UCLA baseball’s philosophy is simple.
During coach John Savage’s 12-year tenure in Westwood, the Bruins haven’t relied on an imposing offense filled with home-run hitters to succeed. Each season’s foundation has been built upon the club’s consistent pitching and defense.
“That’s exactly it,” Savage said. “The reasons when we’ve gone to Omaha and played for a national championship – they had a recipe of pitching and defense for sure, and really timely hitting.”
The same schema for success has continued in 2017. Thus far, UCLA (4-3) holds an earned run average of 2.14 and has held opponents to a paltry .180 batting average.
But the staff will be tested this weekend when it faces off against Michigan (7-2), San Diego (4-2) and crosstown rival USC (6-2) in the seventh annual Dodger Stadium Baseball Classic.
Each opponent boasts a lineup headlined by sluggers in the middle of the order – all three squads have smacked six or more home runs on the year. And if there’s one flaw the Bruins have shown on the mound, it’s been their susceptibility to the long ball, as two of their three losses resulted from game-changing homers.
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Despite this, the team’s pitching plan won’t change heading into the Classic.
“We don’t really focus on our upcoming opponents as much as we focus on our specific approach,” said redshirt sophomore catcher Daniel Rosica. “We believe that our pitching approach will be successful on every hitter of every team.”
Strong starts to the year from junior starting pitchers and MLB draft prospects Griffin Canning and Jake Bird have contributed to the staff’s impressive numbers. The two will pitch Friday and Saturday respectively, with sophomore Jon Olsen getting the call Sunday.
Canning has yet to allow a run through 13 innings, owning a 20-to-5 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Bird has nearly matched his teammate’s numbers, yielding one run in 13 innings – a 0.69 ERA – while fanning 13 batters.
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“To be honest it’s just the standard that we have,” Rosica said. “Coach Savage holds them to a high standard. … We prepare like we’re the best every day and it shows up in the game.”
For the first time this season, the Bruins will match up against a pair of major conference teams in the Wolverines and the Trojans. But players said the outcomes against the more recognized teams won’t be a gauge for how the season plays out.
The Classic itself hasn’t been a predictor in most years, either. Last season, UCLA went 3-0 over the weekend but ended the year with a 25-31 overall record. In 2015, it was swept in the tournament but managed to finish the year 45-16 with the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament.
“You never know really. (In) baseball, anyone can beat you at any point,” said sophomore center fielder Daniel Amaral. “Last year we swept the Dodgertown Classic and we didn’t do very well … so I mean it doesn’t really mean much, but it definitely gets you on the right (track).”
A glimpse of the future?
UCLA bounced back from Tuesday’s loss against Cal State Northridge with a 5-2 exhibition victory against the NC Dinos of the Korean Baseball Organization on Wednesday night.
The Bruins went tit for tat with the professional team until the eighth inning, when extra-base hits from freshman infielder Kyle Cuellar, sophomore catcher Gavin Johns and sophomore outfielder Jake Pries broke the tie. On the bump, freshmen pitchers Kyle Mora, Garrett Barker and Ryan Garcia each registered scoreless outings.
The evening showcased the cadre of younger players’ potentials and a look at the possible future of the program.
“(The future’s) bright. I mean there’s no question – if you watch and you watch us closely, I think that you realize we are pretty deep position player-wise,” Savage said. “We’ve got some really good young players and we really think they are going to grow up fast.”