BERKELEY -- The Cal baseball team returns to the friendly confines of Evans Diamond this week to host Gonzaga in a four-game non-conference series beginning on Friday night. The Bears and Bulldogs will match up for a pair of games on Saturday before finishing the series with a single game on Sunday. Live stats for all four games can be found on CalBears.com and live updates from each game will be available on the Cal Baseball Twitter account (@Cal_Baseball).

Cal will look to bounce back from a four-game trip to Texas Tech that yielded continued growth even as the No. 11 Red Raiders swept the series. The Bears showed flashes though, especially on the mound, as they dropped a two-run decision on Friday and a one-run contest on Saturday.

PROBABLE STARTERS

Friday, March 3, 7:05 p.m.
Cal: RHP Tanner Dodson (0-2, 5.23 ERA)
Gonzaga: RHP Eli Morgan (0-1, 5.25)

Saturday, March 4 (game one), 12:05 p.m. - new start time
Cal: RHP Jared Horn (0-1, 5.06)
Gonzaga: LHP Mac Lardner (1-0, 2.79)

Saturday, March 4 (game two) - 4:05 p.m.
Cal: TBA
Gonzaga: RHP Justin Vernia (1-1, 2.38)

Sunday, March 5 - 1:05 p.m.
Cal: RHP Rogelio Reyes (0-1, 8.31)
Gonzaga: RHP Casey Legumina (0-1, 7.50)

SCOUTING REPORT: GONZAGA
• The Bulldogs make their way up the California coast after three competitive games at UCLA last weekend. Head coach Mark Machtolf's squad went 1-2, winning the series opener 2-1 behind six strong innings from Eli Morgan and four innings of quality relief from Sam Hellinger and Wyatt Mills.
• Gonzaga was picked to finish second by WCC coaches after sharing the conference title with BYU and Saint Mary's in 2016. Reigning WCC Player of the Year Jeff Bohling is back to anchor the infield. 
• All-Time Series: Cal leads 4-3
• Last Meeting: The Bears and Bulldogs finished the 2013 season with a single game that Cal won 3-2 in 12 innings at Evans Diamond. Mitchell Kranson went 3 for 6 and had the game-winning hit with an RBI single in the 12th inning.    

LAST TIME OUT
Cal's trip to Texas didn't yield much in the way of wins but a young group of Bears continued to gain valuable experience against a strong Texas Tech squad. Right-hander Tanner Dodson was particularly impressive on Friday, allowing just one earned run while working into the eighth inning. Fellow right-hander Jared Horn pitched well Saturday, holding the No. 11 Red Raiders to three runs in 5 2/3 innings and new bullpen mainstays Arman Sabouri and Zayne Patino each contributed an impressive stint of long relief for the Bears. 

THE KIDS ARE ALRIGHT
Fielding a team full of newcomers, Cal saw plenty of talent on display in its first series of 2017. Freshman Anthony Walters led that charge, going 5 for 9 with a run, a double and three RBI in his first collegiate series. The Chino, Calif. native leads the Bears in batting average entering the Gonzaga series at .350 while fellow freshman middle infielder Cameron Eden ranks fourth at .308. A total of 10 freshmen or sophomores got an at-bat on the first weekend of the season and seven of Cal's 10 pitchers came from those classes as well.

GOOD TO SEE YOU
Cal head coach David Esquer and Gonzaga head coach Mark Machtolf certainly aren't strangers. The two were teammates on Stanford's 1987 College World Series championship team and both earned All-CWS honors for helping the Cardinal win the national title. 

ON DECK
The Bears continue a two-week battle with the West Coast Conference as they travel to Southern California to square off with perennial conference title contender Pepperdine. The three-game series between the Bears and Waves kicks off March 10 at 2 p.m., continues March 11 at 1 p.m. and wraps up on March 12 at 1 p.m. Cal comes home after the trip south to host four in a row, beginning with a mid-week visit from Minnesota. Oregon comes to town from March 17-19 to kick off Pac-12 play.