Baseball hosts ASU with playoffs on line
Bruins must sweep
Sun Devils to
keep hopes alive
By Ross Bersot
A faint light of playoff hope glimmers for the UCLA baseball
team. And the Bruins almost assuredly have to sweep their final two
Six-Pac series to keep it from flickering out.
Unless UCLA (23-21 overall, 10-14 Six-Pac) finishes the year at
the fourth spot in the Six-Pac, it is unlikely to receive an NCAA
Regional Playoff berth. Doing that entails overcoming a two-game
deficit to Arizona State, which will be in Westwood this weekend
for a three-game showdown.
"Our backs are against the wall and we’re really going to have
to scratch and claw to get away from that wall," UCLA head coach
Gary Adams said. "I think we can do it. I still believe in this
team and I believe that they can do it."
Baseball America’s No. 20, the Sun Devils (33-16,12-12) took two
of three games from the Bruins in Tempe earlier this month, but in
a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde act, ASU is 2-9 in Six-Pac competition on
the road.
If the real Sun Devils show up at Jackie Robinson Stadium, they
boast a dangerous lineup, including six players batting over .300
and a team average of .307.
In the power department, second baseman Robbie Kent tops the
team with six home runs and is second on the team with a .340
average. Designated hitter and usual ASU clean-up man Darren Troilo
is batting .309 and has driven in 51 runs.
Adams is more concerned with Sun Devil pitching. Probable ASU
starters for this weekend’s games are Billy Neal (5-6, 4.65 ERA),
Jason Bond (3-1, 5.25) and Josh Deakman (4-1, 4.04).
"Arizona State has some excellent pitchers," Adams said. "(Neal)
is a tough customer to contend with. He’s a senior and he’s
well-experienced."
Questions complicate the situation on the mound for the home
team. In some order, Jim Parque (3-6, 3.95), Rick Heineman (5-4,
5.44) and Ryan Lynch (2-2, 3.93) will make appearances in the
series. Southpaw standout Parque has been troubled by tendonitis in
his right hip and is uncertain when he will return to 100
percent.
"We’ve got a little bit of a problem," Adams said. "We’re going
to check (Parque) out to see how he is doing before we make a
decision. We don’t know the order right now because of what is
going on."
One thing is certain for the Bruins. The ASU series is a
must-win situation concerning playoff possibilities.
"We’ve got to win these games," Adams said. "This is the biggest
weekend of the whole season."