Skip To Main Content
Skip To Main Content

California State University at Bakersfield Athletics

Next Event

Jashia Morrissey
Mark Duffel

Baseball

Revamped Outfield Key for Roadrunner Baseball

BAKERSFIELD – CSU Bakersfield was the surprise story of the Big West baseball season in 2021, spending most of the year near the top of the league standings despite being picked to finish last in the pre-season coaches' poll. The Roadrunners won't sneak up on anyone in 2022, with the season set to begin just over two weeks from today.
 
Leading up to a Feb. 18 season opener with Oakland University, GoRunners.com will take a position-by-position look at this year's team beginning with the Bakersfield outfield.   
 
No position group will see more of a makeover this season, following the graduation of stalwarts Evan Berkey and Nick Grossman, and the professional departure of center fielder Jacen Roberson. Despite the losses, the unit should remain a key strength on both sides of the ball, thanks in large part to two Pac-12 transfers and a key position change up the middle.
 
Third-year sophomore Jashia Morrissey will anchor the unit, opening the season in center field after beginning his CSUB career as an infielder. Morrissey boasts elite athleticism, along with the speed, range and arm strength to make a natural transition to the outfield.
 
The Los Angeles, Calif., native missed the COVID shortened 2020 season due to injury but returned to hit .214 with a .302 on-base percentage over 27 starts and 30 appearances in his first extended action a season ago. All five of his doubles and six of eight RBI came during the Big West stretch run.
 
Morrissey carried that momentum into summer ball, hitting .270 and reaching base at a .459-clip, while leading the Santa Barbara Foresters to a Golden State Collegiate League Championship.
 
"Jashia is a versatile athlete capable of playing multiple positions and he has adjusted well to CF in the early going," said CSUB Head Coach Jeremy Beard. "It will take a little time, but once he's more comfortable out there he should help shrink the field."
 
A top-250 prospect in 2020 according to both Perfect Game and Baseball America, Morrissey is primed for a breakout season and should start the year at the top of the Roadrunner line-up hitting in front of a pair of Pac-12 transfers.  
 
James Bell and AJ Miller we're top-recruits out of Northern California, and teammates at the University of Oregon, before making their way to CSUB.
 
Bell is a 2019 graduate of Clovis North High School in Fresno, Calif., and was the 44th ranked prospect in the state according to Perfect Game, hitting .421 with seven home runs and 65 RBI over his prep career.
 
He spent the 2020 season with the Ducks, appearing in nine games, before transferring to Fresno City College in 2021. Bell hit .430 and belted five home runs, while driving in 22 and scoring 30 times to earn First-Team All-Central Valley Conference honors and an All-State nod with the Rams.
 
He spent most of the fall season as the team's primary left fielder but could also figure into the mix behind the plate.
 
Miller was a 37th-round draft pick of the Oakland Athletics following a high school career at Casa Grande in Petaluma, Calif., where he was a two-time All-League selection and a Perfect Game All-American.
 
He hit better than .370 in each of his final two prep seasons, belting more than 20 extra-base hits and 50 RBI.
 
Miller should feature prominently as a corner outfielder and middle of the order bat at CSUB, after making 36 career appearances and 10 starts at Oregon.
 
"Bell and Miller are key additions and should provide a noticeable upgrade in the middle of our line-up," Beard explained.
 
Iowa Central transfer Nic Anderson-Vine slashed .330/.525/.429 as a freshman in 2018 and should figure into the mix at both corner positions. Vine is a native of Umina, Australia and becomes the third Australian National Team member to compete for CSUB in recent seasons.
 
Cory Blackburn and Michael Pollard add speed, depth and defensive play at all three outfield positions and could see innings late in games for the Roadrunners.
 
Blackburn appeared in six games during the COVID shortened 2020 season as CSUB's primary pinch runner and defensive replacement before sitting out the 2021 campaign with an injury.
 
Pollard is a graduate of Mission Viejo High School where he was a teammate of infielder Aaron Casillas for two seasons.
 
Bakersfield hosts 33 games at Hardt Field this season, beginning with a three-game series with Oakland University on Feb. 18-20. The Roadrunners will also host Kansas State and Utah at Hardt Field, along with Big West Conference series against Cal State Fullerton, Hawai'i, UC San Diego, Long Beach State and UC Santa Barbara.
 
Season and single-game tickets are now available for purchase on GoRunners.com/Tickets or by calling 661.654.BLUE.
 
All CSUB home games will stream live on ESPN+.
 
Print Friendly Version

Players Mentioned

Evan Berkey

#4 Evan Berkey

SS
5' 10"
Sophomore
R/R
Cory Blackburn

#29 Cory Blackburn

OF
5' 10"
Freshman
R/R
Nick Grossman

#3 Nick Grossman

OF
6' 0"
Junior
L/R
Jacen Roberson

#16 Jacen Roberson

OF
6' 1"
Freshman
L/L
Aaron Casillas

#2 Aaron Casillas

INF
5' 9"
Sophomore
R-R
Jashia Morrissey

#3 Jashia Morrissey

OF
6' 0"
Sophomore
S-R
Nic Anderson-Vine

#30 Nic Anderson-Vine

OF
6' 1"
Sophomore
R-R
James Bell

#19 James Bell

C/OF
6' 1"
Sophomore
R-R
AJ Miller

#10 AJ Miller

OF/1B
6' 2"
Junior
L-L
Michael Pollard

#31 Michael Pollard

OF
5' 10"
Freshman
R-R

Players Mentioned

Evan Berkey

#4 Evan Berkey

5' 10"
Sophomore
R/R
SS
Cory Blackburn

#29 Cory Blackburn

5' 10"
Freshman
R/R
OF
Nick Grossman

#3 Nick Grossman

6' 0"
Junior
L/R
OF
Jacen Roberson

#16 Jacen Roberson

6' 1"
Freshman
L/L
OF
Aaron Casillas

#2 Aaron Casillas

5' 9"
Sophomore
R-R
INF
Jashia Morrissey

#3 Jashia Morrissey

6' 0"
Sophomore
S-R
OF
Nic Anderson-Vine

#30 Nic Anderson-Vine

6' 1"
Sophomore
R-R
OF
James Bell

#19 James Bell

6' 1"
Sophomore
R-R
C/OF
AJ Miller

#10 AJ Miller

6' 2"
Junior
L-L
OF/1B
Michael Pollard

#31 Michael Pollard

5' 10"
Freshman
R-R
OF
California State University at Bakersfield Athletics loading logo