It’s the beginning of February and a full two weeks before
the start of major league spring training, which can only mean one
thing in Westwood ““ college baseball season.
No. 21 UCLA kicks off its 2007 campaign tonight at Jackie
Robinson Stadium when the Bruins open a three-game series against
Winthrop.
Tonight’s game not only represents UCLA’s first of
the season, but also the first ever meeting between the two
programs, who both made regional appearances a year ago.
Taking the mound against the new opponent is newly crowned staff
ace Tyson Brummett. Brummett will face off against Alex Wilson, who
represents some tough competition.
“They (Winthrop) probably have a first-round arm in
Wilson,” UCLA coach John Savage said. “He’s a
legitimate guy.”
Senior Paul Schmidt will take the hill for UCLA on Saturday in
place of Charles Brewer, who is out with illness, and freshman
Gavin Brooks will close out the weekend.
Under Savage, the Bruins have been known to give themselves a
tough schedule, and this season is no different with the Eagles
coming to town.
“Every time I checked the top 25 last year they (Winthrop)
were around,” sophomore Cody Decker said.
“They’re a really good program and I hope we can put
some (runs) up against them.”
Putting runs on the board is expected to be one of the strengths
of this year’s team that should to be consistently dangerous
at the plate.
While at times last season the Bruins struggled with consistency
and run production sending out a freshman-heavy lineup, coming into
this season they return most of their bats, including sophomores
Jermaine Curtis and Brandon Crawford, who will be in the two and
three spots. Curtis led all UCLA regulars in batting last year with
a .336 average as a freshman.
“They got thrown in the fire from day one (last year) and
performed at a pretty high level,” Savage said. “We
hope that carries over, and our standards are higher.”
Savage, known for his excellence working with pitchers, will
have a largely untested staff.
When asked if the rotation had something to prove, Brummett was
candid.
“Yah. It’s gonna be a little different. (Last
season) we had a set rotation for the whole year. … (But now)
it’s there for the taking,” he said.
Also there for the Bruins is something they aren’t too
used to ““ preseason respect. The Bruins are No. 21 in the USA
Today/ESPN coaches poll and ranked No. 13 by Baseball America.
“(The ranking) is pretty cool,” long reliever Jason
Novak said. “But we gotta go out and perform on the field
that way. It all starts Friday, showing that we (should be) ranked
that high.”