Feb. 7, 1997
No. 25 Bears (3-2) Host Pepperdine (0-4) In Three-Game Series At Evans
THE SCHEDULE: The Bears (3-2, ranked 25th in Baseball America and 30th in Collegiate Baseball preseason poll) host Pepperdine (0-4, ranked 37th in Collegiate Baseball preseason poll) for a three-game series at Evans Diamond...
Day Date Opponent Site Time
Fri. Feb. 7 vs. Pepperdine Evans Diamond, Berkeley, CA 2:00 p.m.
Sat. Feb. 8 vs. Pepperdine Evans Diamond, Berkeley, CA 1:00 p.m.
Sun. Feb. 9 vs. Pepperdine Evans Diamond, Berkeley, CA 1:00 p.m.
RADIO: KALX Radio (90.7 FM) will broadcast the Feb. 9 game versus Pepperdine...the Bob Milano Show will air 10 minutes before the first pitch...SERIES RECORD: The Bears have a 14-15 overall series record against the Pepperdine Waves...last season, Cal won two-of-three games (won 2-0, lost 5-2, won 7-1) Feb. 2 and Feb. 4 in Malibu...
HEAD COACH BOB MILANO: The Bears skipper, who is in his 20th season at Cal, has a career record of 621-545-4 (.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 (3-2) won two-of-three games at Hawaii last week, defeating the Rainbows 6-5, 11-3 and losing 15-8...on Tuesday, Cal defeated Santa Clara, 5-2, at Evans Diamond...the Bears have been led at the plate so far this season by senior first baseman John Furstenthal (Oakland, CA), sophomore shortstop Brian Oliver (Antioch, CA) and junior left fielder Aaron Gordnier (Rocklin, CA)...Furstenthal is leading the Bears with a .471 batting average and was 6-for-11 with two RBI in the Hawaii series...he also leads the team in hit-by-pitch with four and was hit three times in the Hawaii series...Oliver, with a .429 average, was 7-for-14 with a double, a triple and three RBI against the Rainbows...Gordnier, batting .444, was 5-for-11 with two doubles and five RBI in the Hawaii series...he had an outstanding game versus Santa Clara, going 1-for-3 with a two-run homer in the first inning...it was Gordnier's first collegiate home run and he currently leads Cal with nine RBI after entering the season with only three career RBI...in the 6-5 Cal win over Hawaii, senior right-hander Drew Fischer (Orinda, CA) picked up the win, throwing 5.0 innings with four hits, three runs, one walk and two strikeouts...freshman right-hander Jon Shirley (Bakersfield, CA) earned the save by shutting down the Rainbows with the bases loaded and no outs in the bottom of the ninth inning...freshman right-hander Brad Steele (Lemoore, CA), a redshirt freshman quarterback on the football team, came in in relief to win the Bears 11-3 second game victory, pitching 2.0 innings with one hit, no runs and one walk... junior right-hander Doug Nickle (Sonoma, CA) earned his first career save, pitching 4.0 innings with one hit, no runs, no walks and two strikeouts...Steele and Nickle teamed-up again Tuesday against Santa Clara, with Steele earning the victory in relief, pitching 2.7 innings with one hit, one run, one walk and one strikeout...Nickle earned the save by pitching the ninth inning with the bases loaded and no outs and allowing no runs (two hits, one walk, one strikeout)...a highlight for Cal in the second Hawaii game was freshman center fielder Curtis Johnson (Oakland, CA) hitting a grand slam (his first collegiate home run) in the sixth inning...the Bears are ranked 25th in Baseball America's preseason poll and are picked to finish fifth in the Pac-10 Southern Division, yet still qualify for an NCAA Regional...Baseball America has four Six-Pac teams ranked in the Top 10 with Stanford picked No. 1, USC No. 3, UCLA No. 5 and Arizona State No. 7...sophomore right-hander Ryan Drese (Oakland, CA) is a first team preseason All-American in Baseball America and sophomore right-hander Tyler Walker (Ross, CA) is mentioned as the top rated amauter baseball player in the nation according to the Major League Scouting Bureau...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...
PEPPERDINE: The Pepperdine Waves, coached by Frank Sanchez (1st year at Pepperdine, 0-4, .000), are 0-4 after being swept by Nevada (8-6, 3-0, 10-2) Jan. 31-Feb. 2 and losing one game at No. 5 ranked UCLA Feb. 4 (6-5)...top hitters for the Waves include sophomore shortstop David Matranga (.467, 2 HR, 5 RBI), junior designated hitter/pitcher Randy Wolf (.286, 0 HR, 1 RBI) and junior left fielder Josh Oder (.250, 0 HR, 0 RBI)...Pepperdine's tentative starting pitching rotation is junior left-hander Randy Wolf (0-0, 1.80 ERA), sophomore right-hander Andy Shibilo (0-1, 4.50 ERA) and junior right-hander A.J. Samadani (0-0, 11.74 ERA) or freshman Will Ohman (0-1, 12.86 ERA)...in 1996, the Waves were 33-19 overall (19-6, second in West Coast Conference play)...
TENTATIVE LINEUP AND STATS: Here is a look at Cal's tentative lineup and pitching rotation...
No. Pos. Player '97 stats
26 CF Ivan Lewis, Sr. .190, 2 RBI, 2 2B
9 2B Jim Schmidt, Sr. .412, 2 RBI, 2 2B
5 SS Brian Oliver, So. .429, 3 RBI, 1 3B
33 LF Aaron Gordnier, Jr. .444, 9 RBI, 1 HR
17 DH Barry Schell, Fr. .333, 3 RBI, 1 HR
45 C Jason Hill, So. .250, 2 RBI, 3 2B
2 1B John Furstenthal, Sr. .471, 3 RBI, 1 2B
8 3B Dan Garfin, So. .400, 3 RBI, 1 2B
10 RF Juan Hernandez, Fr. .222, 0 RBI, 1 2B
30 RHP Drew Fischer, Sr. (Fri.) 1-0, 5.40 ERA
25 RHP Ryan Drese, So. (Sat.) 0-0, 0.00 ERA
34 RHP Jon Shirley, Fr. (Sun.) 0-1, 9.82 ERA
CAL INDIVIDUAL PLAYER NOTES
RYAN DRESE: Has started two games this season, pitching 3.0 innings with no hits, no runs, two walks and no strikeouts...when he took the mound Jan. 28 at San Francisco, it was the first time he had pitched since Feb. 23, 1996 versus Fresno State when he strained ligaments in his right elbow...last season suffered the loss Feb. 4 against Pepperdine, pitching 5.0 innings with seven hits, two earned runs, three walks and five strikeouts...is slated to start Saturday for the Bears...
DREW FISCHER: Is 1-0 with a 5.40 ERA...picked up the win Jan. 30 at Hawaii, going 5.0 innings with four hits, three runs, one walk and two strikeouts...has become a starter this season after establishing himself as one of the school's top relief pitchers, recording 15 career saves, third-best mark in school history...in last year's Pepperdine series made two appearances, pitching a total of 2.0 innings with one hit, no runs, one walk and one strikeout...is slated to start Friday for the Bears...
JOHN FURSTENTHAL: Is leading the team in hitting, batting .471 with a double and three RBI...also leads the team in runs (six), hit by pitch (four), on base percentage (.625) and putouts (39)...at Hawaii series went 6-for-11 with two RBI and was 0-for-3 with a run scored versus Santa Clara...is 1-for-6 (.167) with three RBI with runners in scoring position...was 2-for-7 with a double in last year's Pepperdine series...
DAN GARFIN: Is batting .400 with a double and three RBI...leads the team with five walks...was 2-for-5 with a double and an RBI double versus Hawaii and was 2-for-4 with a double versus Santa Clara...is 1-for-2 (.500) with two RBI with runners in scoring position...did not play in last year's Pepperdine series...
AARON GORDNIER: Is second on the team in hitting, batting .444 with two doubles, a home run and a team-leading nine RBI...hit his first collegiate home run Tuesday versus Santa Clara (1-for-3, HR, two RBI)...was 5-for-11 with two doubles and five RBI in the Hawaii series...is on a career-high five-game hitting streak (8-for-18) and also leads the team in total bases (13) and slugging percentage...is an impressive 7-for-10 (.700) with a home run and nine RBI with runners in scoring position...did not play in last year's Pepperdine series...
JASON HILL: Is hitting .250 with a team-leading three doubles and has two RBI...was 3-for-12 with two doubles and an RBI in the Hawaii series and was 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI Tuesday versus Santa Clara...so far this season is 0-for-4 with no RBI with runners in scoring position...did not play in last year's Pepperdine series...
IVAN LEWIS: Is batting only .190, but has two doubles and two RBI...was 3-for-13 with two doubles and two RBI in the Hawaii series and was 1-for-4 Tuesday versus Santa Clara...is 1-for-4 (.250) with two RBI with runners in scoring position...was 2-for-11 with a double and an RBI in last year's Pepperdine series...
DOUG NICKLE: Leads the Bears with two saves in 6.0 innings of relief...earned the save Jan. 31 at Hawaii, coming in in the sixth inning and throwing a career-high 4.0 innings with one hit, no runs and two strikeouts...also picked up the save Tuesday versus 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...
BRIAN OLIVER: Is batting .429 (third on the team) with a double, a triple and three RBI...leads the team with nine hits and three stolen bases...was 7-for-14 with a double, a triple and three RBI in the Hawaii series and was 0-4 versus Santa Clara Tuesday...was 4-for-5 with a double, a triple and an RBI in the second Hawaii game...is 2-for-8 (.250) with three RBI with runners in scoring position...was 3-for-10 with a double and two RBI in last year's Pepperdine series...
BARRY SCHELL: Is hitting .333 with a double, a home run and three RBI...leads the team with a 1.000 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 in the Hawaii series and was 0-for-2 with a run scored Tuesday versus Santa Clara...is 2-for-4 (.500) with a home run and three RBI with runners in scoring position...
JIM SCHMIDT: Has started four games this season, twice at third base and once each at second base and designated hitter...is batting .412 with two doubles and two RBI...was 5-for-10 with a double and two RBI in the Hawaii series and was 2-for-4 with a double Tuesday versus Santa Clara...is 2-for-4 (.500) with two RBI with runners in scoring position...was 2-for-9 with a double and an RBI in last year's Pepperdine series...
JON SHIRLEY: Is 0-1 with a 9.82 ERA, but has a save and leads the team in strikeouts with seven...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, pitching 1.7 innings with three hits, three runs, two walks and four strikeouts...in the season opener at San Francisco Jan. 28, pitched an inning with one hit, no runs, no walks and two strikeouts...is slated to start Sunday for the Bears...
BRAD STEELE: Has a 2-0 record with a 1.93 ERA in 4.7 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 Tuesday 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 0-0 with a 5.63 ERA...leads the team in innings pitched (8.0) and has six strikeouts and two walks...in last outing started against Santa Clara, pitching 4.0 innings with five hits, one run, one walk and three strikeouts...started Jan. 31 at Hawaii, throwing 3.0 innings with five hits, two earned runs, one walk and two strikeouts...in last year's Pepperdine series picked up the win Feb. 4, pitching 5.0 innings with two hits, one run, two walks and three strikeouts...
