Know Your Enemy: California Golden Bears

(I asked these guys what I need to know about the Cal Golden Bears, here is what they told me)

It’s softball time in the bluegrass!

Let’s face it, it’s been a pretty boring news week besides the Harrow commitment and now we can only flirt with the idea if Rodney Purvis will come to the big blue to play alongside Harrow, but in the meantime it’s time to get to know your enemy, because this time…Your enemy isn’t in football or basketball. It’s in softball, so let’s get our California hate on.

The California Golden Bears are coached by Diane Ninemire. Okay at first glance I really wanted to find something to make fun of this chick over, but good God she’s been at California forever. Literally, her first year in the dugout was in 1988 as head coach, but she’s been an assistant at Cal since 1983. As a head coach she has a hellacious record of 1,014-498, that was entering the 2011 season and she looks pretty tough, so don’t pick a fight with her Saturday and Sunday unless you know she can’t catch you.

You’ll most likely be hearing a lot of sophomore, Jolene Henderson from the circle on Saturday, as she’s pitched 44 of the 52 games that Cal has played and appeared in 46 of those games. As a starter she’s won 37 total games and has only lost seven and her ERA for the season is 0.80. So put your money on her being in the circle, and put your money on her pitching a very good game.

If I had to name a player for Kentucky fans to keep an eye on, it would actually be two players in Britt Vonk (awesome last name, she’s from the Netherlands too) and Jamia Reid. Both have been at the plate 155 times this season and both have 65 hits on the season which evens out to a .419 batting average for both of them. Their statistics are almost identical, except their positions. Vonk will be at shortstop, while Reid will be mostly DHing for the Bears, but she can play out field as well. Reid is leading the team in stolen bases on the Bears squad with 29 steals in 33 attempts, and Vonk is right behind her with 26 stolen bases on 31 attempts. On defense it’s a different story, obviously because one plays infield and one plays outfield. Vonk leads the team in errors with 19 on the year, while Vonk has zero.

Quick Hits:

Starting lineup looks something like this based on the last few games of the season for the Bears.

DH: Jamia Reid

SS: Britt Vonk

3B: Jace Williams (reading the team in RBIs with a whopping 41)

C: Lindsey Ziegenhirt-.221 batting average

RF: Ashley Decker-.234 batting average

CF: Frani Echavarria Almost beats Vonk out for coolest last name and has a batting average of .270

2B: Victoria Jones-.196 batting average

1B: Jordan Wallace-.157 batting average

LF: Elia Reid-.261 batting average

P: Jolene Henderson-.217 batting average

The Bears will be a tough team to beat in Lexington, bringing in an overall 42-10 record. Four of those losses has come on the road though while is a somewhat good sign, but California is always a solid softball team, which makes the game in Lexington this weekend even bigger for the fans involved.

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