BERKELEY -- After four games in the Arizona desert last weekend, the Cal baseball team hits the road again for a three-game series against the Cal Poly Mustangs. The teams get things going Friday night with a 6 p.m. matchup at Baggett Stadium, followed by a 4 p.m. game Saturday and the 1 p.m. series finale Sunday afternoon. 

The Bears went 1-3 in the Angels College Classic in Tempe, Ariz., to begin their season. They dropped games to Cal State Bakersfield, Pepperdine and Northwestern before finishing strong with a 10-6 victory over BYU. Four Bears drove in at least two runs in that game, as Cal notched a season-high in runs scored. 

Reigning Golden Spikes Award winner Andrew Vaughn picked up where he left off after a sensational sophomore season, hitting two home runs, collecting five RBI and reaching base 14 times in 20 plate appearances in Cal's season-opening tournament. Grant Holman and Connor Mack also went deep over the course of the weekend.

The Bears are in a stretch where they play 12 of their first 14 games away from Berkeley. After this three-game series, they play a four-game home-and-home set with Saint Mary's from Feb. 28-March 3. Then they'll fly to Baton Rouge, La., for a three-game series with national power LSU, which began the season ranked No. 2 in the country by d1baseball.com and Baseball America.


PROBABLE STARTERS
Friday, February 22, 6 p.m.
Cal: LHP Arman Sabouri (0-1, 2.25)
Cal Poly: RHP Jarred Zill (0-1, 5.06)

Saturday, February 23, 4 p.m.
Cal: LHP Lucas Gather (0-0, 18.00)
Cal Poly: RHP Bobby Ay (0-0, 9.00)

Sunday, February 24, 1 p.m.
Cal: TBA
Cal Poly: RHP Darren Nelson (0-1, 1.59)

SCOUTING THE MUSTANGS
Last meeting: Cal took two of three from Cal Poly to begin the 2017 season.
Cal Poly's 2018 Record: 30-27, 15-9 Big West
• Cal Poly brings back lots of experience from last season, returning 20 letterwinners and 10 members of the pitching staff.
•The Mustangs were picked to finish fourth in the nine-team Big West in a preseason vote by conference coaches.
•Though Cal Poly returns plenty of players from 2018, they watched two very important players depart in outfielder Alex McKenna (the Big West Field Player of the Year in '18) and catcher Nick Meyer, the conference's Defensive Player of the Year.
•1B Tate Samuelson is a top returner after earning honorable mention All-Big West honors last season as a freshman. He hit .280 with 5 homers, 38 RBI and 30 runs scored.
•Right-handed reliever Taylor Dollard, a junior, also earned all-conference honors with a 2.43 ERA and 37 strikeouts in 40 2/3 IP.
•Junior OF Bradlee Beesley is off to a terrific start through four games, entering this weekend 9 for 16 with 6 RBI.

NEXT UP
After their weekend trip to San Luis Obispo, the Bears will take on Saint Mary's in a four-game home-and-home series beginning next Thursday, a 7:05 p.m. game which will serve as Cal's home opener. The teams will meet again at 7:05 in Berkeley next Friday, then play in Moraga for weekend games that each begin at 1 p.m.