The UCLA baseball team has gotten blackjack. Just don’t expect its members to willingly cash in their chips just yet.
With their winning streak to start the season now at 21, the No. 6 Bruins are moving up to a more competitive table as they open Pac-10 play this weekend. UCLA will host No. 19 Stanford (12-7, 2-1 Pac-10), who took two out of three from USC over the weekend but lost to University of San Francisco on Monday. The Cardinal have struggled on the road this season, posting just a 1-4 record away from Palo Alto.
UCLA, meanwhile, has won all 14 of its contests at Jackie Robinson Stadium, including Tuesday night’s 2-1 victory over Pepperdine.
In that game, the Bruins’ offense was held in check for most of the game, but the UCLA pitching staff combined on a two-hitter to secure the win. With the Cardinal in town, pristine execution in all facets of the game will be at a premium.
“It’s going to be a classic Pac-10 series, great baseball, a lot of good players,” UCLA coach John Savage said. “We expect Stanford to come in here and be everything we think they are. They’re Stanford; we know we’re going to have to come out here and earn it.”
One key for UCLA’s hitters may be jumping on the Stanford starting pitchers early; the Bruins have outscored opponents 31-2 in the first inning this season, and the Cardinal have given up at least one run in the opening frame in six of their seven losses. Stanford starters have yielded a total of 18 first-inning runs in those seven losses, including four in their loss to USF.
On the other side of the ball, Cardinal hitters will have to deal with the conference’s best pitching staff. UCLA’s group of arms leads the Pac-10 in ERA, strikeouts, and opponent’s batting average.
With the series being pushed up a day to accommodate for Easter Sunday, typical Friday starter Gerrit Cole will get the ball tonight. Cole, who has won each of his six starts thus far and has posted a 2.63 ERA, is tied with teammate and fellow sophomore Trevor Bauer atop the Pac-10 strikeout list with 56.
Bauer will start Friday night’s game, with junior Rob Rasmussen getting the nod in the Saturday afternoon finale.
“Solid pitching will keep you in ballgames,” Savage noted as a key to UCLA’s future success. “Tough at-bats, wear down a starter and get into that bullpen. Create run opportunities, put pressure on the defense; a lot of the things we’ve been doing all season.”
Although the success and consistency of the Bruin bats have been a pleasant surprise, UCLA’s performance against Stanford and in the Pac-10 will likely hinge on the arms of its young staff. A team that is one of just two undefeated squads left in the nation ““ Pac-10 rival Arizona State is the other ““ has to be doing a lot of things right, mentally and emotionally as well as physically.
“We’ve just kind of got to continue those trends,” Savage said. “And just keep on believing in ourselves and playing with a lot of confidence and just go about it like we’ve done the first 21 games.”
Tuesday’s win over Pepperdine showcased what could be the formula going forward into conference competition. Scrap out a few runs, then turn things over to a pitching staff that so far has dealt a perfect hand.