This year’s College World Series features four teams with 50 or more wins on the season, three of the top four national seeds and a litany of high-powered offensive squads.
UCLA baseball does not carry with it any of those accolades. In fact, the Bruins have the lowest win total of any of the eight teams in Omaha, Neb.
While it may seem as if the Bruins should just be happy to have a seat at the table, they hold one distinction that others do not: UCLA is the only team returning from last year’s CWS, the pinnacle of collegiate baseball.
So while UCLA will face 57 win, fourth-seeded, hard-hitting LSU today, it won’t shy away from the competition, feeling as if it carries an important trump card.
“I think it’s a huge advantage. A lot of teams might come in there bright-eyed and a little distracted from all the attraction that’s going on there and the situation they’re being put in,” said sophomore closer David Berg. “But for us, there are a lot of guys who have been there and seen what it’s like so it’s nice that we have an advantage over them.”
Having been to three of the last four CWS, UCLA (44-17) boasts plenty of players battle tested in the postseason. Senior second baseman Cody Regis is the only player in Omaha who has played in all three. The Bruins’ starter today, junior Adam Plutko, will be pitching in his second consecutive CWS opener.
Coach John Savage said the deciding factor at this stage of the season will be which team can settle into the game first.
“Just be yourself and get back into the game and make sure you do what you do. Don’t get ahead of yourself,” Savage said. “Everybody’s had butterflies. That’s the nature of this game, but it’s a matter of who gets (back) to (being) themselves the earliest … we hope to do that as early as we can on Sunday.”
Plutko echoed those sentiments, saying that the Bruins’ past postseason experience in Omaha should help them get acclimated quickly.
“It’s just one of those experiences that the sooner you can get settled in and really start executing your game plan the better you can be,” said Plutko, who won his only start in Omaha last year.
UCLA’s junior starter will have to get settled in quickly. He’ll be facing a lineup that Savage called a “murderer’s row.”
Louisiana State University’s Tigers (57-9) have six hitters batting .300 or better with two other players hitting .299 and .297. For comparison, the Bruins have no starters hitting .280 or better with sophomore third baseman Kevin Kramer leading the way at a .279 clip.
LSU’s lineup has also hit 27 more home runs than UCLA, more than double the Bruins’ total, while posting 131 more runs batted in.
But UCLA’s program is built on pitching and defense, and Savage is confident the experienced Plutko will keep the team in the game.
“You’re talking about a guy that’s a very experienced guy, very high preparation guy and a team guy,” the coach said. “He allows us an opportunity to win every time he goes out there. …We trust and there’s a lot of faith in Adam and really the entire team.”
The Bruins are not only focused on starting strong but also finishing what they’ve started. Despite seeming like an underdog going into the CWS, UCLA believes this year’s squad can be the first team to win the national title in program history.
In the other dugout, the Bruins will be facing a four-time national champion.
“It’s going to be fun. It’s the first step on our way to winning a national championship and I’m most looking forward to just getting on the mound again,” Plutko said.