Cal Baseball Ready For Season to Kick Off

Alex Birge and David Shaw are not from here, but It didn't take long for either the Midwest transplant or Texas native to feel right at home in Berkeley after they arrived as first-year transfers last August. At Wednesday's first official team practice of 2025, they looked downright comfortable.

"My time here at Cal has been surrounded by amazing coaches and teammates who truly make it feel like home," Birge said. "The team has welcomed me with open arms and allowed me to be myself since day one."

"This is by far the quickest that I have built close and meaningful relationship with teammates and coaches," Shaw added.

Birge, a catcher from Olathe, Kan., and transfer from Wichita State, and Shaw (LHP, Houston, Texas – Texas/Rice) are both expected to be key members of the Golden Bears' roster in 2025 behind the plate and on the mound, respectively, where the Bears' have losses from a year ago with All-American catcher Caleb Lomavita and five members of the 2024 pitching staff now playing professional baseball.

But in today's age of regular roster rebuilds, being able to add players like Birge and Shaw is crucial to a program's success. Cal is relying more heavily upon the transfer portal than ever in 2025 with a total of 11 first-year transfers, including nine from four-year schools.

But it isn't just that Cal needs players like Birge and Shaw; they also need Cal and know what the Bears' baseball program can give to them.

"There's definitely a risk and a lot of unknowns going into the transfer portal, but it's something I knew I wanted to do," Birge said. "I wanted to elevate my experience as a teammate and a baseball player, and right away Cal checked all my boxes. Cal does a really good job of not only developing baseball players but also teaching a lot of life lessons and developing character. I never thought I would be out here in California, but that's what the transfer portal gave me the opportunity to do, and I've loved every second of it."

Birge was also very aware of the high level of baseball being played at Cal, especially at the catcher position where the Bears have had two first-round picks in the last six MLB Drafts with Washington selecting Lomavita last year and Houston taking current Chicago White Sox starter Korey Lee in 2019.

"It was incredible to see all of the people who have gone on to play professional baseball from Cal, especially at the catcher position," Birge said. "I knew the body of work was there before me, and I was really excited to just continue that tradition."

For Shaw, it was a conversation with pitching coach Chris Bodishbaugh that was a key point in his recruitment.

"Cal was not on my radar when I started the process, but it was definitely on my mind after the first time I talked with Chris," Shaw said. "He really blew me away. You could see that he was a guy that lives and breathes his craft. I'm at a stage in my career where I've had some ups and downs on the field, and I needed to be somewhere where there was going to be a real investment in my development."

Now that both players have become well-entrenched after just a few months at Cal, they are excited to see what the next few months will bring.

"One of the most exciting things for me and our pitching staff is that we're relatively young, and I like that," Shaw said. "In college baseball one of the things I've learned is that when the lights come on and you start playing games, you figure out what you have pretty quickly. I'm most excited to see how different guys interact with the big moment."

Birge is looking forward to a good mix of newcomers and returning players such as 2024 first-team all-conference middle infielders Jarren Advincula (second base) and PJ Moutzouridis (shortstop).

"With a lot of new guys, we bring a unique viewpoint," Birge said. "We see how things have been run at other places and have brought what we've liked into this program. At the same time, we have a really good group of core returners, so we've been able to see the high standard that things operate at here. We're all excited to see it flourish into something that we can build upon every single day."

Fans will soon be able to see for themselves as Cal opens its first campaign in the ACC in 2025 with a 10-game homestand at Stu Gordon Stadium, beginning Feb. 14 against Nevada. Cal will also hold its annual Alumni Game (Jan. 25, 1 p.m.) and FanFest (Feb. 1, 11 a.m.) prior to its season opener.