BERKELEY – The California baseball team travels to the Pacific Northwest for the final three games of the regular season starting Thursday when the Golden Bears take on No. 24 Washington. Thursday's game is scheduled for a 7:05 p.m. PT start with all three games being televised on Pac-12 Network. A series victory for Cal can secure a spot in the Pac-12 Baseball Tournament.
 
Cal (22-25, 10-17 Pac-12) is coming off a home series loss at the hands of Washington State. The Bears are 10-12 on the road but have won three straight thanks to a series sweep at UCLA two weeks ago. Washington (32-14, 16-10 Pac-12) currently sits in second in the Pac-12 standings after sweeping then No. 24 Oregon in Eugene. The Huskies are 16-6 at Huskie Ballpark where they have won five straight.   
 
 
HOW TO FOLLOW

• Thursday, May 18, 7:04 p.m.:  Pac-12 Network | Live Stats
• Friday, May 19, 6:05 p.m.:  Pac-12 Network | Live Stats
• Saturday, May 20, 12:05 p.m.:  Pac-12 Network | Live Stats

 
PROJECTED STARTERS

• Thursday: RHP Christian Becerra (2-4, 5.96 ERA) vs. LHP Stu Flesland III (5-2, 4.17 ERA)
• Friday: TBD vs. RHP Kiefer Lord (6-3, 4.03 ERA)
• Saturday: RHP Paulshawn Pasqualotto (4-1, 3.74 ERA) v. RHP Jared Engman (3-3, 4.67 ERA)

 
QUICK HITS

• The Bears enter this week with an overall record of 22-25; on the road they are 10-12 but have won three straight.
• Cal is hitting .259 as a team, which ranks 11th in the Pac-12. However, over the last six games, the Bears are hitting .328 (72-for-219) as a team with 14 doubles and 19 home runs.
• On the road, the Bears are hitting .272 (212-for-778) and averaging 5.7 runs per game. Kade Kretzschmar is one of three players hitting north of .300; he leads the team in hitting .341 on the road.
• Cal hit seven home runs against the Cougars last weekend, giving the Bears 73 for the year, which ranks fifth in the Pac-12 and 62nd in the nation.
• It is the eighth time since 1971 that the Bears have hit 70 or more home runs in a season. The team high under Mike Neu is 81, hit in 2019. The program record is 86, hit in 1999.
• The trio of Rodney Green Jr. (13), Kretzschmar (13) and Caleb Lomavita (11) has hit 37 combined home runs; with six more home runs they will be the most prolific home run trio in the Mike Neu era, surpassing Andrew Vaughn (23), Jonah Davis (14) and Sam Wezniak (6), who hit 43 combined home runs in 2018.
• Green Jr. and Kretzschmar are currently tied for seventh in the Pac-12 in home runs.
• Green Jr. and Kretzschmar lead the team with 13 home runs apiece
• Green Jr. is second in the Pac-12 and 25th in the nation with 27 stolen bases. With three more steals, he will become the first Bear to steal 30 or more bases since Ivan Lewis stole 44 in 1996.
• The Bears' pitching staff sports an ERA of 5.30, which ranks fifth in the Pac-12 and 89th in the nation. The Bears' starters boast a staff ERA of 4.40. Junior Paulshawn Pasqualotto has an ERA of 3.52 on the road to lead all starters.
• Playoff Scenarios:
  • If Cal sweeps Washington, can clinch if UCLA loses at least 2 of 3 or Washington State loses 1 or Arizona loses 1. 
  • If Cal wins 2 of 3, can clinch if UCLA gets swept or Washington State loses 2 or Arizona loses 2. 
  • If Cal wins 1 of 3, can clinch with sweeps of Washington State or Arizona + a Utah loss.
  • If Cal gets swept, the Bears are eliminated. 
  • UCLA is at Arizona State this weekend. Washington State hosts No. 5 Stanford and Arizona hosts USC.

  
SERIES HISTORY

• Thursday marks the 90th time the Bears and Huskies have squared off. Cal is 51-38 all-time against Washington and is 9-2 against the Huskies in the Mike Neu era. Last time out, Cal took two of three from Washington at home April 8-9. The Bears swept Washington in Seattle two years ago. Under Neu, the Bears have done an excellent job of putting up runs against the Huskies, outscoring UW 82-38 in the 11 meetings.

 
UP NEXT
Saturday will be the final regular season game of the 2023 season. Should the Bears secure a place in the Pac-12 Baseball Tournament, Cal will return to action on Tuesday, May 25, in Scottsdale, Arizona, with time and opponent to be determined.
 
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