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Cal Pitcher Ready For Another Run To Omaha…

Justin Jones in the Cal dugout in Omaha

The Cal baseball program ran the gamut of emotions during the 2010-2011 year. The Golden Bears experienced the lowest of lows when they thought their program would be eliminated, and then propelled themselves to the highest of highs-with a run to the 2011 College World Series.

Junior pitcher Justin Jones was there every step of the way. In this exclusive interview with College Baseball 360 editor Sean Stires, Jones discusses his team’s run to Omaha as well as the aftereffects.

He was not able to pitch at the CWS due to an injury he suffered in a Super Regional win over Dallas Baptist, so how is his arm now?

His other revelations include why he decided to remain a Golden Bear rather than transfer to another school after the announcement that Cal baseball would be cut after the 2011 season, who he would take a bullet for, who he would step in front of a car for, and which actor would play him if a movie is ever made about Cal’s unbelievable season.

Press the “play” button below to listen to the podcast.

Justin Jones – 6’2 – 188 – Jr. – LHP – Oakdale, CA

Head Coach:  David Esquer

JustinJones.mp3

 

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Good Non-Conference Games Set For Golden Bears…

Cal has released its 2012 college baseball schedule. The Golden Bears open their season with a three game series against Pacific. Cal will host the first and third games of the series, with game two on Pacific’s home field in Stockton, CA. Cal head coach Dave Esquer and Pacific head coach Ed Sprague played together on Stanford’s 1987 national championship team.

The Golden Bears go to Long Beach State for three games Feb. 24-26. After a trip to the 2011 College World Series, they head back to the Cornhusker state March 9-12 for a four game series against Nebraska. Cal also heads to Texas March 30-April 1 for a four game series against the Longhorns.

Cal opens Pac-12 play March 16-18 when it hosts Oregon State. Other conference home series are against Washington, Utah, Arizona, and UCLA. Conference road series are at Arizona State, USC, Oregon, and Washington State. WSU will also visit Cal for a May 14 midweek game.

Creighton, San Francisco and Stanford are among the other non-conference home games Cal has set for 2012. The Bears will travel to San Francisco, Fresno State and twice to Santa Clara in non-league action. Cal played on Santa Clara’s home field when it hosted a 2011 Super Regional.

Cal still has an open weekend March 2-4 that it looks to fill with a TBD opponent.

The Dugout in Omaha is your one stop for the most officially licensed 2011 College World Series apparel.

The Dugout is located right across the street from the Road To Omaha statue outside TD Ameritrade Stadium, but if you left Omaha without that College World Series hat, shirt or memorabilia you were thinking about you can still get it at Dugouthats.com!  The Dugout also has fitted college and minor league caps – just like the ones the players where on the field.

The best part is, when you click on one of the red links to Dugouthats.com you will save 20% on your order when you enter the coupon code CB360!

Injured Cal pitcher Justin Jones discusses his team’s first College World Series victory since 1980, as well as not being able to pitch in Omaha.

A Look At Father’s Day Action From Omaha…

Click image to enlarge!

If you’re going to the College World Series, your one stop for the most officially licensed 2011 College World Series apparel is the all new Dugout, located right across the street from the Road To Omaha statue outside TD Ameritrade Stadium. If you can’t make it to Omaha, simply follow this link to Dugouthats.com. You’ll save 20% on your order when you enter the coupon code CB360!

Game 3: Virginia 4-9-1 def. California 1-6-0
Final Stats | VA Recap | Cal Recap

Click image to enlarge!

It took roughly two-and-a-half hours for the first runs of the game to score in this day-2 matchup, with Virginia breaking through for a pair of runs in the bottom of the 7th. The Cavs produced their runs after Chris Taylor followed Keith Werman‘s leadoff single with a walk. John Barr then executed a sac bunt, John Hicks followed with an RBI single and Steven Proscia plated Taylor with a sac fly to fight field.

Virginia head coach Brian O'Connor conducts his midgame interview with ESPN's Jenn Brown.

The previous time that a CWS game was scoreless through six innings was May 31, 1987, when Florida State ultimately beat Arizona State 3-0.

Cal’s Justin Jones did not pitch after injuring his pitching elbow in the previous week’s Super Regional win over Dallas Baptist. Jones is not expected to pitch during the CWS.

ACC pitcher of the year Danny Hultzen faced Pac-10 player of the year Tony Renda, three times in the game. Renda went 0-for-2 againt Hultzen, with a strikeout, popup to first base and a groundout field by the pitcher. It says “1-3″ in the scorebook on the play, but Hultzen had to charge off the mound on the tapper toward the third-base line. As he was spinning toward first to make the throw, Hultzen fell down but still managed to fire a bullet to get the forceout.

Attendance for the game was 21,275 for a three-game total of 69,541. That’s only 214 behind the 3-game total in 2010 at Rosenblatt Stadium.

– Quotable –

“I think we got them right where we want them. I think from here on out everyone’s going to be coming off a loss and we’ll be coming off a win. I think that’s where we were at our best, so we might as well go with that. At least that’s what I’m trying to convince our guys. We’re kind of used to backs up against the wall and we’ll see.” – Cal head coach David Esquer when asked if his team has what it takes to come through the loser’s bracket like it did with four straight victories to win the Houston Regional.

“I think we made it clear that if you’re just happy to be here, then you’ll be going home fairly soon. They’re here to win ballgames. I told them if you don’t come to win, we might as well not go. We get a participant’s badge or trophy whether we win or not. Let’s come here to win.” –Esquer when asked if his team has anything left to prove, considering they made it to Omaha after initially being told a few months ago that their program was going to be eliminated.

“I think Cal being here is one of the best things that could happen for college baseball, because I think it sends a message across the country that there’s a lot of programs that really care about their baseball programs and there’s a lot of good coaches out there and a lot of good players. I think it’s really great the fact that everybody knows the story of what they’ve been through and the fact that they could make it here to Omaha.” –Virginia head coach Brian O’Connor

Virginia's David Coleman drops down a bunt.

Click image to enlarge!

If you’re going to the College World Series, your one stop for the most officially licensed 2011 College World Series apparel is the all new Dugout, located right across the street from the Road To Omaha statue outside TD Ameritrade Stadium. If you can’t make it to Omaha, simply follow this link to Dugouthats.com. You’ll save 20% on your order when you enter the coupon code CB360!

Game 4: South Carolina 5-10-1 def. Texas A&M 4-4-1
Final Stats | USC Recap | TAMU Recap

Click the image to enlarge!

After it took Virginia and Cal more than 2 1/2 hours to score a run in the first game of the day, Texas A&M and South Carolina put on an offensive display in the first inning of their Father’s Day nightcap. The Aggies scored minutes into the game, with the big hit being a 3-run triple by Brandon Wood off Gamecocks ace Michael Roth. A&M led 4-0 after just one-half inning, but SC answered with four runs of its own in the bottom of the frame to tie the game. Only two of the eight 1st-inning runs were earned.

After South Carolina loaded the bases with no outs in the bottom of the 9th, Texas A&M brought reserve infielder Scott Arthur off the bench to deploy a five-man infield. Arthur stood a few feet away from second base, with two other infielders to his right. It was a moot move, though, as Scott Wingo ripped a long single off the rightfield wall to bring home Robert Beary with the game-winning run. Beary earlier had sparked the rally with a leadoff double to right.

Wingo’s 4-hit game (4-for-4) is a career-high.

South Carolina has now won 12 straight NCAA Tournament games, since losing their opener at the 2010 College World Series. Seven straight CWS wins are included in that streak for the defending national champs. Oregon State in 2006 & 2007 was the previous team to win seven straight games in Omaha (the Beavers also are also the most recent team to win back-to-back national titles).

The 2010 CWS Most Outstanding Player, Jackie Bradley, Jr., made his first start after missing 26 straight games due to a wrist injury he suffered in April. Bradley batted ninth and started in center field.

Despite five walks, South Carolina starter Michael Roth battled his was to eight strikeouts (one shy of his season-high).

After four games, Vanderbilt’s Connor Harrell still has the only home run of the CWS. He hit that long ball in Saturday’s opening win over North Carolina.

With South Carolina’s win, the SEC East is 3-0 at the College World Series. Vanderbilt and Florida both won on Saturday.

Former Nebraska and current New York Yankee pitcher Joba Chamberlain was wearing some new colors during the game. Chamberlain was sporting both a sling (after recent surgery on his shoulder) as well as a Texas A&M hat during the game. The connection? Aggies head coach Rob Childress was Chamberlain’s pitching coach at Nebraska. The two were together for the Cornhuskers’ CWS apperance in 2005.

Attendance for game-4 was 23,395, for a four-game total of 92,936.

Texas A&M and Cal will meet in Tuesday’s 1:00 p.m. elimination game, while South Carolina and Virginia meet in the winner’s-bracket game at 7. Virginia and Texas A&M will be the home teams.

– Quotable –

“This isn’t the first time we’ve lost a game. I mean, we’ve lost 21 on the year and our guys have been very, very resilient. We haven’t lost an awful lot in a row, and our guys know there’s still tomorrow. I can tell you this, Cal’s going to get our best.” – Texas A&M head coach Rob Childress

“Coach Tanner told me before the inning started that I needed to get on base – I knew my job. Before I walked up to the plate, I was talking to myself: I gotta hit one for my father. He’s in Afghanistan, so he couldn’t be here today. But, well, when I saw the ball go off the wall and it coming towards the infield, I thought I had third, but I felt my coach holding me up, and I didn’t want to make the first out at third, so I just listened to him and stayed there.”– South Carolina catcher Robert Beary, whose double to leadoff the 9th inning led to him scoring the game’s winning run on Scott Wingo’s hit

Aggies head coach Rob Childress makes a 9th-inning pitching change.

South Carolina pitcher John Taylor delivers an 8th-inning pitch.

Scott Wingl delivers his game-ending hit.

A Look At The Teams Bound For Omaha…

CLICK HERE to see the daily schedule of games and TV assignments. The 2011 College World Series starts on Saturday, June 18.

If you can’t make it to Omaha, be sure to visit Dugouthats.com to find the biggest selection of 2011 CWS apparel. Enter the coupon code CB360 to save 20% on your order! If you are going to the CWS, the new Dugout is easy to find – it’s right across the street from TD Ameritrade Park’s home plate entrance!!

California Golden Bears

David Esquer

Head Coach:  David Esquer

Cal is probably the darling of all darlings to play in the College World Series. Esquer’s journey to Omaha with his Golden Bears was a movie script waiting to happen. From a program whose elimination was announced back on Sept. 28 to earning a CWS berth on June 12 … what more can be said?

The Golden Bears, a No. 3 regional seed in Houston (hosted by No. 8 national seed Rice) have won six straight postseason games to earn a trip to Omaha for the first time since 1992. The previous time Cal won six consecutive postseason games was 1957 – the year the program earned its second (and to this point last) national championship.

While Esquer is taking a team to the CWS for the first time, he is no stranger to Omaha. He played for now rival head coach Mark Marquess‘ 1987 Stanford national championship team. Esquer’s seven career postseason wins are tied for the second-most in Cal history. Hall of Fame coach Bob Milano tops that list with 20 victories.

Team Leader Board

Batting Avg.: Tony Renda – .335
RBIs: Chadd Krist – 43
HR: Chad Bunting – 7
Sac Bunts: Marcus Semien – 16
Slg%: Chad Bunting – .509
OBP: Vince Bruno – .394
Runs: Marcus Semien – 39
Wins: Justin Jones (9-6)
ERA: (Releiver) Kyle Porter – 1.59 … (Starter) Erik Johnson – 2.91
Saves: Matt Flemer – 5
Strikeouts: Erik Johnson – 100

Florida Gators

Kevin O'Sullivan

Head Coach: Kevin O’Sullivan

This is Florida’s second straight and seventh overall trip to the CWS. It marks the first time the Gators have ever gone to Omaha in consecutive seasons. Florida’s win over Mississippi State in game three of the Super Regional was the first-ever for the program in “if necessary” NCAA games. The Gators had lost their previous five such games.

Florida hit five home runs in its deciding game against MSU to give it 67 long balls this season. The Gators are the No. 2 national seed and face Texas in their 2011 CWS opener.

In addition to leading the Gators to back-to-back CWS appearances, head coach Kevin O’Sullivan was an assistant on Clemson’s 2000 and 2002 Omaha teams. Vanderbilt head coach Tim Corbin was an assistant for those two teams as well.

Team Leader Board

Batting Avg.: Mike Zunino –.376
RBIs: Preston Tucker – 68
HR: Mike Zunino – 18
Sac Bunts: Josh Adams – 11
Slg%: Mike Zunino – .686
OBP: Mike Zunino – .444
Runs: Mike Zunino – 72
Wins: Hudson Randall (10-3)
ERA: (Reliever) Keenan Kish – 0.63 (Starter) … Hudson Randall – 2.29
Saves: Austin Maddox – 5
Strikeouts: Karsten Whitson – 83

North Carolina Tar Heels

Mike Fox

Head Coach: Mike Fox

This is North Carolina’s ninth overall and fifth trip to Omaha in the past six seasons. After going to the CWS four straight times from 2006-2009, UNC bowed out of the 2010 NCAA Tournament in the regional round when they were eliminated by Omaha-bound Oklahoma (interestingly, Cal was at that regional as well).

Head coach Mike Fox also played for UNC’s 1978 College World Series team.

The Tar Heels’ two Super Regional wins over Stanford gives them 37 NCAA Tournament wins since 2006 – the most of any team in the country in that span. They also are 23-1 in NCAA home games in that stretch – including 16 straight such wins.

North Carolina has trailed in only four of 45 innings they have played so far in this year’s tournament. The No. 3 national seed has won five straight and 10 of its past 12 games overall, heading into the CWS.

Team Leader Board

Batting Avg.: Coin Moran – .335
RBIs: Colin Moran – 69
HR: Colin Moran – 9
Sac Bunts: Tommy Coyle & Ben Bunting – 6
Slg%: Colin Moran – .551
OBP: Levi Michael – .446
Runs: Tommy Coyle – 57
Wins: Patrick Johnson (13-1)
ERA: (Reliever) Tate Parrish – 2.35 … (Starter) Patrick Johnson – 2.27
Saves: Michael Morin – 10
Strikeouts: Patrick Johnson – 120

South Carolina Gamecocks

Ray Tanner

Head Coach: Ray Tanner

South Carolina is in the College World Series for the second straight year and the 10th time overall. Half of those CWS appearances have come under head coach Ray Tanner. The Gamecocks are the first defending national champion to get back to Omaha the next year since 2006 champion Oregon State returned (and won again) in 2007. The Gamecocks are 16-1 in their past 17 NCAA Tournament games. They have won 11 straight NCAA Tournament games, since falling to Oklahoma in their 2010 CWS opener.

The Gamecocks are flat-out dominant at home in NCAA Tournament games. They now are 8-0 all-time at Carolina Stadium, with 19 straight postseason home wins, which dates back to 2002. South Carolina is the No. 4 national seed.

Team Leader Board

Batting Avg.: Christian Walker – .359
RBIs: Christian Walker – 60
HR: Christian Walker – 10
Sac Bunts: Peter Mooney – 12
Slg%: Christian Walker – .560
OBP: Scott Wingo – .466
Runs: Christian Walker – 60
Wins: Michael Roth (13-2)
ERA: (Reliever) John Taylor – 1.27 … (Starter) Michael Roth – 1.02
Saves: Matt Price – 18
Strikeouts: Michael Roth – 95

Texas Longhorns

Augie Garrido

Head Coach: Augie Garrido

This marks the 34th trip to the College World Series for Texas. In fact, the Longhorns (current #7 national seed) have advanced to Omaha in eight consecutive decades. This is the fifth decade in which Augie Garrido has led a team to the CWS (70s, 80s, 90s, 2000s, and now 10s). He already is the only coach to win national championships in four different decades (1979, 1984, 1995, 2002, ’05).

Garrido’s connection to the College World Series dates back to his playing days on the 1959 Fresno State CWS squad. His 1975 Cal State Fullerton team reached Omaha in its first season as a DI team. He won three national titles with the Titans and has two under his belt on the Forty Acres.

Texas now is 149-62-1 all-time in NCAA Regional and Super Regional play, including 15-6 in eight Super Regional appearances.

Longhorn ace Taylor Jungmann‘s only two losses this season have come in the past two weeks against Kent State and Arizona State, in NCAA games.

Team Leader Board

Batting Avg.: Erich Weiss – .358
RBIs: Erich Weiss – 44
HR: Tant Sheppard – 5
Sac Bunts: Mark Payton – 19
Slg%: Erich Weiss – .532
OBP: Erich Weiis – .492
Runs: Tant Sheppard – 53
Wins: Taylor Jungmann (13-2)
ERA: Corey Knebel – 1.15
Saves: Corey Knebel – 19
Strikeouts: Taylor Jungmann – 123

Texas A&M Aggies

Rob Childress

Head Coach: Rob Childress

Texas A&M is in the College World Series for the fifth time in the 108-year history of the program and for the first time since 1999. While the Aggies had nott been to Omaha in more than a decade, their head coach is no stranger there. Sixth-year skipper Rob Childress was an assistant coach on Nebraska’s 2001, 2002 and ’05 CWS teams.

The Aggies missed out on a national seed despite winning their second straight Big 12 Tournament, but they upended No. 5 seed Florida State in Tallahassee to win their Super Regional. Last year’s closer-turned-starter John Stilson is out with a torn labrum, but part-time reliever/starter Ross Stripling (14-2, 4 CG, 4 SVs) has stepped up.

Team Leader Board

Batting Avg.: Tyler Naquin – .390
RBIs: Matt Juengel & Jacob House – 49
HR: Matt Juengel – 7
Sac Bunts: Krey Bratsen – 18
Slg%: Tyler Naquin – .556
OBP: Tyler Naquin – .460
Runs: Tyler Naquin – 65
Wins: Ross Stripling (14-2)
ERA: (Reliever) Nick Fleece – 1.48 (Starter) … John Stilson – 1.68 (injured)
Saves: Joaquin Hinojosa – 8
Strikeouts: Michael Wacha – 110

Vanderbilt Commodores

Tim Corbin

Head Coach: Tim Corbin

While the other seven teams in this year’s field have been to the College World Series previously, Vanderbilt is making the program’s first trip to Omaha. In fact, the Commodores hadn’t even been to the NCAA Tournament in 24 years prior to head coach Tim Corbin‘s arrvial in 2003. The program has totaled 10 NCAA Tourney berths all-time, including six straight under Corbin. This year marked Vandy’s third Super Regional appearance and the first time to host that round. As an assistant at Clemson, Corbin helped Jack Leggett‘s Tigers reach the CWS four times. He and Florida head coach Kevin O’Sullivan were on the staff together for Omaha trips in 2000 and ’02.

The Commodores have, arguably, the top 1-2 punch in this year’s CWS field when it comes to pitching rotation. Sonny Gray (12-3) was the 18th overall pick (Oakland) in in the 2011 MLB Draft, while Grayson Garvin (13-1) was selected 41 picks later to Tampa Bay.

Team Leader Board

Batting Avg.: Jason Esposito – .357
RBIs: Jason Esposito – 59
HR: Aaron Westlake – 17
Sac Bunts: Riley Reynolds – 13
Slg%: Aaron Westlake – .651
OBP: Aaron Westlake – .474
Runs: Anthony Gomez – 61
Wins: Grayson Garvin (13-1)
ERA: (Reliever) Navery – 1.21 … (Starter) Sonny Gray – 1.97
Saves: Navery Moore – 11
Strikeouts: Sonny Gray – 119

Virginia Cavaliers

Brian O'Connor

Head Coach: Brian O’Connor

Virginia is back in the College World Series for the second time in school history. Both of those appearances have come in the past three years. While the Cavs’ history in Omaha is short, their head coach’s connection with the city and its biggest event is legendarily long. Brian O’Connor grew up just across the Missouri River in Council Bluffs, Iowa. He and his father attended the CWS throughout his childhood and the younger O’Connor played in the 1991 CWS for hometown Creighton (he pitched vs. Wichita State, in what most consider to be one of the greatest CWS games ever). O’Connor was an assistant coach on Notre Dame’s 2002 CWS team and he now has led Virginia to Omaha in 2009 and this year. And, yes, his face is one of the players on the famouse Road To Omaha statue outside TD Ameritrade Stadium.

Virginia is the No. 1 national seed.

Team Leader Board

Batting Avg.: David Coleman – .366
RBIs: Steven Proscia – 58
HR: Steven Proscia – 8
Sac Bunts: Keith Werman – 24
Slg%: John Hicks – .510
OBP: David Coleman & Kenny Swab – .426
Runs: Chris Taylor – 60
Wins: Danny Hultzen (12-3)
ERA: (Reliever) Kyle Crockett – 1.73 … (Starter) Danny Hultzen – 1.49
Saves: Branden Kline – 17
Strikeouts: Danny Hultzen – 151

If you can’t make it to Omaha, be sure to visit Dugouthats.com to find the biggest selection of 2011 CWS apparel. Enter the coupon code CB360 to save 20% on your order!

How Much Longer Will Cinderella’s Slipper Fit?

Cal head coach David Esquer

“I gave them the option. I said if you need a day or two to collect yourself, talk to your parents, or come to our office to talk to [the coaches], I’m okay with it,” said Cal head coach David Esquer. “They said, ‘We’re practicing today.’ ”

Eight-and-a-half months later, the team not only will return in 2012, but their magical 2011 season will continue all the way to the College World Series.

No. 3 regional seed California (37-21) continued to roll through the NCAA Baseball Tournament with a 6-2 victory over fellow Cinderella Dallas Baptist (42-20) to sweep the best-of-three Super Regional series Sunday night in Santa Clara.

For the second straight night, Cal used its dominant pitching to put away the high-powered Dallas Baptist offense and advance to Omaha for the first time since 1992 (the sixth CWS appearance in the program’s history).

Esquer and his players seemed to be experiencing a mix of emotions in the postgame news conference. They at times appeared overwhelmed by what this team has gone through since September but they also displayed pride for their team and school and shock that – after the program almost being cut – they are one of eight schools still playing for a national championship, beginning this weekend in Omaha.

The team began fall workouts days after the school announced the program would be cut, and Esquer said his team never let that news affect its on-field performance.

“I said here they are getting some really difficult news that they aren’t happy with, but they aren’t going to back away one inch from their commitment to their team and this program.”

Cal players say going through that situation bonded the team more than ever.

Pac 10 Player of the Year Tony Renda

That’s how Cal second basemen and Pac-10 Player of the Year Tony Renda feels. “It definitely brought us closer together,” Renda said after the Super Regional clincher. “Going out to that practice was a team decision. That’s what we love to do, we love to play baseball and we love to be around each other. There’s not a single person on this team I wouldn’t stand up for. I love them like my brothers. This whole year has brought us closer together and it’s a huge part of why we’re here today.”

The program ultimately was spared the budget axe because alumni, former players and fans came together to raise enough funds to keep the program going in the years to come.

Cal players were able to thank those who helped save the program by winning the Super Regional series in front of their fans.

“The only reason we’re around is because of the people who back us, put their hard-earned money behind us and behind this program and supported us through it. I’m forever grateful that they came through for us,” said Renda.

After losing the first game in the Houston Regional, the Bears now have won six straight tournament games, including a come-from-behind, 9-8 win over Baylor to advance to the Super Regional. In that game, the Bears scored twice in the 8th and four more in the bottom of the 9th and were down to their last strike before pulling out the victory.

The six-game winning streak is the team’s longest since a seven-game streak in late March.

Renda was 3-for-5 with an RBI in Sunday’s clincher, after going hitless in Cal’s game-1 win. He said getting back to his pregame rituals was the key to Sunday’s success.

“Chadd [Krist] and I are roommates and we usually eat an apple before every game,” Renda said. “We forgot to eat our apple yesterday, that’s why we were hitless. We did everything else the same – that’s why we still won. We had our apples today for sure.”

The apple paid off for Krist as well. He was 2-for-4 with a home and 3 RBIs in the clincher.

DBU scored only two runs on seven hits in the series. They hit a lowly .117 (7-for-60) in the two games – thanks to the pitching of Cal starters Justin Jones and Erik Johnson, along with the Golden Bears bullpen.

“They’ve got good arms and they execute the pitches well,” said Patriot head coach Dan Heefner. “We definitely didn’t show what we’ve done most of the year, even against quality arms like that.”

Landon Anderson was the only DBU player with more than one hit in the two games (2-for-7). The Patriots; top hitter Jason Krizan (.419 average entering the series) finished the series 1-for-6.

“I told our guys afterwards that it’s tough to watch a team dogpile at the end of a game, but that also means you put yourself in a pretty special position,” said Heefner. “What that means for our program, time will tell, but it definitely took us to a whole new level.”

The Patriots, an independent, were making their second NCAA Tournament appearance in school history (2008). It was the school’s first Super Regional appearance. DBU baseball made its debut on the Division I level in 2006.

Cal now heads to Omaha as the Cinderella of the CWS. The Bears are the fifth teams since 2007 to reach Omaha after being seeded third of fourth in the Regional round. Fresno State’s “Wonderdog Team” became the first number-four regional seed to win a national championship, in 2008 (since the 64-team format began, in 1999).

The story of the 2011 Cal team has gone from a sad college baseball story to a good college baseball story … and  it simply is a great sports story.

The question now is how much longer will this unbelievable story last?

CLICK HERE to visit the College Baseball 360 YouTube channel for more Cal Super Regional videos.

If you’re going to the College World Series you’ll find all Cal and other CWS authentic memorabilia right across the street from TD Ameritrade Park at The Dugout. If you can’t make it to Omaha, visit Dugouthats.com and enter the coupon code CB360 to save 20% on your order!

Golden Bears Take Game One From Dallas Baptist…

DBU's Brandon Williamson delivers the game's first pitch to Cal's Austin Booker.

The #3 seed Bears (36-21) dominated the #3 Dallas Baptist Patriots (42-19) 7-0 in Saturday’s Game-1 of the Santa Clara Super Regional at Stephen Schott Stadium.

The Bears received six strong innings from sophomore lefthander Justin Jones (9-6) and a pair of three-run home runs to give them the 1-0 lead in the best-of-three Super Regional.

“I was really happy with our starting pitching. Justin (Jones) was fantastic. He was in control the whole time he was in there,” Cal head coach David Esquer said. “The key with our team is to be able to play loose and in the moment.”

The Bears have become one of the great stories in college baseball this season. In late September, the school announced the program along with four other sports would be eliminated because of budget cuts.

Immediately following the announcement, private fundraising began to try and save the program, and in early April the school announced that enough private funds had been raised to save the team.

Now a win away from their first trip to Omaha since 1992, Cal has gone from a big story for all the wrong reasons to a big story for all the right reasons.

Cal seemed unfazed by the TV cameras, playing energized and loose from the start and feeding off the energy from the crowd.

“Couldn’t have asked for more from the home crowd. They came out and supported us. That was a big lift,” said Esquer.

The game was played 50 miles from Cal’s Berkeley campus at Santa Clara University, because both Cal and Dallas Baptist lacked the facility requirements to host NCAA Tournament games.

Cal's Chad Bunting (45) touches the plate after his three run home run.

Despite Cal being the designated road team on Saturday the standing-room-only crowd of 1,431 gave the club a big boost.

The atmosphere was something new to the Bears, who are not used to playing in front of such a big pro-Cal crowd.

“It was pretty awesome,” said Jones. “It’s not a normal thing over at Evans Diamond. To get this big of a crowd, to have everyone in it, backing us up – they are part of our team and it was wonderful.”

Jones allowed a single to Dallas Baptist star hitter senior rightfielder Jason Krizan (.419 average) in the top of the first, but he then retired 15 straight Patriots hitters before a 2-out walk in the 6th.

“In pregame, I felt pretty good. I just went out there and had all my stuff,” said Jones. “Once I had everything, they weren’t going to hit me. It takes confidence to be out there, and tonight I had tons of it.:

The only thing that stopped Jones was a bicep injury that occurred in warmups prior to the start of the bottom of the 7th. Jones immediately was taken out of the game and replaced by sophomore reliever Logan Scott.

Esquer said the Bears coaching staff erred on the side of caution when it came to removing Jones. “He experienced some tightness in his bicep, some discomfort, so we didn’t want to take any chances with that,” said the 12th-year Cal coach.

“We had it checked already, nothing structural with his shoulder or elbow, just muscle tightness in his bicep. Sowe’re going to test that further, and go from there.”

Jones threw only 75 pitches in six full innings allowing one hit, one walk with three strikeouts in the shutout outing.

Scott picked up where Jones left off, pitching the final three innings while allowing no runs and only two hits.

“It’s so important, because if someone comes in with a four-run lead and is a wreck, it can change the game,” Esquer said. “If the guy walks one or two guys, or if they pop [a home run], it’s a different game. So [for Scott] to be able to stabilize and take the baton from Justin and be rolling pretty good was big for us.”

Cal gave Jones and early lead to work with in the bottom of the 2nd.

After Patriots starter senior Brandon Williamson (10-4) began the game by setting down the first four Bear hitters he faced, a pair of sophomores – first baseman Devon Rodriguez and third baseman Mitch Delfino – reached on back-to-back singles. Junior rightfielder Chad Bunting followed the singles by launching a 3-run home run, his team-leading seventh, to left field to give Cal the 3-0 lead.

“He left a changeup over the middle part of the plate,” said Buning. “It was up a little bit. I was able to keep my hands back and put a good swing on it.”

Williamson did not find trouble again until the top of the 6th, when junior shortstop Marcus Semien ripped a triple down the rightfield line with one out. Semien scored on Rodriguez’s sacrifice fly, making it 4-0.

The Bears put the game away when Semien hit another 3-run home run, giving the Bears the final 7-0 cushion. Semien finished the game 2-for-4 with a triple, home run and 3 RBIs.

Williamson left after going 7.2 innings, allowing seven runs, 10 hits, a walk, and four strikeouts. He threw 118 pitches, with more than 80 of them going for strikes.

Dallas Baptist head coach Dan Heefner said he still felt good about Williamson’s performance.

“I thought Brandon threw really well though. He did what he’s done all year long for us, he competes,” said Heefner.

“He had us in the game for the majority of the game when he had us within four. But I even thought that the two home runs he gave up were decent pitches on his part.”

Cal also had two-hit games from Delfino, sophomore centerfielder Darrel Matthews and senior leftfielder Austin Booker.

The Pac-10 player of the year, sophomore Tony Renda, started as the team’s DH instead of second base, after hurting his quad scoring the game-winning run in Monday’s win over Baylor. Renda left the game for a pinch-runner in the 8th, after reaching on a dropped third strike.

Dallas Baptist, playing in the program’s first ever Super Regional, never created anything going on offense. The Patriots finished with only three hits and no player had multiple hits. Krizan was 1-for-4.

The Patriots had only one inning, the 9th, in which multiple runners reached base.

Heefner said Jones and his changeup were a reason for the Patriots’ struggles at the plate.

“[Jones] was throwing that for a strike and really dictating their timing up there, got to give him a lot of credit on that. I also thought he did make a few mistakes, he left some balls up, but we didn’t take advantage of those,” said the DBU coach.

Dallas Baptist came into the series with one of the top offenses in the country, sporting a .311 team batting average. They were shut out for the first time since March 12 at Washington.

The Cal-DBU matchup was billed as Cal’s pitching (2.88 team ERA) vs. the Patriots high-powered offense and Cal proved the cliche that good pitching beats good hitting.

Other than being a pitching vs. hitting series, the Super Regional has been dubbed the “Cinderella Super Regional” –  with two #3 Regional seeds playing each other in a Super Regional for the first time since 2007.

Other than facing the budget axe this season, Cal fought its way through the losers bracket to win in Houston last weekend. Cal won the regional on Monday vs. Baylor by rallying from a 7-1 deficit and scoring twice in the 8th and four more runs in the bottom of the 9th for a 9-8 win. Rodriguez was the hero of the game, with a 2-run blast in the 8th before singling in two more runs, with two outs and two strikes in the 9th.

Dallas Baptist, an independent that has played DI baseball since 2006, was making its second NCAA Tournament appearance (2008) in school history. The Patriots baseball team is the only program at DBU that plays at the Division I level.

The Patriots won the Ft. Worth regional last weekend, after going 3-1. They beat 2010 CWS participants Oklahoma and TCU before beating Oral Roberts on Monday to advance to play Cal.

Cal, which struggled down the stretch by finishing the regular season 12-13, now has won four games in a row. It’s the Bears longest winning streak since a five-gamer in mid-April.

The Patriots will need to get their offense going on Sunday if they want to keep their season alive.

“We didn’t do a great job of executing our plan up there but we’ll give [Jones] credit first on that,” said Heefner. “We definitely need to come out tomorrow and do a better job with that.”

The Cal contingent is stressing that it’s still too early to be thinking about Omaha.

“We can’t even think about that at this point,” Esquer said. “We’ve got a tough opponent on the other side that is going to play for their lives. We know what that’s like,” he said.

Game 2 is Sunday at 10 p.m. ET, 7 p.m. local time. DBU will start senior Jared Stafford (8-4, 3.03 ERA). Cal likely will go with junior ace Erik Johnson (6-4, 2.91).

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Omaha Awaits One…

Cal players pose for a picture after their Houston Regional win.

In this year’s CWS, Cinderella will come out of the Santa Clara Super Regional in an unlikely matchup between the University of California and Dallas Baptist University. The best-of-three series begins Saturday.

Both Cal and Dallas Baptist have incredible stories of how they find themselves only two wins away from Omaha.

Cal’s story is well-known throughout the college baseball world. In late September, the university announced that baseball, along with four other sports, would be eliminated after the 2010-2011 school year. The announcement sent shockwaves through the sport. It appeared a Pac-10 program with two national titles to its credit and high expectations in 2011 would be gone after the season.

Immediately after the announcement, a fundraising effort was launched to save the sports that found themselves on the chopping block. Boosters raised $13 million by early February and the school announced three of the teams would remain following the school year. Baseball was not one of them, and school officials said it was unlikely the Bears would be reinstated despite continued fundraising efforts by the group “Save Cal Baseball.”

Instead of the players looking to transfer, the baseball team came together and embarked on a mission to make 2011 memorable for on-field achievements. Players on head coach David Esquer’s squad had the option to transfer before this season, but all of them decided to stick with Cal and wait to transfer after 2011 if reinstatement did not occur.

On April 8, Cal baseball finally got the news it was waiting to hear. The fundraising effort to save the program had raised $9 million, enough to keep the program going in the future.

At the time of the announcement, Cal was ranked #13 and sported a 19-7 record, with a 5-1 Pac-10 mark. After the reinstatement announcement, Cal went 12-13 – losing five of its last seven conference series. The Bears entered the tournament 31-20 and 6th place at 13-13 in the conference.

Cal lost its tournament opener last Friday in Houston to #2 Baylor, 6–4, and the Bears found themselves in danger of going 0-2 for their third straight NCAA Tournament appearance.

The Bears avoided elimination with a 10-6 victory over #4 Alcorn State. Cal – which had trailed 4-0 after two innings vs. Alcorn State – continued to make its way through the losers bracket with a 6-3 win over #8 national seed Rice and an 8-0 victory over Baylor to force a deciding game on Monday (in a “Battle of the Bears”).

In Monday’s decisive game vs. Baylor, the Golden Bears trailed 7-1 going into the bottom of the 6th. Cal fought back and trailed 8-5 going into the bottom of the 9th. The Golden Bears trailed 8-7 with the bases loaded and two-outs/two strikes when sophomore first baseman Devon Rodriguez singled to right field to bring home the winning runs and a 9-8 victory.

It was fitting that a team that dramatically escaped the budget axe dramatically escaped elimination with four straight wins to advance to the Super Regionals and put themselves two wins from their first appearance in Omaha since 1992.

It has become clear that it’s very difficult to eliminate Cal baseball, both on and off the field.

Dallas Baptist players dog pile after their regional win over Oral Roberts

Dallas Baptist is the quintessential underdog team. The Patriots compete as an independent in baseball and did not begin playing college baseball on the Division I level until 2006 (DBU previously was an NAIA program). Baseball is the only Dallas Baptist sport that plays at the DI level.

Being an independent, the Patriots are forced to load up their schedule with tough teams in the hopes of grabbing some wins that look good on an NCAA Tournament resume.

This year, the Patriots were one of the last at-large teams into the field after finishing the regular season 39-17. Dallas Baptist scored wins at Texas A&M, Rice and Oklahoma and posted two wins vover TCU, including one in Ft. Worth, along with a series victory over Atlantic-10 champion Charlotte to end the regular season.

Their 2011 tournament appearance is the second in the program’s history. The Patriots also were selected to the NCAAs in 2008, going 0-2 in the College Station Regional.

The Patriots received the #3 seed in the Ft. Worth regional, which included two teams from the 2010 CWS (Oklahoma,and TCU), as well as perennial tournament participant Oral Roberts.

Dallas Baptist edged out Oklahoma 3-2 in 10 innings in their tournament opener Friday, followed by a 3-2 victory over host TCU. DBU was forced to play on Monday after Oral Roberts won 7-2 on Sunday night.

In Monday’s deciding game, the Patriots jumped out to an 8-0 lead after their first at-bat and led 11-4 after only three innings. ORU cut the deficit to 11-9 going into the 8th inning, but the DBU bullpen kept the Golden Eagles off the board the rest of the way and the Patriots won the game to advance to the Super Regionals for the first time in school history.

DBU head coach Dan Heefner has been able to achieve his program’s success despite not being able to compete in recruiting with other Texas baseball powers such as Texas, Texas A&M, TCU and Rice.

This Super Regional matchup was so unlikely that the NCAA did not announce where it was going to held until Tuesday morning. Neither school’s home field was adequate enough to host tournament games.

Dallas Baptist put in a bid to host at a nearby stadium for an Independent League team, but Cal was given the nod as host and games will be played at Santa Clara University’s Stephen Schott Stadium, located nearly 50 miles from Cal’s Berkeley campus.

Dallas Baptist features one of the top offenses in the country with a .311 team batting average, ranking 16th in the country, to go along with a .483 slugging percentage that ranks sixth in the nation. Five players are batting over .300, led by senior OF Jason Krizan who is hitting .419 with 81 RBIs and a .719 slugging percentage.

On the mound, DBU’s team ERA is 4.68. Two of the Patriots top pitchers are the team’s #1 and #2 starters. Senior Brandon Williamson is 10-3 with a 3.98 ERA and senior Jared Stafford is 8-4 with a 3.03 ERA. The two have the second- and third-lowest ERAs on the team. Other than Stafford and Williamson, all but one DBU pitcher features an ERA over 4.5.

To match the Patriots strong hitting attack, Cal features a pitching staff with a team ERA of 2.88, ranked 14th in the nation. Only one Cal pitcher has an ERA over 5.00.

The Bears feature four pitchers with at least nine starts: senior Kevin Miller (6-4, 2.62 ERA), junior Erik Johnson (6-4 2.91), sophomore Justin Jones (8-6 3.09) and junior Dixon Anderson (4-3 3.90). The bullpen was one of the stars of the Houston Regional. In their five games last weekend, Cal’s ‘pen combined to allow only two earned runs in 25.2 IP.

Cal boasts a team batting average of .286, led by Pac-10 player of the year sophomore 2B Tony Renda (.335, team leading 41 RBIs). Only four of Cal’s regular starters having batting averages over .300: senior Austin Booker (.313), junior Chadd Krist (.306) and Vince Bruno (.301). Sophomore 1B Devon Rodriguez, who was MVP of the Houston Regional, is hitting .292.

Both Dallas Baptist and Cal are strong-fielding teams, with each club’s fielding percentage at .974 (good for top-40 in the nation).

One of these teams will become the fifth team since 2007 to be seeded #3 or #4 in its Regional and end up advancing to the CWS (UC Irvine and Mississippi State are #3 seeds that also are playing this weekend in Super Regionals).

Of the previous four teams to make it to Omaha as a #3 or #4 seed, two have gone on to win the national championship (#3 Oregon State in 2007 and #4 Fresno St in ’08).

Cal and Dallas Baptist’s stories are different, but both are unlikely tales, and their respective stories illustrate why the winner of the series will be the first Cinderella at the new TD Ameritrade Park.

Yet only one story will be told in Omaha.

A Rundown Of The Weekend In Berkley…

ASU players after their sweep of Cal in Berkley

The series featured a 17-inning marathon on Thursday, two complete game shutouts by ASU pitchers on Friday and Saturday and two Cal coaches ejected for arguing separate balk calls in the series finale.

Arizona State (29-9, 11-4 Pac-10) has now won six straight games since being swept at Oregon State two weekends ago. Cal (24-12, 9-6 Pac-10) was ahead of ASU in the conference standings coming into this weekend.

Thursday’s 17-inning epic was the second longest game in the history of both baseball programs. The game was a pitchers duel between ASU sophomore ace Brady Rodgers, and the Bears ace junior Erik Johnson. Both pitchers got no decisions.

Rodgers lasted 7.1 innings allowing two earned on four hits while striking out four and walking three. The three walks increased Rodgers’ season total four, while his ERA currently sits a 2.85.

Johnson went 9.0 innings for Cal, allowing two earned on eight hits, with two strikeouts and three walks. Johnson’s season ERA is 2.04- more than two points lower than his 4.09 ERA in 2010.

Thursday’s game went into extra innings tied up at 2-2. ASU took a 3-2 lead in the top of the 10^th only to see Cal rally in the bottom half of the inning to extend the game. The same thing happened in the 13^th when Cal tied it again at 4-4 with ASU blowing its second save chance of the game.

The Sun Devils struck for two run in the top of the 17^th to take a 6-4 lead. This time ASU was able to hang on. Freshman Mark Lambson pitched 3.0 shutout innings to finish the game and get the win.

Both teams used four relievers in the contest. ASU sophomore Alex Blackford pitched 4.0 innings of relief, and Cal’s freshman Louie Lechich took the loss pitching 3.1 innings of relief.

The 5 hour and 12 minute game saw the two teams combine for 29 hits, and 28 runners left of base.

In Friday’s game both coaches got what they wanted out of their starting pitchers- enough innings to rest both teams’ tired bullpens. Both starting pitchers went the distance in the Devils’ 5-0 win.

Kramer Champlin

ASU junior Kramer Champlin was spectacular, giving the Devils’ their best pitching performance of the season to date by throwing a complete game shutout. He allowed five hits, all singles, one walk, and five strikeouts. Cal did not advance a runner past second base. Champlin finished the game by retiring the last seven batters he faced. The junior improved to 6-1 with a 2.78 ERA, which is the  lowest among ASU’s weekend starters. It was also his second complete game of the season.

Cal sophomore Justin Jones allowed five earned on nine hits with two walks and no strikeouts. ASU scored two runs off Jones with three straight singles and a sac fly in the second inning. Back-to-back doubles in the sixth gave ASU a 3-0 lead. ASU scored again in the sixth when Riccio Torrez stole third and scored on a throwing error by Cal junior catcher Chad Krist giving ASU a 4-0 lead. They added their fifth and final run in the eighth.

On Saturday sophomore starter Jake Barrett went the distance in another dominating performance as ASU shut out the Bears 6-0.

The highlights of the game were Cal head coach David Esquer and assistant head coach Dan Hubbs being ejected after heated arguments with umpires following separate balk calls by first base umpire Tim Vessey.

Cal head coach Dave Esquer argues a balk call.

Esquer was ejected in the third inning when starting pitcher junior Dixon Anderson was called for a balk with ASU runners at first and third. The run gave ASU a 2-0 lead. Esquer came out and began yelling at Vessey before being thrown out by the umpire. Before leaving the field, Esquer voiced his displeasure to home plate umpire Tony Norris as well.

In the sixth Anderson was called again for a balk with runners at the corners allowing ASU to take a 3-0 lead. Hubbs came out to argue the call with Vessey, but was relatively calm compared to Esquer.

Three batters later after Anderson was taken out of the game after allowing a solo home run to Zach Wilson, extending ASU’s lead to 5-0. Hubbs was thrown out after having words with Vessey. He then continued the argument and had to be restrained by another umpire.

The fireworks overshadowed the dominant performance by Barrett.  The ASU sophomore allowed five hits with two walks and two strikeouts. He improved to 5-3 with a 4.55 ERA in his first career complete game as a Sun Devil.

Cal did get two doubles in the game but for the second straight contest failed to get a runner past second. Going back to the 13^th inning of Thursday’s game, Cal has now been held scoreless for 22 consecutive innings.

It was the first time since May of 2009 that ASU posted back-to-back shutouts. It was an overall impressive weekend for the ASU pitching staff. The three starters went a combined 25.1 innings allowing just two earned runs.

The Sun Devils seem to lack a dominant ace pitcher, something they had the last two years with Mike Leake in 2009, and Seth Blair in 2010.  The staff ERA currently sits at 3.13.  The 2010 squad finished with a 3.32 ERA.

If ASU ends up making the tournament because their appeal to the NCAA likely will not be settled by the time the tournament selections are made, postseason pitching experience could be a key. None of ASU’s current weekend starters started any of the 2010 tournament games.

Cal has a much-improved pitching staff compared to the two previous years. Already posting eight shutouts, the team ERA 2.85 compared to 4.91 last season. The Bears’ weekend starters have all lowered their ERA in 2011 at least point from last season.

Senior Kevin Miller joins Johnson, Jones, and Anderson to give the Bears four quality starters for the rest of the season, and likely into the NCAA Tournament.

This weekend was a big blow for Cal’s Pac-10 Championship hopes. They came into the ASU series just a half game behind leader Oregon State. The Beavers lead the conference with a 10-2 (.883) Pac-10 mark, ASU is next at 11-4 (.733), followed by UCLA at 10-5 (.667) and Cal at 9-6 (.600).

The Golden Bears still have to play at Oregon State, and at UCLA. Along with home series’ against Oregon, and Stanford.

This week ASU will visit rival Arizona in a non-conference game before hosting Stanford for three games beginning on Friday. The Stanford series begins a eight game home stand for the Sun Devils

Cal will play at Stanford in a non-conference game between the two rivals before beginning a three game series at home against Oregon. After the Oregon series Cal does not play in Berkeley until the final weekend of the season.

Both The Good & The Bad…

It’s no surprise that offense has been down, while pitching numbers have been better so far this season. However, nobody predicted James Madison would erupt for 91 runs with those new bats in a four-game sweep of Bucknell to open the season. Jake Lowery and David Herbek have combined to lead not only the Dukes, but also the nation with 14 and 12 home runs, respectively, while also sitting among the nation’s Division One leaders in sever other offensive categories.

Following is a look at some other surprises, both good and bad, to this point in the season.

Pleasant Surprises…

Danny Hultzen is 6-0 with a 1.36 ERA in 2011

Virginia was supposed to be good this year, but Brian O’Connor’s Cavaliers have been flat-out great so far. UVA debuted at #15 in our Preseason Composite National Rankings, but is 29-2 overall and 11-1 in ACC play heading into this weekend’s showdown with Georgia Tech. The Cavs lost just one game in the month of March-their series finale against Florida State. They’ve done anything but mash the ball out of the yard en-route to their 29 victories. Keith Werman has nearly twice as many sac bunts (13) as his team has home runs (7), while they still average 7.3 runs a game with a .300 team batting average. Danny Hultzen (6-0, 1.36 ERA) is second in the nation with 78 strikeouts for a pitching staff that’s so deep that midweek starter Will Roberts, who pitched a perfect game last week, is riding a 21-inning scoreless streak. Virginia has a 1.93 team ERA with 333 strikeouts and just 64 walks this season.

Fresno State was a team that many thought deserved an NCAA bid in 2010, but the Bulldogs (38-25) just missed the field of 64 after Hawaii ended their reign of four straight WAC Tournament titles. Offense wasn’t a problem for Mike Batesole’s squad, but the pitching staff ended the season with a 6.05 ERA. Things have been much different for the 2011 edition of the Bulldogs (20-3). Greg Gonzalez (6-0, 1.36 ERA) fronts a pitching staff that sports a 2.50 ERA. The senior led the staff with 73 strikeouts last year, but he already has 52 Ks with just 9 BB in 46 1/3 IP in 2011. Charlie Robertson has slammed the door at the end of games with 9

Fresno State's Charlie Robertson is among the DI leaders with 9 saves.

saves in 10 appearances. He is yet to surrender an earned run in 16 1/3 IP this year. Like everyone, Fresno State’s offense is still adjusting to the new bats. Most notably Jordan Ribera, who hit .343 and led the nation with 27 home runs last year. He is batting just .244 with one HR and 7 RBIs in 23 starts in ’11. Dusty Robinson has picked-up the slack though, with a .321 BA, 6 HR and 19 RBIs.

Georgia was just 16-37 last year with a dismal 5-23 record in the SEC. Outfielder Zach Cone (.363, 10 HR, 53 RBIs) was practically the entire offense for Dave Perno’s Bulldogs, while the pitching staff had a bloated 8.51 ERA with no complete games. The Bulldogs (15-14, 6-3) are one win from matching last year’s overall win total, while a series win over LSU and a sweep of Mississippi State has already exceeded last year’s conference win total. Georgia also boasts wins over UCLA, Florida State and South Carolina. There’s still work to be done, but where UGA is now is a far cry from a season that started by being swept in a 3-game series at Stetson.

Cal State Bakersfield is well on its way to eclipsing last year’s win total. The Roadrunners are off and running to a 20-7 start after finishing with a 26-30 record in 2010. Bill Kernan’s squad hasn’t shied away from tough competition either. The DI independent has wins over top 10 opponents Arizona State and defending national champion South Carolina along with series wins over Washington and Ohio State. Ryan McIntyre (.363, 10

Tommy Hoenshell has helped spearhead Bakersfield's pitching staff.

doubles, 4 triples, .966 OPS) leads an offense that has five regulars hitting above .300, but it’s pitching that’s really fueled Bakersfield so far. Tommy Hoenshell (5-3, 1.97 ERA) has two complete games and leads the nation with 64.0 IP, Jonathon Montoya (5-1, 3.06 ERA) is tied for the DI lead with four complete games and closer Martin Medina (1-1, 2.45 ERA, 5 saves) has 19 strikeouts in 14 2/3 innings to date.

Cal may or may not be reinstated beyond this season, but the Golden Bears are doing everything they can to make 2011 memorable. Dave Esquer has his team off to a 19-7 record, including 5-1 in the Pac-10, in what could be the program’s swan song. The pitching was expected to be good in 2011, but so far it’s been flat-out great. Justin Jones and Erik Johnson are each 4-1 with respective 2.47 and 2.08 ERAs, while Kevin Miller (3-2, 0.63 ERA, 1 save) has been nearly lights-out in a swing role. The senior has made three relief appearances and five starts, with a team-high 53 strikeouts and just 7 BB in 43.0 IP. Cal has a balanced offensive attack. Six regulars are batting between .317 and Austin Booker’s team-best .346, while eight players have accounted for the team’s 12 home runs.

Central Florida’s sites have been set on Omaha since Terry Rooney left his job as an LSU assistant to take over in Orlando. Now in his third year, Rooney has a team that’s starting to make some noise. The Knights (20-9) opened Conference USA with the program’s first ever series win over Rice only to be swept last weekend by Southern Mississippi.  However, UCF responded by toppling Florida 4-3 Tuesday night in Gainesville. D.J. Hicks (.347, 6 HR,

UCF's D.J. Hicks is among the top overall Conference USA hitters this season.

1.008 OPS) leads an offense that has seven starters batting above .300. Freshman Ben Lively (5-0, 1.88 ERA) has been UCF’s top weekend starter, while relievers Nick Cicio (1.08 ERA) and Joe Rogers (2.04 ERA) have each made 11 appearances out of the Knight’s bullpen, combining for 8 saves and 42 Ks with 5 BB in 44.0 IP.

Stetson (22-7) is another Florida school that’s exceeded most expectations so far. The Hatters need just five wins to match the win total of last year’s team that finished 27-31. Head coach Pete Dunn’s 32nd edition of the Hatters is also just five wins away from matching its 14 Atlantic Sun Conference win total from 2010. Robert Crews (.378, 3 HR), Nick Rickles (.345, 10 doubles, 3 HR, 28 RBIs) and Mark Jones (.343) have provided the bulk of the offense, while relievers Robbie Powell (4-0, 1.05 ERA) and Jake Boyd (2-0, 2.45 ERA) have combined for 8 saves in 31 appearances. The pitching staff has notched 232 strikeouts with 94 walks so far this season.

Head-scratching Surprises…

Connecticut was the darling of the north heading into the 2011 season. The Huskies brought back most of their line-up and pitching from last year’s team that won a school record 48 games and hosted an NCAA Regional. Most is the key word. UConn struggled to an 8-9-1 start to the new campaign without table setter Pierre LePage (.327, 63 R, 29 SB) and top run producer Mike Olt (.318, 23 HR, 76 RBIs), who were both drafted last June. The Huskies (15-10-1) have won seven of their last eight and look like they are back on the right track after sweeping St. John’s last weekend. Ace pitcher Matt Barnes (5-2, 1.00 ERA, 2 CG) has been as dominant as advertised. After starting the season in the Saturday starting role, he’s now the Friday night man. The UConn staff currently sports a 2.78 ERA, which should go a long way toward curing what ails Jim Penders‘ team now that Big East play is here.

UCLA road its pitching and a scrappy offense to a national runner-up finish in Omaha last year. The Bruins might have to lean on the arms of Trevor Bauer and Gerrit Cole even more this year. UCLA hit .304 as a team and averaged 6.8 runs a game last year, but those numbers are down to .244 and 4.0 through 24 games this year. John Savage’s Bruins (14-10) weren’t a team built on power to begin with (Dean Espy’s 9 HR led the club last year), but they have just four home runs to date in ’11. Seven different Bruin regulars batted .308 or better last year, but Cody Keefer’s .293 currently leads the team. Bauer (5-1, 1.46 ERA), who leads the nation with 82 Ks, and Cole (3-2, 2.06 ERA, 57 K) and the staff have been overpowering, with a 2.06 staff ERA and 259 strikeouts vs. just 74 walks in 218 2/3 innings this season. But consider this: After a 22-game win streak to start the season, UCLA didn’t lose its first game until April 2 last year. They lost 17 times in 68 games last year, but they have already lost 10 games this season.

San Diego has been to the NCAA Tournament in four of the last five seasons, but the Toreros will have a tough time getting back this year. San Diego (7-19) is off to one of the worst starts in Rich Hill’s 13-year tenure. USD currently sports a .256 team batting average, .325 on-base percentage and 4.82 ERA. The holes in the weekend pitching rotation left by Kyle Blair (8-4, 2.84 ERA) and Sammy Solis (9-2, 3.42 ERA) have been tough to fill on the mound, while the bats of Chris Engall (.416) and James Meador (.391) have left a big offensive void as well. To its credit, San Diego has played a tough schedule, with losses to the likes of Vanderbilt, Oklahoma, Cal, Coastal Carolina, and Fresno State.

New Mexico had its best season in nearly 50 years in 2010, but things have been different this year. After earning the program’s first NCAA bid since 1962, the 2011 Lobos are off to a 9-20 start, including eight straight losses to start the campaign. However, Ray Birmingham’s squad returned just one position starter and six pitchers from last year’s team that went 38-22. Birmingham’s teams have always been offensive minded, but it’s hitting a whopping 80 points below last year’s .346 team batting average, while reaching base at a .342 clip (down nearly 70 points). The lack of offense, combined with a 6.05 staff ERA has been a recipe for  misfortune so far. Give Birmingham credit though. He knew what kind of turnover he would be facing this year, but still scheduled the likes of Arizona State, Oklahoma State, Arizona, and Oklahoma. The first of two conference series against TCU is this weekend.

Oregon is off to just a 14-12 start after an NCAA berth in just the second year of existence in the program’s return. The 40-24 record and that postseason appearance brought high expectations and a top 10 ranking coming into 2011. Like UCLA, George Horton’s offense is know for its small ball approach, but the Ducks are waddling to the tune of a dismal .229 team batting average and a .310 slugging percentage. Aaron Jones (.310) and Danny Pulfer (.301) are the only Ducks batting above .300, while K.C. Serna, who hit a team-best .348 in ’10, is struggling at .194 this season. Oregon scored just three runs in last week’s sweep at the hands of Arizona State to open Pac-10 play, making this weekend’s home series against Washington huge.

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