UCLA baseball coach John Savage made it quite clear on Sunday.
“Every game matters now,” he said following his team’s vital series win over conference foe Oregon State.
With only 16 regular-season games remaining on the schedule, his statement could not be any more true. The important, late-season stretch continues tonight as the Bruins (19-21), winners of nine of their last 13 games, host Long Beach State (20-19) at Jackie Robinson Stadium.
Like the Bruins, the 49ers come into tonight’s game playing relatively well. Long Beach State swept Big West rival Pacific in a three-game road set over the weekend. The 49ers tout 10 batters who have an average of .299 or better.
UCLA junior pitcher Garett Claypool is slated to make his fifth start of the season tonight.
“Claypool has given us some quality starts, and we look for him to continue in that role,” Savage said.
Claypool’s best start came two weeks ago on the road against San Diego State. In that game, he allowed three runs in 5.1 innings pitched and struck out a career-high eight batters.
Tonight, the right-hander will be looking to bounce back from last Tuesday’s rather forgettable outing at UC Riverside where he surrendered four runs and exited the game in the first inning without retiring a batter. UCLA went on to lose by a lopsided, 17-6 score.
“Last Tuesday was a tough one, to say the least,” Savage said.
Through 40 games, the Bruins are still seeking a winning percentage above .500 ““ something they have not had since the fourth game of the season. A victory tonight would pull them within a win of a balanced record.
According to junior pitcher Charles Brewer, who earned the victory on Sunday, the Bruins are heading in the right direction.
“Now that we’ve gotten into Pac-10 play, we’ve settled down a little bit,” he said. “We’ve overcome some hurdles.”
“It seems like we’re getting over the hump,” Savage said. “We’re a team that’s certainly in the mix. We just have to keep playing.”
Freshman catcher Steve Rodriguez, who went three 3-for-3 at the plate on Sunday, credited a meeting the team held earlier this month for the current mindset.
“Now we take every day as an opportunity to come out and play,” Rodriguez said.
Though UCLA’s starting rotation pitched well this weekend, Savage was especially pleased with how the bullpen responded. Sophomore left-hander Matt Grace, senior right-hander Jason Novak and junior left-hander Gavin Brooks combined to throw four shutout innings on Friday. The trio did the same thing Sunday, with Brooks earning saves in both games.
“The bullpen was solid all weekend,” Rodriguez said. “They came out, threw strikes and got ahead of guys. They weren’t afraid to attack the zone. Oregon State had a lot of trouble with them.”
Yet despite winning six of their last seven home games, the Bruins are well aware of the competition that awaits them. UCLA is still scheduled to play three-game sets against Oregon, California, Cal State Fullerton and Arizona State.