Meet CSUB Baseball 2023: Catchers

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. – The start of the 2023 Cal State Bakersfield baseball season is just around the corner, and sixth-year head coach Jeremy Beard continues working hard with his Roadrunners in preparation for the upcoming year. Ahead of the start of the season, we want to introduce the 2023 edition of the `Runners to fans.

Today marks the third of a four-part series breaking down Beard's squad, position by position. Last week, we introduced the CSUB Baseball outfielders, but now we want you to meet the `Runner catchers.

Quotes
Beard on the group: "Saldivar is a top-tier catcher defensively and his offense has developed into a strength of his game. He has the experience and mindset to take his game and our season to another level. Our back-up crew has worked to be a viable option, if necessary. Kurata and Lee are suitable options, while Bell is coming back from knee surgery. Matt Lee will add depth, with Cooper Gerecke and Konnor Palmeira developing as well."

`Runner Outfielders

#1 Matthew Lee
- Junior in his first season with the `Runners
- Transferred to CSUB from UL Monroe
- From Baton Rouge, La., went to Catholic HS
- Expected to compete for back-up spot
- Played 39 games with 26 starts in 2022
- Average .266 with 21 hits and 14 RBI
- Became ULM's starting catcher halfway through Sophomore season
#18 Angel Saldivar
- Redshirt Junior in his fifth year with the `Runners
- From Fullerton, Calif., went to El Dorado HS
- One of the team's primary catchers in 2022, starting in 30 of 35 total appearances
- Expected to take over as full-time starter
- Posted .259 batting average with 30 hits and 16 RBI
- Defensive specialist, with .975 fielding accuracy and 16-of-35 caught stealing in 2022
#55 Cooper Gerecke
- Freshman in his first season with the `Runners
- From Bakersfield, Calif. went to Liberty HS
- Batted .371 with 66 hits in 178 plate appearances
- Dual-sport athlete during high school, No. 19 in U21 Sporting Clay Shooting
- Earned All-Area and All-League honors as senior in 59 games for high school

Up First on the Schedule

Four-game series vs St. Thomas
Feb. 17-19, double-header on the 18^th
Full schedule available at GoRunners.com/Baseball
CSUB Season Tickets and Single-Game Tickets available at GoRunners.com/Tickets

~GoRunners.com~

Print Friendly Version

Players Mentioned

#18 Angel Saldivar: C; 5' 9"; Redshirt Junior; R/R

#1 Matthew Lee: C; Junior; R/R

#9 Konnor Palmeira: UT; Junior; R/R

#55 Cooper Gerecke: C; 5' 10"; Freshman; R/R

Players Mentioned

#18 Angel Saldivar
: 5' 9"; Redshirt Junior; R/R
: C

#1 Matthew Lee
: Junior; R/R
: C

#9 Konnor Palmeira
: Junior; R/R
: UT

#55 Cooper Gerecke
: 5' 10"; Freshman; R/R
: C