The Cal baseball team has ascended to No. 10 in the latest Rivals.com rankings, with Stanford sinking to No. 15.  Surprisingly, the Bears only moved up three spots to No. 13 with the Cardinal dropping to No. 14 in the Baseball America rankings.  I can’t say how shocked I am.  For once, I trust the Rivals rankings way more.  Baseball America must be joking.  The statement that Cal made this weekend was enormous, and the Bears took the wood to what was a top-10 team on the road.  Why they’ve only moved up three spots is beyond me.

The series win this weekend was huge.  It proved that Cal could win in a hostile environment, on the road, when it needed to.  A huge late-season series at a field where the Bears had been 2-10 over the last four years will definitely ring loudly in the minds of voters and the NCAA tournament committee.  No, Cal didn’t sweep the Card for the first time since 1992, but they came close.  Sunday’s contest was a squeaker up until Kevin Miller made a rare mistake to Stanford first baseman Brent Milleville, who absolutely crushed a Miller fastball somewhere into the stratosphere.  Welcome to the big time, kid.  Things like that happen.

Missing in action this weekend: Josh Satin and David Cooper. The duo who usually destroy opposing pitchers, and who have both seen the Cardinal bullpen before, went a combined 3-for-22 (.136) this weekend.  Pretty disappointing.  But the good thing about this team is that even without the big boppers hitting well, they can still win.  Baseball’s a game of streaks, and right now the Terrible Two are in a slump.  But while Satin and Cooper are struggling, the guys ahead of them and behind them in the lineup are getting the job done, no one more so than Charlie Cutler.

Not being behind the plate may have been the best thing to ever happen to Cutler.  Moved to the outfield after returning from injury to make room for sophomore Dylan Tonneson’s bat, Cutler has not had to take the day-to-day beating that catchers have to take.  No foul balls to the dome, no seam marks on his forearms, no baseball-shaped welts on his legs, and no bruises on his shoulders.  Without taking that beating, Cutler is white hot very late in the season, a tough thing to do for a backstop.  In the past four games, Cutler is 9-for-17 (.529) with six runs, four RBI, two doubles and has been hit by pitches twice.  He is getting on base at an absolutely sick pace.  He’s giving the middle of the lineup every opportunity to knock him in, not to mention the fact that he takes an hour after every pitch to adjust himself, grab some dirt to rub on his hands, check his grocery list, look at his watch and set his TiVO.  His time-consuming fidgeting drives pitchers crazy, and it worked this weekend.  He gets pitchers out of rhythm, enough to make mistakes to the middle of the lineup.  Right now, Cutler is the best player on the field for the Bears.

This weekend saw some huge clutch performances from lefty Craig Bennigson and beleaguered ace Tyson Ross.  Each turned in perhaps their best outings of the year, with Ross being pulled just one out away from a complete game after giving up two runs in the bottom of the ninth on Friday and Bennigson tossing six innings, allowing seven hits and only two runs while striking out four.  He had been struggling mightily in the starting role lately, but picked it up against the Cardinal.  Same deal with Ross.  He arguably should have been pulled at the start of the ninth at any sign of trouble for closer Matt Gorgen, who was ready in the bullpen.  Head coach David Esquer may have stayed with Ross for a little longer than he should, but luckily it didn’t have too many ill effects as Cal was able to pull it out with an RBI single from Cutler in the top of the 10th.

Overall, huge statement weekend for the Bears.  They proved that they belong in the national elite.  If they can do this on the road in the playoffs, I might have to buy a ticket for Omaha.