BERKELEY – The California baseball team begins its 2024 campaign on Friday when the Golden Bears travel to Scottsdale, Ariz., to participate in the 2024 MLB Desert Invitational at Talking Stick Fields. Cal will open the tournament against on Kansas State, and the game will be televised on the MLB Network. The Bears' two remaining games against Georgetown on Saturday and Boston College on Sunday will be streamed on MLB.com.
 
Cal was picked to finish eighth in the Pac-12 Preseason Coaches' Poll and is coming off a 2023 season in which it went 24-28, including a 12-18 mark in conference action. The Bears advanced to the Pac-12 Championship Tournament for the second straight year after a strong finish that saw the Bears sweep UCLA on the road and take two of three at Washington in the final series of the year.  
 
HOW TO FOLLOW

• Friday, Feb. 16, 6 p.m.:  MLB Network| TBD
• Saturday, May 13, 2 p.m.:  MLB.com | TBD
• Sunday, May 14, 1 p.m.:  MLB.com | TBD

 
PROJECTED STARTERS

• Friday: RHP Trey Newman (0-0, 0.00) vs. LHP Owen Boerema (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
• Saturday: LHP Luke Short (0-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. RHP Cody Bowker (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
• Sunday: RHP Andres Galan (0-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. TBD

 
QUICK HITS 

• The seventh season of the Mike Neu era begins on Friday. Cal is 4-2 under Neu on opening day and 9-11 in opening weekends. Last year, Cal took the series from host Houston to begin the campaign.
• Cal returns 18 letter winners from last year's squad, including six starts from the field. Key returners include juniors Rodney Green Jr., Caleb Lomavita, Carson Crawford, Peyton Schulze, and senior Max Handron. On the mound, Cal boasts the return of juniors Christian Becerra and Andres Galan.
• This is Cal's second appearance in the MLB Desert Invitational. The Bears also played in this tournament in 2021, going 3-0 with wins over Houston, No. 17 TCU and San Diego State.
• The Bears welcome 22 newcomers to the roster in 2024. The incoming class consists of 15 freshman, three graduate transfers, and four junior college transfers.
• The Bears hit 85 home runs in 2023, which ranks second all-time in a single season at Cal, one shy of the record of 86 set by the 1999 team. Cal brings back 77.6 percent of its home run production from last season, including Caleb Lomavita (16), Rodney Green Jr. (14), and Carson Crawford (13). Last season, the Bears averaged 1.3 home runs per game, ranked 38^th best in the nation. Cal went 14-9 when they hit two or more home runs. 

 
SERIES HISTORY

• Friday will be the eighth-ever meeting between the Bears and Wildcats. All-time, Cal owns a 7-0 advantage in the series that dates to the 2001 season. The last time these two teams faced each other was on Mar. 2, 2015, with Cal defeating K-State 9-1 – the culmination of a three-game sweep over the Wildcats in Berkeley.
• Saturday will be the third meeting between Cal and Georgetown, with the Bears going 2-0 against the Hoyas. The last time these two teams faced each other was on Mar. 7, 2006, with Cal winning 13-2 in Berkeley.
• Sunday will be the fourth meeting all-time between the Bears and Eagles. Cal is 3-0 against Boston College thanks to a three-game series sweep at home in 2002. 

 
UP NEXT
Cal will make its 2024 home debut against BYU - weather permitting - on Wednesday, Feb. 21. The game is scheduled for a 6 p.m. start and will be air on the Cal Live Stream.
 
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