Baseball Preview: Stanford at California

BERKELEY, Calif. (Interstat) — Stanford and California meet Thursday night at Evans Diamond in a pivotal Atlantic Coast Conference series opener, with both teams hovering near .500 and seeking momentum down the stretch.

The Cardinal (26-23) visit the Golden Bears (27-24) at 6 p.m. Pacific in the first of a three-game set that continues Friday and Saturday.

Stanford enters having won four of its last five, including a 7-6 walk-off victory Tuesday against Saint Mary’s. Outfielder Brock Sell went 2 for 3 with three RBIs in that game and has been the Cardinal’s most consistent bat. Over his last 10 games, Sell has recorded hits in six of seven starts, with multiple RBIs in three of those contests. He is hitting at a .333 clip during that stretch and ranks among ACC leaders in runs batted in for the season.

California, meanwhile, took two of three at Virginia over the weekend, capped by an 8-7 win Sunday. Shortstop Jett Kenady drove in four runs in that game, including a home run. Kenady has flashed power recently, homering twice April 24 at Miami and adding another May 8 at Virginia. He is 7 for 25 (.280) over his last six games with five RBIs.

On the mound, Stanford’s pitching staff has been erratic but showed resilience Tuesday. Relievers Brock Ketelsen (2.0 innings, 1 hit, 0 earned runs) and Colt Peterson (1.2 innings, 0 hits, 1 strikeout) combined to keep Saint Mary’s off the board late. California’s bullpen struggled Sunday, as Ethan Foley allowed four earned runs in four innings, though Trent Roach worked two scoreless frames to earn the win.

Interstat’s game simulator projects a 6-5 Stanford victory, and its ELO system gives the Cardinal a 51.4 percent probability to win.

Both teams are looking to climb the ACC standings. Stanford has won 11 of its last 16, while California has dropped four of its last seven conference games. Thursday’s winner will have early control in the series.