The wins ““ and the strikeouts ““ just keep on coming.
The UCLA baseball team faced its first true road trip of the season this past weekend as it participated in the Whataburger College Classic in Corpus Christi, Texas. There, the No. 12 Bruins (13-0) rattled off three consecutive wins to extend their undefeated record, while their young pitching staff proved once again that they are one of the best groups in the country.
Sophomore starting pitchers Gerrit Cole and Trevor Bauer each had a plentiful weekend, as Cole struck out 15 batters in seven and two-thirds innings in an 11-3 win over Texas A&M Corpus Christi on Friday, and Bauer struck out 15 of his own in eight innings of work in Saturday’s 5-2 victory over Mississippi State.
Both right-handers were named National Player of the Week by Collegiate Baseball, and both made the all-tournament team. Additionally, Bauer was named the tournament MVP and the Pac-10 Pitcher of the Week.
On Sunday, the Bruins got another strong start from junior left-hander Rob Rasmussen as they posted a 5-2 win over No. 23 Oklahoma (15-2).
The dominant pitching performances throughout the weekend lowered UCLA’s team ERA to 2.00. Bruin pitchers are holding opponents to a .188 batting average, the best mark in the Pac-10.
Compiled by Ryan Eshoff, Bruin Sports senior staff.