BERKELEY - The Cal baseball team plays host to Pac-12 competiition for the second week in a row as the Bears welcome Arizona State for three games that will all be broadcast live by Pac-12 Networks. First pitch on Friday is scheduled for 4:05 p.m., Saturday's game will begin at 12:05 p.m. and Sunday's finale is set for 2:05 p.m. 

Cal enters the weekend on the heels of an 8-4 setback at Stanford on Tuesday. The Bears still have a good deal of momentum in their corner though after a weekend sweep of Washington State saw Cal collect 34 hits and score 28 runs.

PROBABLE STARTERS

Friday, April 7, 4:05 p.m.
Cal: RHP Jared Horn (2-2, 3.94 ERA)
Arizona State: LHP Eli Lingos (3-2, 3.07 ERA)

Saturday, April 8, 12:05 p.m.
Cal: RHP Joey Matulovich (3-0, 3.40 ERA)
Arizona State: LHP Chaz Montoya (2-1, 4.63 ERA)

Sunday, April 9, 2:05 p.m.
Cal: LHP Matt Ladrech (1-0, 0.68 ERA)
Arizona State: TBA

SCOUTING REPORT: ARIZONA STATE

• The Sun Devils arrive in Berkeley on the heels of a mid-week setback at No.8 Arizona, falling 11-2 in Tuesday action. ASU hosted UCLA over the weekend and the Bruins left Tempe with a pair of wins.
• Arizona State owns a .259 team batting average entering the weekend and the Sun Devils are led by a trio of hitters -- Lyle Lin (.369), Zach Cerbo (.311) and Taylor Lane (.308) --hitting over .300. 
• On the mound, Eli Lingos has filled the role of Friday ace for the Sun Devils and enters the weekend with a 3-2 record and 3.07 ERA. Nine different ASU pitchers have gotten a start this year, with Spencer Van Scoyoc taking the ball six times.
• Arizona State owns a 60-112 edge in the all-time series.
• Last meeting: The Bears and Sun Devils met in Tempe in 2016 and Arizona State picked up the series win with victories on Friday and Sunday. Cal's win came in extra innings with home runs by Brian Celsi and Robbie Tenerowicz highlighting a 4-run 11th inning to give the Bears an 8-4 victory.      

LAST TIME OUT
One bad inning proved Cal's undoing during a mid-week trip to Stanford as the No. 20-ranked Cardinal scored eight runs in the fourth inning to take command at Sunken Diamond. Andrew Vaughn continued to lead the Cal offense, driving in three runs with a pair of doubles, and the Bears got solid relief pitching in the later innings, allowing just one hit over the final 4 1/3 frames.

Before heading to Stanford, Cal's bats came alive in Pac-12 play as the Bears pounded out 34 hits during their three-game sweep of Washington State at Evans Diamond. Tanner Dodson led the charge, going 6 for 11 with three doubles and six RBI over the weekend while Tyrus Greene also went 6 for 11 with two runs scored. Cal hit .330 as a team against the Cougars. On the mound, the Bears allowed just eight earned runs in in 27 innings with starters Jared Horn, Joey Matulovich and Matt Ladrech all contributing quality outings. 

DIGGING THE LONG BALL
With the first few weeks of Pac-12 play in the books, Cal ranks second in the conference when it comes to home runs. The Bears have hit 18 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., Tanner Dodson and Cameron Eden 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 batting average (.366), home runs (7), RBI (23) and runs scored (18). 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 2.57 ERA in seven relief appearances (7 IP).

BASEPATH THIEVERY
Cal ranks second in the Pac-12 when it comes to stealing bases as the Bears enter the Stanford game with 28 steals. Sophomore Jonah Davis ranks second individually with eight and Jeffrey Mitchell, Jr. is tied for fifth with six. Nine different Bears have stolen a base so far this season.

ON DECK
The Arizona State series wraps up back to back Pac-12 weekends at home but the Bears still have one game to play in the Bay Area as they'll make the trip through the Caldecott Tunnel on Tuesday for a 3 p.m. game at defending WCC champion Saint Mary's. That kicks off a five-game road stretch for Cal as it goes to Salt Lake City next weekend to take on Utah in Pac-12 play. A mid-week game at Stanford on April 18 brings Cal closer to home and the Bears return to Evans Diamond on April 21 to kick off a three-game set with USC.