santa Clara native who was a standout basketball player at the University of Massachusetts before earning a Juris Doctorate at Cal.