BERKELEY – Work on the field at Evans Diamond at Stu Gordon Stadium will have to wait for the rain in Northern California to finally let up before the California baseball team can officially have its first day on the field. However, the weather didn't stop the Golden Bears from taking infield and defensive drills at California Memorial Stadium and batting practice in the cages for their first official workout of the 2023 campaign.

As the Bears enter the sixth season of the Mike Neu era, Cal will look to its deep and talented sophomore class to help lead the squad back to the regionals for the first time since 2019.

Last season, the Bears ranked in the top 100 in the nation in slugging percentage (65^th – 0.475), 59^th in home runs (75), 56^th in home runs per game (1.34), and 89^th in runs scored (397). All those numbers ranked in the top half of the Pac-12. For the Bears to replicate those gaudy numbers, Cal will have to rely on the sophomores to make a big leap from their tremendous freshman campaigns.

"I think even losing a big part of our offense from last year's squad, the guys that are returning have played quite a bit," said Neu. "In years past when you lose some guys you have a lot of younger guys step in without experience. But the guys that are coming back do have experience and they did have a really good fall offensively and had some good numbers last year too. Hopefully, that will be a strength for us again."

Key returners from this group include outfielder Rodney Green Jr., catcher Caleb Lomavita, and infielders Jack Johnston and Carson Crawford. That group combined to play in 144 games including 119 starts, hitting .268, with 95 runs scored, 23 doubles, 16 home runs, and 81 driven in.

On the mound, the Bears got plenty of quality innings out of Christian Becerra, Tucker Bougie, and Ian May. The trio combined to go 7-1 with a 4.31 ERA. May led the three with 48.0 innings pitched and struck out 39. Bougie went 3-0 on the year and held opponents to a .196 batting average, while Becerra was 2-0 with a save in 20 innings pitched.  

The 11-man class also includes Andres Galan, Joey Donnelly, and Nico Button. Peyton Schulze joins the Bears after a tremendous freshman campaign at Long Beach State. All four are expected to contribute to the Bears offensively and defensively this season.

 "Overall it's a talented class, they have a lot of experience with already having an opportunity to play as true freshmen," added Neu. "It's a group that likes to work and is motivated internally to be good. They had some success as true freshmen, they understand what it takes to be successful in this conference, and they've put in a lot of work in the summer and in the fall. So, taking on roles where they can help us win a lot of games and pitch in big situations and build on their success from last season is what I'm looking to see out of them."

Outside of the sophomore class the Bears also bring back a wealth of talent in Dom Souto, Nathan Manning, and Jag Burden who combined to hit .284 with 60 runs scored and 56 driven in. On the mound, Cal also sees the return of Matt Lozovoy, Vaughn Mauterer, Connor Sullivan, Chris Stamos, and Ben Lake.

Cal opens the season with a three-game series at Houston starting Friday, Feb. 17. The Bears make their home debut on Friday, Feb. 24 against Cal Poly in the Cal Baseball Classic.

Season tickets for the 2023 season are now available for purchase, including Diamond Season Tickets, single-game tickets, and flex books. Fans can purchase tickets at www.calbears.com/tickets or by calling (800) GO-BEARS (462-3277).

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