The disappointment was evident. The frustration, palpable.
You could hear the irritation in the voices of the players and coaches at the inability to drive in runs. You could see the tears welling in the players’ eyes after falling short of achieving their goal.
That was the scene last June, after the UCLA baseball team was swept by Cal State Fullerton in the team’s first NCAA Super Regional since 1997.
But the bitter sting of those losses has lessened now, replaced by a sense of excitement for a new season and another potential journey to Omaha. That quest begins Friday, when the Bruins open the season at home against Oklahoma.
Expectations are high, as evidenced by the Bruins’ No. 1 ranking in Baseball America’s preseason poll. The players are more experienced, more fit and more determined than they were at the end of last season.
And for the first time in what seems like forever, the Bruin baseball team is a serious contender for the College World Series.
“(The super regional) was obviously a tough situation for all of us, being that we didn’t accomplish what we set out to do at the beginning of the year,” junior catcher Ryan Babineau said. “But I think that it is great motivation for us this year, obviously, that we needed to work that much harder and do everything we can to make sure that that doesn’t happen again.”
In order to erase the painful memory of those defeats and prepare themselves for taking the next step to the College World Series, the Bruins conditioned more extensively than they have in the past.
“We’ve been practicing real hard, (putting in) long hours, (lifting) weights five days a week, getting after it,” sophomore pitcher Gavin Brooks said. “(We’ve) been working a lot harder than last year because we knew we had to do something different to get to that next level.”
The 2008 Bruins will look to get to that next level and to bring home the first national championship in the program’s history.
“It is the best talented team we have had since we have been here and probably the most experienced team,” coach John Savage said. “They know our program, they know what the expectations are, they know what to do in terms of being accountable. It’s what goes on really in the inner-linings of a team chemistry that is going to be the difference at the end of the day.”
The foundation of the team are the four juniors from Savage’s first recruiting class: Babineau, third baseman Jermaine Curtis, shortstop Brandon Crawford and first baseman/designated hitter Cody Decker.
Curtis, in particular, helped spark the team last season when it was stuck in a major rut, though he would be the last to admit it.
Despite the intangibles that he brings to ballpark each day ““ solid defense, clutch hitting and an unquenchable desire to win ““ Curtis will tell you that it wasn’t him alone who sparked the team’s torrid run through Pac-10 play.
“To tell you the truth, it could have been anybody that sparked (the team’s surge),” Curtis said. “To tell you the truth, I would say it was that eighth inning when we scored 14 runs against Pacific. I would say that sparked it, because after that is when we took off.”
The game that Curtis was referring to was the March 25 game against the Pacific Tigers, in which the Bruins exploded for 14 runs in the eighth inning to overcome a seven-run deficit and defeat the Tigers 15-8. The win snapped the Bruins’ six-game losing streak.
Along with the four juniors, the Bruins return a talented group of players who finished the season on a hot streak.
Senior second baseman Alden Carrithers returns for his second season with UCLA, a year after leading the team in many offensive categories including batting average (.352) and runs scored (53).
The Bruins also have the Pac-10 co-newcomer of the year, sophomore Gabe Cohen, roaming the field in right. Cohen debuted with a bang in 2007, belting 10 home runs and driving in 36 runs.
Yet the biggest strength of the Bruin team could be its rotation, led by Brooks. After struggling early in the season, Brooks finally displayed his potential down the stretch, throwing three consecutive complete games.
Brooks feels that he gained tremendous confidence from his strong finish and that stepping into the role vacated by departed staff ace Tyson Brummett will not be as hard as some might think.
“It was neat because two years ago, (Tyson) was the Sunday starter, and last year, I fulfilled his role,” Brooks said. “And then last year, he was the Friday starter, so I’m going to fulfill his role again. It was nice being able to talk to a guy that knew the ropes, knew what to expect each week.”
Savage believes that Brooks has the potential and the ability to lead the Bruin rotation.
“Gavin’s work ethic is unmatched,” Savage said. “He goes about it very focused. He doesn’t read the clippings, doesn’t read the ratings or anything like that. He goes about it really the way you want a college player to go about it.”
The Bruins all have a similar mentality. Their expectations for the season are clear and concise.
“We expect to win a national championship to be quite honest with you,” Babineau said. “If you’re not setting your goals high and you don’t believe that you can win the national championship, you’re not going to win it. We are setting out with high expectations, and we’re not satisfied with anything other than a ring this year.”
On the eve of the new season, after months of grueling workouts in the early hours of the morning, Curtis expressed similar desires.
“To tell you the truth, my expectations, I really want to go to the (College) World Series,” Curtis said. “When I signed here, I dreamed about going to the World Series. It’s always been a dream.
“Everyone here has dreamed about it, and that’s why they signed here because they wanted to make history and wanted to be on a team that (did what) very few teams get to do and that is go to the World Series and win it.”