California Golden Bears Baseball has High Hopes for 2015
After their second straight losing season in 2014, the California Golden Bears‘ baseball team enters 2015 with hopes of turning around a program that has struggled since an appearance in the 2011 College World Series. In the three seasons since, the Bears have posted a 78-83 record, including a 35-55 records within the Pac-12 conference.
Head coach David Esquer enters his 16th season leading the Bears. He’s guided the team to three NCAA Regional Tournament bids, and in 2011, took his team to the College World Series for the first time since 1992. For his efforts that season, he was named the NCAA Coach of the Year. As a whole, Esquer’s record with Cal is 432-396, good for a .522 winning percentage.
Despite the less-than-stellar results lately, there is reason for optimism in this upcoming season. The Golden Bears finished 2014 on a high note, as they won four of their final five Pac-12 series, including three on the road. They took series from Stanford, USC, 2012 College World Series champion Arizona, and Oregon, each in two out of three games.
The team also came away with encouraging wins outside the conference, as they split a four-game series with the Texas Longhorns, who finished 46-21 en route to earning a College World Series bid, and swept two games in the Cal Baseball Classic against the Arkansas Razorbacks, who finished 40-25 to clinch a spot in the NCAA Regional Tournament.
Cal also won the Tiger Classic Tournament in Auburn, and the University of San Diego Tournament, finishing 3-0 in each bracket.
One of the major pieces for Cal’s success this season is right-handed pitcher Ryan Mason. The Junior, all six feet, seven inches of him, has become the ace of the pitching staff, and he will is on track to continue to his development. In his freshman year, Mason posted a 5-3 record with a 3.76 ERA, and 41 strikeouts in 69.1 innings.
Cal Golden Bears
He continued his ascension in 2014 as a sophomore, when he posted a 7-1 record, good for the fifth-best winning percentage (.875) in school history. Mason also added a 3.04 ERA and 32 strikeouts in 68 innings. The highlight of his season was a complete game win against USC, when he allowed just one run on six hits and two walks, coupled with three strikeouts.
Outfielder Devon Pearson will also be vital to the team’s potential success in 2015. After a strong freshman campaign in 2013 in which he hit .302 with eight doubles, two home runs and 17 RBI, he battled injuries as a sophomore, and his performance suffered as a result. He batted just .190 with three doubles, two triples and 13 RBI. He did, however, lead the team with 11 stolen bases.
If Pearson can return to the form he showed in his freshman year, it will go a long way towards the team’s success.
The development of other players will also be vital to the team. In 2014, four freshman earned regular playing time, and the hope is that will translate into better results in the coming year.
Daulton Jeffries, right-handed pitcher, was second on the team with 91.1 innings pitched. Despite finishing with a 2-8 record, he did post a 3.45 ERA and .254 opponent average, both very good totals for a freshman pitcher. He also earned Pac-12 Pitcher of the Week honors after throwing six shutout innings against Texas in his college debut. Jeffries’ development in his sophomore season could turn him into an excellent number-two option behind Mason.
More from Golden Gate Sports
- Raiders: Rookie stock report following Week 3 performance
- 49ers sign new long snapper amidst a flurry of roster moves
- Oakland Athletics win Game 2 of Wild Card round with late-inning drama
- 49ers: George Kittle and Deebo Samuel cleared to return to practice
- 49ers expected to place DE Dee Ford on injured reserve
Lucas Erceg, a third baseman, hit .231 with two home runs and nine RBI in 91 at-bats. Outfielder Aaron Knapp hit .235 with 13 RBI in 115 at-bats. Both players are entering their sophomore years, and figure to play large roles in 2015.
Coach Esquer is going to have to find ways to fill the voids left by multiple graduating seniors and players who were drafted. Four Cal players were drafted by MLB teams last June, including two All-Pac-12 honorable mentions in 2014.
Shortstop Derek Campbell was selected by the Philadelphia Phillies in the 20th round, and led the team with 14 doubles and seven home runs. Closer Trevor Hildenberger was picked in the 22nd round by the Minnesota Twins. The side-winding righty tied the school record with 10 saves, and posted a 2.86 ERA and a 9.1 K/9 rate.
Former ace left-hander Kyle Porter was also selected in the 31st round by the Miami Marlins after earning 15 career wins. Michael Theofanopolous, another lefty was also picked by Minnesota in the 30th round. He pitched 23.1 innings and struck out 21 in 2014.
The team also lost Devon Rodriguez, who graduated last year. He was a vital component to the offense, as he led the squad with 56 hits, seven home runs, and 34 RBI.
While it will be difficult to fill the holes left by outgoing players, there is a strong assortment of incoming freshman. Catcher Brett Cumberland, shortstop Ripken Reyes, infielder Preston Grand Pre, and pitchers Aaron Shortridge and Jeff Bain are just a few faces out of the underclass group.
Cal’s season opens on Friday, the 13th in February with a three-game series against Duke. Later in the month, Cal has a big four-game set against 2014 College World Series participant, UC-Irvine from the Big West Conference. The series begins on Friday, February 20th, features a double-header the next day, and concludes on Sunday. A series against an opponent of that caliber will go a long way towards determining if the team is a pretender or contender.
Despite opening the season on Friday, the 13th, the Cal Bears will look to break their streak of bad luck in 2015.