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Cal Baseball vs. Stanford Saturday Gamethread

2013-05-19T00:30:03Z

Cal Baseball vs. Furd

When: 6 PM PT

Audio: KALX

Crazy see-saw game on Friday. Expect more of the same tonight with the same two team battling for bragging rights.

Bears will likely send out Trevor Hildenberger tonight.

This is also your last chance of the season to check out all the new improvements to Evans Diamond, including a new scoreboard:

The young California baseball team (22-28, 10-17 in Pac-12), which features up to five freshmen in its starting line-up, hosts Bay Area rival Stanford (26-21, fifth in the Pac-12 at 11-13) in the Golden Bears' final three-game conference series. Cal is averaging five runs a game in their home contests, and five of their eight conference home losses have been by only one run. The Bears have been involved in six extra inning games in 2013 as well, going 4-2 in those contests. Cal has also had five walk-off wins this season. The Bears have been led offensively by junior catcher Andrew Knapp, who is hitting .353 (67-for-190) with a team-leading 15 doubles, seven home runs and a team-best 39 RBI. Knapp, a first-team Preseason All-American in Baseball America and a member of the Golden Spikes Midseason Watch list, also leads Cal with 20 multiple hit games and 11 multiple RBI games. Junior designated hitter Devon Rodriguez is also a top hitter for the Bears, batting .271 with seven home runs and a team-best 39 RBI. Rodriguez was the Most Outstanding Player of the 2011 Houston Regional after hitting the game-winning RBI in Cal's come-from-behind victory over Baylor to advance the Bears to the 2011 NCAA Super Regionals. Sophomore shortstop Chris Paul leads Cal with eight home runs and is second on the squad with 34 RBI. Knapp and Rodriguez are among nine members of the 2013 squad who were part of the Bears' 2011 College World Series team. Cal, under the direction of David Esquer (405-366-2, .525, 2011 NCBWA National Coach of the Year), also features two All-American left-handers - Justin Jones, a freshman All-American in 2010, and Kyle Porter, a freshman All-American in 2011 - from a squad looking to return to postseason play after Regional appearances in 2008, 2010 and 2011. Jones has 24 career victories, tied for fourth on the school's all-time win list, and he has thrown 343.1 career innings, also fourth on Cal's all-time list. The Bears' No. 1 starter this season has been 6-7 freshman right-handerRyan Mason (5-3, 3.58 ERA, 43 strikeouts, 15 walks, in 65.1 innings), who was superb March 22 at UCLA, throwing 8.0 innings, allowing five hits with five strikeouts. In the first-ever night game at Evans Diamond, Mason threw 7.0 innings with six strikeouts March 28 versus USC. He also threw a career-high 8.2 innings (nine hits, one run, two strikeouts) April 26 at Washington. Another top hurler for the Bears is junior right-hander Trevor Hildenberger, who had only thrown 12.2 innings prior to this season, but is 5-3 with 44 strikeouts in 53.0 innings. Hildenberger is among tops in the conference in appearances (25, eighth), and in only his second career start threw 7.0 innings with four hits and five strikeouts April 27 at Washington (8-1 Cal win).

TENTATIVE CALIFORNIA LINE-UP
25	LF	Brian Celsi, Fr.	.265, 10 RBI, 0 HR
21	2B	Brenden Farney, So.	.302, 10 RBI, 0 HR
5	C	Andrew Knapp, Jr.	.353, 39 RBI, 7 HR
33	DH	Devon Rodriguez, Jr.	.271, 39 RBI, 7 HR
27	CF	Devin Pearson, Fr.	.327, 17 RBI, 2 HR
30	3B	Mitchell Kranson, Fr.	.276, 8 RBI, 0 HR
19	1B	Nick Halamandaris, Fr.	.196, 7 RBI, 2 HR
51	RF	Jacob Wark, Jr.	        .231, 14 RBI, 0 HR
6	SS	Chris Paul, So.	        .205, 34 RBI, 8 HR
42	RHP	Ryan Mason, Fr. (Fri.)	        5-3, 3.58 ERA
26	RHP	Trevor Hildenberger, Jr. (Sat.) 5-3, 4.58 ERA
		(TBA Sun., Mon.)

GO BEARS!

Cal Softball vs. Michigan (Michigan Regional) Open Thread

2013-05-18T15:30:06Z

No. 18 Cal (36-16) vs. No.8 Michigan Wolverines (46-10)

Time: 9 AM PT

Online Video: WatchESPN.com

Live Stat: Gametracker

Twitter Play by Play: RookieBears1754

After a slowish start, the Bears' bat has finally woken up from their hibernation and blasted 4 homers against the Central Michigan "Chips" on Friday. Senior ace Jolene Henderson was stellar and appeared to be back in top form. Jo and fellow senior Lindsey Ziegenhirt (who hit a long homer over the scoreboard) will look to continue their Cal career beyond today by beating Michigan in the morning. Should the Bears falter in the morning, they would have to play an elimination game in the afternoon against the loser of Central Michigan and Valparaiso.

SCOUTING REPORT: NO. 7/8 MICHIGAN

The hosting Wolverines carry a No. 8 seed into the tournament, bolstered by their .339 batting average, which ranks fourth in the nation, along with the nation’s second-best 402 runs on the season. Leading the lineup is Sierra Romero with 62 runs, 66 RBI and 22 home runs for a .378 batting average. Sara Driesenga does most of the work in the circle for Michigan, with a 26-6 record and 1.81 ERA. Southpaw Haylie Wagner could also present a challenge for the Golden Bears with a 2.58 ERA and 18-3 record. Michigan has already faced four Pac-12 opponents this season – Oregon, Washington, Arizona State and Arizona – losing only to Oregon (13-4 in six innings). However, the Wolverines also own losses to Wisconsin and Nebraska, along with a nine-inning win over Indiana, all of whom Cal beat in preseason tournaments.

A quick glance at the schedule for Cal and Michigan:

UC Davis (Cal beat them 7-0 at Davis, Michigan beat them 6-0 at neutral site)

Maryland (Cal beat them 3-2 at neutral site, Michigan beat them 10-2 (5 innings) at neutral site)

Georgia Tech (Cal beat them 8-0 (6) at neutral site, Michigan beat them 6-1 at neutral site)

Northwestern (Cal beat them 2-0 at neutral site, Michigan swept them at home 2-1, 16-1 (5), 9-3)

Nebraska (Cal beat them 1-0 at neutral site, Michigan went 1-2 against them at Nebraska 1-6, 5-3, 4-7)

Oregon (Cal went 1-2 against them at home 1-5, 3-1, 3-9, Michigan lost 13-4 (6))

Washington (Cal went 1-2 against them at Washington 4-7, 8-9 (9), 3-2, Michigan beat them 6-1 at neutral site)

Arizona (Cal went 2-1 at Arizona 6-2, 5-1, 3-7, Michigan beat them 9-1 (6))

Arizona State (Jo-less Cal got swept 2-10 (5), 0-11 (5), 3-5, Michigan beat them 5-4 at neutral site)

Cal's Statistical Leaders:

Pitching: Jolene Henderson is by far the best pitcher on the squad. She has a 31-9 record with a minuscule ERA of 1.19 with 254 K in 269.2 IP.

Hitting:

Freshman OF Khala Taylor lead the team in batting average with 0.342

Cheyenne Cordes and Danielle Henderson are the leaders in OBP however.

Cords has the batting average / on-base average / slugging average slash line of 0.319/0.421/0.554

Danielle Henderson ("Hendu") has the line of 0.293/0.433/0.551

Senior Catcher lead the team in slugging percentage with a pretty insane 0.694 thanks to her team leading 17 homers.

1B Victoria Jones with 11 homer also has a pretty healthy slashline of 0.287/0.398/0.566

Cal's Ranking Nationally

Team Ranking

batting average..................................................................................157 (.265)

double Plays/game.............................................................................128 (.26)

doubles/game .....................................................................................240 (.91)

era..........................................................................................................63 (2.59)

Fielding Pct. ...........................................................................................50 (.967)

home runs/game................................................................................24 (1.11)

Scoring....................................................................................................89 (4.75)

Slugging Pct...........................................................................................72 (.438)

Stolen bases/game..............................................................................209 (.62)

triples/game.........................................................................................117 (.15)

W/L Pct...................................................................................................44 (.679)

Individual Rankings

batting average.........................................................................................none

era......................................................................Jolene henderson // 8 (1.23)

hit by Pitch/game.............................................cheyenne cordes // 46 (.26)

hits allowed/7 innings......................................Jolene henderson // 41 (4.98)

home runs/game..............................................Lindsey ziegenhirt // 27 (.32)

home runs............................................................Lindsey ziegenhirt // 31 (16)

on base Pct................................................................................................none

rbi/game...........................................................Lindsey ziegenhirt // 31 (1.04)

Shutouts .................................................................Jolene henderson // 3 (13)

Slugging Pct.......................................................Lindsey ziegenhirt // 96 (.686)

Stolen bases................................................................................................none

Strikeouts............................................................Jolene henderson // 29 (246)

Strikeouts/7 innings...........................................Jolene henderson // 116 (6.6)

triples...........................................................................................................none

victories................................................................Jolene henderson // 6 (29)

Walks..................................................................danielle henderson // 68 (.62)

GO BEARS!

Make Ann Arbor a Bear Territory!

CGB Hall of Fame: (7)Jerrott Willard v. (10)Jeff Kent

2013-05-18T13:00:04Z

(7)Jerrott Willard

Beware of Willard the Golden Bear (via jeffwelshy)

LeonPowe talks up Jerrott's case.

Jerrott Willard was a badass linebacker from 1991-1994 . . .who rocked the half shirt. Willard was the best linebacker we've had since Hardy Nickerson. Maybe Desmond Bishop was more physically gifted and maybe Follett was better at hitting the Qb, but nobody we've had since the mid 80s has been the absolute terror sideline to sideline, in the backfield or back in coverage that Jerrrott Willard was.

He completely dominated the 1994 Alamo Bowl, including a 64 yard interception return for a touchdown. He was everywhere you needed a linebacker to be, covering the tight end, in the backfield hitting the qb, shuffling down the line to nail the running back at the point of attack on a toss play.

The best linebacker I've ever seen at Cal.

Kodiak: Sideline to sideline terror who can play the run as well as drop into coverage.

Fierce hitter, great instincts, and tough guy who played with an almost signature bare midriff.

Would have had a great pro career if not for knee injuries.

From tightwad hill's description of Willard

Jerrott Willard was probably the best tackler I've ever seen wear Blue and Gold. Broadcasters love the cliche of "football instincts." Cliche or no, Willard had those instincts in spades. He exploded through ball carriers and rarely missed a tackle. His angles were as sharp as a geometry major's, and he squeezed the absolute most out of what God gave him. He played sideline to sideline with a non-stop motor that recalls Desmond Bishop of this year's team.

Willard led the Bears in tackles in each of his four seasons and wound up third all-time with 469 career stops, 54 of them for losses. He also had the knack for the big play, which separates him from other Cal defenders with gaudy stats. In his freshman year he blocked a critical punt for a touchdown against Oregon State in a 27-14 victory. In Cal's 37-3 Alamo Bowl victory over Iowa in 1993, he returned an interception 61 yards for a score, and was named Defensive Player of the Game. In countless other situations, we could count on Jerrott to make the critical stop on third down, or to force a turnover.

Though Willard played alongside some outstanding talents in his time at Cal, he was voted Team MVP after both his junior and senior seasons, and he was a two-time All-Pac 10 first team selection at inside linebacker.

(10)Jeff Kent

STANFORD CAL BRAWL-Full of jeff kent/Milano/mcdowell/marquess (via scoobypop5)

norcalnick has more on Kent:

Full Disclosure: I had never heard of Jeff Kent before he was part of a trade that sent Matt Williams to the Indians and away from the Giants. In Cal's baseball media guide there are only a few references to Jeff Kent. In 1987 he set a Cal record (since broken by Xavier Nady) with the most doubles in a season (25). Also in 1987, Kent set, and still holds, the Cal record for the most errors in a season (34) by ANY position. Nothing would indicate a potential Hall of Famer. What Kent went on to do is have the greatest professional baseball career of any Cal graduate ever. And there is no debate. But let's not get ahead of ourselves.

In 1996 Kent had 5 undistinguished seasons of baseball under his belt. He was averaging around 24 HRs per year and hitting about .275. A solid everyday major leaguer, but hardly a star. When my 11 year old self heard about the trade, I was none too pleased. You're trading away Matt Williams?! Sure, Matty was getting older, but he jacked 43 bombs in the strike year! He hit .336 in 1995! You're an idiot Sabean!

Brian Sabean, in his first year as general manager of the Giants, was so widely criticized for the move that he famously defended himself to the media by saying, "I am not an idiot."

Jeff Kent proceeded to prove that Brian Sabean wasn't an idiot (yet, at least) by having perhaps the greatest statistical stretch a 2nd baseman has had in the history of baseball. In his 6 years as a Giant he averaged 29 home runs and 115 RBIs, he defense improved, he won an MVP and he combined with frenemy Barry Bonds to terrorize National League pitching. He would finish his career with the most home runs by a 2nd baseman ever.

Unfortunately Jeff Kent is also a world class jerk. That he and world class jerk Barry Bonds combined to lead the Giants to so much success from '97-'02 is all the proof you need that hack writers like Bruce Jenkins don't know what they're talking about when they write about how critical "clubhouse chemistry" is for success on the diamond.
This blog post will give you the quick run down of all of the individuals, teams, groups, cities and ethnicities/sexual orientations that Jeff Kent has angered in some fashion. Plus he betrayed San Francisco to become a Dodger, which trumps all of the other evil he's perpetuated.

But in the end Jeff Kent is a gritty, talented play with career accomplishments that could rank him as perhaps the greatest 2nd baseman in history. Remember him on the field, and not off it.

Poll

Half shirt or Mustache for the CGB HOF? Vote!

CGB Hall of Fame: (5)Stu Gordon v. (12)Mike Tepper

2013-05-18T10:00:04Z

(5) Stu Gordon

Cal Baseball Gets Improvements (via RGBearTerritory)

Via Cal Bear Backers:

Gordon arrived in Berkeley for the fall of 1958 and joined the freshman baseball and basketball teams hot on the heels of varsity baseball's 1957 College World Series championship and on the precipice of varsity basketball's 1959 NCAA title. For good measure, Cal's 1958 football season ended with the Pacific Coast championship and a trip to the '59 Rose Bowl. The superlatives spill out when Gordon describes the coaches he had the privilege to play for at Cal. "George Wolfman was just a lovely man, Pete Newell was an institution, and Rene Herrerias, our freshman basketball coach, was a wonderful guy," Gordon said.

After struggling with his grades as a freshman while playing both basketball and baseball, Gordon left the hardwood to devote more time to his studies and a more focused effort on baseball. The choice paid off, as he logged 18 credits in the classroom and a 7-0 record on the mound with a low ERA to complement his higher GPA in his junior year. One of Gordon's fans in the stands happened to be the dean of admissions at Boalt Hall, who urged him to consider law school. Gordon, determined to ensure options beyond his Major League dreams, took his advice and was accepted to Boalt, becoming president of his first-year class and eventually, the student body.

After his graduation Gordon continued to be an ardent supporter of the Bears, but one that most people probably had not heard off until last year when Cal Baseball was slated to be eliminated from the university's sports program. Stu Gordon stepped up to the plate and not only donated a substantial amount of money, but also became the face of the Save Cal Baseball effort. In mid-April, that dream was realized.

Via Gordon & Rees website:

On April 9, 2011, Cal baseball, a tradition that dates back to 1892, was saved from elimination caused by financial constraints at the University of California-Berkeley. For seven months, players, supporters and alumni struggled to contemplate life without Cal baseball. In February, Gordon & Rees Founding Partner and former Cal baseball pitcher Stu Gordon took control of the Save Cal Baseball campaign. In less than six weeks, donations and pledges jumped from $1.5 million to over $9 million, reinstating Cal baseball in 2012 and crediting Stu with saving the program. As Chancellor Robert Birgeneau told the San Francisco Chronicle, "It would not have happened without him."

More than 1,000 people contributed to the campaign and 40 people contributed more than $50,000, including more than $100,000 from former Major League MVP Jeff Kent, $50,000 from agent Scott Boras, and $550,000 from Stu Gordon that gave the fundraising effort inspiration and momentum. Chancellor Birgeneau described Stu’s efforts as "phenomenal" but, as Stu explained to BerkeleySide.com, "It’s still our goal to get up to a $20 million endowment so Cal baseball can be self-supporting."

Twice in recent years, Stu has been named the Carl Van Heuit Cal Baseball Alumnus of the Year and currently serves in an appointed position on the Athletic Director’s Advisory Board. His donations to the University have helped make possible the new Cal baseball field and outdoor multipurpose complex. He is also one of the founders of the Bear Backers, an organization which raises more than $8 million each year to support athletic programs at the University. If baseball had been lost, said Stu, "it would have been such a bitter disappointment…I was amazed at how emotional people were."

The Bears went on to make the College World Series and continue to play today and in the future thanks to Stu Gordon. A true Golden Bear on and off the field.

(12) Mike Tepper

As an offensive tackle, there are no impressive stats to highlight Mike Tepper's career. In his time at Cal, he played in 39 games, 26 of which saw him as our starter. In 2007, as our starting right tackle, our offensive line allowed a mere 11 sacks (the fewest in the conference and third lowest in the entire nation) while paving the way for Justin Forsett's 1500-yard season. In 2009, as a sixth-year senior, he protected QB Kevin Riley's blindside as our starting left tackle and earned a variety of pre-, mid-, and post-season all-conference awards.

Plus, he got to live out the dreams of O-linemen everywhere with this play:

However, Mike Tepper is probably most notable, and most deserving of a place in the ultra prestigious CGB HOF, for his character and courage. In the summer of 2005, as a 19-year-old kid who just finished up his first year of college, Tepper was struck and run over twice by a car. Walking down Telegraph in Berkeley with his female friend, they encountered a group of convicted felons who taunted her and tried to pull her into their car. When Tepper stood up for her, things turned ugly.

"The guy in the driver's seat punched the gas in reverse," he said. "The front end swung out and clipped me, got my [right] leg caught in the wheel well. I was dragged for about 30 feet and got run over going forward."

The result was gruesome. Tepper suffered four breaks of his lower leg, with the shattered fibula protruding from his skin, as well as a torn shoulder muscle.

The damage was so severe, the doctors considered amputation. It would be a wonder if he would even walk.

Tepper was up and jogging in four months.

As if we needed proof of Tepper's courage, in 2009, he received the Ken Cotton Award as our Most Courageous Player on offense. Senior draft analyst Rob Rang said "The reality is he's going to be making a transition to the highest level of football. The fact that he's overcome those type of injuries and made it through that traumatic situation speaks to his mental toughness, perseverance and determination."

Tepper proved this by first signing with the Dallas Cowboys in 2010 and he is currently with the Indianapolis Colts. As much as we'd love for him to let a few defenders slip by to sack a certain Horseface, history proves Tepper will give anything to protect others.

Poll

Who moves on?

Cal Baseball vs. Stanford Friday Gamethread

2013-05-17T22:32:36Z

Cal Baseball vs. Furd

When: 7 PM PT

Audio: KALX

Live Stat: Gametracker

Plenty of pride is at stake when the Bears host Furd for 3 games. So what that Furd's squad is full of potential upcoming first round picks in the MLB draft. This kind of thing can happen again:

This is also your last chance of the season to check out all the new improvements to Evans Diamond, including a new scoreboard:

The young California baseball team (22-28, 10-17 in Pac-12), which features up to five freshmen in its starting line-up, hosts Bay Area rival Stanford (26-21, fifth in the Pac-12 at 11-13) in the Golden Bears' final three-game conference series. Cal is averaging five runs a game in their home contests, and five of their eight conference home losses have been by only one run. The Bears have been involved in six extra inning games in 2013 as well, going 4-2 in those contests. Cal has also had five walk-off wins this season. The Bears have been led offensively by junior catcher Andrew Knapp, who is hitting .353 (67-for-190) with a team-leading 15 doubles, seven home runs and a team-best 39 RBI. Knapp, a first-team Preseason All-American in Baseball America and a member of the Golden Spikes Midseason Watch list, also leads Cal with 20 multiple hit games and 11 multiple RBI games. Junior designated hitter Devon Rodriguez is also a top hitter for the Bears, batting .271 with seven home runs and a team-best 39 RBI. Rodriguez was the Most Outstanding Player of the 2011 Houston Regional after hitting the game-winning RBI in Cal's come-from-behind victory over Baylor to advance the Bears to the 2011 NCAA Super Regionals. Sophomore shortstop Chris Paul leads Cal with eight home runs and is second on the squad with 34 RBI. Knapp and Rodriguez are among nine members of the 2013 squad who were part of the Bears' 2011 College World Series team. Cal, under the direction of David Esquer (405-366-2, .525, 2011 NCBWA National Coach of the Year), also features two All-American left-handers - Justin Jones, a freshman All-American in 2010, and Kyle Porter, a freshman All-American in 2011 - from a squad looking to return to postseason play after Regional appearances in 2008, 2010 and 2011. Jones has 24 career victories, tied for fourth on the school's all-time win list, and he has thrown 343.1 career innings, also fourth on Cal's all-time list. The Bears' No. 1 starter this season has been 6-7 freshman right-hander Ryan Mason (5-3, 3.58 ERA, 43 strikeouts, 15 walks, in 65.1 innings), who was superb March 22 at UCLA, throwing 8.0 innings, allowing five hits with five strikeouts. In the first-ever night game at Evans Diamond, Mason threw 7.0 innings with six strikeouts March 28 versus USC. He also threw a career-high 8.2 innings (nine hits, one run, two strikeouts) April 26 at Washington. Another top hurler for the Bears is junior right-hander Trevor Hildenberger, who had only thrown 12.2 innings prior to this season, but is 5-3 with 44 strikeouts in 53.0 innings. Hildenberger is among tops in the conference in appearances (25, eighth), and in only his second career start threw 7.0 innings with four hits and five strikeouts April 27 at Washington (8-1 Cal win).

TENTATIVE CALIFORNIA LINE-UP
25	LF	Brian Celsi, Fr.	.265, 10 RBI, 0 HR
21	2B	Brenden Farney, So.	.302, 10 RBI, 0 HR
5	C	Andrew Knapp, Jr.	.353, 39 RBI, 7 HR
33	DH	Devon Rodriguez, Jr.	.271, 39 RBI, 7 HR
27	CF	Devin Pearson, Fr.	.327, 17 RBI, 2 HR
30	3B	Mitchell Kranson, Fr.	.276, 8 RBI, 0 HR
19	1B	Nick Halamandaris, Fr.	.196, 7 RBI, 2 HR
51	RF	Jacob Wark, Jr.	        .231, 14 RBI, 0 HR
6	SS	Chris Paul, So.	        .205, 34 RBI, 8 HR
42	RHP	Ryan Mason, Fr. (Fri.)	        5-3, 3.58 ERA
26	RHP	Trevor Hildenberger, Jr. (Sat.) 5-3, 4.58 ERA
		(TBA Sun., Mon.)

GO BEARS!

Cal Softball vs. Central Michigan (Michigan Regional Game 1) Open Thread

2013-05-17T20:05:31Z

No. 18 Cal (36-16) vs. Central Michigan Chippewas (33-18)

Time: 1:30 PM PT

Online Video: WatchESPN.com

Live Stat: Gametracker

Twitter Play by Play: RookieBears1754

Post season starts for the Bears, who finally managed to snap a 9 game losing streak on the very last regular season game. Placed in the Michigan Regional with Central Michigan, Valparaiso, and the 8th seed Michigan, the Bears start the double elimination play first by playing Central Michigan today.

The health of senior ace pitcher Jolene Henderson is pivotal to any and all Cal Softball success this year. While she has been leaned on completely when healthy, Jolene is still recovering from her left knee injury that there is still not a whole lot of news/information about. Will Cal Head Coach Diane Ninemire try to use Jo less and allow Vanessa Alvarez to face the Chips? I think the Bears will probably just let Jo pitch every innings of the post season, provided that she is healthy enough for the workload.

From CalBears.com:

SCOUTING REPORT: CENTRAL MICHIGAN

Last weekend, CMU captured the Mid-American Conference (MAC) title for an automatic bid to the NCAA postseason. The Chippewas have never advanced to the Super Regional stage. CarolAnn Sexauer owns a .329 batting average in all 51 starts with 34 RBI, matched by Brittney Horan’s 34 RBI. The Chippewas will look to Macy Merchant to provide the offensive spark, as Merchant owns a .416 batting average with a team-leading 39 runs. CMU’s ace Kara Dornbos (15-11) owns a 2.47 ERA, followed by Chelsea Sundberg’s (11-5) 2.54 record.

GO BEARS!

Cal Baseball Week in Review May 17, 2013

2013-05-17T17:22:35Z

With the nearly impossible task of having to sweep their last 7 games to finish above 0.500, the Bears got the win on Friday only to lose a heartbreaker on Saturday. With only pride to play for, Bears actually showed great resilience in coming back from big deficits in both Saturday and Sunday before losing those games.

Friday, May 10, 2013, Cal 3, ASU 1

With a late 8th inning rally and a clutch two out two run RBI by Devon Rodriguez, Bears came from behind for the first time this weekend. Bears held on to win to beat ASU 3-1 with Dylan Nelson getting the final out for the save. Ryan Mason was solid in 6.1 innings, giving up only one run via a sacrifice fly. The late rally made a winner of Logan Scott who pitched a scoreless 1.2 innings.

Saturday, May 11, 2013, Cal 9, ASU 10

Down 6-0 by the middle of the 3rd (thanks to some bad fielding to give up 4 unearned runs), the Bears put up a huge equalizer in the bottom of the 3rd.

California 3rd - Pearson hit by pitch (0-0). Farney singled down the lf
line (0-0); Pearson advanced to second. Knapp doubled down the lf line, RBI
(0-1 K); Farney advanced to third; Pearson scored. Rodriguez singled to right
field, RBI (1-0 B); Knapp advanced to third; Farney scored. Kranson singled to
right center, RBI (3-2 FFBBB); Rodriguez advanced to second; Knapp scored. Paul
out at first 1b to 2b, SAC (0-0); Kranson advanced to second; Rodriguez
advanced to third. Halamandaris flied out to rf, SF, RBI (0-0); Kranson
advanced to third on an error by rf; Rodriguez scored. Dutto walked (3-1
BBBKB). Celsi singled to left field, RBI (1-0 B); Dutto advanced to second;
Kranson scored. Melbostad, E to p for Kellogg, R.. Pearson singled to right
center, RBI (2-1 BBK); Celsi advanced to second; Dutto scored. Farney grounded
out to 2b (2-0 BB). 6 runs, 6 hits, 1 error, 2 LOB.

California 4th - Blackford to p for Melbostad, E. Knapp walked (3-2
BKBBSFB). Rodriguez singled to right field (1-0 B); Knapp advanced to second.
Kranson reached on an error by p, SAC (1-1 FB); Rodriguez advanced to second;
Knapp advanced to third. Kranson advanced to second; Rodriguez advanced to
third; Knapp scored on a wild pitch. Paul singled to center field, RBI (3-2
BFKBB); Kranson advanced to third; Rodriguez scored. McCreery, A. to p for
Blackford. Paul advanced to second on a wild pitch. Halamandaris struck out,
out at first c to 1b (1-2 FBF). Dutto reached on a fielder's choice, advanced
to second (2-1 BSB); Paul advanced to third; Kranson out at home 1b to c. Dutto
advanced to third; Paul scored on a wild pitch, unearned. Celsi walked (3-2
BBKKBB). Pearson grounded out to 3b (1-1 KB). 3 runs, 2 hits, 1 error, 2
LOB.

Bears then took the lead with 3 more runs in the 4th and things were looking great until the 8th. ASU got an two out three run homer to knot things up. ASU got the go ahead run against Logan Scott in the 9th to claim a 10-9 win.

Sunday, May 12, 2013, Cal 7, ASU 10

Similar to Saturday's game, the Bears fell behind by 4 right away but then fought back to eventually tie things up at 5 in the 4th and at 6 in the 5th. A grandslam by ASU in the 8th gave them a big lead and the Bears wear only able to get one back in the 9th despite getting the first two men on and the middle of the lineup coming up.

Cal Hitter of the Week:

While RBI is not a good stat to determine how good of a hitter one is, Devon Rodriguez led the Bears with 6 RBIs for the weekend, including the key RBIs in game 1. He made the most of this 4 hits (including a homer) in 14 at bats.

Honorable Mention: Andrew Knapp went 4 for 11, Brendan Farney went 5 for 12, Devin Pearson went an impressive 6 for 11 to set the table in his return to the top of the lineup in game 2 and 3.

Cal Pitcher of the Week:

Friday ace Ryan Mason set the tone for this series with his solid 6.1 innings of work on Friday to get the nod.

Cal Baseball News:

CalBears.com has a video feature of two sports (baseball and football) threat Jacob Wark and an article on the emergence of pitcher Trevor Hildenberger.

GO BEARS!

Cal Football: Defensive Coordinator Andy Buh Chats About Being In Berkeley

2013-05-17T14:07:39Z

Cal defensive coordinator Andy Buh chats about his new job! (via Lindsay Brauner)

Lindsay Brauner (LB): Hi, it's Lindsay Brauner, here with Coach Buh. Thanks so much for joining us.

Andy Buh (AB): You're welcome! It's good to be here.

LB: So what happened to your arm?

AB: I slipped and fell; not highly recommended to anybody. I had a little rotator cuff surgery.

More Lindsay interviews: Brennan Scarlett Cam & DJ at Quidditch Zach Kline

LB: You weren't out here on the field with the guys tackling anyone?

AB: No, that's the story that a lot of guys are saying, but no, that didn't actually happen.

LB: That's what I heard.

AB: Oh yeah? It actually happened back in Wisconsin.

LB: Well, how are you liking Cal so far?

AB: Love it! I was here in the early 2000s and spent a little bit of my coaching career in the Bay and my family and I really enjoy being back.

LB: How do you think the younger guys are adjusting to everything as opposed to the older guys who've had a little more experience out here at the Division One level?

AB: Right now, everyone's new to us. The young guys aren't acting very young right now. They see the depth chart swinging a little bit. They're seeing opportunity. So they're really not acting young right now; they're working just as hard as everyone else and the really neat thing right now is we're seeing guys really act like they're all veteran guys.

LB: What do you like best, so far, about the guys who are here?

AB: The energy, the willingness to learn, and come out energized every day. They're working really hard for us and we're loving what we have right now.

LB: Do you see improvements already happening since you started?

AB: Yes. Every day there's been big jumps and we've been keeping it pretty simple so we can see some fundamental change and we're seeing a lot of that out here right now, so we're pretty excited about that.

LB: How much fluidity would you say there is in the depth chart right now?

AB: There's a ton. We're making it known that there really isn't a one, two, or three right now. We're trying to move the depth chart every day just to let them see themselves moving around if they earn it and there's been a couple of changes already and we're expecting a lot more as we move forward.

LB: Is there anyone who's standing out to you as particularly well prepared?

AB: Each day there's a new guy. Mustafa Jalil had a really good first day. Kameron Jackson had a phenomenal day.

Kameron Jackson Chats with Me! (via Lindsay Brauner)

So every day, two or three guys start to jump out at us and we haven't been looking at that as hard until the pads came on today and you saw Kameron Jackson show up, you saw Wilkerson show up, you saw Forbes show up, you saw Michael Barton show up, so that's what we're looking for-once the pads go on, the guys let loose a little bit. Those kinds of improvements are what we're looking for.

LB: Coach Buh, thanks so much for joining us.

AB: You're welcome-good to be here.