The story of this weekend’s road series for No. 17 UCLA is the return of sophomore pitcher Zack Weiss, who has suffered from shoulder soreness since starting against Georgia in early March.
After going a month without making a starting appearance, Weiss is scheduled to take the mound on Sunday in the final game of the series against conference leader No. 4 Arizona.
The Wildcats have yet to lose a weekend series this season and lead the Pac-12 in batting average and runs scored. Despite the imposing statistics, Weiss is confident the Bruins’ bullpen can contain the Wildcats.
“We’ve seen a lot of small ball clubs like Fullerton and Oregon that take advantage of your mistakes; Arizona’s more of a swinging club, but that can almost work to your advantage as a pitcher. I’m not too concerned, we had good success against them last year,” Weiss said.
Coach John Savage ““ who will have the opportunity to record his 250th win with UCLA this weekend ““ stressed the importance of not over-working Weiss immediately following his return.
“I think he’s close, his velocity is up and that’s always a good gauge. Is he up pitch count-wise? Probably not. But health-wise I think he’s fine and certainly ready to go. I think his endurance will be the biggest question,” Savage said.
UCLA (22-7, 8-4 Pac-12) hasn’t historically struggled against Arizona (23-9, 9-3) ““ the Bruins have won the last six season series going back to 2006 ““ but according to Savage, his team has good reason to be wary of the Wildcats this year.
“They’re a very good program; they’ve been a regional team, they’ve been to Omaha. They’re leading the country in offense, so this is going to be a challenging week, but I think the timing’s good for us to be out here and see how we match up,” Savage said.
The Bruins are right behind the Wildcats in offensive efficiency, and junior catcher Tyler Heineman has been a large part of that in recent weeks. Heineman will most likely be behind the plate for Weiss’ start and was glad to have him back.
“Zack’s one of our best pitchers, when he’s healthy he’s hard to hit. He’s got a heavy fastball and a very good curveball and a change-up that’s developing pretty well. When he’s on and he’s healthy, he’s a big weapon for us,” Heineman said.
Sophomores Adam Plutko and Nick Vander Tuig will start today and Saturday, and although he may not enjoy the waiting, Weiss will be ready for the spotlight on Sunday.
“I feel good, I’m ready to get back at it,” Weiss said. “It was fine coming out of the pen, but I like throwing on Sundays and I’m glad I’m getting that opportunity.”