California Golden Bears Athletics
Friday, March 31
Berkeley, Calif.
7:05 PM
California
vs
Washington State
Max Flower and the Bears are in the middle of an eight-game stretch of local games (Dave Donovan Photography)
Photo by: Dave Donovan Photography
Bears Play Host To Washington State
3/30/2017 10:33 AM | Baseball
BERKELEY - A stretch of local games for the Cal baseball team continues this weekend as Washington State pays a visit to Evans Diamond for a three-game Pac-12 series. First pitch on Friday is set for 7:05 p.m., Saturday's game will start at 6:05 p.m. and Sunday's series finale will be a 1:05 p.m. matinee. Live stats are available for the series by visiting CalBears.com and live updates can be found by following Cal Baseball on Twitter (@Cal_Baseball).
The Bears enter the weekend looking to stop a four-game slide after dropping three at UCLA and falling 3-1 to Long Beach State on Monday. Cal collected nine hits against the Dirtbags but couldn't turn those to runs, scoring its lone run on an Andrew Vaughn home run.
PROBABLE STARTERS
Friday, March 31, 7:05 p.m.
Cal: RHP Jared Horn (1-2, 4.85 ERA)
Washington State: LHP Damon Jones (2-1, 3.94)
Saturday, April 1, 6:05 p.m.
Cal: RHP Joey Matulovich (3-0, 3.51)
Washington State: RHP Ryan Walker (2-2, 6.21)
Sunday, April 2, 1:05 p.m.
Cal: TBA
Washington State: LHP Cody Anderson (3-1, 2.06)
SCOUTING REPORT: WASHINGTON STATE
Cal jumped out to leads in each of its first two games at UCLA but couldn't hold them, dropping a 9-5 decision on Friday and a 9-4 result on Saturday. The Bruins closed out the weekend with a win on Sunday as the Bears committed seven errors in the series finale.
The Bears returned to Evans Diamond on Monday and got strong contributions from a six-pitcher parade that included the return of left-hander Matt Ladrech. Andrew Vaughn homered but two late runs proved decisive as the Dirtbags escaped with the 3-1 victory.
THE KIDS ARE ALRIGHT
Cal's youth continues to play a major role in how the 2017 season develops. Freshman Andrew Vaughn leads the Bears in the batting average column with a mark of .347 while sophomores Tyrus Greene and Jeffrey Mitchell, Jr. are second and third, respectively. Junior third baseman Denis Karas is the only regular starter older than a sophomore.
DIGGING THE LONG BALL
As the Pac-12 season gets underway, Cal ranks atop the conference when it comes to home runs. The Bears have hit 17 big flies as a team, led by a conference-high seven from freshman Andrew Vaughn. Junior Denis Karas hit one against Oregon and ranks second on the team with three while Jeffrey Mitchell, Jr. and Tanner Dodson each have two.
VAUGHN'S VERSATILITY
Installed right away as Cal's No. 3 hitter, true freshman Andrew Vaughn has established himself as one of the team's top run producers. The Santa Rosa, Calif. native leads the Bears in home runs (7), RBI (18), batting average (.347) and runs scored (14). Vaughn's contributions aren't limited to the plate though, as Cal's starting first baseman doubles as a key arm out the bullpen and owns a 1-0 record and 3.00 ERA in five relief appearances (6 IP).
ON DECK
Cal stays in the Bay Area next week for a mid-week trip to Stanford and three home games against Arizona State. All four games will be broadcast live by Pac-12 Networks. The Bears' stretch of local games wraps up on April 11 at Saint Mary's. Pac-12 play continues with a trip to Utah from April 13-15 and, after another mid-week trip to Stanford, action returns to Evans Diamond from April 21-23 when USC pays a visit.
The Bears enter the weekend looking to stop a four-game slide after dropping three at UCLA and falling 3-1 to Long Beach State on Monday. Cal collected nine hits against the Dirtbags but couldn't turn those to runs, scoring its lone run on an Andrew Vaughn home run.
PROBABLE STARTERS
Friday, March 31, 7:05 p.m.
Cal: RHP Jared Horn (1-2, 4.85 ERA)
Washington State: LHP Damon Jones (2-1, 3.94)
Saturday, April 1, 6:05 p.m.
Cal: RHP Joey Matulovich (3-0, 3.51)
Washington State: RHP Ryan Walker (2-2, 6.21)
Sunday, April 2, 1:05 p.m.
Cal: TBA
Washington State: LHP Cody Anderson (3-1, 2.06)
SCOUTING REPORT: WASHINGTON STATE
- The Cougars come to Berkeley after taking three of four from CSUN in a non-conference series in Pullman. Head coach Marty Lees' crew has won four of five entering the weekend.
- Washington State ranks fourth in the Pac-12 in team batting average at .276. Shane Matheny leads the way with a .384 mark and also ranks third in the conference in doubles with 11.
- The Cougars own a staff ERA of 3.81 and Sunday starter Cody Anderson is among the Pac-12 leaders in the category with a 2.06 mark in six appearances. Closer Scotty Sunitsch is tied for second in the conference with seven saves.
- Cal leads the all-time series against Washington State, 50-39.
- Last meeting: The Bears closed the 2016 season in Pullman with a series win that was most notable for head coach David Esquer notching his 500th career win on the last day of the regular season. A 7-0 win on Saturday came courtesy of a combined one-hitter from Daulton Jefferies and Alex Schick while Ryan Mason went seven strong on Sunday to get a win in his final collegiate start.
Cal jumped out to leads in each of its first two games at UCLA but couldn't hold them, dropping a 9-5 decision on Friday and a 9-4 result on Saturday. The Bruins closed out the weekend with a win on Sunday as the Bears committed seven errors in the series finale.
The Bears returned to Evans Diamond on Monday and got strong contributions from a six-pitcher parade that included the return of left-hander Matt Ladrech. Andrew Vaughn homered but two late runs proved decisive as the Dirtbags escaped with the 3-1 victory.
THE KIDS ARE ALRIGHT
Cal's youth continues to play a major role in how the 2017 season develops. Freshman Andrew Vaughn leads the Bears in the batting average column with a mark of .347 while sophomores Tyrus Greene and Jeffrey Mitchell, Jr. are second and third, respectively. Junior third baseman Denis Karas is the only regular starter older than a sophomore.
DIGGING THE LONG BALL
As the Pac-12 season gets underway, Cal ranks atop the conference when it comes to home runs. The Bears have hit 17 big flies as a team, led by a conference-high seven from freshman Andrew Vaughn. Junior Denis Karas hit one against Oregon and ranks second on the team with three while Jeffrey Mitchell, Jr. and Tanner Dodson each have two.
VAUGHN'S VERSATILITY
Installed right away as Cal's No. 3 hitter, true freshman Andrew Vaughn has established himself as one of the team's top run producers. The Santa Rosa, Calif. native leads the Bears in home runs (7), RBI (18), batting average (.347) and runs scored (14). Vaughn's contributions aren't limited to the plate though, as Cal's starting first baseman doubles as a key arm out the bullpen and owns a 1-0 record and 3.00 ERA in five relief appearances (6 IP).
ON DECK
Cal stays in the Bay Area next week for a mid-week trip to Stanford and three home games against Arizona State. All four games will be broadcast live by Pac-12 Networks. The Bears' stretch of local games wraps up on April 11 at Saint Mary's. Pac-12 play continues with a trip to Utah from April 13-15 and, after another mid-week trip to Stanford, action returns to Evans Diamond from April 21-23 when USC pays a visit.
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