After months of waiting and wondering where he would go in the 2009 MLB Amateur Draft, former Cal baseball center fielder Brett Jackson will simply be trading the block “C” on his cap for one of a slightly different shape.

Jackson, who was projected by most mock drafts to go in the mid- to late-first round, was drafted No. 31 overall by the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday evening, becoming the fourth-highest pick in Cal program history and the third first-rounder that coach David Esquer has produced at the Bears’ helm. The Orinda, Calif., native was the 10th outfielder drafted and gave Cal a first-round pick for the second straight year. The Toronto Blue Jays drafted David Cooper 17th overall in 2008.

(Click here to read more…)

If you read the preview for Cal’s midweek matchup against Stanford, then you’ve already heard that the Bears are pretty serious about the newest addition to the clubhouse: the video game ‘Rock Band.’

The gift came as a surprise from former Cal great Conor Jackson, who supplied the game to go along with the new TVs sent to the team before the season started by Jackson and Xavier Nady. Needless to say, it’s been a popular present.

But with that said, the question that is burning in everyone’s mind is obvious: Who’s the clubhouse king of Rock Band? (Click here to read more…)

10:34 — Just got back from my quick visit to the dugout and field (had to do it — I had the creds, and I used ‘em!) and it was supremely cool. Guys looked upbeat, happy, talkative (their quotes are essentially unusuable banter however … Thanks Mike, Daniel and Todd … for nothing)

Thanks for all of you who tuned in to the live blog this evening. Hope you got something out of it and had a little fun. Matt and I definitely did. Keep checking back at dailycal.org for more Cal baseball coverage, as always, and have a great night!

10:17 — And it’s over, blessedly for the Bears. Braunecker with the comebacker to Smith who throws to first for the final of the game. Cal will leave this place winners tonight, as the most perfect song imaginable comes on — Lights by Journey.

10:16 — The plot thickens. Johnson doubles to right, but it’s not deep enough to drive in Poppert who has to hold up at third. Runners on second and third, two out.

10:14 — Bernatz grounded out to second, Lipkin struck out. That leaves Poppert as the last hope. And he delivers with a ringing single over Kobernus at second to drive in Zach Kim. Two out, the tying run at first base. Johnson’s at the plate. 4-3 Cal. (Click here to read more…)

Alright, folks, we’ve got a lot of ground to cover in your Friday Cal baseball update, so let’s hit the ground running.

I got a chance to sit down with outfielder/first baseman/pitcher (yeah, I know) Blake Smith and center fielder Brett Jackson earlier this week, and the duo were both revealing and pleasantly talkative. There are too many great quotes to fit in just one blog post, so I’ll include more in another update down the road.

First off, the big news: Smith is indeed slated to start this season.

“I think tentatively I’m set to start on Sunday against Vanderbilt,” Smith said. “I’m excited. It’s going to be interesting to see how it works out.” (Click here to read more…)

I sat down with coach David Esquer the other day to discuss the early developments of the Cal baseball team. Here are some of the highlights of the interview:

On adjustments to the pitching and defensive lineups:

“We’ve probably got to try to establish the pitching roles. We’ve got guys who’ve put themselves in position through the fall, but nothing’s in stone. (There will probably be) a couple infield adjustments. Try to put people in the right spots, but we’re gonna have a few kids who’ll play multiple positions. No lineup will be set until 20 games into the season, I would imagine. It’s not gonna happen quick. We’re not gonna come out of the chute and play the same lineup every day.” (Click here to read more…)

As the collegiate baseball season steadily creeps up upon us, the preseason watch lists have also emerged. The Cal baseball team-coming off its first postseason appearance since 2001-has a handful of players making noise on the national stage.

Sophomore right-hander Kevin Miller (you know, the fresh-faced freshman pitcher who didn’t give up an earned run in his first 44 innings) has been tabbed as a Wallace Awardwatch list-er. The Wallace Award is given to the best collegiate baseball player in the country and has been bestowed upon such players as A’s catcher Kurt Suzuki and Alex Gordon, third baseman of the Royals. In his first year with the team, Miller boasted an ERA of 2.90 with opponents batting just .196 against him, both good for second in the Pac-10.

Junior Brett Jackson, the Bears’ starting center fielder, has been named the No. 13 player in the country by the College Baseball Blog. Last year, the speedy outfielder hit .307 with 40 RBI and started all 56 games for Cal. He also led the Bears with 12 stolen bases.

Last but not least, Cal’s resident renaissance man-pitcher/outfielder Blake Smith-also picked up no less than three preseason nods. The junior has been deemed the No. 16 player in the country by the Blog, a second-team All-American preseason selection by Louisville Slugger and is also on the watch list for the Wallace Award. Smith, who will likely provide the offensive firepower for the Bears this season, was third on the squad last year in RBI (43) and was 3-0 as a hard-throwing relief pitcher.

During the summer, Smith was busy burning up the international circuit as a utility player on the USA Baseball National Collegiate Team. En route to a gold-medal, 24-0 season, Smith led the team in batting average (.327), and notched 13 RBI in just 20 games. On the mound, Smith maintained an ERA of 0.00 with 11 K’s in nine innings of relief work.

The Bears begin the 2009 campaign at home against UC Riverside on February 20 at 1:30 p.m.