The No. 22 UCLA baseball team is in line at this point to make a
serious run at the Pac-10 Championship and, barring a significant
implosion, should make the regional playoffs.
And no, that is not a very late April Fool’s joke.
As the Bruins (23-17, 7-5) begin a three-game series with
California (19-21, 6-9) in Berkeley today, they are tied for third
place in the Pac-10 with Arizona State.
Not only are the Bruins in the process of a complete turnaround
from last year’s 15-win season, but they are also in position
to have one of UCLA baseball’s best seasons in recent
memory.
Bear in mind that this Bruin team was picked to finish eighth
out of nine teams in the Pac-10. With excellent starting pitching
from juniors Hector Ambriz, Dave Huff and Tyson Brummett, the
Bruins have been in a position to win every Pac-10 series so far
this season. All three starters have won Pac-10 Pitcher of the Week
honors this year.
“We have such good pitching,” redshirt senior right
fielder Chris Jensen said. “That’s what’s been
the constant for us this season. We will definitely need to make
regionals (for the season to be a success), and pitching wins in
the playoffs.”
Now, regionals is not only one of their goals, it has also
become an expectation.
“Our goal is to battle for a Pac-10 championship,”
UCLA coach John Savage said. “We want to make regionals and
be in the top tier of our conference.”
The Bruins last made it to the post-season two years ago in
former coach Gary Adams’ last season.
At No. 17 in an NCAA Division 1 RPI ranking by Boyd’s
World, a baseball statistics Web site, the Bruins are standing in
very good position to make it into the postseason field of 64
teams.
With the games against the Bears this weekend, the Bruins begin
the latter half of the Pac-10 season. At 7-5 in the conference, the
Bruins need to finish strong as they take on the Bay Area schools,
as well as the top two teams in the conference, USC (9-6) and
Oregon State (9-3).
BRUIN IN THE BIGS: UCLA alumnus Casey Janssen
made his major league debut Thursday night, getting to start for
the Toronto Blue Jays. Janssen pitched four innings, allowing three
runs (two earned) in Toronto’s 7-5 loss to the Baltimore
Orioles.
Janssen played at UCLA from 2001-2004 and was the Bruins’
ace on the 2004 squad that went to the NCAA Tournament. After a
senior season where he went 10-4 with a 3.16 ERA, he was drafted in
the fourth round by the Blue Jays.