Game #1 – Sunday, Feb. 3 “Opening Day”
vs. Central Washington (0-0, 0-0 GNAC)
Pioneer Field
10 a.m. | Live Stats

Game #2 – Monday Feb. 4
2 p.m. | Live Stats

Game #3 – Tuesday, Feb. 5
2 p.m. | Live Stats

Game #4 – Wednesday, Feb. 6
2 p.m. | Live Stats

HAYWARD, Calif. – The Pioneers are combining two of the best days of the year this weekend as Super Bowl Sunday coincides with Opening Day of the 2013 baseball season. The Cal State East Bay team, under second-year head coach Bob Ralston, is set to navigate a difficult schedule that features some of the nation's top programs. The long journey begins at 10 a.m. on Sunday, when the Pioneers welcome in Central Washington for the first of a four-game series. The remaining three games of this unusual Sunday-to-Wednesday series are scheduled for 2 p.m. at Pioneer Field.

2012 IN REVIEW
Last year was the first in red and black for Ralston, as well as for his assistants, former Major Leaguer Darren Lewis and pitching coach Jon Norfolk. The Pioneers managed an 18-30 record (including a win over Division I San Jose State) and went 12-26 in conference play. As a team, they posted a .262 batting average and .339 on-base percentage. The pitchers turned in a 4.66 ERA and struck out 316 batters in 401 innings.

The biggest spikes the Pioneers have to fill in 2013 are those of starting pitcher A.J. Gallardo. The senior went 6-1 with a 2.54 ERA and three complete games (all tops on the team), earning second-team All-CCAA honors. Infielder Jordan Wilder also received postseason recognition. He was named All-CCAA honorable mention after batting .317 to lead the team, and fortunately, he's back for his senior year. 

BEST OF THE WEST
Wins are tough to come by in the CCAA. Once again, East Bay will play a schedule that features most of the top teams in the West, including multiple games against nationally-ranked opponents. Traditionally, the CCAA is one of the country's elite baseball conferences, and 2013 projects to be no different. In the NCBWA's West Region preseason rankings, six of the top ten teams and nine of the top-13 hail from the CCAA. The toughest tests will likely be UC San Diego (defending CCAA Tournament Champions and ranked second in the West this year) and top-ranked Chico State, the defending West Region Champions. 

2013 OUTLOOK – PITCHERS
The Pioneers return just one of their regular weekend starters from last year in senior Ben O'Bryan. The right-hander made nine starts, going 2-4 with a 3.48 ERA in 51.2 innings, and he is expected to start on Opening Day for East Bay. Also returning is sophomore Michael Pope (16.1 IP, 3.86 ERA), who will start on Monday. Zachary Wong (2-3 record, two saves, team-leading 20 appearances) also figures to play a prominent role on this year's staff.

Senior right-handed Charlie Sharrer will likely begin the season in the closer role for the Pioneers. Sharrer made three starts in 2012, and the two-way player is also one of the East Bay's top hitters (team-best five HR and .476 slugging percentage last year). Senior utility player Kenny Uyetake is also expected to see time on the hill in 2013, as is junior righty Nick Goulet, who missed all of last year due to elbow surgery.

Coach Norfolk has cultivated a talented group of incoming hurlers. Right-handers Matt Fontaine and Nick Hudson are expected to start the third and fourth games of the opening series. Sean Becker, an All-Conference selection last year at Los Angeles Mission College, joins fellow right-handers Taylor Kruger, Chris Schmalz, Daniel Ocasio, and Brian Allec. Left-handers Billy Wardell and Bryce Vidmar round out the class of Pioneers newcomers. 

2013 OUTLOOK – CATCHERS
Senior David Castillo returns as East Bay's primary catcher, though he will likely play some infield this year too. Castillo started 38 games in 2012 and batted .254. Another senior, Kyle Zozaya, caught some last year when he wasn't served as the DH, and may fill that role at certain points in 2013.

Chris Porter is a promising catching prospect as well, and should see some time behind the dish. The 6'1” freshman was named All-State of California as a high school senior. Oakley native Tyler Buchanan rounds out the catching corps for the Pioneers. The 6'3” senior was a preseason All-American in 2011 while at Los Medanos CC.

2013 OUTLOOK – INFIELDERS
Zozaya is expected to be a strong candidate to play first base (as well as catcher and DH). The senior started 45 games last year, batting .289 with just 13 strikeouts in 185 plate appearances. Left-handed freshman David Elzig should also see some innings at first base this season.

The rest of the Pioneer infield projects to be mainly newcomers. Second baseman Eren Miravalles had an excellent preseason after being named All-Northern California last year, hitting .354/.466 with 14 SB at Cañada College. Junior Zac Chuvala has established himself as an outstanding defender and will likely get the opportunity to play shortstop this year. Challenging Chuvala for playing time at short will be freshman Marcus Williams, an Oakland native.

Roger Luna, Naea Kalehuawehe, Ryan Strouse, and Jake Villa make up the rest of the new Pioneer infielders. And with several starting positions still up for grabs, East Bay fans can expect to see each of them on the field over the course of the season.

2013 OUTLOOK – OUTFIELDERS
Wilder was primarily an infielder in 2012, but the Pioneers' leading hitter will most likely play in the outfield this season. The senior led the team with 53 hits, 22 walks, 10 SB, and a .412 on-base percentage a year ago. Fellow senior Bryson Nakamura ought to figure prominently in the outfield, as well. The native Hawaiian played in 35 games (28 starts) in 2012 without committing a defensive error. Fans can also expect to see Sharrer roaming the outfield on occasion when he's not on the mound.

The Pioneers also have an impressive group of newcomers from which to fill out the outfield spots. Junior Brandon Alexander, a 6'2” left-handed hitter, transferred from Southern Virginia University, where he was a USCAA All-American in 2012. Local product Andrew Rodriguez (Union City/James Logan HS) joins the team after spending three years with San Jose State, bringing some much-needed speed to the lineup. Also competing for outfield playing time with be Uyetake, Villa, junior Cory Hearne (batted .372 at Laney College), and freshman Michael Jenkerson, (two-time All-League selection at Willow Glen HS in San Jose). 

PRESEASON POLL
Although Coach Ralston managed to avoid finishing in the cellar last year despite being a first-year coach in the powerhouse CCAA, the Pioneers didn't receive much preseason love from the other coaches and were picked to finish last in 2013. East Bay received 18 points, two behind 10th-place San Francisco State. Chico State was picked first and received eight first place votes. UC San Diego got two first-place votes, while Cal Poly Pomona received the remaining one. Below are the full poll results:

2013 CCAA Preseason Coaches' Poll
1. Chico State (8) – 98 points
2. UC San Diego (2) – 90 points
3. Cal Poly Pomona (1) – 79 points
4. Sonoma State – 77 points
5. Cal State San Bernardino – 55 points
6. Cal State L.A. – 53 points
7. Cal State Monterey Bay – 47 points
8. Cal State Stanislaus – 45 points
9. Cal State Dominguez Hills – 23 points
10. San Francisco State – 20 points
11. Cal State East Bay – 18 points

SCOUTING CENTRAL WASHINGTON
The Wildcats finished with a nearly identical record to East Bay in 2012 (19-31), although they were just 6-19 on the road. CWU was a solid offensive team, getting on base at a .373 clip, but run prevention was their main problem. Opponents batted .322 against them, and their team ERA was 6.29, with only one Wildcat pitcher posting a mark under 4.80. The team returns two weekend starters from last year (Jason Lotzer and Randy Button) and adds a couple notable transfers (LHP Skye Adams from Edmonds CC and RHP Stuart Fewel from Lower Columbia College). On offensive, All-GNAC catcher Kyle Sani (.322, 6 HR, 39 RBI) returns as the Wildcats leading power hitter. They also have two-thirds of their outfield back in Ethan Sterkel (.296/.365) and Jimmy Ryerson (.292/.373), both All-GNAC honorees as well. Top recruit Justin Weigel (.352 BA as a SS at Yakima Valley CC) hopes to solidify a lineup that lost its top three hitters from a year ago. East Bay last played CWU in 2011, when the Wildcats took three out of four at Pioneer Field.