OMAHA, Neb. – Junior right-handed starter Daulton Jefferies has been named as a Second-Team Preseason All-American, D1Baseball.com announced on Monday. Jefferies also earned preseason All-American recognition earlier from the Collegiate Baseball newspaper, as a Louisville Slugger Second-Team selection as well as a Third-Team choice by Perfect Game. The Bears came in at No. 9 in the D1Baseball.com's Top 25 Rankings earlier this month and these All-American teams were selected by the site's editors Aaron Fitt and Kendall Rogers with the following guiding principle: to identify the best and most valuable college baseball players for the 2016 season.

Jefferies, an Atwater, California, native, had a breakout season in 2015 as a Friday-night starter for the Bears during his sophomore campaign, posting a 6-5 record with a 2.92 ERA in 14 appearances, 13 of which are starts. He logged 80.0 innings of work, striking out a team-high 74 batters and conversely allowing only 17 walks. Opponents hit just .239 against him, and he ranked seventh in the Pac-12 in strikeouts. Additionally, Jefferies was tied for eighth best in the conference in fewest walks allowed. He threw seven sparkling innings, allowing just one run on three hits with five strikeouts in the College Station Regional in a 9-3 win over Coastal Carolina this past postseason. He also started and pitched one inning on short rest in the regional final, a 3-1 loss to Texas A&M, allowing one hit and striking out two Aggies.

California returns 17 letter-winners from the team that went 36-21 with a school-record-tying 18 conference victories. Cal pushed host Texas A&M to the brink in the College Station Regional in 2015, falling 3-1 in the decisive seventh game of the regional in the Golden Bears' return to the postseason. The Bears return their entire weekend rotation, seven position players who were starters in 2015 and are buoyed with a talented group of freshmen. Fans are encouraged to follow the Bears on social media @Cal_Baseball on Twitter, @CalBaseball on Instagram and on Facebook for the latest news and updates on the program.