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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.)