Cal Baseball Foundation Golden Bear News & Notes
Issue link: http://www.epageflip.net/i/582199
Baseball Foundation 2 Cal Starter Daulton Jefferies Shines on Team USA T his summer, California Golden Bear sophomore right-hander Daulton Jefferies was selected to the Collegiate National Team by USA Baseball. Jefferies had a breakout year for the Bears in 2015, posting a 6-5 record with a 2.92 ERA and a team-high 74 strikeouts. He was instrumental for Cal in the NCAA Regionals, earning a win in the opening game of the College Station Regional against Coastal Carolina (7 IP, 1 ER, 3 H, 5 Ks) and a no decision in the final game of the Regional, striking out a pair in one inning of work. In four games (14 innings) for Team USA, Jefferies, an Atwater, California, native, was 1-1 with a 2.57 ERA, allowing only a pair of runs in a four-inning start against Chinese Taipei on June 23, and pitching three perfect innings in another start against Chinese Taipei on June 28, striking out one. The Team USA roster included 26 players, four of whom hail from the Pac-12. "We are very proud to have Daulton on the U.S. National Team representing Cal and the United States," Cal head coach David Esquer said. "It was a great experience for him, and I know how excited he was to wear USA across his chest." Jefferies split his time this summer with the Cape Cod League Wareham Gatemen and Team USA. He logged 12.0 innings in three appearances with Wareham, two of which were starts, and posted a 1-0 record with a sparkling 1.50 ERA. He struck out 14 opponents, allowing just two earned runs. C alifornia head baseball coach David Esquer announced the appointment of Thomas Eager as the Bears' assistant coach on July 27. Eager spent the previous three years (2013-15) at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo as an assistant under head coach Larry Lee. The Mustangs pitching staff compiled an earned-run- average of 3.50 under Eager's tutelage and set a new school record in 2014 for lowest ERA in a season since moving to Division I (3.05). The Mustangs rode their stellar pitching to a 47-12 record that year, as well as a number one seed in the NCAA Tournament. "Thomas Eager comes to us with a great reputation in both the collegiate and professional baseball worlds," Esquer said. "He is considered one of the best pitching minds in the country and is equally well thought of for his ability to develop talent. We are thrilled to have him as part of the Cal Baseball program and he will certainly be the next in the line of great pitching coaches here in Berkeley." Eager spent two seasons as the director of operations for his alma mater, Cal Poly, where he pitched for the Mustangs in 2006 and 2007. After his fifth-round selection in 2007 by the St. Louis Cardinals, Eager spent four seasons in the minor leagues. He played for the Batavia Muckdogs (short- season A), Quad Cities River Bandits (A), Palm Beach Cardinals (High-A), and Springfield Cardinals (AA), where he posted a 15-21 record during his professional career. The Visalia, California, native finished his sophomore season at Cal Poly in 2007 with an 11-3 record, notching a 3.43 ERA with 99 strikeouts in 126.0 innings of work on his way to First Team All-Big West accolades. As a redshirt freshman in 2006, Eager compiled a 1-2 record with a 4.15 ERA. Eager, 29, earned a bachelor of science degree in business management from the University of Phoenix in May of 2012 after studying business administration at Cal Poly. Thomas and his wife, Jenna, have one son, Trey, who was born in April 2014. Bears Welcome Thomas eager To lead cal PiTching sTaff Eager Spent the Last Three Seasons at Cal Poly in the Same Role Update: Cal Baseball Career Mentoring and Business Network After a very successful initial Career Mentoring & Business Network meeting last spring, co-chairmen Gwyn Mohr Tully and Gus Panagotacos and the Cal Baseball Foundation Board members, with the help of head coach Dave Esquer, will lead another program in September for the graduating senior players only. The entire baseball team will have the opportunity to attend the next mentoring and network meeting scheduled on November 11, 2015. Daulton Jefferies pitching for the USA Collegiate National Team. Assistant Coach Thomas Eager