The UCLA baseball team’s 17-18 record (3-3 in the Pac-10)
represents a balance to its season so far that belies one important
statistic: they are 0-6 in mid-week games.
The game scheduled today is meant to keep the team fresh
in-between weekend series that have killed the Bruins all year, as
they have lost those games to teams both good and bad.
“I really can’t explain the 0-6,” head coach
Gary Adams said. “If you ask our players, I don’t think
they can either. It’s definitely something we need to focus
on.”
An important effect of the midweek losses is an inability to
sustain momentum. On a few occasions this year, the Bruins have had
impressive weekends over top teams only to lose any positive karma
by dropping the following midweek game against a lesser opponent.
This explains a season that has yet to see a winning streak longer
than two games.
Today, the Bruins may be hard-pressed to snap the streak as No.
8 Long Beach State (20-11) comes to town. The 49ers rely on an
exceptional pitching staff to supplement what most would consider a
weak lineup for a top-10 team. The staff posts a 3.35 ERA and .242
opponent’s batting average, both fantastic for college
baseball.
On the other hand, the 49ers’ leading slugger, Adam
Heether has a paltry three home runs, and the squad as a whole
posted only a .280 avg, which would rank them 8th in the
Pac-10.
For comparison, the Bruins have a 5.07 ERA, .284
opponents’ average and a .292 team batting average. And while
few would regard the Bruins’ bats as particularly powerful,
seven players have more than three home runs: sophomore Billy
Susdorf, junior Preston Griffin and junior Brandon Averill sharing
the team lead with six each.
Streaks aside, a win today is crucial for the Bruins, as they
need to rebound from a discouraging weekend against Cal. After
winning Friday, they dropped a two-run ninth inning lead Saturday,
and blew a 9-2 lead Sunday. Next weekend, UCLA must travel across
town for its Pac-10 series against recuperating and always-tough
USC.
Freshman Hector Ambriz is likely to start against Long Beach,
and he may be called upon to go deeper into the game than usual to
protect a bullpen scrambling after last weekend.