Golden Nuggets: Mark Canha's Memorable Major League Debut

Baseball

Inside the Lair: Helping Those In Need

By Tim Miguel, Cal Athletic Communications

Jonathan McDonald, a redshirt freshman safety on the Cal football team, was in a hurry to leave spring football practice a little early to get to the airport. It was the last practice session before the players and coaches were about to go their separate ways for spring break.

McDonald wasn't in a rush to get out of town to see friends or family or to take some sort of vacation for fun. McDonald was excused early by the football staff so he could spend his spring break by taking a trip to the Dominican Republic to help others in need.

Golden Bear Spotlight: Baseball And A Desire To Serve

By Jonathan Okanes, Cal Athletic Communications

BERKELEY - Lt. Col. Stephen Suhr, a Professor of Military Science for Cal's ROTC program, enjoys attending baseball games at Evans Diamond.

These days, he has a little extra rooting interest.

One of Suhr's new pupils is Cal catcher Brett Cumberland. The freshman from Turlock enrolled in Cal's ROTC program as soon as he arrived on campus. Suhr, a former baseball player himself at Army, has been getting a kick out of Cumberland's exploits on the diamond.

"He's giving me a better excuse to watch Cal baseball," Suhr said.

Softball

California softball senior captain Cheyenne Cordes is one of 10 student-athletes tabbed a finalist for the 2015 Senior CLASS Award. Go vote for Cheyenne!

The 20th-ranked Golden Bears racked up 13 hits and played errorless defense to rout non-conference foe Saint Mary's 8-1 at Levine-Fricke Field on Wednesday afternoon.

Men's Tennis

Inside The Lair: Goranssons' Baby Brother Thrives With Cal Family

BERKELEY - The resemblance is amazing.

Ask anyone who's been around the California men's and women's tennis programs the last few years, and they'll tell you that Andre Goransson looks a lot like his older sister, Annie Goransson, who played for the Cal women's team.

Andre, 20, now a sophomore on the Cal men's team, and Annie, 25, aren't twins, but there are plenty of similarities among the Goranssons' immediate family members, who hail from Sweden. They all play tennis, and most have played collegiately in the United States.

"There's a definite resemblance there," said Cal women's tennis head coach Amanda Augustus, who coached Annie from 2009-13. "All the kids look a little bit alike. They come from a great family."

In their last home matches of the regular-season, 27th-ranked California hosts key Pac-12 Conference matches against No. 5 and defending NCAA champion USC and No. 15 UCLA this week. The Golden Bears take on the Trojans at 3 p.m. on Friday and then battle the Bruins at 3 p.m. on Saturday at the Hellman Tennis Complex.

Women's Tennis

With the regular season winding down, third-ranked California hosts a doubleheader on Sunday, as the Golden Bears (16-3, 7-1 in the Pac-12) battle Washington State (12-10, 0-8 Pac-12) in a conference match at 11 a.m. and then tackle San Francisco (9-7) in a nonconference match at 3 p.m. at the Hellman Tennis Complex.

Men's Swimming & Diving

Cal's Ryan Murphy, the 2015 CSCAA Swimmer of the Year, also earned Pac-12 Men's Swimmer of the Year honors after helping the Bears to a national runner-up finish, it was announced today by the conference office.

Men's Gymnastics

The No. 7 Golden Bears will be in Norman, Okla. this week for the NCAA Championships on the campus of the University of Oklahoma. The Bears are in session one on Thursday, April 9, which begins at 11 a.m. PT and Cal will compete with No. 2 Stanford, No. 3 Penn State, No. 6 Minnesota, No. 10 Air Force and No. 11 Nebraska for a chance to reach the team finals on Friday, April 10 at 5 p.m. PT.

Rugby

The national postseason kicks off for the Golden Bears on Saturday, April 11, when California travels to Austin to take on the University of Texas at 5 p.m. CT in the quarterfinal round of the 2015 Penn Mutual Varsity Cup National Rugby Championship.

Sand Volleyball

The Cal sand volleyball team makes its second trip to Stanford this season, this time for the three-day Stanford Invitational. The Bears will play three dual matches - against No. 8 UCLA on Friday and Oregon and Washington on Saturday. A pairs tournament will follow on Sunday.

Lacrosse

US Sports Camps will be offering Nike Lacrosse Camps for both boys and girls at the University of California. Head women's lacrosse coach Brooke Eubanks will be directing the girl's camp.

Coaches Corner: With Kacie Lewis

The California lacrosse team has wrapped up its five-game road trip and will finish the 2015 regular season with four of its last five games in Berkeley. As the Golden Bears look to finish the regular season strong and earn a berth in the MPSF Conference Tournament, CalBears.com had a chance to sit down with first-year assistant coach Kacie Lewis about her lacrosse background and her coaching strategies.

Lewis and the Bears face UC Davis next on Friday, April 10, at 7 p.m. from Kabam Field at California Memorial Stadium. Click here to view the live stream on Friday.

CalBears.com: What was your first impression of Cal?

Kacie Lewis: I was extremely impressed with the facilities and all that Cal has to offer its student-athletes. Everyone knows that Cal is a great school academically, but I really didn't know of all the changes that had been made to the athletic side. Not to mention that weight room is eye candy.

CB: What specifically made you want to take the job at Cal?

KL: Working for Brooke was a huge draw for me. She's an awesome mentor, friend and coach. I hope to start my own program one day, so learning from her as she takes over as a new head coach is pretty invaluable.

Football

Canadian Football League

Former head coach Jeff Tedford, now head coach for the British Colombia Lions of the CFL, adds Cal alums Cameron Morrah and Brendan Bigelow.

Major League Baseball

After losing Brandon Belt to an injured groin, should the Giants trade for Allen Craig?

El Cerrito's Semien brings a humble attitude in his bid to solve the A's shortstop riddle

By Anthony Witrado

OAKLAND — The body action is the same every time, like clockwork.

Whenever a nonteammate engages Marcus Semien, the thin 24-year-old straightens up, and, after a few seconds, his arms end up behind his back. His left hand grabs the opposite forearm, and he answers inquiries in an articulate, thought-out manner through a soft, mellow voice. When the questions cease, Semien's arms drop then he thanks the other person and goes back about his business of preparing to be the A's everyday shortstop.

"Respectful," A's manager Bob Melvin describes Semien. That demeanor and attitude have impressed the Oakland organization, from teammates to the front office. But what they are most excited about is their belief that he represents the team's future at shortstop, a mostly hollow position since Miguel Tejada vacated it in 2003.

Athletics rookies and Cal Bear Alum Mark Canha went 3-5 in his Major League debut with a double and 4 runs batted in, but that's not the most unforgettable part of his night as he channels Bill Durham. There's also a Cal mention at 4:25!