With Season Set to Kick Off Friday, Neu Talks Potential Early Impact Additions

Cal baseball returns a significant piece of their production from last season’s 24-28 squad that made the Pac-12 postseason tournament, including much of their power production, particularly with the return of Golden Spike watchlist nominees Rodney Green and Caleb Lomavita.

But with the season set to kick off this Friday with Cal baseball’s opening day matchup with Kansas State at the MLB Desert Invitational, the Bears will be leaning on several new pieces from the transfer portal as well as the prep ranks to boost their prospects this season. Overall, the Bears added 22 new players to the roster, including 15 freshman, three grad transfers and four junior college transfers.

The following is a primer with Cal head coach Mike Neu discussing some of the new additions who are likely to be among the biggest contributors this season, starting with the grad transfers.

Tom Mayer - RHP 6-4/205 Princeton, NJ / Notre Dame HS / William and Mary University

"Tom Mayer is a grad transfer from William and Mary, right-handed pitcher," Neu said. "He was one of their one of their best guys last year. I think he led their team in appearances as they kind of ran a different style of pitching staff where they didn't really have set starters so they kind of rotated through. But I think he was in the top, like 20 or 25 in the NCAA in WHIP, which is always a pretty good predictor of success. He stood out to us as a guy who throws a lot of strikes and creates a lot of weak contact. He's an older guy who's had some success at a Division 1 program. Obviously a mid-major but we feel like he can help us and he had a good fall for us. He's got a good 2-seam sinking fastball. He's got a good repertoire of pitches with a cutter, a slider and a changeup and he's just older and a little bit more mature. So I think a guy like him definitely has a chance to have an impact.”

Luke Short - LHP 6-0/210 Grad Transfer Los Gatos, CA / Los Gatos HS / St. Edwards University

"Luke is another transfer from a Division 2 program in Texas. He was 12-1, and was an All-American. I think he led the nation in strikeouts for Division 2 and he's a left-hander. So he obviously is a guy we're going to definitely rely on in some role. So I think all those guys probably could compete for that spot and I think we're in a great position. We've had some time before the season so we can we can get these guys to compete a little bit and see where we're at.“

Alex Ritch - 6-2/220 OF Gr.Kentfield, CA / The Branson School / Middlebury

"Alex Ritch, he's another guy who's an older guy who had a great career at a Division 3 school. All-American over there, Conference Player of the Year. I think he's got a really good chance to be an impact guy. I mean, we had a big season from Cade Kretschmar who was an Ivy League stud after he transferred over last year. I'm not saying that we're gonna get a repeat performance of that but I think we are getting a veteran guy that's got some tools. He's got some power. He can run, he can steal some bases. He understands how to play the game. He's played a lot of baseball games in college. And I think it definitely gives us another guy that we feel like we can we can count on that has some real tools. So I think that's, that's another exciting guy to get. To get those guys is big. And obviously, it's a little more difficult to get guys into school here. I think we landed some guys that we feel really, really good about."

The advent of Cal offering several credential programs has helped the program be more aggressive in the grad transfer market, offering access to seasoned players ready to step in and contribute right away.

"It's a huge deal to have the certificate programs," Neu said. "That was game-changer, just to have that ability. They obviously have to still value the education you get at Cal but that's huge.”

PJ Moutzouridis INF 6-0/175 FR San Jose, Calif. / Valley Christian HS

"I think with the middle infield, we're excited about those guys. PJ Moutzouridis from Valley Christian, he was WCAL Player the Year last year and has been really, really solid for us this fall," Neu said. "Just a really good defender, runs really, well has a very good feel for the game. Just kind of understands the timing and the tempo of the game and really competes, which is awesome, as a freshman to see. So I think we're excited about his ability to play shortstop and then go out there and just kind of do it every day. And it's just nice to have a guy that can not only play defense probably - I know it can be difficult to hit at this level as a freshman just because you're seeing day in, day out, really good pitching - but his ability to run and do some things execution-wise with his bat and really compete with the bat are going to help him sustain offensively, which is exciting, because if you're just going out there just trying to bang, unless your name's Andrew Vaughn, you're probably gonna go through some ups and downs. So he's going to be a big part of this."

Jarren Advincula INF FL/R 6-0/180 Fr.Santa Clara, Calif. / Archbishop Mitty HS

"At second base, Jarren Advincula is almost like a very similar version of player except a left-handed hitter,” Neu said. “And he played short in high school at Mitty. He's playing second for us now, but he's a very good bat-to-ball guy. Very good runner, very good base stealer. Outstanding range and arm strength defensively. So we feel like we got a couple guys that up the middle, which  is something that is going to be so huge for our pitching and just in general run prevention. We're excited about those two guys being up the middle. So I think we landed a couple really, really good freshmen middle infielders. That's gonna be exciting.”

Ryan Tayman C/INF 6-3/225 FR Grover Beach, Calif. / Arroyo Grande HS

"We also have a potential replacement for Lomavita when he leaves who has a really good chance to DH or spell Loma at catcher this season, Ryan Tayman. He's from the San Luis Obispo area, Arroyo Grande High School, but just an advanced hitter and really physical. He's a legit power bat who uses the whole field who can threaten the opposite field gap and hit oppo homers and he's just a very mature young hitter. So we feel like this guy can really compete to be a DH for us. He's going to be able to catch for us when we need him and the hope is that he can be a big-time impact bat you know for us down the road and then hopefully we can get him in positions to gain confidence and really do well as a freshman because I think we got another another really good bad in our program and we've done pretty well with those guys in the past.

"It's big obviously to have Loma. We're gonna catch him as much as we can. And then you know and then (soph Nico) Button did a nice job for us. He's definitely going to have a chance to be that guy that spells them because we know what he can do. And he's a good bat off the bench too. It's a left-handed bat that puts together really competitive at-bats. He's going to definitely have a role to compete to back up Loma and have a chance to DH. He's definitely gonna have a chance to pinch hit so I think we have three guys behind the plate who we feel pretty good about. Then obviously, they're all different classes so Button will be back next year, Tayman will be back. Loma will be gone barring anything with the draft but he has a chance to go really high in the draft, which is great.”

Dominic Smaldino RHP 6-6/235 FR Ladera Ranch, Calif. / Junipero Serra HS

"When I think about pinch hitters and having depth, Smaldino's a guy who comes right to the forefront,” Neu said. “We'll have (Peyton) Schultze at first base, but we feel like we got a really solid backup and a guy that can push him because we're gonna have to continue to compete for spots and you've got just a massive human being that has major power and is a big target for our infielders at first base. So he's going to continue to gain confidence. He comes from a great program. They won the Southern Section CIF two years in a row at JSerra down there and there's been no program better in California than then where he came from and he was one of their best players. So we really feel good about getting him and I think at a minimum, he's he's a bat off the bench that can pinch hit against left-handed pitching. At best, he's pushing Schultz to start and gonna create opportunities for himself. But he's a presence. The dude has an absolute presence in the batter's box. And he's got great makeup, great background. All the things that you're looking for."

Quinn Larson RHP 6-4/220 FR Gilroy, CA / Gilroy HS

"The guy has got an absolute rocket arm," Neu said of Larsen. "He's been up to 96-97 (on the radar). Really good slider, really physical kid and great work ethic and makeup. He's going to help us. I think when I think about him, I think about him being a future starter for us but probably more of a bullpen guy this year, at least to start the year, that can be really impactful in the late-inning role, whether it's a setup guy or a closer. But the dude is going to absolutely be a stud so I think it's exciting to get that guy in there, get his feet wet and then just see how good he can be as a freshman but he's gonna get the ball.”

Maybe the only thing that kept the talented freshman out of the draft and onto the Cal roster was an arm injury he’s largely now recovered from.

"He had that surgery and he's been out here," Neu said of Larsen's recovery. "He hasn't missed any time for us in the fall. Didn't even didn't miss anything so it worked out great. The timing of it worked out perfect for for him missing basically the end of his high school season and the summer and then was ready to go pretty much full go once he got here, which was great. 
Newmann looks like another talented addition to Yeah,

Trey Newmann - RHP 6-6/190 Fr. Central Pointe, Ore. / North Medford HS

"Newman was kind of the other guy we were worried about the draft,” Neu said of Cal’s opening day starter vs Kansas State Friday night. “He definitely was getting some draft buzz. Definitely was a guy we were like, 'Man, I don't know if we're gonna get him once the draft came, came and went, he missed it and we felt like, ‘Hey, man, we got a real impact arm’ and he's also had a good fall. He's another guy who made the area code team from the northwest, who can run it up to 93-94 with a really good breaking ball. Really good competitor. So I think he's another guy that could he could give a push to start to, which is great."

Oliver de la Torre RHP 6-4/220 Fr.Pleasanton, Calif. / Amador Valley HS

"I think a couple more to keep an eye on are probably Oliver De la Torre and Oliver Boone. De la Torre is from Amador Valley. He had Tommy John surgery his junior year and he missed his season. He pitched last year. Had a good year but was kind of a little bit limited. But another big arm, a guy that can potentially get up to 95. Really physical kid. Missed a little bit of time for us in the fall. We're trying to be careful and make sure that we got him 100% healthy because he did push it a little bit in high school but he has a chance to be a power arm, kind of like your prototypical physical, big starter that that can just kind of get on top of the ball and throw it downhill with with some really good pitches. So I think he's an interesting guy that I'm excited to see back once we can kind of get him full-go, but has some big upside.

Oliver Boone RHP 6-4/180 Fr.North Hollywood, Calif. / Notre Dame HS

"And then Oliver Boone was the number one starter for Notre Dame High School in Southern California, and kind of a sinker/slider guy, but ultra-competitive with really good stuff. And another really good program in Southern California. So I think those two guys, they're gonna get the ball. We're just kind of figuring out who we have and who's going to be in what roles but those guys, they throw strikes, they know how to compete. And when you kind of put those things together with some decent stuff, which they have, you're gonna have opportunities.”

Though the rotation is set for this weekend’s opening games, with Newmann starting Monday followed by Mayer and returning starter/reliever Andres Galan, the rotation is wide open, particularly with ace pitcher Ian May not fully-recovered from last season’s arm surgery.

“We don't have a clear-cut idea of what our starting pitching is going to look like during the season,” Neu said. “We're obviously kind of waiting to see how Ian May progresses. A lot of that may depend on where he's at. He's ahead of schedule and he's doing really well. So I think we're going to kind of see how he progresses the next couple weeks and then decide if he's available. Is he going to be able to pitch earlier than we expected? If so, then obviously, we can incorporate that into our rotation a little bit more. If not, then we'll decide kind of where we go from there. So I think there'll be some competition and then just seeing how he how he kind of comes along with his rehab and recovery.

The competition for the Friday night starter and the starting rotation in general has been competitive and will likely remain so the first month or two of the season.

"I think that's what we'll compete for a little bit," Neu said. "Christian Becerra pitched in that role last year and he had a really good fall, did well for us. He had some adversity and he had some tough outings, but I think he also has some really good experience and he came out and did well, so I think he could compete for that. I think a guy like Tom Mayer and Luke Short could compete. 

Neu stressed that the Friday night starter role shouldn't mean more than the starting role on any other day of the week and that each piece of the rotation is equally important in it’s own way.

"I think a lot of our players put so much merit into what day they pitch and we're trying to get away from that a little bit. It's like, 'Hey, man, if you have the ball and you're on the mound, it's important,' and I want them to compete, and I want them to understand that there's different roles, but they're all important. So I think whatever day a guy pitches, we just want to make sure that they know this can be a big game, no matter whether we're going to be going for a series sweep, we're going to be going for a series tie, we're going to be trying to take the series. I mean, I think these are all pretty, pretty big deals. But we have some good options, I don't know that we have a clear cut just returning ace. But we have some guys that we feel like can get the job done and are going to compete really, really well so I think that's good. That's the exciting thing about this roster. 

As far as May’s rehab and return go, as is often the case, the returning starter in some ways feels better than he did before his injury after having to shut down last season after starting out 1-0 with a perfect 0.00 ERA in his first two starts.

"I think that's definitely the case," Neu said. "I think a lot of these guys return stronger. And I think part of the reason they do that is obviously their surgery has been done. So that's repaired. And you have that kind of that confidence that you can cut it loose and go but I think the other part of it is we really crushed that rehab. So the things that go into your shoulder rehab, all these things - the mobility, you're doing all of these little things that it's the only thing you can do. In the past, it's kind of part of your routine that you do, but you're throwing off the mound, you're playing catch up every day, you're working on all these things - we don't have the ability to do that, because we're limited. So we're doing all these detailed little rehab things that have to do with your shoulder mobility, your stability, strength, your mobility in your in your thoracic spine and hips. And all of a sudden, you come back and you're like, 'Wow, man, I feel great.'

“These are things that you put ultimate focus on and all of a sudden, you’re 2-3 mph firmer and that's usually not a bad thing. So yeah, I think that's definitely a possibility he comes back stronger. And I think that's one of the reasons you see that quite a bit with these guys when they come back."

The Bears will face off against Kansas State at 6 pm on Friday’s opener on the MLB Network.

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