There’s a scary development for opponents of the UCLA
baseball team.
The Bruins’ pitching may actually be getting stronger.
As the Bruins get set to face UC Irvine tonight, the pitching
looks to be in excellent shape. UCLA coach John Savage, who coached
UC Irvine from 2002 to 2004, is known in baseball circles as a
pitching guru and his fingerprints are now all over the
Bruins’ pitching staff. Junior pitchers Dave Huff and Tyson
Brummett ““ recruited by Savage as junior-college transfers
““ both threw complete games against USC over the weekend.
Brummett needed only 104 pitches to finish what he started.
Huff has thrown three complete games this year, as well as a
10-inning marathon against Cal in which he threw 130 pitches. In
four consecutive games he has thrown over 120 pitches per game.
“Pitch counts are how you train your pitchers,”
Savage said. “But these guys are very well-conditioned. We
monitor them throughout the week. And it’s not like
they’re not getting stronger as the season goes
on.”
Redshirt junior Hector Ambriz, Huff and Brummett all threw at
least 100 pitches against USC. They have had to pitch deep into
most games because the bull pen has not been as deep as the
coaching staff would have liked. But an argument can also be made
that when starters are getting deep into the game, they are
pitching well enough for the coach to keep them out there.
“If you’re a starting pitcher, you’re
competitive,” Brummett said. “You always want to be out
there. It’s a big deal to go out there and finish the game
off. You tend to get a little selfish toward the end of the
game.”
UPPER DECKER: Ambriz, who has been the starting
designated hitter for most of the season, was not in lineup on
Saturday and Sunday. Instead, freshman backup catcher Cody Decker
got the start and had a performance to suit the change. He hit two
home runs in the series, raising his season total to five in 43 at
bats. He’s currently hitting .256.
“We like what Hector has done, but Decker has been
swinging too hot of a bat,” Savage said. “We had to get
him in the lineup.”
RUSTICH DONE: Junior pitcher Brant Rustich, who
has been sidelined since Feb. 21, will most likely not play again
this season because of an inflamed tendon in his middle finger.
Savage is going to see if he qualifies for a medical redshirt for
the season so that he will be able to come back next year.
UPCOMING GAME: UCLA’s game against Irvine
tonight is set for 6 p.m. as the Bruins will look to avoid losing
their third Tuesday-night game of the last four. The game will be
the first between the Bruins and Anteaters this season as the game
scheduled for April 4 was postponed because of rain.