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Bruins Hosts Midweek Game Against UC Riverside

Baseball

UCLA returns to Jackie Robinson Stadium to face UC Riverside at 6 p.m. on Tuesday.

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LOS ANGELES – The UCLA baseball team returns to Jackie Robinson Stadium on Tuesday when it hosts UC Riverside for a midweek matchup with first pitch scheduled for 6 p.m. (PT).

Probable Starters
Tuesday, Feb. 21 - 6:00 p.m. (PT)
UCLA – Jon Olsen, RHP, So. (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
UCR – TBA

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Weekend Review
The Bruins clinched a series win during the opening weekend after winning two games against San Jose State before having the final game canceled due to weather.

  • On Saturday, UClA won its home opener, 3-2. Griffin Canning tossed 6.0 shutout innings with eight strikeouts. Brian Gadsby earned the win throwing the final 1.2 innings without allowing a run. INF Ryan Kreidler drove in two runs including the game-winning run in the ninth inning.
  • On Sunday, UCLA clinched the series with a 10-1 victory on Sunday. Jake Bird took a no-hitter into the seventh inning and finished the day with six strikeouts and allowed one run on only one hit. Daniel Amaral highlighted a seven-run fifth inning with his first career home run. Daniel Rosica tied a career-best with three RBIs.
  • Head Coach John Savage improves to 8-5 on Opening Day and UCLA is now 18-7 at home on Opening Day since the first year of Jackie Robinson stadium in 1981.
  • The Bruins are tied for the second-best ERA in the Pac-12 after the opening weekend at 1.00.
  • UCLA ended the weekend with the third-highest on-base percentage in the conference at .397

Scouting UC Riverside
UC Riverside went 1-1 in its opening weekend against Nebraska with the final two games of the series being canceled due to weather. The Highlanders are led by Mark Contreras who hit .556 against the Cornhuskers and Connor Cannon who drove in a team-best four RBIs, including hitting a three-run home run in the 4-3 victory over Nebraska.

The Bruins vs. The Highlanders
UCLA has faced UC Riverside 34 previous times, posting a record of 22-12 against the Highlanders. The Bruins have not played UCR since 2012 and are 6-4 against UC Riverside in the last 10 games. The first game between the two schools took place in 1966 at Sawtelle Field. Under John Savage, UCLA is 9-6 against UC Riverside.

Newcomers Success
Several Bruins made their collegiate debuts over the weekend and many contributed to the team's success.

  • Ryan Kreidler totaled three RBIs including driving in the game-winning run on Saturday.
  • Michael Toglia hit .400 over the weekend, recorded one RBI and scored twice.
  • Ryan Garcia and Nick Scheidler made their pitching debuts, each totaling one inning and one strikeout.

Savage to Lead USA Baseball
UCLA Head Coach John Savage was named the manager for the 2017 USA Baseball Collegiate National Team. Savage previously served as an assistant coach on the 2000 USA Baseball Collegiate National Team. The 2000 team finished the summer with a 27-3-1 record that won a gold medal at Haarlem Baseball Week in the Netherlands. The U.S. will host three international friendship series against Chinese Taipei, Cuba, and Japan in 2017.

Preseason Rankings
The Bruins were tabbed to finish fifth in the Preseason Pac-12 Coaches Poll. UCLA received 54 points overall. Prior to the season, D1Baseball.com ranked the top position players in the country and several Bruins made the positional lists:
Griffin Canning - SP - No. 16
Sean Bouchard - 1B - No. 24
Nick Valaika - SS - No. 38
Ryan Kreidler - 3B - No. 39
Chase Strumpf  - 2B - No. 39
Brian Gadsby - RP - No. 39
Michael Toglia - OF -  No. 50
Jake Bird - SP - No. 85
Daniel Amaral - OF - No. 149
Jon Olsen - SP - No. 165
Justin Hooper - SP - No. 200

Baby Bruins
The Bruins welcome 14 newcomers to Westwood for the 2017 season. The recruiting class was ranked No. 16 by Baseball America. Three newcomers had been previously selected in the MLB draft as Ryan Kreidler, Michael Toglia and Jeremy Ydens were each 2016 MLB Draft selections. Over the summer, Toglia was named the MVP of the West Coast League in 2016 after hitting .306 with a league-best seven home runs and 40 RBIs. Toglia (No. 8), Kreidler (No. 22) and Chase Strumpf (No. 85) were named to D1Baseball's Top Freshman Prospects list. Incoming catcher Will McInerny was named the 2016 CIF-SS Division 4 Player of the Year, while Gavin Johns transferred from Yavapai College and was named an All-NJCAA Region second team selection.

It's a Family Affair
UCLA has bred a strong athletic tradition and many current players are following in the footsteps of their notable family members.

  • Daniel Amaral's father Rich and brother Beau played baseball at UCLA, while his sister Jessica played softball.
  • Jordan Myrow's father John and godfather Dave Roberts played baseball at UCLA.
  • Jake Pries' father Jeff played baseball at UCLA.
  • Nick Valaika's brother Pat played baseball at UCLA and was a member of the 2013 National Championship.

Watch Live
UCLA is scheduled to be featured on television at least 16 times in 2017 with 15 of those contests being carried by the conference's Pac-12 Networks. The Bruins first TV game will be the Dodger Stadium College Baseball Classic matchup with USC on March 5.

Listen Live
This season all 56 regular season games and any potential postseason games will be broadcast live online at uclabruins.com. UCLA radio veterans John Ramey and Tim Wilhelm return to call all of the action at home and on the road.

Follow UCLA Baseball
Follow UCLA Baseball all season long on their various social media platforms.
Twitter: @uclabaseball
Instagram: @uclabruinsbaseball
Facebook: UCLA Baseball
Snapchat: ucla.athletics