Oklahoma has been a very good venue for UCLA sports in the last
month.
Both softball and women’s golf won national championships,
and the baseball team is hoping that No. 20 Oklahoma provides
similar hospitality as the Bruins begin the NCAA Regionals today in
Oklahoma City.
But unlike softball and women’s golf, baseball does not
come in as a favorite, even in this four-team field, which in
addition to the No. 2-seeded Sooners also includes No. 1 seed
Florida (40-20) and No. 4 seed Central Connecticut State
(41-15-1).
The Bruins, seeded third, will have to play their best baseball
to have a chance to pull off upsets of the top two teams.
This task is made all the more difficult because all of their
opponents have recently been in the tournament, while this is the
first trip for UCLA since 2000.
But for a team picked seventh in the Pac-10, the Bruins (33-27)
have already exceeded expectations with their regional berth and
should play with little pressure on their backs, as almost no one
expected them to come this far.
No matter what happens, this season has been a remarkable one
for retiring coach Gary Adams.
“I’ll tell you this ““ it’s great to have
my last season be so special,” Adams said. “I remember
the first time I made it to any playoffs as a coach. It’s a
wonderful feeling, and that’s what players are feeling
because it’s their first one.
“These guys have played so hard, and they’ve been
trapped in a corner at times this season, but they did it,”
he said.
For the Bruins to beat the Sooners, their bats will have to be
as good as they have been at any point in this season.
The Sooners’ ace, Mark Roberts, has been excellent, with a
9-4 record and 3.08 ERA in 16 starts this year. Roberts has
impeccable control, only walking 22 in 114 innings, while striking
out 122.
But that control can also be something UCLA can pounce on, as he
has been around the plate enough to give up 11 home runs on the
year, which leads the Sooners.
This means Bruin ace pitcher Casey Janssen (9-4, 3.40 ERA) will
have to be on top of his game. The senior has been the one standout
on an otherwise average pitching staff, and a bad performance from
him today will put a serious dent in UCLA’s hopes for
advancing to the NCAA Super-Regionals.
The Sooners’ offense is not particularly powerful, with no
one on the team having more than eight home runs on the year. But
they have some good hitters, with four starters hitting above .300,
and first baseman Ole Sheldon leading them at .375.
If the Bruins win today, on Saturday, they will most likely face
No. 21 Florida.
The Gators, unlike the Sooners, have a power-packed lineup, with
three players in double-digit home runs. Florida also has a top
bullpen with Darren O’Day and Connor Falkenbach combining to
be 17-7 in 53 appearances.
With a loss, UCLA will have to stave off elimination tomorrow in
the double-elimination tournament, probably against Central
Connecticut State.
The Blue Devils, from the Northeast Conference, have an
explosive offensive group, which scored nearly eight runs a game
and was led by Keith Stegbauer, who has a .412 average.
On the flip side, their team ERA is a pedestrian 4.84, and in
their only competition with a team similar to UCLA, the Blue Devils
got blown out three straight games by Virginia.