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Has shown the potential to be a top Pac-10 pitcher and is in line to again be one of the Bears weekend starters...can also help Cal as either a closer or a long reliever...has great size (6-7) with an above average fastball, slider, split finger fastball and change-up…redshirted the 2000 season after having "Tommy John" surgery on his right elbow in November of 1999…hurt his arm during the summer of '99 playing for the Brewster Whitecaps in the Cape Cod League…AS A JUNIOR (2001): Was 0-3 with a 4.72 ERA…sat out the remainder of the season, after an Apr. 14 start against USC, due to a sore right shoulder…had seven no decisions during the season and opponents batted .247 against…got a no decision Mar. 17 versus Arizona State (5.0 innings, two hits, one run, four walks, four strikeouts)…pitched well but got a no decision Feb. 3 versus Santa Clara (7.0 innings, two hits, one earned run, no walks, six strikeouts)…the Santa Clara game was his first appearance since May 10, 1999 at Washington State…was second team Pac-10 All-Academic…AS A SOPHOMORE (1999): Finished the year 5-7 with a 5.23 ERA, including going 3-2 with a 5.40 ERA against conference competition…defeated then No. 3 ranked Long Beach State Feb. 14 at Cal (7.0 innings, six hits, two runs, two walks, eight strikeouts)…was outstanding Mar. 21 versus Washington, shutting out the Huskies until the seventh inning, pitching 6.3 innings with six hits, one run, no walks and a career-high nine strikeouts…picked up victories Apr. 2 versus UCLA (7.7 innings, five hits, three runs, two walks, two strikeouts) and Apr. 20 at Pacific (5.0 innings, five hits, no runs, one walk, two strikeouts)…finished the season with two straight wins, May 2 versus Arizona (7.3 innings, four hits, two runs, three walks, six strikeouts, did not give up a hit between the third and sixth innings and at one point retired 11 consecutive Wildcat batters) and May 10 at Washington State (6.0 innings, three hits, one run, five walks, five strikeouts)…was second team Pac-10 All-Academic…AS A FRESHMAN (1998): Was named the co-winner of the George Wolfman Award as the team's most improved player, along with outfielder/pitcher Rob Meyer...finished the season 2-6 with a 8.08 ERA, pitching well in his last four outings...in a 5-2 loss at USC Apr. 19, threw a complete game (10 hits, five runs, one walk (intentional) and a strikeout), on Apr. 26 at Stanford got a no decision (5.7 innings, three hits, two runs, two walks, three strikeouts), picked up a 13-4 win May 3 versus Arizona (7.0 innings, nine hits, two walks, three strikeouts) and got a no decision May 10 at Washington (6.0 inning, six hits, two earned runs, two walks, strikeout)…had five strikeouts in only 2.7 innings Mar. 8 versus Rutgers at the Hormel Foods Classic in Minneapolis, MN…HIGH SCHOOL/PERSONAL: Was Cal's top freshman pitching recruit in 1998…was drafted in the 26th round by the Boston Red Sox in the 1997 amateur draft…as a senior at Bellarmine College Prep in San Jose went 8-1 with a 2.14 ERA, earning team MVP and first team All-West Catholic League honors...was also team captain in baseball and had a .387 batting average...in the summer of 1997 was invited to participate in the NorCal tryouts, was a member of the North team that competed in the North-South All-Star Game and played in the Sunbelt Classic in Shawnee, OK...also competed in the Area Code Games in 1996...in the summer of 1998 played for the Brewster Whitecaps, going 3-2 with a 5.27 ERA…was recruited by Stanford, Arizona State and Santa Clara before selecting Cal...majoring in business...parents are Richard and Lois Atkinson...born February 17, 1979 in San Jose, CA.
ATKINSON'S CAREER STATISTICS
YEAR ERA G GS CG W L S IP H R ER BB SO
1998 8.08 16 10 1 2 6 0 49.0 63 49 44 26 26
1999 5.23 18 15 0 5 7 1 84.3 87 54 49 43 52
2001 4.72 10 10 0 0 3 0 40.0 36 23 21 20 25
Totals 5.92 44 35 1 7 16 1 173.3 186 126 114 89 103
CAREER VS. THE PAC-10
G W L S PCT IP H R ER BB SO HB HR ERA
vs. Arizona 3 2 1 0 .667 18.0 17 9 8 7 12 2 2 4.00
vs. ASU 4 0 3 0 .000 10.0 13 12 11 5 7 1 2 9.90
vs. OSU 1 0 0 0 .000 3.0 3 0 0 3 2 0 0 0.00
vs. Stanford 3 0 2 0 .000 12.0 14 14 13 8 4 2 0 9.75
vs. UCLA 3 1 1 0 .500 13.3 13 10 9 7 6 1 2 6.09
vs. USC 3 0 1 0 .000 11.3 16 11 11 6 1 2 0 8.76
vs. Washington 2 0 0 0 .000 7.7 10 4 4 2 10 3 1 4.68
vs. WSU 2 1 1 0 .500 10.0 9 5 4 6 6 1 1 3.60
CAREER BESTS
Most Strikeouts: 9, Mar. 21, 1999 vs. Washington
Most Innings Pitched: 8.0, Apr. 19, 1998 at USC
Longest Winning Streak: 2, twice, last time May 2-10, 1999
Longest Losing Streak: 5, Feb. 21-Mar. 27, 1999
