Baseball is back. With a new season just around the corner, the Bears will look to build on from last season with a grounded approach.

Cal will first head to Houston, where it will face the Cougars in a three-game series beginning Feb. 17. Houston, the American Athletic Conference squad, capped off its 2022 season with a top three finish in the division, while boasting a 37-24 overall record. And while last year’s matchup saw the Bears come out on top with a 4-2 victory, the blue and gold won’t take anything for granted.

“They have an older team, and some new guys as well. They are a well-coached team,” said head coach Mike Neu. “We are definitely playing against a team that is going to be really good.”

After the three-game series against the Cougars, Cal will return to the Bay to play rivals Stanford in a battle for bragging rights. All eyes will be on the Pac-12 matchup, with the game possibly being a strong indicator of how well the Bears could perform this season.

No. 3 Stanford enters the new year as one of the best teams in all of college baseball, as it topped the conference with an impressive 47-18 overall record last year. Last season, Cal dropped three straight against the Cardinal, who are led by 2022’s Pac-12 home run leader Carter Graham.

Of course, the blue and gold have impact players of their own who could dominate on the field. All Pac-12 First Team honoree Caleb Lomavita returns for his sophomore campaign, as he excelled in his freshman season with a batting average of .272, along with 63 hits, 10 doubles, seven home runs and 46 RBIs. Lomavita is joined by promising outfielder Rodney Green Jr., who had a .293 batting average to go along with an OPS of .930.

On the mound, the pitching rotation consists of fresher faces in Ian May, Tucker Bougie, Christian Becerra and veteran senior Matt Lozovoy. Additionally, junior Paulshawn Pasqualotto is one to look out for, as he returns after missing his entire sophomore season due to injury. Back in 2021, Pasqualotto emerged as the No. 3 arm in the pitching staff, and received Freshman All-America honors.

With a long season ahead, Cal will focus on having a game by game mentality to start out the year.

“You want to take it one game at a time, one pitch at a time,” said Neu. “Everybody wants to get off to a good start, but at the same time you have to understand that it is a long season. Our job is to compete and play the game one pitch at a time, and if we do that we feel like we will be in a good position to win.”