Feb. 1, 2013

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BERKELEY -

For the final segment of the Calbears.com mini features on Cal baseball's 2012 National Letter of Intent Signees, the Golden Bears highlight a pair of pitchers named Alex - Alex Martinez, a 6-0, 160-pound right-hander from Union City (Logan High School); and Alex Schick, a 6-6, 175-pound right-handed pitcher from San Diego (Cathedral Catholic High School).

Martinez throws a four-seam fastball between 86-91 with an outstanding curveball. He threw a one-hit complete game shutout against De La Salle as a sophomore in the North Coast Section title game. Martinez finished that season 4-1 with two complete games, two saves and a 1.41 ERA. He also had 77 strikeouts in 59.2 innings with a .176 opponent batting average.

"Alex Marinez is another pitcher among our 2012 signing class with outstanding mental make-up and will compete as well as any pitcher on our staff," said Cal pitching coach Mike Neu, a former Major Leaguer with the Oakland A's and the bullpen ace for the University of Miami 1999 National Champions. "Alex has been phenomenal at James Logan High School in big games and he expects to have success when he is on the mound. His fastball is solid with great movement and his delivery is very deceptive."

Schick is a tall right-hander with an outstanding slider to go along with a fastball in the high 80s-low 90s Schick Bullpen Video. As a junior, he was 4-1 with a 1.04 ERA and had 38 strikeouts in 40.1 innings pitched. Opponents only batted .212 against him.

"Alex Schick was a late bloomer in this signing class and has been a little bit overshadowed because he comes from a premier high school program with possibly the best pitching staff in the country," explained Neu. "Alex has developed into one of the best pitchers in California and will have a chance to make an impact in our program right away. We really like his ability to command his fastball and his breaking ball is a plus pitch."

The Cal coaching staff feels it has signed an outstanding 2012 NLI class of eight in-state athletes - featuring five pitchers and three position players. The pitchers include Martinez and Schick, Andrew Buckley from De La Salle High School, Trevin Haseltine from Will C. Wood High School and Daulton Jefferies from Buhach Colony High School. The position players are outfielder Aaron Knapp from Granite Bay High School, catcher John Riley from Willow Glen High School and Robbie Tenerowicz from Campolindo High School.

"We are very excited about this group," said Neu, Cal baseball's recruiting coordinator. "Our staff really focused on players who are competitive, athletic, and have a desire to learn and get better. The players in this class will be primed to have success here at Cal, as well as at the next level. These guys give us a great blend of pitching and offensive weapons that will be the foundation of our program for years to come."

The 2013 Bears' upcoming spring schedule features 26 home games at Evans Diamond, including hosting a three-game series against Michigan, Feb. 15-17 in Berkeley to open the 2013 campaign. Cal's non-conference schedule also includes a four-game series at UC Irvine, three games at the Houston College Classic (versus Baylor, North Carolina and Houston at Minute Maid Park, home of the Houston Astros) and a four-game home series versus Fresno State. Cal will also be hosting Pac-12 series versus USC, Oregon, Washington State, Arizona State and Stanford this spring at Evans Diamond.

Cal Baseball fans should also make plans to attend the second annual Fan Fest, Sunday, Feb. 10, 2013 at 11 a.m. at Evans Diamond. Following the Fan Fest festivities, there will be a Blue-Gold intrasquad scrimmage beginning at 1 p.m.