Freshman right fielder hones abilities after rough season start

UCLA baseball coach John Savage expected some freshmen to play a significant role for the Bruins before the 2017 campaign even began. Michael Toglia was one of them. The wiry 6-foot-5-inch right fielder came to UCLA as a promising recruit. He was named the Most Valuable Player in the West Coast League this past summer […]

Baseball salvages series against Cougars with Sunday blowout win

The Bruins were one game away from being swept for the first time in conference play this season. Then the bats came alive. After losing back-to-back games against Washington State (24-23, 10-14 Pac-12) on Friday and Saturday by scores of 7-1 and 7-3, UCLA baseball (25-23, 14-10) trounced the Cougars 12-2 on Sunday to avoid […]

Baseball aims to improve RPI in road matchup with Cal State Fullerton

UCLA baseball is in the middle of a seven-game road stretch. But at this point in the season, that’s a good thing. “RPI-wise it’s what we want,” said coach John Savage. “We want to play on the road this time of year.” After a three-game road sweep of the USC Trojans over the weekend, the […]

Baseball shuts out USC to complete series sweep

UCLA baseball brought out the brooms against its crosstown rival Saturday. The Bruins tallied hit after hit, took advantage of the Trojans’ defensive blunders and didn’t commit any fielding errors despite the high winds blowing into Dedeaux Field. UCLA (24-20, 13-8 Pac-12) captured the series sweep against USC (19-25, 6-15) with a 13-0 victory in […]

Nick Kern overcomes months of illness to return to UCLA baseball

Nick Kern, frail and dejected, sat up in his bed. It was April 2016 and Kern was a familiar patient at the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center. He had endured physical setbacks before – a shoulder problem forced him to give up pitching and become an infielder for UCLA baseball during his junior year. But […]

Baseball survives late Cal Poly rally to close out series victory

The series almost slipped away. Scott Burke didn’t let it. Coach John Savage called on the senior closer to record a five-out save in the eighth inning Sunday as UCLA clung to a 5-4 lead against Cal Poly. With a man already on, Burke yielded a single and a walk to load the bases. But […]

Baseball seeks to defeat Long Beach State, improve NCAA standing

UCLA baseball’s NCAA Tournament standing is on the rise. The team’s RPI increased 10 spots to No. 57 after taking a win from No. 1 Oregon State over the weekend, and they currently sit in third place in the Pac-12. Even with Saturday’s victory, coach John Savage said his team’s position isn’t ideal heading into […]