BERKELEY – The California baseball team returns to Stu Gordon Stadium for a four-game homestand starting with a three-game series against USC beginning Friday at 6:05 pm. PT. All three games will be streamed on Cal Livestream-2 with Jim Darby calling the action live. Fans can also follow the action via live stats.
 
The Golden Bears enter this weekend with an overall record of 8-6 and are 0-3 in Pac-12 play after falling to Arizona three times last weekend. The Trojans enter this week 7-7-1 overall but are 2-1 in the Pac-12 after taking two of three at home against No. 2 Stanford last weekend.
 
HOW TO FOLLOW

• Game 1 Friday 6:05 pm: Cal Livestream-2 Jim Darby (play-by-play) | Live Stats
• Game 2 Saturday 2:05 pm: Cal Livestream-2 Jim Darby (play-by-play) | Live Stats
• Game 3 Sunday 1:05 pm: Cal Livestream-2 Jim Darby (play-by-play) | Live Stats

 
QUICK HITS
 

• The Bears are 4-0 at Stu Gordon Stadium this season thanks to wins over Villanova, UConn, and twice against Cal Poly. Under Mike Neu, the Bears are 78-45 (.638) at home. With six straight wins to finish 2022, the Bears are on a 10-game winning streak at the friendly confines.
• Sophomore catcher Caleb Lomavita leads the team with a .311 batting average.
• After a slow start, Peyton Schulze and Kade Kretzschmar have been heating up. Schulze is hitting .400 over the last five games going 8-for-20 with two doubles and six RBI. Kretzschmar is hitting .333 during that stretch (6-for-18) with three home runs.
• On the mound, the Bears have a staff ERA of 4.84. Cal got another promising start from Paulshawn Pasqualotto last Saturday. The junior from Las Vegas went three innings, scattering two hits and two earned runs while striking out a season-high five batters.
• Cal's staff continues to be stingy when issuing free passes. The Bears rank 22^nd in the nation in walks per nine at 3.18. A big reason for that is relief pitcher Connor Sullivan, who is 16^th in the nation and tops in the Pac-12 in walks per nine innings at 0.63. His 12.00 strikeout-to-walk ratio ranks 21^st in the nation and also ranks first in the conference.
• Through 11 contests, the Bears have scored 72 runs this season which ranks eighth in the Pac-12. The Bears have scored 52 of their 72 runs in three innings, the first (13 runs), fifth (24), and sixth (14).
• Power numbers: Cal has hit 17 home runs in 14 games this season, averaging 1.21 home runs per contest. Nine players have at least one home run this season. Rodney Green Jr. leads the team with four.
• Those Running Bears: Cal tops the Pac-12 with 20 stolen bases. Cal also leads the Pac-12 in another base stealing category – fewest times caught stealing: Cal is 20-for-21 this season when attempting to steal. Green Jr. is a big reason for that - he's a perfect 8-for-8 when trying to steal a bag.
• Streaking Bears: After going 1-for-4 against the Wildcats on Sunday, Kade Kretzschmar extended his team-leading reached base streak to 14 games. After going 2-for-5 in the finale against Arizona, Schulze extended his hitting streak to a season-best six games.

 
SERIES HISTORY

• Friday will be the 395^th time the Bears and Trojans have squared off. The series dates back to 1923 with USC owning a 238-154-2 advantage. However, Cal has won the last two series, including two of three at USC last season.

 
 
UP NEXT
The Bears wrap up a four-game homestand with a nonconference clash against Easy Bay rival Saint Mary's on Tuesday. The game is slated for a 6:05 p.m. start and will be streamed on Cal Livestream-2.
 
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