UCLA baseball’s weekend series at Washington could be the
defining series of the season for the team, which is firmly on the
bubble for the NCAA Regionals.
The Bruins (29-25, 10-8 Pac-10) are tied for third place in the
conference, and considering the precedent of years past, a top-four
finish in the conference should clinch a regional spot for the
squad.
But with a Ratings Percentage Index hovering around No. 50 in
the nation, UCLA’s position is a bit precarious. The Bruins
have just one series against Oregon State left after this weekend,
and a bad showing in Seattle could ruin the team’s chance at
a regional spot.
“Yes, I think it is the biggest series of the year,”
coach Gary Adams said. “I told the team a week ago that
Washington was the best team in the conference right now, even
better than Stanford.”
The No. 14 Huskies (33-16-1, 14-7 Pac-10) are in first place in
the conference and have won 8 of their last 10 to surge ahead of
top-ranked Stanford, taking the conference lead by half a game.
“They are probably the best team in the conference,”
pitcher/first baseman Wes Whisler said. “They have hitting
and pitching all around.”
The Bruins are going to need to play some of their best baseball
to take the series from the Huskies on the road.
The Huskies feature a potent lineup with all nine hitters
hitting above .295, seven of those hitting above .300. Their best
hitter is sophomore outfielder Zach Clem, who is batting .358 with
12 home runs and 42 RBI.
Washington’s starting pitchers are young ““ two
freshmen and a sophomore ““ but effective. They are led by
freshman Tim Lincecum who is 8-2 with a 3.67 ERA, and is first in
the Pac-10 with 134 strikeouts.
Washington has an unusual setup for its rotation, going with
Lincecum on Sunday while most teams throw their best pitcher on
Fridays. This makes it important for UCLA’s senior ace Casey
Janssen (8-3, 3.69 ERA) to win on Friday against the Huskies’
second-best starter, freshman Kyle Parker (2-2, 4.36 ERA).
Saturday’s matchup features UCLA’s David Johnson
(2-2, 4.22 ERA) and Washington’s Matt Kasser (3-0, 6.65 ERA).
On Sunday, Whisler (2-4, 5.33 ERA), who shutout Washington in his
last start, will try to duplicate this feat as he faces
Lincecum.
Whisler believes that a good series is needed to build momentum
to carry the team to a successful end of the season.
“Its very important for us to play well and carry this
through to the rest of the year,” Whisler said.