New UCLA baseball coach John Savage completed his coaching staff
Wednesday when he hired Matt Jones as a volunteer assistant coach.
This event marks the second time in less than a year that Savage
has hired Jones. Before the 2004 season, Jones was hired as a
volunteer assistant coach at UC Irvine, where Savage coached before
being hired by UCLA in July. “Matt Jones had a lot to do with
our first-ever (NCAA) regional appearance last year, so we’re
very excited to have him join our staff here at UCLA,” Savage
said in a statement. Jones has had volunteer coaching stints at
California and Los Medanos College in addition to coaching numerous
collegiate summer baseball teams. “UCLA is a wonderful
university, and I’m very happy to join the baseball staff
here,” Jones said in a statement. “I’m very much
looking forward to helping this program continue its winning
tradition.” Jones joins full-time assistant coaches Pat Shine
and Brian Green on the Bruin staff.
WHISLER PROMOTED: UCLA’s Wes Whisler, who
was drafted in the June MLB Draft, was promoted in the Chicago
White Sox organization on Sunday. Whisler was sent up to the
Class-A Advanced Winston-Salem Warthogs from the low Class-A
Kannapolis Intimidators. As a pitcher, Whisler was 4-1 with a 2.78
ERA for the Intimidators. As a hitter, he hit .289 with 1 HR and 5
RBI in 21 games.
WILSON SIGNS WITH DODGERS: Kyle Wilson became
the last of UCLA’s drafted players to sign a contract Tuesday
when he signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Wilson was a
22nd-round pick by the Dodgers in the MLB Draft and had a 3.38 ERA
in 24 relief appearances for the Bruins in 2004. Wilson’s
signing makes 10 Bruins who have signed professional contracts in
the off-season ““ a new UCLA record. All nine UCLA players
drafted in June signed a professional contract, and Preston Griffin
was signed as a free agent by the Chicago Cubs after the draft.
UCLA has had more players drafted in one year before ““ 12, in
2000 ““ but only nine of them ended up signing professional
contracts.
RUSTICH STRUGGLES: UCLA sophomore Brant Rustich
got the start in the National Baseball Congress World Series
winner’s bracket final for the Santa Barbara Foresters but
gave up four runs in 4 1/3 innings Wednesday in a 7-2 loss to the
Aloha (Ore.) Knights. Rustich had pitched brilliantly for the
Foresters, a summer league team full of college players, up until
Wednesday, compiling a 4-3 record and a 2.44 ERA over 44 1/3
innings. The NBC World Series is a double-elimination tournament in
Wichita, Kan., featuring 46 of the best amateur teams in the
country.