It may take a few convincing wins over ranked teams for the Cal baseball team to elbow its way into the conversation in the stacked Pac-10, but today’s 14-4 thumping of No. 24 Fresno State in the opening game of the San Diego Invitational isn’t too bad of a start.

Starter Chris Petrini saw action for the first time since the beginning of the 2007 season, and threw 5 2/3 innings for the Bears, allowing four hits, four runs and five walks to go along with three strikeouts. His roughest inning was the first, in which he allowed the Bulldogs to jump out to a quick 3-0 lead.But the Cal offense that scored 25 runs over opening weekend against Utah Valley State and Kansas State didn’t take long to climb back into the game, as the Bears plated two runs in the bottom of the first and then took the lead on a two-run home run by junior first baseman David Cooper in the third. Cooper went 2-for-3 with scored four runs scored and now leads the team with four longballs and 13 RBI. If this guy doesn’t go in the first round of the draft, I’ll shave my head. You heard it here first folks. Cooper has changed his swing from last season, and is now in more of a crouch with his hands set lower and further away from his body. He’s evolved from a contact hitter with some pop to a legitimate power threat, and several current and former teammates are predicting him to hit close to if not more than 20 bombs this year.“I’ve gotten off to a good start, and really the whole team has,” Cooper said. “We’re hitting the ball really well right now.”After the Bears pulled ahead, they didn’t even have the courtesy to look in the rearview mirror, scoring two runs in the fifth inning, five in the sixth and three in the seventh while the Bulldogs scored their last run on two hits in the sixth.Cal’s sophomore class did most of the damage, accounting for 11 of the Bears’ 16 hits and knocking in ten runs. The second-year slugging was led by backup catcher Dylan Tonneson, who was starting in place of injured team captain Charlie Cutler. Tonneson went 3-for-3 on the day with two runs scored and two RBI, and even stole home as part of a fifth inning double steal.Tonneson’s a pretty good athlete. Not a shock to see him flying around out there. Cutler still has the experience, and in my opinion is a bit of a better receiver as far as catching goes, but once he gets drafted (and he probably will), Cal will be just fine behind the plate.Going from second to third on that double steal was do-everything sophomore Blake Smith. Is there anything this guy can’t do? He’ll leap tall fences in a single bound, throw himself headlong into a concrete-floored bullpen, pitch a few shutout innings and rake at the dish. Smith had a pretty big day with the bat, going 2-for-4 with three RBI. All four of his at-bats came with runners in scoring position. Clutch.But the youngsters weren’t the only ones getting into the act. Senior second baseman Josh Satin - who’s probably still ticked that he didn’t get drafted last year - still has not cooled down from his hot streak at the end of 2007 season. Satin went 3-for-4 against Fresno State with 3 runs, one RBI and a double. The Bears’ elder statesman is now hitting .471 with six runs scored and five batted in.Being in the middle of the lineup with Cooper, sophomore Jeff Kobernus and sophomore Brett Jackson has really taken the pressure off of Satin. He’s not THE guy anymore, which has helped him hit better. The middle of this lineup is a very dangerous place for pitchers. Not to mention the top of the lineup. And for that matter, the bottom.“We just have so many table-setters on our team that it makes it so much easier for guys like me and Josh,” Cooper said. “They make our job so much easier.As easy as things seemed for the Bears yesterday against the ranked Bulldogs, the rest of the weekend should be a tougher test, starting tomorrow at 1 p.m. with a tilt against No. 5 Missouri (3-1) and their No. 1 starter, Preseason All-American Aaron Crow, at San Diego State’s Tony Gwyn Stadium.“We definitely have the talent, but we have a lot of work to do,” Cooper said about competing with the likes of Missouri. “This is a big win for us and hopefully we can carry it over to the rest of the weekend, though it felt good to do this to a good team.”