It seems rather fitting that the do-or-die series for UCLA baseball’s season would come against crosstown rival USC.
The Bruins (23-23, 10-11 Pac-12) enter their annual three-game series against the Trojans with an RPI of 75. Their chances of attaining an at-large berth to the NCAA Tournament are still there, but they are fading. UCLA lost a close game Tuesday to a fellow bubble team in Pepperdine, and another one or two losses to lowly USC (21-24, 10-11) could spell doom.
“It’s a huge series,” said coach John Savage. “Every game is (huge) right now.”
Savage is hoping for a bounce-back series from his team after what he called an embarrassing performance on Tuesday. The Bruins scratched first in that contest, scoring a run in the second inning, but they failed to score for the rest of the game.
At first glance, one could point to an injury to sophomore first baseman Sean Bouchard as being the catalyst for UCLA’s downturn on Tuesday. Bouchard rolled his ankle while legging a leadoff triple in the second inning, and wouldn’t return for the rest of the game. Without their lead run producer in the lineup, the Bruins went 3-23 from the plate for the rest of the game.
Savage denied the notion that Bouchard’s injury disrupted the Bruins’ momentum. He attributed UCLA’s offensive struggles to something much broader.
“Hey, you know, I think we’re so average that I don’t know what to really say to (the impact of Bouchard’s injury),” Savage said.
Even if the Bruins’ poor hitting is a result of the team being average, the absence of Bouchard cannot be understated. He’s the top power-hitting threat on a team that has sorely lacked power all year. UCLA’s team slugging percentage of .329 ranks 274th out of 295 Division I teams. Bouchard’s slugging percentage is a team-high .436.
“It was definitely tough seeing him hurt. I mean, we definitely need him in the lineup,” said junior outfielder Kort Peterson. “So we just hope he gets back as soon as he can.”
Bouchard was in a walking boot after Tuesday’s game. His status for this weekend’s pivotal series against USC is uncertain.
USC scouting report
Unlike the Bruins, the Trojans have had a fruitful offense this year. They lead the Pac-12 with a .430 slugging percentage and rank second in the conference with an on-base percentage of .381.
Pitching, however, has been a bit of an issue.
The Trojans’ team ERA of 4.88 is bad, but their starting pitchers’ ERA is worse. Outside of Friday starter Joe Navilhon, USC’s Saturday and Sunday starters have a combined ERA of 5.61 in 85 innings pitched.
In sum, if there’s one weekend where the UCLA offense could finally break out, it might be against USC’s three right-handed starters – Navilhon, Kyle Davis and Mitch Hart.