After starting the season winning 11 of its first 12 games, UCLA baseball hit a bump in the road – a three-game sweep at the hands of then-No. 1 Vanderbilt, then-No. 7 TCU, and then-No. 25 USC.
If that weekend was a test to prove that UCLA could hang with the top teams in the country, the Bruins failed it.
Even though the Bruins were at a potentially critical juncture of their season, redshirt junior shortstop Kevin Kramer said the team did not panic and did not put too much stock into the losses, but rather remained confident in its abilities.
While that may be true, the important question now is: How have they responded since then?
To answer that, all you have to do is look at the Bruins’ win-loss column. Since that sweep, UCLA has won 10 of 11 games – including eight straight.
Starting Thursday, No. 9 UCLA (21-5, 8-1 Pac-12) gets a chance to extend that streak as it hosts conference foe Oregon State (21-7, 4-2) for a three-game set. The Bruins currently sit atop the Pac-12 standings, while the Beavers find themselves in the middle of the pack.
“We feel good. I think our team is clicking real well right now,” said senior pitcher Grant Watson, who recently became the winningest left-handed pitcher in school history with his 26th career victory. “In the Pac-12, every team, every series is a competition, so you don’t overlook any opponent.”
Despite the Beavers having lost two of their last three games, and being 2-2 in road games, they possess a powerful offense that is ranked top five in the conference in nearly all the major categories. Their pitching staff is also fourth in the Pac-12 in ERA and is headlined by junior Andrew Moore (2-1, 1.87 ERA) and freshman Drew Rasmussen (3-1, 1.91), who has pitched a perfect game this season.
For the Bruins, the focus will be on maintaining the momentum that they have gained since starting their current winning streak against Washington on March 15. In the finale of that series, the Bruins walked off in the 13th inning, with senior closer David Berg leading the way with six scoreless innings out of the bullpen.
“I can’t say I completely saw this coming, but definitely when you get those types of wins, it plays into team momentum and just overall the confidence of the team,” said Berg, who has pitched 13 scoreless innings and struck out 18 batters in Pac-12 play. “I’m not surprised at all that we’ve gone on a streak since then.”
One of the main reasons that the Bruins have been on this streak is due to their pitching staff, which includes Berg at the back end. The staff has a combined 2.32 ERA, which is No. 1 in the conference and No. 6 in the nation. UCLA also leads the conference in opposing batting average (.220) and has allowed the least hits (189).
The staff is anchored by junior starter James Kaprielian (6-1, 2.35 ERA), the team’s ace who leads the Pac-12 in strikeouts. Of his 55 strikeouts, 21 have been caught looking, which leads the conference. He is also tied for 18th in strikeouts nationally and his six wins lead the conference and are tied for tops in the nation.
The Bruins have also been getting help from their bats, unlike a season ago. Kramer is off to the best start of his career, as he leads the team in five different offensive categories and is top-five in the Pac-12 in seven of them.
But the main offensive force, at least in the past four games, has been reigning Pac-12 Player of the Week, junior left fielder Ty Moore. During that stretch, Moore had nine RBIs and drove in at least one run in all four games. That included delivering the game-winning three-run home run in a 13-inning marathon against San Diego State last Tuesday.
With these types of victories under their belt, the Bruins have proven that they have rebounded since the sweep in early March.
“We bounced back and they believe in each other,” said coach John Savage after sweeping Washington State on the road. “Right now, it’s a team (that) believes in themselves.”
When the next big test arrives, this belief should help UCLA be in a much better position to ace it.
With contributing reports by Conor Cusack and Matthew Joye, Bruin Sports senior staff.