After a grueling series win against No. 2 Stanford that catapulted the Bruins into first place in the Pac-12, the Bruins will get a far more favorable draw this weekend.
No. 17 UCLA baseball (19-9, 8-4 Pac-12) will travel to Salt Lake City for a three-game series against unranked Utah (9-22, 4-5), the team with the worst overall record in the Pac-12.
Utah will, however, bring an offense that has scored more than 7 runs per game over their last four. The Bruins’ pitching staff, on the other hand, allowed over 6 runs per game against the Cardinal last weekend. Coach John Savage’s staff allowed another 5 runs against Long Beach State on Tuesday night, but he said he expects his pitchers to rise to the occasion this weekend.
“We had a heavy-duty weekend … that set us back a little bit,” Savage said. “But we expect our guys to step up.”
UCLA will see some welcome additions on the mound easing some of the staff’s fatigue. Right-handers junior Jon Olsen and sophomore Ryan Garcia returned last weekend and Savage said both will have weaker restrictions moving forward. Senior sinkerballer Jake Bird will take the mound Friday, followed by freshman right-hander Zach Pettway on Saturday and Olsen on Sunday.
Redshirt sophomore pitcher Kyle Molnar, who underwent Tommy John surgery in June 2016, is expected to see game action for the first time in almost two years. While Molnar will be on a strict pitch count out of the bullpen, he said he is still excited to get back on the field with his teammates.
“I don’t really know (what to expect),” Molnar said. “I just want to go compete and do whatever I can for the team.”
Molnar was on the path to becoming the Bruins’ ace of the future before he got hurt in 2016, recording a 3.32 ERA in 13 starts as the team’s Sunday starter his freshman year.
Utah’s pitching staff ranks dead last in the conference with a 5.18 ERA, and will face a UCLA offense that has scored 8.2 runs per game over the past five games. The Bruins’ sophomore second baseman Chase Strumpf, who leads the team with 7 home runs and 30 RBIs, is poised to take advantage of the Utes’ pitching staff.
“I have to recognize the little things when they’re going well and try to repeat those,” Strumpf said. “I’m trying to trust my swing, what I’ve been working on in practice, and so far it’s been working out in games.”
Since the start of conference play March 16, Strumpf has recorded a hit in 13 of 14 games, and has three straight games with a home run.
The Bruins are second in the conference with 30 stolen bases this season, led by junior outfielder Daniel Amaral’s seven. However, Utah’s staff has picked off a Pac-12-leading 11 runners, which could hold the Bruins in check on the basepaths.