No. 18 ranked Texas plays a three-game series against the Cal Golden Bears of the Pac-12 Conference at the Dell Diamond in Round Rock this weekend. Cal is coming off a record 2011 season in which head coach David Esquer was named National Coach of the Year by the National College Baseball Writers Association and in which the Golden Bears made their first CWS appearance since 1992. So far this season, Cal has amassed a 14-9 record on the season and is 1-5 in conference play.
Players to Watch:
Matt Flemer (#49): Senior right-hander Matt Flemer is Cal’s Saturday starter, and has the experience and stats to back it up. Flemer is currently 3-2 in 42.1 innings over six starts with a 2.76 ERA. He has an impressive walks to strikeouts ratio of 5/25 and is holding batters to a .211 average. Flemer’s victories this season have come against Pacific, Lehigh, and, most recently, Arizona State, where he held the No. 14 Sun Devils to two runs.
Tony Renda (#14): Senior second baseman Tony Renda is currently leading the team in batting average (.364) and is second in home runs (2). A constant threat on the basepath, Renda has stolen eight bases out of nine attempted on the season and possesses the team’s highest on-base percentage at .427. Renda was named the 2011 Pac-10 Player of the Year and was named a 2012 first-team preseason All-American by Baseball America.
Game one of the series against Cal is scheduled for a 7pm start on Friday, March 30. This series will be played at the Dell Diamond in Round Rock, Texas. Tickets are all general admission and are available for $10 through the Round Rock Express website.
