Long Beach State and UCLA were, statistically speaking, nearly identical last year.
Both teams opted for pitching-oriented, small-ball approaches, and each yielded similar results.
They tied for No. 267 in the nation with eight team home runs apiece. They each finished in the top 25 in both WHIP and sacrifice hits. The main distinction between them was their overall records – LBSU finished 34-26, UCLA, 25-30-1.
This year, the narrative is different. The Dirtbags (5-2) have seemingly stayed the course, playing low-scoring games with few extra-base hits. But the No. 7 Bruins (6-1) have veered off the path, winning games primarily with offense and double-digit hit and run totals.
When the two teams face off Tuesday night, the question is whether the Dirtbags and their ground ball-inducing pitching staff will bring the Bruins’ mercurial offensive rise back down to earth.
UCLA redshirt junior shortstop Kevin Kramer doesn’t think so.
“I think we have a lot of talented hitters that have all done a pretty good job of seeing the ball well and hitting,” Kramer said. “I think we’re gonna put up runs consistently throughout the year.”
Kramer said he doesn’t think UCLA’s offensive takeoff this year is a product of luck or the NCAA’s new flat-seamed baseballs flying farther than the old raised-seam ones. He also said he doesn’t think his return to the lineup after missing all of last year with a shoulder injury has been the key to the change. Rather, Kramer – who’s batting .433 so far – points to his teammates’ experience from last year as the driving force behind the surge.
“I think that as a whole … the experience that guys gained last year from guys being hurt and also maturity and confidence has played a huge role in our offense this year,” Kramer said.
Sophomore infielder Luke Persico is one Bruin who had the advantage of gaining a high degree of experience as a freshman last year. He struggled at times, accruing a .246 batting average, a .286 on-base percentage and zero home runs in 191 at bats. But in his 33 at bats so far this year, Persico appears to have turned the corner, as he’s batting .394 with two homers and a team-high 11 RBI.
After Persico hit his first two home runs of the season – which doubled as the first two of his career – in the season-opening series against Hofstra, he echoed Kramer’s sentiment about the value of experience in college baseball.
“I think just having the experience from last season is really gonna play a big role this year for me,” Persico said. “I got a lot of at bats last year and I was able to learn from those I think, and I’m gonna take that into this year.”
The importance of learning throughout the season applies to UCLA’s pitchers as well as their hitters. Junior James Kaprielian said that he spoke with some of the younger pitchers who struggled out of the bullpen this past weekend about the importance of building from mistakes, rather than dwelling on them.
“That’s really the main message that we try to get across to the younger guys: the pitchers are going to make mistakes, and the hitters are going to make mistakes, there’s gonna be errors,” Kaprielian said. “It’s about how we are able to respond together as a team and pick each other up. That’s gonna be able to get us to continue to win baseball games.”