Momentum’s unpredictable nature is a mainstay in most play-by-play commentators’ arsenals, which is the complete opposite of most coaches, who often refuse to acknowledge the phenomenon.
No. 5 UCLA baseball (20-5, 7-2 Pac-12) has won 18 of its last 20 games and brings up to light that enigmatic word: momentum. The Pac-12 leaders are riding this momentum into this weekend’s series with No. 22 Oregon (18-8, 6-3).
Sophomore right-hander Adam Plutko will start today and will look for his fifth win of the season. Plutko pitched a complete game shutout to close out the series against Oregon last year and is coming off pitching a 16-0 gem over Utah last week.
Fellow sophomore right-hander Nick Vander Tuig will be the likely starter on Friday. Both Plutko and Vander Tuig have benefited from UCLA’s stellar bullpen performance, as the relievers are currently 7-1 with a combined ERA of 2.40 and have held opponents to a .207 batting average.
“(Plutko) works hard just like the rest of the team, and he had a good bullpen (Tuesday); he’ll be himself and he should be at his best (today),” Vander Tuig said.
Junior right fielder Jeff Gelalich leads UCLA in batting average and home runs, and has shown no signs of slowing down. Gelalich is confident that the Bruins will be able to execute their game plan against the Ducks.
“We’re excited, we’re in Pac-12 play, and this is what it’s all about. Guys are excited, and I think we’re going to go out there and play our game,” Gelalich said.
Junior catcher Tyler Heineman has also been huge for the Bruins: He has hit the ball notably well against Pac-12 opponents this year, going 16-for-31 from the plate for a .516 batting average. Coach John Savage has reason to celebrate: The team’s batting average is 66 points more than it was as this point in the season last year.
“We feel pretty good about our offense; guys seem to be on the same page as (hitting coach Rex) Peters. We have a lot of confidence (in) one through nine in our lineup,” Savage said.
The five games the Bruins have lost this year have all been played at Jackie Robinson Stadium, while UCLA currently holds a perfect 8-0 record on the road. Despite the Bruins’ confidence, the Ducks are a team with the potential to cause some trouble for UCLA, according to Savage.
“They’re one of the more complex offenses: They run, they do a good job in the short game, they’re athletic. We’ve been really working hard on the inside game part of defense, holding runners, controlling bunts, picks and looks,” Savage said.
“They’re a good baseball team and we need to come out and make sure we take care of the ball on defense.”