June 1, 2009

WALNUT CREEK, CALIF. - The University of California baseball program had four players selected to the 2009 Pac-10 All-Academic Team, it was announced today by Pac-10 Commissioner Tom Hansen.

The Golden Bears' first-team Pac-10 All-Academic pick was redshirt freshman Dixon Anderson (3.60 GPA, undeclared). The 6-5, 225-pound right-hander from Piedmont, Calif. finished the year 1-0 with a 3.98 ERA, three saves and had 37 strikeouts in 43.0 innings. On May 11 Anderson was named the Pac-10 Pitcher of the Week when he picked up a win and two saves (8.2 innings, eight hits, one run, eight strikeouts, 1.04 ERA). He earned saves versus UC Davis May 5 and at UCLA May 8, forcing the Bruins into a game-ending double play with runners on first and third in the bottom of the ninth. Anderson then threw a career-high 6.2 innings of relief in an 8-3 win over the Bruins May 10. In that game he fanned a career-high seven batters to help lead the Bears to their first Pac-10 series win on the road and pick-up his first career victory.

Cal's second-team Pac-10 All-Academic honoree was sophomore right-hander Brian Diemer (3.41, undeclared), who went 2-6 with a 6.34 ERA, a save and had 40 strikeouts in 59.2 innings. Highlights for Diemer (Lafayette, Calif.) this season included throwing a career-high 7.2 innings with three hits and eight strikeouts against Vanderbilt, and a career-high nine strikeouts in 6.0 innings against Stanford.

The Bears had two more players selected honorable mention Pac-10 All-Academic - sophomore first baseman/outfielder Mark Canha and junior center fielder Brett Jackson. Both Canha and Jackson were members of the 2009 All-Pac-10 squad as well. Canha (San Jose, Calif.) led Cal with a .366 average, 12 home runs and 43 RBI and was the March 3 Pac-10 Player of the Week after going 9-for-20 (.450) with seven runs, two doubles, two home runs and five RBI in Cal's wins over Vanderbilt (4-3), at Santa Clara (12-2) and three-game sweep at Long Beach State (11-8, 9-6, 6-3).

Jackson (Orinda, Calif.) ended the year batting .321 with 17 doubles, six triples (3rd on the Cal single-season list), eight home runs and 41 RBI. He had a spectacular game May 12 versus Sacramento State, going 4-for-6 with a three-run triple, a grand slam and a career-high eight RBI. Jackson is projected to be the 34th player selected in the June Major League Amateur Draft by Baseball America.