Jan. 31, 2002
GAMETIMES VS CAL
Friday 6:30 p.m.
Saturday 2:00 p.m.
Sunday 1:00 p.m.
PROBABLE PITCHERS
Friday: Robbie Van LHP
Saturday: Jared Bonnell RHP
Sunday: David Seccombe RHP
CAL BEARS
The Bears return 18 letterwinners, including seven starting position players, from a team that finished 34-25 overall and 14-10 (tied for third) in the Pac-10 last season. Cal also advanced to an NCAA Regional for the first time since the 1995 season in 2001. Senior right-hander Trevor Hutchinson is the top returner for the Cal. He is a third team Preseason All-American and is projected to be one of the Pac-10's top draft picks in 2002 by Baseball America.
Cal has a 3-3 overall series record against the Rebels. The Bears defeated the Rebels in the last meeting between the two schools, 6-2 and 12-0, May 25, 1980 at the NCAA Midwest Regional in Tulsa, OK.
STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE
The Rebels will play 17 games against teams that participated in the 2001 NCAA Baseball Championship, including Arizona State, Cal-Berkley, Cal-State Fullerton, Oklahoma State and BYU among others. The first 20 games for the Rebels may be the most challenging as 14 of their opponents during that stretch are ranked in the top 30 of the Collegiate Baseball Preseason Poll.
Each season also brings the tough grind of Mountain West Conference play. The Rebels will play home-and-home, three-game series against five conference foes for a total of 30 conference games. The conference tournament, to be held this year in Provo, Utah, will decide the conference's automatic bid into the 2002 NCAA Baseball Championship.
CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT
The 2002 Mountain West Conference Baseball Championship will be hosted by BYU in Provo, Utah. All six Mountain West Conference teams will compete in the double-elimination tournament May 22-26. Seedings will be decided by regular season results in conference games.
All requests for media credentials for the Mountain West Conference Baseball Championship should be submitted in writing to Assistant Director of Communications Ron Christian at the MWC office or BYU Baseball Contact Ralph Zobell prior to the event.
INJURY UPDATE
Reliever Jake Gann is still rehabbing after Tommy John surgery over the summer. The team hopes to have him back for the start of conference play.
HITTING STREAKS
Sophomore Brent Johnson has a four-game hitting streak dating back to last season.
Senior David Trujillo led the 2001 team with a .374 batting average and set the Mountain West Conference record with a 29-game hitting streak in the second half of the season. For his efforts, Trujillo was named All-Mountain West Conference Second Team First Baseman.
Trujillo finished with three hits against BYU in the final game of the 2001 season, so his streak entering the season is one.
AUTOMATIC BID
Twenty-nine conferences receive an automatic bid into the NCAA tournament. 2001 marked the first season the Mountain West Conference received an automatic bid. The winner of the MWC Championships, held in Provo, Utah May 22-26, will receive the automatic bid.
