UCLA baseball players want to keep the rivalry out of their heads in what could prove to be close games against USC. They want to treat this weekend like any other Pac-12 series.
“We just have to come out, execute and be fired up,” said senior infielder Kevin Williams. “Not just because it’s this game in particular, but we have to be ready for another Pac-12 series.”
Earlier this season, the Bruins met with the Trojans in a back-and-forth game until the Bruins secured a 6-5 win in the final inning.
“It was a close game all the way to the ninth inning (last time), so it should be a good game,” said sophomore infielder Trent Chatterton. “And the fans get really into it, which is great.”
The Trojans are coming off a promising weekend, with three straight wins against Arizona, earning their first Pac-12 series sweep in five years.
Earlier this week, USC overtook Hawai’i with a 10-4 win.
However, coach John Savage said he feels confident with the way UCLA has been playing in recent weeks and knows this weekend will prove challenging for both teams.
“We had a very tight game earlier in the year and were fortunate enough to beat them,” Savage said. “But it’s baseball and it’s going to be a tight race.”
UCLA is still uncertain about whether junior pitcher David Berg will be ready to play in this series.
In his absence, redshirt sophomore Jake Ehret and redshirt freshman Nick Kern have stepped up as closers in recent games, really getting into the “closer” mindset, Savage said.
“A lot of guys are filling in right now and we’re being competitive,” Savage said. “I think that’s all you can ask from this group.”
With team injuries growing in number, Savage said he is more than satisfied with the way the rest of the team members have been stepping up, filling in roles they are not used to.
“I can show you our injury report – it looks like our roster,” Savage said. “But our guys have done a great job of staying with it.”
The defending College World Series champions have a middling 9-6 Pac-12 record and 22-16 overall record, raising doubts about whether the Bruins will be contenders this year.
“Everyone is saying, ‘You’re so beat up and not playing very well,’” Savage said. “Well, we have the same record we had last year (around this time) and we did pretty good last year, so I mean people tend to forget real fast.”