The California Golden Bears kick off the 2011 College World Series against the Virginia Cavaliers Sunday morning at 11:00am on ESPN. California will send out Erik Johnson to face Danny Hultzen, the second overall pick in the 2011 MLB Draft. Johnson enters the game 7-4 with a 2.91 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and 100 strikeouts in 102 innings. Hultzen is 12-3 with a 1.49 ERA, 0.85 WHIP and 151 strikeouts in 108 2/3 innings. It's safe to say Virginia will probably find itself needing to play small ball if they're going to get enough runs off Hultzen.
The Bears lineup can hit the ball with authority but it will really come down to what they can do against Virginia's ace. As a team the Cavaliers have a line of .288/.358/.405. For comparison's sake, Virginia has put together a 2011 line of .306/.388/.419. It's not a dramatic difference, but Virginia won't be facing Hultzen who is a dominant pitcher.
Virginia is a team that is willing to let their pitcher hit as they'll go with no designated hitter on Sunday. Danny Hultzen is a phenomenal pitcher but he's also a very solid hitter and they don't want to lose his bat. Hultzen has put together a line of .320/.404/.456 with 35 RBIs and 6 stolen bases.
Here is a rundown of the two lineups for Sunday's game:
California Golden Bears
1. Austin Booker, LF
2. Tony Renda, DH
3. Chadd Krist, C
4. Marcus Semien, SS
5. Devon Rodriguez, 1B
6. Mitch Delfino, 3B
7. Chad Bunting, RF
8. Darrel Matthews, CF
9. Derek Campbell, 2B
Virginia Cavaliers
1. Chris Taylor, SS
2. John Barr, LF
3. John Hicks, C
4. Steven Proscia, 3B
5. Danny Hultzen, P
6. Kenny Swab, CF
7. David Coleman, RF
8. Jared King, 1B
9. Keith Werman, 2B
Make sure and follow our 2011 College World Series StoryStream over the coming days for CWS results. For more on Cal, check out California Golden Blogs.