Bears To Battle Vanderbilt

Grizzlies Aim To Extend Historic Season To Second Round

CAL, Berkeley -- For the first time since 2013, the California Golden Bears baseball team is dancing in the NCAA Tournament. Fresh off their series victory over San Diego in the opening weekend, Cal will travel across the country to Nashville, Tennessee for a Super Regional bout with the No. 4 overall seed Vanderbilt Commodores.

The two programs have never met before, but both enter into the series playing their best baseball of the season. The Bears have won nine of their last 10 games, and the Commodores have won eight of their last nine.

Cal, who finished the regular season with a 34-20 record, has been one of the biggest surprises in college baseball this season. The Bears were picked to finish sixth in the Pac-12 Conference, but they finished the regular season in second place with a 17-10 record.

The Bears are led by a strong offense that is averaging 6.7 runs per game. The team also boasts a deep pitching staff that has a 3.81 ERA.

The Commodores finished the regular season 46-15, and they won the Southeastern Conference tournament to earn the No. 4 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament.

Vanderbilt has one of the best offenses in the country, averaging 8.2 runs per game. The team also has a strong pitching staff that has a 3.02 ERA.

The Bears will need to play their best baseball of the season to have a chance to upset the Commodores, and advance to the College World Series in Omaha.

Keys to the Game

The Bears have a few strengths that they can exploit:

Offense - Cal's offense has been one of their strengths all season, and they will need to continue to produce runs in order to beat Vanderbilt.

Pitching - Cal's pitching staff has been solid all season, and they will need to continue to pitch well in order to beat Vanderbilt.

Defense - Cal's defense has been solid all season, and they will need to make plays in the field in order to beat Vanderbilt.

Vanderbilt has a few weaknesses that the Bears can exploit:

Bullpen - Vanderbilt's bullpen has been a bit shaky at times this season, and the Bears will need to take advantage of that.

Defense - Vanderbilt's defense has not been as strong as their offense or pitching, and the Bears will need to take advantage of that.

Experience - Vanderbilt is a more experienced team than Cal, and the Bears will need to not let that experience be a factor in the game.

Prediction

This is a tough matchup to call, but I think Cal has a good chance to pull off the upset.

The Bears have a strong offense, a solid pitching staff, and a good defense. They also have the experience of playing in a hostile environment, as they won two games on the road in the opening weekend of the NCAA Tournament.

I think the Bears will be able to score enough runs to beat Vanderbilt, and I think their pitching staff will be able to shut down the Commodores' offense.

I predict that Cal will win the series 2-1, and advance to the College World Series.