Sunday’s final game, an 11-10 victory over
the Arizona State Sun Devils, was not only a big victory for the
Bruins in terms of the series, but was of paramount importance
considering the standings in the Pac-10.
With 12 games to play, the Bruins are 7-5 in the conference,
tied with the Sun Devils.
The Bruins have yet to play the top two teams, Oregon State
(9-3) and USC (9-6), so they still control their own destiny in
terms of the conference championship.
Considering that a year ago the Bruins had just broken out of a
19-game losing streak en route to their worst season in 60 years,
that is a pretty amazing feat.
“You never know at the beginning of the
season,†head coach John Savage said.
“You think you’re going to
be better, but you can’t know until you start
playing some games.â€
Suffice it to say, the Bruins have answered any questions in
that regard. After beginning the season 5-9, the Bruins began to
gel as a team and it has paid off.
With an 18-7 record after being swept by Cal State Fullerton,
the Bruins have offered a stark contrast to last
year’s midseason funk and, with the series
victory over Arizona State, put to rest some of last
year’s demons.
“ASU came in and swept us last
year,†junior starter David Huff said.
“ASU is a big baseball school, so getting two of
three from them was a big deal.â€
The Sun Devils had been coming off of a series victory against
USC, but the Bruins were able to stop their momentum. Thanks to
that, the Bruins are now ranked No. 22 in the nation by Baseball
America, while the previously No. 10 Sun Devils dropped to No.
16.
“You put anyone in front of us, and we can
play them,†freshman catcher Cody Decker said.
“And we’re still getting
better.â€
The Bruins will play a nonconference game against UC Santa
Barbara (16-20) tonight at Jackie Robinson stadium.
This kind of game is a tough situation for the Bruins, who must
avoid a letdown against a lower-tier team after the elation of the
weekend’s finale.
“It is important each week to start the week
off right,†Savage said.
“We have to continue to take care of our
nonconference games.â€
NEW COMMIT: The Bruins snagged a commitment from high school
junior Ryan Dent of Long Beach Wilson recently. Dent, a shortstop,
is considered one of the best prospects at his position in the
country. Savage cannot comment specifically on players, but he
feels that recruiting is going very well.
“I’m very, very happy about
our recruiting class for next year,†Savage said.
“We’re trying to build
depth and get guys who can just go out there and
play.â€