BERKELEY – California and Stanford will get an early look at one another as they continue their rivalry with a nonconference clash on Tuesday evening at Evans Diamond.
 
The contest is slated for a 6 p.m. (PT) first pitch and will be aired live on the Pac-12 Networks. It is the first of four head-to-head games between the programs this season, with Cal (2-5) making a trip to Stanford (1-6) in late March for a three-game series. The Bears are coming off a win in their series finale against St. John's while the Cardinal has lost four straight.
 
MID-WEEK LINEUP

• Teams: Cal (2-5) vs. Stanford (1-6)
• Location: Berkeley, Calif. | Evans Diamond
• Date & Time: Tuesday, Feb. 25 | 6 p.m. (PT)
• Watch: Pac-12 Network & Pac-12 Bay Area
• Talent: JB Long & Ben Francisco
• Live Stats: CalBears.com
• Projected Starters: LHP Lucas Gather vs. RHP Max Meier 

QUICK HITS

• Tuesday is the first of four games between Cal and Stanford this season.
• Quentin Selma and Darren Baker lead the Pac-12 in RBI (13) and runs scored (11), respectively.
• The Bears had season-highs of 15 hits and 11 runs scored in their 11-7 win over St. John's on Sunday.
• Cal was picked to finish tied for seven in the Pac-12 Conference preseason coaches' poll.

#BEATSTANFORD
Tuesday's clash between Cal and Stanford marks the first time since 2017 that the two programs have played a nonconference mid-week game. Since Mike Neu took over for the Bears in 2018, Cal is 2-6 against Stanford with a pair of Pac-12 series losses. The Bears' most recent win over Stanford was an 18-2 outburst on May 11, 2019 in Berkeley. Of its last seven losses to Stanford, six have come within four runs.
 
Stanford head coach David Esquer previously served as the Bears' head coach from 2000-17. He won 525 games at Cal, ranking third in program history, and led the Bears to an NCAA Regional five times and the College World Series once (2011).
 
Q-FACTOR
Junior third baseman Quentin Selma's rise has been a fast one. After breaking into the Bears' lineup in midway through the 2019 season as a sophomore, Selma has developed into one of the team's most consistent hitters. He landed on the All-Pac-12 First Team with a .311 batting average, 14 doubles, 10 home runs and 27 RBI and also participated in the College Home Run Derby in Omaha during the summer.  D1Baseball ranked Selma as the No. 81 hitter in the nation.
 
The Clovis, Calif., native leads Cal batting average (.407), hits (11), extra-base hits (3) and RBI (13) this season. He had a career-high five RBI at UC Santa Barbara last Monday and ripped a go-ahead three-run home run in the bottom of the eighth inning of Cal's 11-7 win over St. John's on Sunday.
 
HIT THE GROUND RUNNING
Multiple freshmen have the chance to prove their worth through Cal's first seven games this season. Five of those freshmen -- Keshawn Ogans, Joseph King, Nathan Martorella, Dylan Beavers and Steven Zobac -- played key roles in Cal's 11-7 win over St. John's on Sunday.
 
Beavers and Ogans tallied Cal's first two home runs of the season, both solo shots, while Ogans added three runs scored. Zobac drove in two runs while Martorella chipped in one RBI and a pair of hits. King, meanwhile, earned his first collegiate victory with two scoreless innings of relief on his 19th birthday. Other standout freshman performances include:

• Jake Skipworth: RBI double in his first collegiate at bat at UC Santa Barbara (Feb. 17)
• Vaughn Mauterer: four pitching appearances
• Josh White: two starts on the mound at UCSB (Feb. 17) and vs. St. John's (Feb. 23)
• Ethan Cloyd: started at catcher vs. UCSB (1-for-4)
• Ben Lake: three strikeouts over 1.2 innings pitched

THEY GROW UP FAST
Much of Cal's success will ride on a talented crop of sophomore pitchers. Sam Stoutenborough and Grant Holman are slotted as Friday and Saturday's starters after tossing six innings apiece during the opening weekend at Long Beach State. Sean Sullivan, Cal's saves leader in 2019, is expected to join them in the weekend rotation in the weeks to come.
 
Nick Proctor, Mitchell Scott and Ian Villers have excelled out of the bullpen during the first seven games of the year. Proctor has struck out a team-high 11 batters over 8.1 innings and hasn't allowed a run, Scott earned the save at LBSU on Feb. 16, and Villers hasn't allowed a run over 4.2 innings and five appearances, including one "opener" start.
 
MR. RELIABLE
Senior right fielder Max Flower is the Bears' most experienced player in the 2020 campaign with 151 career games played, including 132 starts. He saw a 68-game streak of starts snapped last weekend as he rested on Saturday and Sunday after being hit by a pitch in Friday's contest. A .271 career hitter with 75 RBI to his name, Flower was also a 2019 Pac-12 All-Defensive Team honorable mention.
 
STAR POWER
Darren Baker is poised to be one of the most dynamic players in the Pac-12 this spring and has had a strong start for the Bears. The junior is batting .310 and leads the conference in runs scored (11). He has four multi-hit performances in his last five games and is 3-for-3 in stolen bases. Baker put together a successful sophomore season and eye-catching summer in the Cape Cod League. Last year, Baker batted .306 with 21 stolen bases and was a Pac-12 All-Defensive Team selection. He then slashed .342/.384/.376 in the Cape Cod League and earned an all-star selection.
 
A BIT OF THIS, A BIT OF THAT
Sophomore two-way player Grant Holman is off to a strong start with his bat and his arm. As a pitcher, Holman has started both of Cal's Saturday games and despite an 0-2 record, has shown quality stuff. He allowed just two earned runs over six innings at Long Beach State on Feb. 15 and followed it up with a career-high six strikeouts vs. St. John's last Saturday. With the bat, Holman is second on the team with a .321 average and has at least one hit in six of seven games, including a three-hit effort in Sunday's win over St. John's.
 
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