By Jonathan Okanes, Cal Athletic Communications
BERKELEY – National rankings. NCAA Tournament berths. Record-setting crowds. Success in the classroom. Connections with the community.
To put it simply, the Cal baseball program is thriving. The Bears are preparing for the NCAA Regionals in College Station, Texas this weekend, following a memorable regular season. Cal has been entrenched in the national polls for most of the season and ended up tied for third place in the always-rugged Pac-12 Conference.
With Evans Diamond now equipped with lights, night games have increased attendance while afternoon games pack in crowds full of families with children who are afforded an intimate connection with players and coaches.
The man overseeing much of these successes is head coach David Esquer, now in his 16th year in Berkeley. He’s about to guide the Bears through his fifth postseason appearance at Cal – including a berth in the College World Series in 2011. He’s also created a program brimming with excitement and a connection to the community – resulting in a terrific atmosphere around Evans Diamond.
“Dave’s leadership has been huge for this program,” said Dan McInerny, the vice chairman of the Cal Baseball Foundation who played for the Bears in the late 1970s. “Dave is very well-liked and is terrific with the kids. He’s a character-first guy.”
On most Sundays at Evans Diamond this season, swarms of kids got to run the bases and secure autographs after the game – part of the program’s “Kids Day” festivities. Players and coaches would remain on the field for great lengths of time, making sure each kid got the autographs he or she wanted.
Such gestures have helped foster an environment where fans feel a closeness to the program. The likability and accessibility of players and coaches has strengthened the bond between the team and the fan base.
“A lot of that comes from Esquie,” Cal first baseman Chris Paul said. “He’s very positive. It’s a team atmosphere. He’s been a big part of getting us going in the right direction.”
The character-rich program didn’t happen by accident. Esquer has made a point to recruit student-athletes that are the right fit for his philosophy.
“You want them to be every bit of a student-athlete,” Esquer said. “You want them to be good people, and people of high character. We want to be able to model high character for them.”
It’s that type of character that has helped Esquer guide the program during a challenging time. Due to budget constraints, Cal’s baseball program was eliminated in 2011. But thanks to the generosity of the Cal baseball community, the program was reinstated. The Bears went on to earn a berth in the College World Series that same year, and Esquer has been steering the ship in the right direction ever since.
“He’s a great coach and a great person,” said former Cal pitcher Tyson Ross, now an All-Star with the San Diego Padres. “To see the program thriving like it is now with him at the helm - it’s not surprising to me at all. He navigated the program through some tough times, but his nature is to bring everyone together and find a way to get it done.”
Esquer kept the program in the right direction by simply being himself – honest, sincere and hard-working. They are traits that rub off on his student-athletes, and all those connected to the program can’t help but notice.
“You want to be accessible,” Esquer said. “I’ve told the organizers to let the dads and kids play catch on the field for as long as they want. When we can let them touch and feel our program at that level, it makes them feel connected.”
Although it was a distinctly different set of circumstances, Esquer says this year’s team compares favorably to the one that wrote a storybook script in 2011. Cal gets its first chance to provide a sequel Friday when it opens regional play against Coastal Carolina.
“They are very similar in one sense – there’s a strong sense of camaraderie,” Esquer said. “That’s what I want to be the basis of our program. I want a bunch of players who feel like they’re playing with their brothers and their best friends. When you can start there and have that type of bond with your program, you really can do special things.
