Having lost any chance at a title this season, UCLA baseball has nothing to lose and intends to play that way, battling eighth-ranked Washington in its final series of the season, according to senior infielder Pat Gallagher.
The Bruins will be playing spoilers this weekend as the Huskies are on the cusp of a Pac-12 title, being only two games behind the top-ranked Oregon State Beavers.
After last weekend’s series loss to the Beavers, the Huskies will have a final chance to claim the title; that is, unless the Bruins decide to put up a fight one last time this season.
And the seniors fully intend to.
“We have nothing to lose, so we just want to go out there and take something from them,” Gallagher said. “Maybe take a couple of games from them in the Pac-12 and bash their hopes at a Pac-12 title.”
Gallagher and senior outfielder Brian Carroll have both expressed their desire to end the season on a winning note, adding that they are taking this series to heart, as it will be the last time they play together as Bruins.
“Just being around the guys for the last time is going to be … tough to think about,” Gallagher said. “I’ve been around most of them for four years or three years, so it’ll be tough, but it’ll be good.”
But in order for the Bruins to have a fighting chance, they will have to band together in an attempt to overcome the problem that has plagued them for the past few months: playing a full game and not letting up halfway through.
“When we get ahead we need to keep the pedal down and keep scoring runs,” said junior catcher Shane Zeile. ”We just have to not give up and bring a little more intensity.”
In practice, coach John Savage has been emphasizing getting better in all aspects of the game, regardless of the fact that the season is coming to a conclusion this weekend.
However, Savage is approaching this week as another chance to keep getting better this season, without thinking about next season.
“The season is not over and I’m not talking about 2015. I’m talking about 2014 and still getting better,” Savage said. “That’s where our main focus has to be and until it’s over, it’s not over.”