In a world that all-too-often doesn’t live up to expectations, where the fairy tale ending almost never happens, and disappointment outstrips elation, days like Sunday don’t happen very often.

Having squandered a 4-0 lead, and then going down 6-4 to UCLA, in danger of being swept at home for the first time this season, the Cal baseball team gave the over 1,000 people in attendance, and one cynical sports writer, a reason to believe.

(Click here to read more…)

5:33: I just broke the first rule of being a sports journalist: I cheered in the press box.  Josh Satin, a fellow Southern-Californian and Dodger fan, a senior, just hit a walk-off home run to left-center field to win his last home game ever at Evans Diamond.  The Bears win 7-6 in 10 innings, out-hitting UCLA 16-13, but all that counted was one.  Satin was mobbed at the plate, and lifted up on his team’s shoulders, as he should be.  All four of his grandparents are here, and they all saw his 18th home run to win the game.  Boy, oh, boy, what a game this is, this game of baseball.  (Click here to read more…)

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. >

Well, baseball fans, it looks like there’ll be a dogfight at the top of the Pac-10 this year, and it’s going to coincide with a fight for position at the top of the college baseball world. This week’s Baseball America Top-25 rankings just came out this morning. The most striking thing to note about the list? Four Pac-10 teams remain in the rankings, including a mini-comeback by preseason No. 1 UCLA (they check in at No. 23 after not being ranked last week). But the real drama comes in the top-10, with Stanford vaulting up from No. 10 to No. 5, a spot recently vacated by the Cal baseball team, which now checks in at No. 7, behind No. 6 Arizona State. The top three teams in the conference are now bunched together at the top of the national rankings. Hang on, folks, it’s going to be a helluva ride. (Click here to read more…)

After sweeping then-No. 5 Long Beach State this past weekend, the Cal baseball team has climbed into the Baseball America top 10. In the latest rankings, the Bears came in at No. 7, the second-highest Pac-10 team behind No. 1 Arizona State (25-1, 3-0 in the Pac-10). (Click here to read more…)

I may not be able to be in Berkeley to see the showdown between the No. 11 Cal baseball team and the No. 5 Dirtbags of Long Beach State, but at least I have Gametracker. (Click here to read more…)

The No. 11 Cal baseball team (15-5-1, 2-1 in the Pac-10) again hit a stumbling block in its midweek game, this time losing its second straight extra-inning affair at Santa Clara, 7-5. The Broncos got to Bears closer Matt Gorgen in the bottom of the 10th, when Matt Long went long against the junior fireballer, tagging Gorgen for a two-run walk-off home run.

On a lighter note, senior second baseman Josh Satin just keeps on chugging. (Click here to read more…)

Just checking in with a few notes on the newly-minted No. 11 Cal baseball team. The Bears finally supplanted the Southern Branch, which dropped to No. 23. The team who dealt Cal its first loss of the season, Missouri, vaulted itself to No. 2 on the arm of ace Aaron Crow. That loss is actually looking better and better as the Tigers climb up the ranks.

UCLA was swept over the weekend by Long Beach State (which climbed from No. 7 to No. 5) and has fallen far from its preseason No. 1 ranking. The next team that the Bears face in a weekend series? Those same Dirtbags, this weekend at Evans Diamond, while I will be at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum watching the Dodgers and the BoSox. If only I had a jetpack. If you are still in Berkeley, CATCH THIS SERIES. It could very well be a key to the Cal season, as a very interesting rivalry has developed between these two teams since the Bears shocked Long Beach State in 2005. It should be a great back-and-forth series.

Over the weekend against Wazzu (the Bears took the series 2-1), senior second baseman Josh Satin claimed the school consecutive-game hit streak record for his own. On Saturday, Satin broke the record in dramatic fashion, smacking his eighth home run of the season over the left field wall at Bailey-Brayton Field to record a hit in 24 straight games dating back to last season. The previous record holder was Brian Horwitz, who hit in 23 straight back in 2001. Satin will be this week’s Cal nominee for Pac-10 Player of the Week. Satin is hitting .443 with 22 runs, eight longballs, and 24 RBI. Only junior first baseman David Cooper has more roundtrippers (9) and RBI (26) than Satin.

That’s it for this installment of your Spring Break Baseball Update. More to come after the Bears take on Santa Clara in a midweek game, well, I guess that would be today, wouldn’t it?  Until then, take care, and keep reading.

The No. 12 Cal baseball team looks to be back in proper form after a mid-week hiccup against 5-11 Sacramento State. Through three innings against No. 25 Washington State (13-5), the Bears are chipping away as usual, scoring a run in the second and a pair in the third. Senior Josh Satin is 1-for-2 so far, extending his season hit streak to 17 games. As a side note, the record-keepers in the media relations department have informed us that not only has Satin hit in 17 consecutive games this season, but he also hit in the last five games of the 2007 season, making his real streak 22 games.

This being Purim, let’s have a little fun with that. The record holder, Brian Horwitz (who hit in 23 straight from Feb. 9-Mar. 25, 2001), is, like Satin and myself, a Member of the Tribe (Jewish). Way to keep the record in the family, Josh. One more single tomorrow, and we can all wish Satin a hearty ‘Mazel Tov!’

More updates as the game progresses. (Click here to read more…)

The Cal baseball team got slapped hard by Sacramento State today at Evans Diamond. 12-6. Damn. I can easily say that this was the worst I’ve ever seen the Bears play in my three years covering them. Five errors by Cal and only four earned runs out of 12 for the Hornets. See tomorrow’s article in the Daily Cal for the down and dirty.

But for now, here are a few notes. (Click here to read more…)