If the UCLA baseball team needed any extra motivation to get off
to a quick start, it came this past month when the Pac-10 released
its preseason poll. The Bruins (3-3), picked to finish eighth in
the conference, have played like they have something to prove. The
squad took two of three from Fresno State this past weekend, and
hopes to continue the winning trend against UC Riverside today at
Jackie Robinson Stadium. “There’s definitely incentive
to finish higher than what we were picked to finish,”
first-year coach John Savage said. “The younger guys are
learning from the older guys the idea that this is UCLA baseball.
We are making progress as a team.” Though the conference
season is still a month away, UCLA is looking to the non-conference
portion of its schedule as a way of testing its mettle. The team is
hopeful that the momentum from the Fresno State series will carry
over into tonight’s game. “It’s huge for the team
to be .500 heading into these games against Riverside and
Northridge,” pitcher Hector Ambriz said. Already, the young
team has learned a lot in its early games. “It’s really
going to help for the younger guys to have the experience of
winning a series on the road,” catcher Chris Denove said.
“The older guys had to step up, and the pitchers did a really
good job.” Junior Daniel Miltenberger (1-0) will get the
start against Riverside’s Pat Cassa (0-1) today. Miltenberger
has appeared in three games this season, going 4 1/3 innings and
giving up five earned runs. He had a strong performance in his
victory, going 2 1/3 innings while giving up no earned runs against
Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. In last year’s game against UC
Riverside, the Bruins won 4-1.
SHUTTING THE DOOR: Junior closer Adam Simon, after pitching 4
1/3 scoreless innings over the weekend, has now pitched 5 2/3
scoreless innings this season while giving up only one hit. Simon
has two saves and holds a 1-0 record.