Author Archives: Andrew Howard

This season the Bruin baseball team (29-24, 13-8 Pac-10) has come from behind to win some memorable games, which have sparked the team’s tear through the Pac-10.

Looking to rebound from a disappointing and heartbreaking series against the No. 8 Arizona State Sun Devils last weekend, the Bruins (29-24, 13-8 Pac-10) set off for Washington State (27-24, 10-14) with high hopes. However, they did not achieve their desired outcome, as the team dropped two of three against the Cougars and lost their second consecutive conference series.

UCLA’s recent 100th national championship demonstrates that the bar could not be set higher for athletic success in Westwood. A banner only goes up in Pauley for a national title, and most Bruins fans are disappointed without ultimate success.

The true character of a team is revealed when it is put under intense pressure, when its back is against the wall with nowhere to go. Under these strenuous conditions, a team will either rise up to the occasion or wilt under the pressure and fall to mediocrity.
This weekend against Washington State (25-23, 8-13 Pac-10) is such a moment for the Bruins.

At the start of the season, the Bruin baseball team (28-22, 12-6 Pac-10) resembled a car with a faulty spark plug.

Going into last weekend’s showdown against the high-powered No. 10 Arizona State Sun Devils (37-12, 14-4 Pac-10), the Bruins had everything going for them. They had won all five of their conference series, they were sitting atop the Pac-10 standings, and they had just defeated a playoff-caliber team in Pepperdine while on the road.

While the No. 21 Bruins (28-19, 12-3 Pac-10) have enjoyed a tremendous amount of success in Pac-10 play so far, one thing is certain: The team cannot afford to coast to the finish line.