NICOLE MILLER/Daily Bruin Pitcher Kevin
Jerkens throws the ball to first base in the Bruins’ game
against their alumni on Jan. 20 BASEBALL PREVIEW
vs. UC Riverside Saturday 1 p.m. Riverside, CA
By Jeff Agase
Daily Bruin Reporter
The UCLA baseball team travels to the Inland Empire on Saturday
to face the UC Riverside Highlanders in both teams’ season
opener.
The game will mark the beginning of the Highlanders’ first
season against Division I competition. Last season UCR compiled a
30-23 overall record while competing in the Division II California
Collegiate Athletic Association.
UCR’s move to Division I prompted UCLA head coach Gary
Adams, who grew up in Riverside, to agree to schedule a single game
before the Bruins travel to Hawaii for a three-game series next
week.
“They asked us to be the first team that they would play
in an official Division I game and I didn’t hesitate,”
Adams said. “I was very happy and proud that they selected
our team.”
UCLA holds a 3-1 all-time advantage against the Highlanders and
boasts an 18-8 record in opening-day games under Adams. The Bruins
have grown accustomed to opening the season away from
Westwood’s Jackie Robinson Stadium, flying across the Pacific
Ocean for opening day games against Hawai’i in four of the
past five seasons.
Still, the game may serve as a chance to calm anxious
jitters.
“We’re on the road 60 percent of the games, so
it’s not weird at all,” said senior pitcher Jon Brandt.
“We have a real young team, so I wouldn’t be surprised
if we’re a little uptight initially.”
Last week in the annual Alumni Game, the 2001 Bruins used five
strong innings from starting pitcher Brandt and a manufactured run
in the bottom of the sixth to eke out a 4-3 win over former Bruins
now playing professionally.
The way the game was won was more important to Bruin shortstop
Josh Canales than the win itself.
“Game in, game out you can’t sit back and wait for
that three-run homer,” he said. “If you generate runs,
get down the bunt, you make things happen like that. That way
you’re not crossing your fingers hoping the next batter will
hit a homer.”
With the loss of long-ball hitters Chase Utley, Bill Scott and
Forrest Johnson (each had 20 HRs or more) to the Major League
Baseball draft, the focus of the Bruin attack has shifted to
pitching, defense, and low-scoring ball games.
“We’ll feel comfortable going into any late-inning
game in a tie because we’ve worked very hard at that part
(manufacturing runs) of the game offensively and know that we can
create a run any time we want,” said hitting coach Vince
Beringhele. “If we can get a leadoff guy on we feel very good
about being able to score.”
Junior fireballer and preseason All-American Josh Karp will get
the nod for the Bruins. Last season, Karp compiled a 10-2 record in
16 starts and finished the season 6-0 against Pac-10 opponents,
while holding all opponents to a .231 batting average.
“Josh is legitimately the No. 1 starter on the staff by
pure stuff, by knowledge, by endurance and stamina,” said
pitching coach Gary Adcock. “He’ll pitch on Fridays and
will be matched up against everyone else’s No. 1.”
The reigning Pac-10 co-champion Bruins did not make any
preseason Top 25 polls but can go a long way to impress by winning
road games like Saturday’s at the Riverside Sports
Complex.