Friday, 5/9/97 UCLA needs win over the Cardinal to enter
playoffs Six-Pac giants will battle for Pac-10 Southern Division
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#By Tim Yun Daily Bruin Contributor Needing a sweep to play in
the Pac-10 playoffs next week, the UCLA Bruins will play in the
most important series of the year against the Stanford Cardinal
this weekend at the Jackie Robinson Stadium. "Right now the College
World Series is our goal," assistant coach Vince Beringhele said.
"I think that beating Stanford this weekend is a part of that
goal." The team, looking to rebound after their loss to Long Beach
State on Tuesday, will play for the Pac-10 Southern Division title
and a chance to play the Northern Division champion in the Pac-10
Playoffs, scheduled for May 15-17. In an earlier showdown between
the two schools, the Bruins took two out of the three from the
Cardinal by splitting a doubleheader and taking the last game of
the series. However, this may not bring them up to an advantage for
the Bruins. "With teams that have lost an earlier series, often we
can see them coming out with a little more passion and
determination, only because they want to redeem themselves,"
Beringhele said. This weekend’s series will be a classic power
struggle between the two best teams in the Six-Pac. The Bruins and
the Cardinal are virtually atop every pitching and hitting
statistic in the league. The Cardinal field the best pitching staff
in the league. As a team they have a 4.24 ERA, while their ace,
Kyle Peterson, anchors the staff with a 9-2 record and a 3.24 ERA.
A potent Cardinal offense provides the talented pitching staff with
ample run support. With an incredible .344 team batting average,
the Cardinal lead the league in that category. Freshman Edward Muth
leads the charge with a .401 average, good for fourth overall in
individual batting. The Bruins are not without a strong overall
team. They hold a 4.33 ERA and a collective .336 batting average,
both second in the league. The top hurler for the Bruins has been
left-hander Jim Parque. He has dominated the opposition en route to
a 11-2 record. Tom Jacquez (9-2, 2.60), Peter Zamora (5-2, 5.20)
and closer Jake Meyer (seven saves) complete a Bruin staff that is
comparable to the best staffs in the nation. Shortstop Troy Glaus,
who holds the UCLA record for most career homeruns, is the
offensive centerpiece by leading the team in several categories.
Left fielder Jon Heinrichs (.366) has been on a tear of late,
indicated by his 16-game hitting streak. There are only four
batters in the Six-Pac who are batting over .400, including two
Bruins: first baseman/pitcher Peter Zamora (.404) and Troy Glaus
(.409). Lately, the Bruins have been on a downward slide, which is
readily apparent when looking at the close scores in the California
series last weekend. "In the last two weeks, I don’t think that we
have been playing like we did at the beginning of the year,"
Beringhele said. However, the Bruins retained their composure and
are confident that they will be able to sweep Stanford in this
weekend’s series. Coming out of a players-only meeting on
Wednesday, the team emerged with a new sense of composure and sense
of determination. "We feel that we are a much better club than
Stanford," Beringhele said. "We run deeper and have more talent
than Stanford." Despite holding certain advantages, the Bruins
still realize that they will be going head-to-head with one of the
best pitching staffs in baseball. "It is not going to be an easy
task," Beringhele said. "We will have to keep focused and play the
three games this weekend to the best of our ability." Related
Links: NCAA Baseball