Counting Down Cal's Top-50 Transfer Athletes: No. 6 Mike Wolger

The transfer portal era in college athletics seems like it’s been with us forever. Likewise, most fans can recall less turbulent times when transfers happened, they simply didn’t look like a stampede to the 1849 California Gold Rush.

We thought it was time to rank the best transfers Cal teams have attracted, most of them in recent seasons but also including a few OGs from yesteryear.

We limited our ranking to transfers from four-year colleges.

Here is the next athlete in our countdown:

6. Mike Wolger

Sport: Baseball

Arrival year at Cal: 1993-94

Previous school: UC Santa Barbara (batted .364 in 53 games in 1993)

Contributions at Cal:

— Was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 54th round in 1994 after sitting out to redshirt during the Cal season as a transfer.

— The 6-foot-2, 195-pound left-hander, who pitched a no-hitter and struck out 17 batters in separate games at Serra High School in San Mateo in the Bay Area, played first base and was a relief pitcher for the Bears.

— His .432 batting average in 1995 was the result of going 57 for 132 in 38 games. He had 12 doubles, three triples, two home runs, scored 29 runs and compiled 33 RBIs.

— Wolger was selected in the MLB draft for the second time following the 1995 college season, taken by the Montreal Expos in the 24th round. He played portions of two minor league seasons, batting .252 in 61 games with three pitching appearances.

Standout performance: Wolger’s .432 batting average in his lone active year with the Bears remains the program’s single-season record 31 years later. He posted a .493 on-base percentage and a 1.114 OPS.

Impact on his team: The Bears put together a solid season in 1995, posting a 32-25 overall record, including a third-place finish in the Pac-12 Conference with an 18-12 mark.

Previously on our list:

No. 7: Charlie Wi

No. 8: Davis Webb

No. 9: Hezekiah Masses

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