No. 9 baseball continues Pac-10 slate against Cal
From here on out, Beavers look to win every series after rocky start to conference play
Casey Grogan
Issue date: 4/13/07 Section: Sports
On offense, the Golden Bears can hit the ball with first baseman David Cooper doing a majority of that hitting. After making the 2006 College World Series All-Tournament Team with Cal State Fullerton, Cooper transferred to Cal and is continuing his success. The sophomore leads the Golden Bears in nearly every offensive category, hitting .366 with 10 doubles, eight home runs and 35 RBI.
"That's a pretty good transfer getting a guy from Fullerton going into Cal," Casey said. "We didn't get a chance to see him last year in conference, so it will be a little different for us. We have to be careful with him, keeping him out of fastball counts and keeping guys off base in front of him."
The Beavers are also getting big production from their first baseman. After struggling at the plate early in the series against USC, Jordan Lennerton has come back in a big way. He delivered an 11th inning walk-off home run on Sunday and hit a grand slam Tuesday against the Pilots. Lennerton has secured himself the number two spot for the Beavers in batting average by hitting .362, and is only trailing catcher Mitch Canham, who is now hitting .381.
"I am just doing whatever I can to help out," Lennerton said. "I struggled a little bit and we had guys on the team that were carrying my weight for me. I just feel I need to start carrying my own weight and the Cal series is a good time to do it."
The Beavers are looking for players to continue hot streaks into what is forecasted to be a cold and wet weekend in Corvallis. Centerfielder Chris Hopkins has been on a tear atop the Beavers lineup in the past weeks and is hitting .304, while leftfielder Mike Lissman is continuing his strong senior year hitting .318.
"We have to win the series," Casey said. "From here on out our goal is to win every series. Getting swept put us behind the eight ball, so winning the series puts us in a position to make a run at the top of the standings."
The Beavers and Golden Bears will begin the series today at 5 p.m. On Saturday, Rollin meets Beaver starter Joe Paterson at 1 p.m, and junior Daniel Turpen will take the mound for Oregon State on Sunday at 1 p.m. to finish up the weekend of baseball.
"That's a pretty good transfer getting a guy from Fullerton going into Cal," Casey said. "We didn't get a chance to see him last year in conference, so it will be a little different for us. We have to be careful with him, keeping him out of fastball counts and keeping guys off base in front of him."
The Beavers are also getting big production from their first baseman. After struggling at the plate early in the series against USC, Jordan Lennerton has come back in a big way. He delivered an 11th inning walk-off home run on Sunday and hit a grand slam Tuesday against the Pilots. Lennerton has secured himself the number two spot for the Beavers in batting average by hitting .362, and is only trailing catcher Mitch Canham, who is now hitting .381.
"I am just doing whatever I can to help out," Lennerton said. "I struggled a little bit and we had guys on the team that were carrying my weight for me. I just feel I need to start carrying my own weight and the Cal series is a good time to do it."
The Beavers are looking for players to continue hot streaks into what is forecasted to be a cold and wet weekend in Corvallis. Centerfielder Chris Hopkins has been on a tear atop the Beavers lineup in the past weeks and is hitting .304, while leftfielder Mike Lissman is continuing his strong senior year hitting .318.
"We have to win the series," Casey said. "From here on out our goal is to win every series. Getting swept put us behind the eight ball, so winning the series puts us in a position to make a run at the top of the standings."
The Beavers and Golden Bears will begin the series today at 5 p.m. On Saturday, Rollin meets Beaver starter Joe Paterson at 1 p.m, and junior Daniel Turpen will take the mound for Oregon State on Sunday at 1 p.m. to finish up the weekend of baseball.
Note: writers will not reply to comments.
Be the first to comment on this story
Comments by registered users are approved by default.