March 4, 1998
THE SCHEDULE: The Bears (4-11-1, 0-7) travel to the Hormel Foods Classic to face UConn (0-0), Minnesota (9-2) and Rutgers (1-2) at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in Minneapolis, MN...
Day Date Opponent Site Time
Fri. Mar. 6 vs. Connecticut Metrodome, Minneapolis, MN 12:15 p.m. CST
Sat. Mar. 7 vs. Minnesota Metrodome, Minneapolis, MN 1:30 p.m. CST
Sun. Mar. 8 vs. Rutgers Metrodome, Minneapolis, MN 5:00 p.m. CST
SERIES RECORD: The Bears have never faced the Connecticut Huskies, have a 3-1 record against the Minnesota Golden Gophers and a 1-0 record versus the Rutgers Scarlet Knights...the Bears defeated the Golden Gophers 7-4, 8-3 May 20-21, 1938 in Minneapolis; and split two games in 1941 (Cal won 2-0 May 24 and lost 8-7 May 26)...
HEAD COACH BOB MILANO: The Bears skipper, who is in his 21st season at Cal, has a career record of 643-592-5 (.521)...Milano is the all-time winningest coach at Cal in terms of total victories, having passed Clint Evans (547-256 from 1930-54) Mar. 19, 1994 vs. Arizona (15-6)...he earned his 600th career win Feb. 24 with the Bears 5-3 victory over Fresno State...Milano has led Cal to six NCAA Regional berths ('80, '85, '88, '91, '92, '95) and three College World Series appearances ('80, '88, '92)...he was named Pac-10 South Co-Coach of the Year in 1980 and 1992...Milano served as the head coach of 1997 USA Baseball Team that placed fourth at the Intercontinental Cup, August 1-10 in Barcelona, Spain...
BEAR NOTES: The California baseball team (4-11-1, 0-7) broke a three-game losing streak with a 16-5 non-league victory at Sacramento State Wednesday...Cal pounded out 21 hits in 46 at bats and scored 10 runs in the third inning...top hitters for the Bears included freshman second baseman Xavier Nady (Salinas, CA), who was 5-for-6 with two doubles and three RBI; and freshman first baseman/catcher David Sark (Chatsworth, CA), who was 4-for-6 with two RBI...junior catcher Jason Hill (Alamo, CA) and freshman designated hiter Mike Tonis (Elk Grove, CA) also had multiple hit games as Hill went 3-for-4 with a double and two RBI and Tonis going 3-for-4 with two RBI...last weekend, the Bears lost their seventh straight league game as they were swept at Arizona; 8-3, 12-7 and 17-10...despite losing to the Wildcats, Cal did have some top hitting performances...Nady was 6-for-13 with three doubles, a triple and four RBI; Tonis was 4-for-9 with a double and a triple and junior shortstop Brian Oliver (Antioch, CA) was 6-for-14 with two RBI...Oliver is currently on a career-high 12-game hitting streak (18-for-47, .383, 2-2B, six RBI) from Feb. 1...not only is Oliver hitting well, but he made several outstanding fielding plays at Arizona...another hitting highlight for the Bears was sophomore outfielder Juan Hernandez (Tracy, CA) going 2-for-4 with two home runs and four RBI in the third game at Arizona...it was the first time a Cal player had hit two home runs in a single game since Hill accomplished the feat May 6, 1997 at Sacramento State...Hill has hit two home runs in a single game three times in his Cal career...pitching-wise, junior right-hander Ryan Drese (Oakland, CA) threw 5.3 innings (103 pitches) with six hits, seven runs, five walks and six strikeouts last Sunday at Arizona...it was Dreses longest outing since he first hurt his arm (strained ligaments in his right elbow) Feb. 23, 1996 against Fresno State (seventh inning, 94 pitches)...Both Nady and Hill are having outstanding seasons at the plate...Nady is leading the team in batting average (.394), hits (26), runs scored (18), doubles (10), triples (two), RBI (18 tied with Hill), total bases (52) and slugging percentage (.788)while Hill is second on the team with a .368 batting average with three doubles and a team-leading five home runs, 15 walks, 18 RBI and a .500 on-base percentage...on the mound, sophomore reliever Jon Cuccias (Woodland Hills, CA) has been the workhorse of the Cal staff, making an appearance in all seven conference games, pitching 9.0 innings with 15 hits, five earned runs, four walks and three strikeouts...on the season, Cuccias is 1-0 with a 4.32 ERA and ateam-leading 12 appearances (16.7 innings)...
HORMEL FOODS CLASSIC:The Hormel Foods Baseball Classic, which was established in 1985, will feature host Minnesota (9-2), UConn (0-0) and Rutgers (1-2), as well as Cal...UConn, coached by Andy Baylock (17th year as head coach at UConn, 367-344-8, .516), is playing its first game of the season against Cal after finishing 27-20 last season...top returner for UConn is senior outfielder/right-handed pitcher Billy Rich (.432, 13 HR, 55 RBI in 97)...Minnesota, coached by John Anderson (17th year as head coach at Minnesota, 569-371-3, .605), is 9-2 this season, winning two-of-four at the University of San Diego last weekend (won 3-2, lost 14-10, 4-3, won 8-3) and defeating Iowa State, 12-6, Wednesday...the Gophers will play Rutgers before facing Cal...a top hitter for Minnesota is senior outfielder Mark Groebner (.383, 1 HR, 13 RBI)...last season the Gophers finished 30-24...Rutgers, coached by Fred Hill (22nd year as head coach at Rutgers, 433-283-5, .604), is 1-2 this season, winning one-of-three at Old Dominion last weekend (lost 11-10, 9-5, won 13-11)...Rutgers face Minnesota and UConn before Cal...a top hitter for Rutgers is senior catcher Chris Dorsett (.714, 1 HR, 4 RBI)...
TENTATIVE LINEUP AND STATS: Here is a look at Cal's tentative lineup and pitching rotation...
No. Pos. Player 1998 stats
5 SS Brian Oliver, Jr. .351, 8 RBI, 1 HR
33 LF Aaron Gordnier, Sr. .273, 7 RBI, 1 HR
11 2B Xavier Nady, Fr. .394, 18 RBI, 4 HR
14 1B David Sark, Fr. .302, 14 RBI, 2 2B
45 C Jason Hill, Jr. .368, 18 RBI, 5 HR
30 DH Mike Tonis, Fr. .303, 3 RBI, 1 3B
10 RF Juan Hernandez, So. .203, 10 RBI, 2 HR
17 3B Clint Hoover, Fr. .167, 3 RBI, 1 2B
16 CF Curtis Johnson, So. .222, 3 RBI, 3 2B
34 RHP Jon Shirley, So. (Fri.) 0-3, 3.42 ERA
25 RHP Ryan Drese, Jr. (Sat.) 0-2, 7.50 ERA
9 LHP Jason Dennis, Fr. (Sun.) 0-1, 7.30 ERA
SIX-PAC RACE (as of Mar. 4)
Conference Overall
W L PCT GB W L T .PCT
Stanford 5 1 .833 17 1 1 .921
Arizona 4 2 .667 1.0 22 2 .917
USC 4 2 .667 1.0 14 4 .778
Arizona St. 3 2 .600 1.5 13 5 .722
UCLA 3 5 .375 3.0 8 11 .421
CALIFORNIA 0 7 .000 5.5 4 11 1 .281
Cal Individual Player Notes
JON CUCCIAS: Is 1-0 with a 4.32 ERA and a team-leading 12 appearances as a reliever...picked up the win in the 12-inning victory over Pepperdine Feb. 8 by pitching the final 3.3 innings with no hits, no runs and no walks...made three appearances last weekend at Arizona, pitching 2.0 innings with eight hits, four earned runs, two walks and no strikeouts...made two appearances Feb. 13-15 vs. UCLA, pitching 4.3 innings with seven hits, one earned run and two walks...has a career record of 3-0 with a 3.61 ERA and 32 strikeouts in 67.3 innings...
JASON DENNIS: Is 0-1 with four no decisions and a 7.30 ERA on the mound...pitched two innings Wednesday at Sac. State with one hit, no runs, no walks and three strikeouts...got a no decision Feb. 28 at Arizona (3.0 innings, four hits, four runs, five walks, one strikeout)...got a no decision Feb. 20 vs. Arizona State (4.7 innings, seven hits, five earned runs, two walks, one strikeout)...suffered the loss Feb. 13 vs. UCLA (2.7 innings, nine hits, six runs (two, three-run homers), two walks, one strikeout)...started game three at Pepperdine Feb. 8, pitching an impressive 5.0 innings with one hit, no runs, no walks and two strikeouts...got a no decision Feb. 1 at CS Fullerton (5.3 innings, seven hits, five runs, two walks, two strikeouts)...is batting only .200 (7-for-35), but did knock in the game-winning RBI with a two-out double in the 12th inning in the Bears 6-5 victory at CS Fullerton Jan. 30...is batting .286 (4-for-14, eight RBI) with runners in scoring position...is slated to start Sunday on the mound...
RYAN DRESE: Is 0-2 with a 7.50 ERA and 13 strikeouts in 18.0 innings...in last outing Mar. 1 at Arizona, pitched 5.3 innings with six hits, seven runs, five walks and six strikeouts...he did not allow an Arizona hit from the third through the fifth inning...other conference outing was Feb. 22 vs. Arizona State in relief (4.0 innings, no hits, no earned runs, two walks, two strikeouts)...got a no decision Feb. 17 at Santa Clara (3.0 innings, five hits, three runs, two walks, three strikeouts)...got a no decision Feb. 7 at Pepperdine (2.0 innings, three hits, two earned runs, one walk, two strikeouts)...suffered the loss Jan. 31 at CS Fullerton (3.7 innings, three earned runs, five walks)...when he took the mound Jan. 31 against the Titans, it was the first time he had pitched since Feb. 8, 1997 vs. Pepperdine when he strained ligaments in his right elbow after throwing 30 pitches (1.0 innings with three hits, two runs, one walk)...is slated to start Saturday for the Bears...
AARON GORDNIER: Is batting .273 with a triple, a home run, seven RBI and a team-leading seven stolen bases (fifth in the conference)...is batting a team-leading .409 in league play, going 3-for-8 at Arizona, 2-for-6 with a double and an RBI vs. Arizona State, and 4-for-8 with an RBI and three stolen bases vs. UCLA...was 1-for-3 with an RBI Wednesday at Sac. State...is batting . 545 (6-for-11, seven RBI) with runners in scoring position...
JASON HILL: Is second on the team with a .368 batting average with three doubles and a team-leading five home runs, 15 walks, 18 RBI and .500 on-base percentage...went 3-for-4 with a double and two RBI Wednesday at Sac. State...last weekend went 2-for-13 with a home run and two RBI at Arizona...went 3-for-6 with a double, a home run and three RBI vs. Arizona State Feb. 20-22 and 4-for-8 with a home run vs. UCLA Feb. 13-15...also had a fine series Feb. 7-8 at Pepperdine, going 4-for-12 with home run...had a career-high 12-game hitting streak (18-for-46, .391, 2-2B, 4-HR, 18 RBI from May 2, 1997-Feb. 8) snapped when he went 0-2 in the five inning game against the Waves Feb. 8...had an outstanding season-opening series at CS Fullerton, going 4-for-11 with a double, a home run and six RBI...in the third game of the series vs. the Titans, went 2-for-4 with a career-high four RBI (fourth, four-RBI game), including a three-run homer in the seventh inning...is batting .409 (9-for-22 , HR, 13 RBI) with runners in scoring position...
XAVIER NADY: Is leading the team in batting average (.394), hits (26), runs scored (18), doubles (10), triples (two), RBI (18 tied with Hill), total bases (52) and slugging percentage (.788)...was an impressive 5-for-6 with two doubles and three RBI Wednesday at Sac. State...last weekend was 6-for-13 with three doubles, a triple and four RBI at Arizona...was 2-for-8 with a double, a home run and three RBI vs. Arizona State Feb. 20-22 and 3-for-11 with a home run and a triple against against UCLA Feb. 13-15...went 5-for-11 with two doubles, a home run and three RBI Feb. 7-8 at Pepperdine...knocked in the game-winning RBI Feb. 8 against the Waves, hitting a two-run homer in the 12th inning in Cals 9-7 come-from-behind victory...went 4-for-13 with a double Jan. 30-Feb. 1 at CS Fullerton...went 3-for-5 with a double and scored the winning run in the 6-5, 12-inning victory over the Titans Jan. 30...is batting .350 (7-for-20 , HR, 12 RBI) with runners in scoring position...
BRIAN OLIVER: Has a .351 average with four doubles, a home run and eight RBI...is currently on a career-high 12-game hitting streak (18-for-47, .383, 2-2B, six RBI) from Feb. 1...went 1-for-3 Wednesday at Sac. State and was 6-for-14 with two RBI last weekend at Arizona...was 1-for-3 vs. Arizona State Feb. 20-22 and 3-for-11 with an RBI vs. UCLA Feb. 13-15...went 4-for-10 with two doubles and two RBI Feb. 7-8 at Pepperdine and 4-for-13 with a home run and three RBI Jan. 30-Feb. 1 at CS Fullerton...hit a key two-run homer in the eighth inning to help lead the Bears to the 6-5, 12-inning victory over the Titans Jan. 30...is 2-for-8 with four RBI with runners in scoring position...has an overall career average of .351 (176-for-502) with 32 doubles, five triples, 10 home runs, 76 RBI and 49 stolen bases in 124 games...
DAVID SARK: Has a .302 average with two doubles and is second on the team with 14 RBI...is currently on a five-game hitting streak (9-for-21, .429, four RBI) from Feb. 25...went a career-high 4-for-6 with two RBI Wednesday at Sac. State and was 3-for-10 with a double and an RBI last weekend at Arizona...was 4-for-10 with five RBI in the UCLA series Feb. 13-15, including a 2-for-5, four-RBI game in the 11-10, 10-inning loss Feb. 15...is tied with Oliver for the team lead with five, two-hit games this season...is batting .367 (11-for-30, 12 RBI) with runners in scoring position...
JON SHIRLEY: Is 0-3 with a 3.42 ERA and a team-high 21 strikeouts in 26.3 innings...in last outing suffered the loss Feb. 27 at Arizona, pitching 6.0 innings with eight hits, two earned runs, two walks and six strikeouts...suffered the loss Feb. 22 vs. Arizona State (4.0 innings, six hits, no earned runs, three walks, two strikeouts)...got a no decision Feb. 15 vs. UCLA (5.3 innings, seven hits, five runs, three walks, four strikeouts)...got the loss Feb. 7 at Pepperdine (4.7 innings, five hits, two earned runs, one walk, three strikeouts)...had a no decision Jan. 30 at CS Fullerton (6.3 innings, one earned run, one walk, six strikeouts)...only a sophomore, he has already made 22 appearances, pitching 108.7 innings with 75 strikeouts, 44 walks and a 4.97 ERA...is slated to start Friday for the Bears...
