University of California Athletics

Mar. 31, 1997

Bears Prepare for Three Game Set at No.21 Arizona

    
THE SCHEDULE:  The Bears (13-23, 1-14) travel to Arizona (25-16, 8-7 ranked 21st in Collegiate Baseball and 25th in Baseball America ) for a three-game series at Frank Sancet Field...
Day Date    Opponent    Site            Time_____ 
Fri.    Apr. 4  at Arizona  Frank Sancet Field, Tucson, AZ          7:00 p.m. MST
Sat.    Apr. 5  at Arizona  Frank Sancet Field, Tucson, AZ          2:00 p.m. MST
Sun.    Apr. 6  at Arizona  Frank Sancet Field, Tucson, AZ          1:00 p.m. PDT

TELEVISION: The Cal-Arizona baseball game on Saturday, Apr. 5 will be televised live by Fox Sports (except in the Bay Area)...Jerry Kindall, former Arizona coach (color), and Rich Waltz (play-by-play) will be announcing...RADIO: KALX Radio (90.7 FM) will broadcast all three games at Arizona...the Bob Milano Show will air 10 minutes before the first pitch...SERIES RECORD: The Bears have a 48-69 overall series record against the Arizona Wildcats...earlier this season, Cal was swept by Arizona; 8-7 in 15 innings, 2-1 in 10 innings and 5-3, Feb. 28-Mar. 2 in Berkeley...last season, the Bears swept the Wildcats...

HEAD COACH BOB MILANO: The Bears skipper, who is in his 20th season at Cal, has a career record of 631-566-4 (.527)...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 will serve as the head coach of 1997 USA Baseball Team that will compete in the Intercontinental Cup, August 1-10 in Barcelona, Spain...

BEAR NOTES: The '97 Bears (13-23, 1-13) were swept by No. 2 ranked UCLA last weekend in Los Angeles and were outscored 30-2 (13-1, 9-0, 8-1)...it was the second weekend in a row Cal has been swept by a conference opponent and in the last six Six-Pac contests, the Bears have been outscored 72-16...despite the team struggling, sophomore shortstop Brian Oliver (Antioch, CA) is still having an outstanding sophomore season, starting all 36 games at shortstop (the only Cal player to start every game this season) and leading the Bears in average (.371), runs (26), hits (52), doubles (nine), triples (three), total bases (70), stolen bases (17-for-18, third in the Pac-10), walks (19), slugging percentage (.500), and on base percentage (.457)...Oliver is a third team preseason All-American in Collegiate Baseball and last year he became the first Freshman All-American (selected in both Baseball America and Collegiate Baseball) in Cal baseball history...he is one of eight Pac-10 players (including Bear teammate, sophomore catcher Jason Hill , Alamo, CA) invited to the summer training camp for the USA Baseball National Team, coached by Bob Milano...Cal closer Tyler Walker (Ross, CA) is another one of the Bears top players...Walker, the top rated amauter baseball player in the nation according to the Major League Scouting Bureau, is 3-3 with a team-high three saves and a 3.27 ERA...he has an impressive 34 strikeouts in 33.0 innings and is fifth in the conference in saves...Walker, who began his Cal career as a catcher, was 2-1 with a save and a 3.58 ERA last year as a redshirt freshman and was selected the Top Professional Prospect at the National Baseball Congress World Series last summer...freshman submarine pitcher Jon Cuccias (0-0, one save, Woodland Hills, CA) has been impressive in league play so far this season...against Six-Pac competition, Cuccias has only given up one earned run and has eight strikeouts in 13.7 innings for a 0.66 ERA...senior first baseman John Furstenthal (Oakland, CA), junior left fielder/designated hitter Aaron Gordnier (Rocklin, CA) and freshman right fielder Juan Hernandez (Tracy, CA) are three more players who are having solid seasons...Furstenthal is performing well at the plate, batting .339 overall and .333 in conference play...he is a two-time GTE/CoSIDA Region 8 All-Academic selection...Gordnier, who entered the 1997 season with a .143 average and three career RBI, is batting .270 overall with a team-leading four home runs and 24 RBI...Hernandez has been the Bears top freshman position player, starting 34 of the team's 36 games in right field and batting .297 overall and .304 in league play...

TENTATIVE LINEUP AND STATS: Here is a look at Cal's tentative lineup and pitching rotation...

No. Pos.           Player         '97 stats 
26  LF  Ivan Lewis, Sr.           .210, 10 RBI, 7 2B
10  RF  Juan Hernandez, Fr.       .297, 11 RBI, 2 HR
5   SS  Brian Oliver, So.         .371, 20 RBI, 1 HR
33  DH  Aaron Gordnier, Jr.       .270, 24 RBI, 4 HR
45  C   Jason Hill, So.           .213, 22 RBI, 3 HR
2   1B  John Furstenthal, Sr.     .339, 13 RBI, 4 2B
16  CF  Curtis Johnson, Fr.       .207, 5 RBI, 1 HR
9   2B  Jim Schmidt, Sr.          .311, 10 RBI, 6 2B
22  3B  Kevin Johnson, Fr.        .186, 5 RBI, 1 HR
30  RHP Drew Fischer, Sr. (Fri.)   2-3, 5.05 ERA
34  RHP Jon Shirley, Fr. (Sat.)    2-3, 4.07 ERA
28  RHP Brad Steele, Fr. (Sun.)    2-2, 5.48 ERA       
SIX-PAC RACE (as of March 31) 
    Conference                                 Overall          
               W   L   PCT GB  W   L         T   .PCT
Stanford       10  2   .833    --    23  8       .742
UCLA           8   4   .667    2.0   28  6   1   .812
USC            11  7   .611    2.0   28  10      .737
Arizona        8   7   .533    3.5   25  16      .610
Arizona State  7   11  .389    6.0   21  15      .583
CALIFORNIA     1   14  .067    10.5  13  23      .361

CAL INDIVIDUAL PLAYER NOTES

DREW FISCHER: Is 2-3 with a 5.05 ERA...in last start Mar. 15, got a no decision but pitch well vs. Arizona State (6.0 innings, five hits, only one earned run, no walks, five strikeouts)...picked up win Feb. 21 vs. Oregon State (7.0 innings, nine hits, six runs, only one walk, tied a career-high seven strikeouts)...suffered loss Feb. 14 at Long Beach State, throwing his first collegiate complete game (8.0 innings, five hits, three earned runs, two walks, six strikeouts)...only gave up one hit after the first inning against the 49ers...picked up win Jan. 30 at Hawaii (5.0 innings, four hits, three runs, one walk, two strikeouts)...is fifth in the conference in walks/nine innings (2.35)...got a no decision Feb. 28 vs. Arizona (6.0, 10 hits, five earned runs, no walks, one strikeout)...has an 0-1 career record with a save and a 8.28 ERA vs. Arizona...is slated to start Friday for the Bears...

JOHN FURSTENTHAL: Is second on the team in hitting, batting .339 with four doubles and 13 RBI...also leads team in hit by pitch (seven) and putouts (310)...at Hawaii went 6-for-11 with two RBI...went 4-for-9 with a double and an RBI in the Arizona series, 4-for-10 with a double and an RBI at USC, 3-for-8 with two RBI vs. Stanford and 3-for-9 last weekend at UCLA...is 7-for-32 (.219) with 12 RBI with runners in scoring position...has a career batting average of .343 (12-for-35) with two doubles and four RBI vs. Arizona...

AARON GORDNIER: Is batting .270 with five doubles, and a team-leading four home runs and 24 RBI...was 5-for-12 with two doubles, a home run and two RBI at USC, 5-for-11 with a home run and two RBI vs. Arizona State , was 3-for-12 with a home run and two RBI vs. Stanford and last weekend was 2-for-8 at UCLA...hit his first collegiate home run Feb. 4 vs. Santa Clara (1-for-3, HR, two RBI)...went 5-for-11 with two doubles and five RBI in the Hawaii series...had a career-high 11-game hitting streak (16-for-43, .372, 2-2B, 3-HR, seven RBI) from Mar. 7-24...is 14-for-42 (.333) with two home runs and 22 RBI with runners in scoring position...was 0-for-11 with two RBI in the first Arizona series this season...

JUAN HERNANDEZ: Has started 34 games in right field, batting .297 with eight doubles, two home runs and 11 RBI...is tied for fourth in the conference in stolen bases (14-for-15)...was 4-for-5 and hit his first collegiate home run (three-run homer) Feb. 11 at Saint Mary's...went 3-for-7 at USC, 4-for-11 with a double and two RBI vs. Arizona State, was an impressive 7-for-12 with two doubles vs. Stanford and was 2-for-11 with a home run last weekend at UCLA...had a career-high seven game hitting streak (13-for-27, .481, 3-2B, three RBI) from Mar. 15-27...is 7-for-32 (.219) with an HR and 10 RBI with runners in scoring position...was 1-for-15 in the first Arizona series...

JASON HILL: Is hitting .213 with five doubles, three home runs and 22 RBI...in last two series was 0-for-12 vs. Stanford and 0-for-10 at UCLA...went an impressive 5-for-11 with two home runs and six RBI vs. Arizona State...was 3-for-4 with two home runs and four RBI Mar. 14 vs. ASU...knocked in the game-winning RBI in the bottom of the 10th vs. Washington State Mar. 18...hit well at Long Beach State, Feb. 14-17, going 7-for-17 with seven RBI...had a career-high five-game hitting streak (7-for-15, double, 2-HR, seven RBI) from Mar. 11-18...is 12-for-46 (.261) with a home run and 18 RBI with runners in scoring position...has thrown out 18 baserunners (18-for-56) this season...was 2-for-14 in the first Arizona series...has a career average of .321 (9-for-28) with a double, two home runs and five RBI vs. Arizona...

IVAN LEWIS: Is batting .210 with seven doubles and 10 RBI...was 4-for-13 with four RBI at USC, 3-for-12 with a double and two RBI vs. Arizona State and was 3-for-16 with a double vs. Stanford...was 0-for-11 last weekend at UCLA...went 3-for-5 with a double and an RBI Mar. 14 vs. Arizona State...is 9-for-33 (.273) with 10 RBI with runners in scoring position...did not play in the first Arizona series this season...has a career average of .381 (24-for-63) with three doubles, a triple, a home run and 15 RBI vs. Arizona...

BRIAN OLIVER: Leads the team in batting average (.371), at bats (140), runs (26), hits (52), doubles (nine), triples (three), total bases (70), slugging percentage (.500), on-base percentage (.457), walks (19) and stolen bases (17-for-18)...was 7-for-14 with a double, a triple and three RBI at Hawaii, 6-for-11 with a double and an RBI vs. Pepperdine; 7-for-18 with a double, a triple and three RBI at Long Beach State, 3-for-10 with a double, triple and two RBI vs. Oregon State and 5-for-13 with a double vs. Arizona...went 5-for-12 with a home run and five RBI vs. Stanford and was 5-for-11 with an RBI last weekend at UCLA...is currently on an eight-game hitting streak (15-for-31, .484, double, home run, six RBI) from Mar. 17...knocked in the game-winning RBI Mar. 5 vs. CS Hayward with a two-run double in the bottom of the ninth...is 13-for-38 (.342) with a home run and 19 RBI with runners in scoring position...is second in the conference in triples and third in stolen bases...has a career average of .350 (14-for-40) with two doubles and four RBI vs. Arizona...

JON SHIRLEY: Is 2-3 with a 4.07 ERA, has a save and 33 strikeouts in 48.7 innings...in last outing, suffered the loss at UCLA Mar. 27 (6.0 innings, 10 hits, six earned runs, four walks, one strikeout)...got a no decision vs. Stanford Mar. 22 (6.0 innings, eight hits, three runs, one walk, three strikeouts)...suffered the loss vs. Arizona State Mar. 14 (3.3 innings, seven hits, seven runs, three earned runs, two walks, two strikeouts)...got a no decision Mar. 8 at USC (6.3 innings, nine hits, three runs, two walks, career-high seven strikeouts)...got no decision Mar. 1 vs. Arizona, pitching a career-high 7.3 innings (three hits, one run, four walks, three strikeouts)...earned win Feb. 22 vs. Oregon State (6.0 innings, two hits, no runs, no walks, career-high seven strikeouts)...picked up a save Jan. 30 at Hawaii, shutting down the Rainbows with the bases loaded and no outs in the bottom of the ninth...picked up first collegiate victory Feb. 16 at Long Beach State (6.0 innings, two runs, three walks, one strikeout)...---is 10th in the conference in ERA...is slated to start Saturday for the Bears...

TYLER WALKER: Is 3-3 with a team-high three saves and a 3.27 ERA...has 34 strikeouts in 33.0 innings pitched...picked up two wins in relief in one week , defeating Arizona State Mar. 15 (3.0 innings, no hits, no runs, three walks) and Washington State Mar. 18 (2.3 innings, one hit, no runs, one walk, four strikeouts)...in last outing at UCLA Mar. 29, suffered the loss as a starter (first start of his career), pitching 3.3 innings with four hits, three earned runs, two walks and three strikeouts...picked up the win Feb. 9 vs. Pepperdine, throwing a career-high 5.0 innings (one hit, no runs, no walks, three strikeouts)...picked up save Feb. 16 at Long Beach State (3.0 innings, four hits, two runs, two walks, three strikeouts)...earned save Feb. 21 vs. Oregon State (1.0 inning, no hits, no runs, no walks, two strikeouts)...earned the save Mar. 11 vs. Santa Clara (2.0 innings, two hits, no runs, no walks, three strikeouts)...is fifth in the conference in saves...has a 1-0 career record vs. Arizona with a 2.00 ERA and six strikeouts in 9.0 innings...