This feature originally appeared in the 2025 Spring edition of the Cal Sports Quarterly. The Cal Athletics flagship magazine features long-form sports journalism at its finest and provides in-depth coverage of the scholar-athlete experience in Berkeley. Printed copies are mailed four times a year to Bear Backers who give annually at the Bear Club level (currently $600 or more). For more information on how you can receive a printed version of the Cal Sports Quarterly at home, send an email to CalAthleticsFund@berkeley.edu or call (510) 642-2427.
 
 
Cal's sophomore middle infielders Jarren Advincula and PJ Moutzouridis are almost always mentioned in the same breath. One is rarely talked about without mention of the other – and for good reason.
 
The biggest difference between them might just be that Advincula grew up an A's fan and Moutzouridis had an allegiance to the Giants. But the paths each took to Berkeley are far more similar than different.
 
Both played baseball as kids in the South Bay just a few miles from each other, manned the same shortstop position in high school, were first-team all-league prep selections in the West Catholic Athletic League, decided to attend Cal late in the recruiting process after being committed elsewhere, and had outstanding first-team 2024 All-Pac-12 rookie campaigns – just to name a few.
 
Both even have last names that are a bit of a handful to pronounce correctly (ad-VINK-uh-luh, moot-zoo-REE-dus).
 
Given their proximity to each other and the wealth of similarities, it would make sense to assume the two knew each other well before becoming teammates in Berkeley. But the opposite is actually true.
 
Advincula and Moutzouridis did know of each other, but the extent of their relationship never went beyond a brief postgame handshake after their teams had squared off until they arrived in Berkeley in August of 2023.
 
And when Moutzouridis arrived, he didn't have a place to live.
 
"I was supposed to have something going with a couple of other guys, but it didn't work out," Moutzouridis said. "I was a bit in shambles."
 
Moutzouridis didn't really know anybody, but knew about Advincula's connection to the South Bay. Although the two had never spoken beyond their quick postgame greetings, Moutzouridis sent Advincula a text to see if he could crash with him for a few days.
 
Advincula accepted Moutzouridis' request.
 
"I remember it was a really nice couch," Moutzouridis said.
 
Moutzouridis only spent a few nights on that couch but the foundation for a pair of remarkable freshman seasons was built, and soon they found out they had a lot to talk (or text) about and much in common.
 
"We started going to the field together every day and grinding," Moutzouridis said.
 
But their new friendship would face an early challenge as both were competing to become the Golden Bears' starting shortstop.
 
Cal would have done well regardless of who won the job, but it never came to that. The Bears were also looking for a new starter at second base, and after a couple of weeks of fall ball, Advincula moved over to that spot.
 
The duo quickly become etched in stone as starters, and by the end of the season had made a combined 109 of 110 possible starts at the positions. Moutzouridis started all 55 games at shortstop and Advincula was in the starting lineup for each of the first 54 contests at second base before an injury forced him to miss the season finale.
 
Not only did they become the team's starters, they both earned first-team All-Pac-12 honors to make Cal the only school with more than one freshman on the 2024 All-Pac-12 team. Advincula led the club with a .325 batting average while adding five homers, 31 RBI and eight stolen bases. He was also the most difficult player in the Pac-12 and the 15th-toughest in the nation to strike out. Moutzouridis hit .299 with six homers, 42 RBI and seven stolen bases. Both were also stellar on defense.
 
"It's definitely been a crazy ride for both of us," Moutzouridis said. "Coming in, we had expectations that we were going to start as freshmen, and that's what happened."
 
They didn't just start and have successful individual seasons, but the Bears also won often, including 20 of their final 25 games as arguably the hottest team in college baseball. Cal finished with a 36-19 overall record for a .655 winning percentage that was the program's best since the 1966 squad was 32-14 (.696). The Bears' late-season run included wins in each of their first two games at the 2024 Pac-12 Tournament to put them in the semifinals and nearly earn them a spot in the NCAA Championship.
 
So after a successful first season together, where do Advincula and Moutzouridis go from here?
 
They played together briefly last summer with the Cotuit Kettleers of the Cape Cod Baseball League, where Advincula won the league's regular-season batting title with a .392 mark. After a short stint with Cotuit, Moutzouridis returned to the South Bay to spend time with his family and help his ailing grandfather before his passing.
 
Advincula and Moutzouridis have been back together in Berkeley since August preparing for the Bears' first season as members of the Atlantic Coast Conference and have also developed into leaders who are expected to help guide a 2025 roster that has 18 new players, including 11 transfers.
 
"We both push each other to be better leaders and more vocal on the field, picking up guys when they're down, stepping up in the clutch when we need to," Moutzouridis said. "We're the role models on the team based on what we did last year, so we've got to carry that role."
 
"It's a different feeling coming to the field now," Advincula said. "Last year, we were looking up to others. But now we're stepping into different roles, and it is kind of cool because we can set the mood and the tone for the team."
 
The younger players are buying into the culture being established by the sophomore duo, while head coach Mike Neu is quick to point out their importance to the program.
 
"Both of these guys have been great to me," freshman infielder Elijah Clayton said. "Jarren and PJ have gone out of their way to show me how we are expected to go about our business, and I appreciate it."
 
"Jarren and PJ are obviously tremendous baseball talents, but even more importantly to us they are great team players who are helping to establish and reinforce the culture and identity of our program," Neu said. "The impact they are making right now at Cal is significant and will be felt long after they have moved on."
 
And while the two enjoy working together as a duo to accomplish their individual goals and help their teammates, do they ever tire of seemingly almost always being compared to each other and talked about in the same sentence?
 
The answer is no.
 
"I think that's why we're in this position, because we are not really different," Advincula said. "We're both competitive, we both work hard, we both want the same thing; we have a similar mindset. That's why we always seem to be grouped together. The way we think, the way we act, and the way we compete is pretty similar."
 
"It's definitely a privilege to be compared to him," Moutzouridis said. "Even though at the end of the day we are two separate players, we push each other to be the best for each other and the team. We're on the same team, and we both have the same goals."