SACRAMENTO -- Off to the program's best start as a Division I program -- and the best since yearly game-by-game results are available dating back to 1986 -- the unbeaten Sacramento State baseball team takes the short jaunt to Berkeley, Calif., on Tuesday for a midweek clash with California at 5 p.m. at Evans Diamond.
PLAY BALL...
WHAT: Sacramento State (7-0) at California (4-3)
WHEN: Tuesday, March 1, 2022
TIME: 5 p.m.
WHERE: Berkeley, Calif.
STADIUM: Evans Diamond (2,500)
WATCH: Pac-12 Network Live Stream
LIVE STATS: CalBears.com
GAME NOTES: Sacramento State | California Baseball
WE'LL DO IT LIVE!...
For those fans unable to make the trip to Berkeley, Calif., on Tuesday, the game will be streamed live via California's Pac-12 Network online platform. Live stats will also be available for the contest. Links for both will be available on the baseball schedule page at HornetSports.com.
ROLL IT BACK...
Hornet fans, be sure and adjust your calendars for this weekend as Sunday's series finale against Houston Baptist has been moved back an hour. First pitch is now scheduled for 11 a.m. against the Huskies, instead of the originally scheduled Noon start.
IN THE RANKINGS...
The Hornets' hot start has caught the attention of the national pollsters as Sacramento State enters the week among the top 25 in a few of the national rankings... As of Feb. 28, the Hornets stand No. 20 in the Baseball America poll, No. 23 in the D1Baseball.com poll, No. 25 in the USA Today Coaches poll, and No. 24 by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association -- the first time that Sacramento State has been ranked in any of those polls... The Hornets, who debuted in the national polls for the first time as a Division I program in 2021 at No. 24 in the Collegiate Baseball poll in back-to-back weeks on April 5 and April 12 of last season, are also among those "also considered" in the Perfect Game top 25... California is unranked.
SCOUTING CALIFORNIA...
The Golden Bears enter the week with a 4-3 overall record after dropping two of three against Illinois-Chicago at home over the weekend... Cal won the second game, 12-2, sandwiched inbetween a 4-2 loss in the opener and a 6-1 defeat in game three... Senior catcher Cole Elvis leads all Golden Bear regulars with a .357 averager, three doubles, a home run, and a team-high eight RBI... California is hitting .274 as a team, with five players hitting better than .300 on the season... The Golden Bears' pitching staff sports a 3.80 ERA in 64 innings, striking out 68 against only 28 walks, and holding opponents to a .240 average... Tuesday's scheduled starter, RHP Sam Stoutenborough is 0-0 with a 5.79 ERA, giving up three runs on five hits in 4.2 innings while striking out four against Gonzaga back on Feb. 21 in Mesa, Ariz.
AGAINST THE GOLDEN BEARS...
California leads the all-time series with Sacramento State by a 22-12 count, but the Hornets and the Golden Bears haven't met since the 2019 season -- a 12-4 California victory in Berkeley... Sacramento State is 7-9 at home against the Golden Bears and 5-13 on the road in Berkeley... Sacramento State has won two of the last three meetings with California, posting back-to-back wins in 2018 (4-1 on the road) and 2019 (6-0 at home).
AGAINST THE PAC-12...
Sacramento State has faced 10 of the 11 current baseball playing members of the Pac-12 Conference, missing only USC in the all-time series history... The Hornets are 72-109 against Pac-12 opponents according to available records, with 14 wins against both Stanford and Washington State, and 11 against both Utah and California... Sacramento State is 4-6 in its last 10 against Pac-12 schools, last posting a 3-2 win over then-No. 24 Stanford back on March 29, 2021, that led to the Hornets' first-ever national ranking.
LAST TIME OUT...
What a weekend for Sacramento State on the road, as the Hornets traveled to Southern California and swept Long Beach State in a three-game series by the scores of 1-0 (10 innings), 5-4, and 5-4. It marked the first series win for the Hornets over the Dirtbags since both were members of the Big West in 2000, and was the first-ever series sweep of Long Beach State by Sacramento State in the history of the series.
