Cal Pitcher Ethan Foley Impressive in Cape Cod All-Star Game

Former Cal catcher Alex Birge and current Cal pitcher Ethan Foley had good days on Saturday.

Birge was not selected in the recent 20-round Major League Baseball draft after his one season with the Bears, but he was signed by the St. Louis Cardinals on Saturday as an undrafted free agent. He played in 45 games for the Bears in 2025, and he led Cal in both home runs (12) and walks (40). For only the fourth time since the MLB draft began in 1965, Cal had no players selected in the MLB draft this year.

Foley, who will be a fifth-year senior on Cal’s baseball team in 2025-26, continued his strong summer showing with a brief but impressive performance in the Cape Cod League All-Star game on Saturday.

Foley was just 3-3 with a 5.96 ERA in 18 appearances, including seven starts, for Cal this past season. But he entered Saturday’s all-star game with a 3-0 record a 1.10 ERA in nine appearances in relief for the Falmouth Commodores of the Cape Cod League. Particularly impressive is that he had 24 strikeouts in only 16 1/3 innings.

He entered Saturday’s all-star game with two outs and runners at first and third in the top of the fourth inning. He struck out the only batter he faced in the fourth, then set down the West all-star batters in order in the fifth on a ground out, a fly out and strikeout.

He statistical line: 1 2/3 innings, 0 hits, 0 walks, 0 runs, 2 strikeouts.

Foley’s performance in the Cape Cod League, where they use wooden bats, suggests he might be a major factor for the Golden Bears this coming season.

Cal infielder Carl Schmidt also played in the game and made two plate appearances, getting a walk in his first at-bat and striking out in his second.

Schmidt, who will be a sophomore at Cal this coming season, has played in 26 of 28 Cape Cod League games for Commodores this summer and is .280 with one home run and six stolen bases.

He hit .286 with five homers as a redshirt freshman for Cal this past season.