It’s a long shot – a very, very long shot – but there is still a conceivable scenario in which UCLA baseball earns a spot in the NCAA Tournament.
That scenario likely requires the Bruins to win all of their final seven games.
If, in the weak landscape of West Coast collegiate baseball this year, there was ever a seven-game stretch that gave the Bruins a chance to make a postseason case, it’s this one.
In its final two weekend series, UCLA baseball will match up with Arizona State and Oregon State, each of which presents a difficult matchup.
The Sun Devils have won five straight series – and 11 of their last 14 games – to bring their RPI to 37, and though the Beavers have struggled lately, they are a talented squad that entered the year as the favorite in the Pac-12.
UCLA’s toughest test, though, may come Tuesday when it hosts UC Santa Barbara for a midweek contest.
The Gauchos recently dropped out of D1Baseball’s top 25 rankings, but they boast an RPI of 21 and, until a recent scuffle, had an outside shot at hosting a regional for the second year in a row.
With a tournament spot all but locked up, UCSB has less riding on Tuesday’s game than UCLA, which desperately needs every win it can get from here on out.
During coach John Savage’s tenure at UCLA, the Bruins have rarely found themselves in this position – playing out the end of the season with little to no hope of a postseason berth.
The Bruins have hosted a regional five of the last six years, piling up a 253-120 record over that span. But after dropping two out of three to USC over the weekend, UCLA sits below .500, ahead of only Washington State in the Pac-12 standings.
“We’ve been to the playoffs eight of the last 10 years or something – we’re used to winning,” Savage said. “And we’re used to being (qualified for) the playoffs at this stage.”
A win over the Gauchos would certainly boost the Bruins’ resume.
UCSB features a deep lineup, topped by leadoff hitter Andrew Calica, the reigning batting champion of the Cape Cod Baseball League.
Calica enters Tuesday’s game with a gaudy .455 on-base percentage, and he’s supported by a strong middle of the order that includes sophomore infielder Austin Bush and redshirt sophomore infielder JJ Muno, each of whom has produced an OPS over .800.
Both teams will likely take a staff approach on the mound Tuesday, splitting up the nine innings between several pitchers.
Tuesday’s game – like each of the next six the Bruins will play – is essentially a must-win game for UCLA.
Savage is well aware.
“They’re all big,” he said.