BERKELEY - With the 2015 series tied two games apiece, Cal (23-13, 10-8 Pac-12, No. 16 in Collegiate Baseball) looks to take the fifth and final game of the regular season from Bay Area rival Stanford (16-21, 4-11) Tuesday at 6 p.m. at Sunken Diamond in a contest shown on the Pac-12 Networks (play-by-play: Guy Haberman; analyst: J.T. Snow).
David Esquer’s (455-409-2, .527 in 16 seasons) squad is in the midst of one of its best starts since its 2011 College World Series season. In the last contest at Sunken Diamond, Cal defeated Stanford, 11-1, Feb. 16. In the Pac-12 series April 10-12 at Evans Diamond, the Bears won one-of-three (L 4-2, W 11-10, L 12-6).
BEAR NECCESSITIES:AT THE PLATE: Cal is led by senior first baseman
Chris Paul, sophomore third baseman
Lucas Erceg and sophomore center fielder
Aaron Knapp. Paul, the March 16 Pac-12 Player of the Week, leads Cal with a .341 average and has seven doubles, two triples, seven home runs and 29 RBI. Erceg, the March 23 National and Pac-12 Player of the Week, is batting .340 with eight doubles, a triple, and a team-best nine home runs (second in Pac-12) and 31 RBI. Knapp is hitting .321 with three triples and 14 RBI. Freshman catcher
Brett Cumberland is batting .298 with a team-best nine doubles and has six home runs and 26 RBI. Cumberland, second in the Pac-12 in walks (26) and third in on-base percentage (.461), had a huge game Feb. 16 at Stanford with a grand slam, a three-run homer and seven RBI. The Bears lead the Pac-12 with 34 homers.
ON THE MOUND: Mike Neu’s pitching staff owns a 2.93 team ERA (second-best in the Pac-12) with 244 strikeouts in 319.0 innings. Sophomore right-hander
Daulton Jefferies (4-2, 1.83 ERA third in Pac-12) has 42 strikeouts in 39.1 innings and shut out No. 3-ranked UCLA last week in Los Angeles. Junior right-hander
Ryan Mason is 4-2 with a 3.55 ERA in 58.1 innings and freshman left-hander
Matt Ladrech (5-4, 2.19 ERA) leads the team with 61.2 innings pitched after throwing 6.2 shutout innings at UCLA. Additionally, Tuesday night’s starter, freshman right-hander
Jeff Bain, is 4-1 with a 2.18 ERA and is seventh in the Pac-12 with a .218 opponent batting average. Senior closer
Dylan Nelson (1-0, five saves, 3.32 ERA) has 28 strikeouts in 19.0 innings and picked up the save last Thursday at UCLA.
