The experts have dissed them, and the media has dogged them.
Despite one of the top recruiting classes and a preseason
All-American candidate, expectations are low for the 2003 UCLA
baseball team. Picked to finish sixth in the conference, the only
people believing in the Bruins are the players themselves.
“Our goals this year are the same as they always
are,” head coach Gary Adams said. “To win a national
championship, and to win the Pac-10.”
The goals may remain the same, but it’s debatable as to
whether the team can actually achieve them. The last time the
Bruins won the Pac-10 was in 2000, and the team is coming fresh off
a 26-35 campaign.
“Coming here you expect to win, and we did that my
freshman year,” senior infielder Warren Trott said.
“But the last two years we haven’t come close to the
playoffs.”
This is the last chance for the current seniors to once again
experience a winning year, but there’s a lot of doubt
surrounding the program and whether or not they can return to their
championship form.
“The experts that make the pre-season polls probably
wouldn’t agree with me, but if the chemistry remains as it is
and the players continue to work hard, I think it’s very
possible,” Adams said.
The team returns the bulk of its pitching staff and features a
balanced mix of youth and experience. Pitcher and first baseman Wes
Whisler was ranked the No. 2 sophomore in the country this year and
is the team’s standout player. Along with Whisler, senior
Mike Kunes and juniors Casey Janssen and Chris Cordeiro form an
experienced core of starting pitchers.
While the pitching staff is loaded with experience, the lineup
is stocked with untested talent. Of the nine players starting the
game on opening day, three were freshman and four were sophomores.
After losing Adam Berry and his 18 home runs to graduation, it
remains to be seen if the team can manage enough runs to support
what should be solid pitching.
Thus far the bats have started out hot. After losing 8-6 opening
day to Cal State Northridge, the team scored a total of 30 runs in
the next two games, both victories.
In order to be successful this year, Adams believes that
everyone on the team must contribute.
“It can’t be just Wes,” he said. “I want
all nine guys out there feeling like they’re going to carry
the team.”
The load the Bruins must carry is one of the must burdensome in
the country. This year’s schedule features matchups with
defending national champion Texas, along with the usual Pac-10
powerhouses Stanford, USC and Arizona State, all of which are
currently ranked in the top 10.
Still, the overall feeling of optimism remains even when
considering the difficult schedule.
“We have a lot of guys returning, with experience across
the board,” Whisler said. “We have a feel of how to
play in the big games and how to deal with the ups and downs of a
season.”
His teammate Trott agrees.
“It’s a challenge for us. Usually when we play good
teams it brings out the best in us,” he said. “We need
to play to our level, not our opponents level.”
Given the low expectations and strong talent level, it’s
entirely possible that the Bruins could stay under the radar and
make a surprise run at the playoffs. Then again, UCLA has finished
seventh in the Pac-10 the past two years, amassing a 56-62 record
in that time.
Gary Adams has coached more major leaguers (37) than any other
active head coach, but another mediocre year may end his
illustrious career. According to the Los Angeles Times, Adams is
the latest UCLA head coach on the hot seat. As such, this young and
talented team may decide the future of their wise and revered head
coach.