HOUSTON COUGARS (2-1, 0-0 BIG 12)
at
CALIFORNIA GOLDEN BEARS (3-1, 0-0 ACC)
 
The California baseball team (3-1) continues its season-opening 10-game homestand by hosting Houston (2-1) for a three-game homestand this Friday-Sunday, Feb. 21-23.
 
FRIDAY-SUNDAY, FEB. 21-23 (6/2/12 PM PT) • STU GORDON STADIUM • BERKELEY, CALIF.
CAL'S PROJECTED STARTING PITCHERS
Friday
5 - RHP Austin Turkington (1-0, 0.00 ERA)
 
Saturday
46 - RHP Gavin Eddy (0-0, 2.25 ERA)
 
Sunday
48 - RHP Ethan Foley (1-0, 0.00 ERA)
 
SERIES HISTORY/NOTES
Series: Cal 5, Houston 4
Current Streak: Houston 1 (2/19/23)
Last Meeting: at Houston 8, Cal 6 (2/19/23)
Last Cal Win: Cal 5, at Houston 3 (2/18/23)

• Cal has won four of the last five games played between the teams dating back to 2013 including the first two of a three-game set the last time they met in Houston (Feb. 17-19, 2023)
• Although their last series was just over two full calendar years ago, there are only three current Golden Bears - Tucker Bougie, Max Handron and Jack Johnston - who played in that series
• Cal was a 12-9 winner over Houston the only time the teams have ever played in Berkeley on March 17, 2010

MEDIA COVERAGE
Stream: ACCNX/ESPN+
Talent            

• Friday: Roxy Bernstein (Play-By-Play)
• Saturday: Jim Darby (Play-By-Play)
• Sunday: Roxy Bernstein (Play-By-Play), Jim Darby (Analyst)

Live Stats Cal.StatBroadcast.com
 
10 THINGS TO KNOW
HISTORIC HOMESTAND
Friday's contest is the fifth of Cal's current 10-game season-opening homestand that is its longest since the Golden Bears played 11 in a row in Berkeley from Feb. 20-March 8, 2015. It is also Cal's longest homestand to open a season in the program's recorded history.
 
SERIES VICTORY TO START SEASON
Cal began its 2025 season by taking three of four against Nevada to win its first series of the season for the third straight campaign.
 
ANOTHER GOOD START
Cal's 3-1 record marks the fourth straight season the Bears have won at three of their first four.
 
CLEAN SERIES FINALE
Just about everything went right for the Golden Bears in an 8-0 win over Nevada in last Monday's series finale. Three Cal pitchers - Ethan Foley, Jake Guardiancic and Cole Tremain - combined on a three-hit shutout, Max Handron's first career grand slam put the Bears up 4-0 in the bottom of the first before Seth Gwynn's two-run shot in the second made it 6-0, and for the fourth straight game Cal did not make an error.
 
MORE ON THAT FLAWLESS FIELDING
Cal is one of only five of the 284 Division I teams that has played this season without an error. The Bears have had 138 defensive chances.
 
FAN CLUB
It doesn't hurt the defense when your pitchers are striking out lots of batters and Cal has 44 in its first 36.0 innings (11.0 per nine). The staff struck out a season-high 15 in Friday's series opener against Nevada.
 
NEW FACES ON THE HILL
Cal has 15 pitchers on a 21-pitcher staff who entered 2025 having never thrown a single pitch for the Golden Bears. Eight of those - Cole Clark, Spencer Dessart, Gavin Eddy, Ethan Foley, David Shaw, Ryan Spalliero, Cole Tremain and Miles Tenscher - made their Golden Bears' debuts in the Nevada series.
 
TRANSFER PORTAL
Cal used the transfer portal to rebuild its roster in 2025 with 11 first-year transfers including nine from four-year schools.
 
FIRST SEASON IN THE ACC
Cal has visits from three 2024 College World Series teams (Florida State, NC State, Virginia), plays three-game series against five teams currently in the top 20 (Clemson, Duke, Florida State, NC State, Virginia) of at least one national poll, and takes only four regular-season road trips outside of Northern California (Duke, Louisville, Georgia Tech, Notre Dame) in its first season in the ACC. The Bears open ACC play March 7 at Duke and play their first ACC home game March 14 against Virginia.
 
ON THIS DATE IN CAL BASEBALL
It's been just over two decades since Adam Gold was only one out away from a no-hitter and finished with a complete game one-hitter in Cal's 2-0 win at Fresno State on Feb. 21, 2004. Gold would be selected in the 33rd round of the 2005 MLB Draft by San Diego but played just two seasons of pro baseball.
 
STAY POSTED
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