Feb. 27, 1997
Bears Host Arizona to Open Pac-10 Southern Division Play
THE SCHEDULE: The Bears (9-9) host Arizona (14-9) for a three-game series at Evans Diamond:
Day Date Opponent Site Time
Fri. Feb. 28 vs. Arizona Evans Diamond, Berkeley, CA 2:00 p.m.
Sat. Mar. 1 vs. Arizona Evans Diamond, Berkeley, CA 1:00 p.m.
Sun. Mar. 2 vs. Arizona Evans Diamond, Berkeley, CA 1:00 p.m.
RADIO: KALX Radio (90.7 FM) will broadcast the Feb. 28 and Mar. 2 games versus Arizona...the Bob Milano Show will air 10 minutes before the first pitch...SERIES RECORD: The Bears have a 48-66 overall series record against the Arizona Wildcats and have defeated the Wildcats eight straight games and have a 15-3 record against Arizona in the past three years...last season, Cal swept the Wildcats, 13-3, 8-4, 15-2, Mar. 15-17 in Tucson, and 9-8, 11-7, 8-5, Apr. 26-28 in Berkeley.
HEAD COACH BOB MILANO: The Bears skipper, who is in his 20th season at Cal, has a career record of 627-552-4 (.532)...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 (9-9) won two-of-three games last weekend versus Oregon State at Evans Diamond...Cal defeated the Beavers, 8-6 Friday, 14-2 Saturday and lost to OSU, 15-2 Sunday...a highlight for the Bears in the first game was the pitching of senior Drew Fischer (Orinda, CA), who despite giving up nine hits and six runs, ended up throwing 7.0 innings with only one walk and tied a career-high seven strikeouts...junior Jim Vorhis (Mill Valley, CA) came up with a big relief effort in the eighth inning...Vorhis replaced Fischer with the bases loaded and no outs and was able to get out of the inning yielding only one run...sophomore right-hander Tyler Walker (Ross, CA) came in in the ninth inning and had two strikeouts to earn his second save of the season...a top hitter for Cal was senior third baseman Jim Schmidt (Oak Grove, IL), who had a key two-run single with the bases loaded in the sixth inning...in the Bears big win Saturday, they pounded out 14 runs on 14 hits and were led by the impressive pitching of freshman starter Jon Shirley (Bakersfield, CA), who went 6.0 innings with two hits, no runs, no walks and a career-high seven strikeouts to earn his second collegiate victory...leading hitters for Cal included freshman right fielder Juan Hernandez (Tracy, CA, 3-for-5, RBI), Schmidt (3-for-4) and sophomore shortstop Brian Oliver (Antioch, CA, 2-for-3 double, triple, two RBI)...a highlight for the Bears in the 15-2 loss to Oregon State was sophomore catcher Jason Hill (Alamo, CA), who hit a solo home run in the sixth inning and finished the day 1-for-2 with two RBI...Jim Schmidt is currently leading Cal with a .441 average and is on a career-high 10-game hitting streak (19-for-39, .487, two doubles, seven RBI) from Feb. 8...Brian Oliver is having a fine season as well...Oliver has started all 18 games at shortstop and leads the Bears in at bats (69), runs (17), hits (27), doubles (five), triples (three), total bases (38), stolen bases (12-for-12), walks (nine), and assists (52)...he 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...Tyler Walker had pitched well of late...in Walker's last four outings he has thrown 10.0 innings with seven hits, two runs, two walks and 11 strikeouts...he is the top rated amauter baseball player in the nation according to the Major League Scouting Bureau...sophomore right-hander Ryan Drese (Oakland, CA), a first team preseason All-American in Baseball America. who suffered a strained ligament in his right elbow Feb. 8 versus Pepperdine, had an MRI Feb. 14...the MRI showed no structural damage to the elbow and Drese will go throught an intensive four-week rehabilition to see if he can pitch again during the 1997 season...
ARIZONA: The Arizona Wildcats (14-9), coached by Jerry Stitt (first year as head coach at Arizona, 14-9, .609), are 14-9 after winning two games versus Eastern Michigan (won 28-0, won 16-3) Feb. 25 and 26...top hitters for the Wildcats include junior center fielder Diego Rico (.453, 1 HR, 20 RBI), junior second baseman Erik Mattern (.450, 0 HR, 10 RBI) and junior shortstop Jake Thrower (.422, 1 HR, 24 RBI)...Arizona's tentative starting pitching rotation is sophomore right-hander Darrell Hussman (2-1, 4.97 ERA), sophomore left-hander James Johnson (2-3, 5.65 ERA) and sophomore left-hander Rob Shabansky (3-1, 2.73 ERA)...in 1996, the Wildcats were 24-32 overall (7-23, sixth in Pac-10 Southern Division play)...
TENTATIVE LINEUP AND STATS: Here is a look at Cal's tentative lineup and pitching rotation...
No. Pos. Player '97 stats
10 RF Juan Hernandez, Fr. .290, 7 RBI, 1 HR
9 3B Jim Schmidt, Sr. .441, 9 RBI, 4 2B
5 SS Brian Oliver, So. .391, 10 RBI, 3 3B
6 CF Preston Sharp, So. .279, 9 RBI, 1 2B
45 C Jason Hill, So. .254, 15 RBI, 1 HR
2 1B John Furstenthal, Sr. .361, 8 RBI, 2 2B
33 LF Aaron Gordnier, Jr. .250, 15 RBI, 1 HR
17 DH Barry Schell, Fr. .273, 6 RBI, 3 HR
26 2B Ivan Lewis, Sr. .200, 2 RBI, 4 2B
30 RHP Drew Fischer, Sr. (Fri.) 2-2, 4.67 ERA
34 RHP Jon Shirley, Fr. (Sat.) 2-1, 3.20 ERA
CAL INDIVIDUAL PLAYER NOTES
DREW FISCHER: Is 2-2 with a 4.67 ERA and leads the team in strikeouts (19) and innings pitched (27.0)...last outing picked up the 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...took loss Feb. 7 vs. Pepperdine (7.0 innings, five hits, two runs, two walks, four strikeouts)...picked up win Jan. 30 at Hawaii (5.0 innings, four hits, three runs, one walk, two strikeouts)...has an 0-1 career record vs. Arizona with one save and a 8.74 ERA...is slated to start Friday for the Bears...
JOHN FURSTENTHAL: Is third on the team in hitting, batting .361 with two doubles and eight RBI...leads team in hit by pitch (six) and putouts (146)...at Hawaii went 6-for-11 with two RBI...was 3-for-9 in the Pepperdine series, 6-for-16 with a double and an RBI at Long Beach State and 2-for-10 with two RBI vs. Oregon State...is 5-for-21 (.238) with seven RBI with runners in scoring position...has a career batting average of .308 (8-for-26) with two doubles and three RBI vs. Arizona...
AARON GORDNIER: Is batting .250 with three doubles, a home run and a team-leading 15 RBI...hit his first collegiate home run Feb. 4 vs. Santa Clara (1-for-3, HR, two RBI)...was 5-for-11 with two doubles and five RBI in the Hawaii series...was 3-for-15 with a double and three RBI at Long Beach State and 2-for-8 with an RBI vs. Oregon State...had a career-high five-game hitting streak (8-for-18, 2-2B, HR, nine RBI) from Jan. 31-Feb. 4...is 10-for-25 (.400) with a home run and 15 RBI with runners in scoring position...has a career average of .250 (1-for-4) vs. Arizona...
JUAN HERNANDEZ: Has started 17 games in the right field for the Bears...is batting .290 (18-for-62) with a team-leading five doubles, a home run and five RBI...was 2-for-7 with a double in the Pepperdine series...was 4-for-5 and hit his first collegiate home run (three-run homer) Feb. 11 at Saint Mary's...was 2-for-13 with a two-run double at Long Beach State and 4-for-12 with an RBI vs. Oregon State...Tuesday at Santa Clara went 1-for-4 with a double and an RBI...is 3-for-18 (.167) with an HR and seven RBI with runners in scoring position...
JASON HILL: Is hitting .254, with four doubles and a team-leading 15 RBI...was 2-for-9 with a home run and five RBI in the Oregon State series...hit well at Long Beach State series, going 7-for-17 with seven RBI...is 7-for-26 (.269) with 12 RBI with runners in scoring position...has thrown out 11 baserunners (11-for-29)...has a career average of .500 (7-for-14) with a double, two home runs and five RBI vs. Arizona...
IVAN LEWIS: Is batting .200 with four doubles and two RBI...was 3-for-13 with two doubles and two RBI at Hawaii, 3-for-12 vs. Pepperdine, 2-for-15 with a double at Long Beach State and 1-for-9 vs. Oregon State...was 3-for-6 with a double Feb. 11 at Saint Mary's...is 1-for-17 (.059) with two RBI with runners in scoring position...has a career average of .381 (24-for-63) with three doubles, a triple, a home run and 15 RBI vs. Arizona...
DOUG NICKLE: Is 1-1 and leads the Bears in saves (two) and strikeouts (19)...had a phenominal game in his first collegiate start Feb. 19 vs. San Francisco State, pitching a career-high 6.0 innings with two hits, no runs, only one walk and a career-high nine strikeouts...earned the save Jan. 31 at Hawaii (4.0 innings, one hit, no runs, two strikeouts)...also picked up the save Feb. 4 vs. Santa Clara, coming into the game in the ninth inning and giving up two hits, but not allowing the Broncos to score with the bases loaded and no outs...suffered loss Feb. 23 vs. Oregon State (2.0 innings, three hits, three runs, two walks, two strikeouts)...
BRIAN OLIVER: Is second on the team in hitting with a .391 batting average with five doubles, three triples and 10 RBI...leads the team in runs (17), hits (27), doubles (five), triples (three), total bases (38), walks (nine) and stolen bases (12-for-12)...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 and 3-for-10 with a double, triple and two RBI vs. Oregon State...was 4-for-5 with a double, a triple and an RBI in the Jan. 31 Hawaii game...is 7-for-24 (.292) with nine RBI with runners in scoring position...has a career average of .333 (9-for-27) with a double and four RBI vs. Arizona...
BARRY SCHELL: Is hitting .273 (9-for-33) with a double, a triple, a team-leading three home runs and has six RBI...leads the team with a .636 slugging percentage and hit a two-run home run in his first collegiate at-bat Jan. 28 at San Francisco...was 1-for-5 with a double and an RBI at Hawaii, 2-for-5 vs. Pepperdine, 1-for-4 with a home run at Long Beach State and 2-for-11 with a triple, home run and two RBI vs. Oregon State...is 3-for-12 (.250) with a home run and three RBI with runners in scoring position...
JIM SCHMIDT: Is Cal's top hitter, batting .441 with four doubles and nine RBI...has started 15 games this season--eight times at third base, fourtimes at second base and three times as a designated hitter...was 5-for-10 with a double and two RBI at Hawaii, 1-for-5 in the Pepperdine series, an impressive 10-for-17 with a double and three RBI at Long Beach State and 5-for-12 with three RBI vs. Oregon State...is currently on a career-high 10-game hitting streak (19-for-39, .487, two doubles, seven RBI) since Feb. 8...is 10-for-19 (.526) with nine RBI with runners in scoring position...has a career average of .000 (0-for-12) vs. Arizona...
JON SHIRLEY: Is 2-1 with a team-leading 3.20 ERA, has a save and 17 strikeouts in 19.7 innings...in last outing Feb. 22 vs. Oregon State, earned his second collegiate win, pitching 6.0 innings with two hits, no runs, no walks and a career-high seven strikeouts...picked up the save Jan. 30 at Hawaii, shutting down the Rainbows with the bases loaded and no outs in the bottom of the ninth...suffered the loss to Hawaii Feb. 1 (1.7 innings, three hits, three runs, two walks, four strikeouts)...got a no decision in a Feb. 9 start vs. Pepperdine (4.0 innings, four hits, one run, one walk, two strikeouts)...picked up his first collegiate victory Feb. 16 at Long Beach State (6.0 innings, two runs, three walks, one strikeout)...is slated to start Saturday for the Bears...
BRAD STEELE: Has a 2-0 record with a 4.63 ERA in 11.7 innings of relief...picked up the win Jan. 31 at Hawaii, coming in in the fourth inning and throwing 2.0 innings with one hit, no runs and one walk...also earned the win Feb. 4 versus Santa Clara, coming into the game in the fifth inning and pitching 2.7 innings with one hit, one run, one walk and one strikeout...
JIM VORHIS: Is 0-1 with a 6.85 ERA...has 14 strikeouts and only five walks in 23.7 innings...pitched well against Pepperdine Feb. 8 (7.0 innings, four hits, no runs, no walks, four strikeouts)...started Feb. 15 at Long Beach State, suffering the loss (4.0 innings, six hits, four runs, one walk, one strikeout)...had a key relief effort Feb. 21 vs. Oregon State, replacing Fischer with the bases loaded and no outs and was able to get out of the inning yielding only one run...has a 2-0 career record vs. Arizona with a 5.68 ERA...
TYLER WALKER: Is 1-0 with two saves and a 3.86 ERA as a reliever...has 15 strikeouts and only four walks in 14.0 innings pitched...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)...in last outing Tuesday at Santa Clara, threw 1.0 inning with two hits, no runs, no walks and three strikeouts...has a 1-0 career record vs. Arizona with a 2.25 ERA...
