This is not where the UCLA baseball team thought it would be 48 games into its season.
Stuck in a sixth-place tie in the Pac-10 with a record of 8-10 and struggling to remain in contention for a regional berth with an overall record of 25-23 is not the scenario the preseason No. 1 team had in mind.
Yet it’s the situation the team finds itself in with two more Pac-10 series and a total of eight games remaining.
“Our backs are against the wall,” coach John Savage said. “Every win is critical toward earning a postseason berth.”
Tonight’s game against No. 12 UC Irvine (33-13, 10-8 Big West) will provide yet another opportunity for the Bruins to begin a string of victories for a bid for a regional berth. A win against the Anteaters on the road at Anteater Ballpark would help the Bruins’ RPI ““ currently 54 ““ and would avenge an early-season loss to UC Irvine. On April 8, the Bruins lost to the Anteaters at Jackie Robinson Stadium, 6-5, in 10 innings.
“(Tonight) is a big game,” pitcher Charles Brewer said. “Irvine is a good club, and they were in Omaha last year, so they are a team that we know we have to bring our A-game against.”
On the mound for the Bruins will be freshman Matt Grace, who will make his second start in his career. So far this season, Grace has performed well in a relief role, making 12 appearances out of the bullpen with an ERA of 3.68. Grace takes over the Tuesday night role after sophomore Garett Claypool struggled with his command in his last two outings. Claypool walked a total of eight batters over the span of 4.1 innings in his last two starts, both Bruin losses.
In order to get a win at Anteater Ballpark, a ballpark where the Bruins are 3-2 since the UCI program was reinstated in 2001, designated hitter Cody Decker believes the team needs to avoid self-inflicted errors.
“We need to stay with the initial plan that we have,” Decker said. “We know these guys, we have played them before. We have gone to their place and won before. The only thing we need to do is stay out of our own way.”
If the Bruins wish to achieve the goal they set before the start of the season ““ to make it to Omaha and come away with the program’s first national championship ““ they need to win now.
“We have to take it one game at a time and then flat out win,” catcher Ryan Babineau said. “I think that is evident. We need to stick together if we expect to make a regional.”