FAYETTEVILLE — California first baseman Andrew Vaughn's life is set to change drastically early next week.
The winner of the 2018 Golden Spikes Award and a finalist again this season, Vaughn is projected to be the third overall pick in the upcoming MLB Draft, according to Baseball America.
For now, though, he isn't thinking about professional baseball - only advancing Cal through the NCAA Fayetteville Regional. Thanks in large part to Vaughn's bat, the Golden Bears are making their first postseason appearance since 2015. They are scheduled to play TCU on Friday at 6 p.m.
"I just have to take it for what it is," Vaughn said of his draft prospects. "I just go out and play every day. It’s going to happen and it’s a new start to a new chapter, but I’ve just got to keep living in the moment."
Vaughn earned one of college baseball’s top honors a season ago after finishing eighth in the country with a .402 batting average, tied for third with 23 home runs and 63 runs batted in. He struck out only 18 times in 199 official at-bats and drew 44 walks.
This season, his junior year, Vaughn is leading the team in average again at .387. He’s hit 15 more home runs, knocked in 49 runs - second on the team to catcher Korey Lee - and been walked 58 times. No other Cal player has been walked more than 26 times.
Vaughn said he’s been pitched around all season, but his patience allows him to hunt for his pitch each time up, which leads to a strong average.
“I’ll take my walks and hit it anywhere it’s pitched,” he said. “I just trust the guys in the lineup behind me. Korey Lee has done a phenomenal job back there. If I get walked, I just look back there and say, ‘It’s your time, buddy,’ and more times than not he’s hit a few homers, a lot of RBI doubles. It’s been good to see.”
Golden Bears coach Mike Neu, in his second season leading Cal and the program’s pitching coach from 2012-2015, said Vaughn is one of the best hitters in college baseball and has been nothing short of amazing in the middle of the team’s lineup over the last three seasons.
As a freshman, Vaughn led Cal with a .349 average and 50 RBI. He also appeared in 10 games on the mound, although he was less effective there, allowing 10 hits and seven earned runs in 8 1/3 innings.
“He’s naturally a great hitter. He can really hit,” Neu said. “You can tell he just works so hard. He’s so advanced in his pitch selection and pitch recognition and using the whole field. As he’s gotten stronger the power has come, too, which has made him so dynamic.
“His progression has been pretty amazing to see, and he just continues to get better.”
Dusty Baker, who spent more than 40 years in Major League Baseball as a player and manager, likens Vaughn to Baseball Hall of Fame first baseman Harmon Killebrew. Baker's son, Darren, is a sophomore infielder for Cal.
“He is a great one,” Baker said. “He can hit, and that’s half of it. He works hard, not only at hitting, but I have told scouts that I think he can pay third, too, because he has a good arm.”
Vaughn won't be the only high-round draft selection to take the field Friday in the nightcap at Baum-Walker Stadium. TCU will start either Nick Lodolo or Brandon Williamson - both 6-6 lefties - against the Golden Bears. They are projected by Baseball America to be drafted in the top three rounds of this year's draft.
Lodolo is 6-5 this season with a 2.48 ERA and 15th nationally in strikeout-to-walk ratio with 125 strikeouts and 21 walks over 98 innings. Williamson is 4-5 with a 4.30 ERA in his first season of Division I baseball. He previously played two seasons at North Iowa Area Community College.
"We’re excited. We can hit a fastball, so we’ll see how this thing goes," Vaughn said. "I always like facing the best and I think our team does really good hitting good pitching, so I’m excited to see how it goes. You never know. It’s baseball."
Neu said the Fayetteville Regional is filled with talented players and he feels good entering any environment with Vaughn sitting atop his lineup.
"He’s a good teammate, a good leader and I think all the things you would want of your best player," Neu added. "He’s a big reason why we’ve probably overachieved a little bit this year.
"He's an exciting player to watch when it’s going good."