UCLA
Michigan
Bruins Ready for Dodger Stadium College Baseball Classic
March 02, 2017 | Baseball
LOS ANGELES โ The UCLA baseball team is set for the annual Dodger Stadium College Baseball Classic this weekend when it hosts Michigan on Friday at 6 p.m. (PT) and San Diego on Saturday at 2 p.m. (PT) at Jackie Robinson Stadium before taking on crosstown rival USC at Dodger Stadium with first pitch set for 3 p.m. (PT). Sunday's game at Dodger Stadium will be televised on the Pac-12 Network.
Probable Starters
Friday, March 3 - 6:00 p.m. (PT)
UCLA โ Griffin Canning, RHP, Jr. (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
MICH โ Oliver Jaskie, LHP, Jr. (1-0, 3.60 ERA)
Saturday, March 4 - 2:00 p.m. (PT)
UCLA โ Jake Bird, RHP, Jr. (0-0, 0.69 ERA)
USD โ Chris Murphy, LHP, Fr. (0-0, 5.14 ERA)
Sunday, March 5 - 3:00 p.m. (PT)
UCLA โ Jon Olsen, RHP, So. (0-0, 4.76 ERA)
USC โ Marrick Crouse, RHP, So. (1-1, 18.36 ERA)
TV | Live Audio | Live Stats | Dodger Stadium College Baseball Classic Tickets | Tickets
Promotions
Friday's game is Faculty and Staff Appreciation Night at Jackie Robinson Stadium and there will also be a student shuttle bus. The game is sponsored by TCL and there will be two TV giveaways. All students who take the student bus will receive a raffle ticket for a chance to win one of the TVs. On Saturday there will be a LA Dodger/UCLA t-shirt giveaway.
Week in Review
UCLA went 2-1 this past weekend against Gonzaga to win its second-straight series to start the season, but dropped its Tuesday game at CSUN, 6-5.
- On Friday, UCLA fell in its series opener, 2-1, in 10 innings to Gonzaga. Griffin Canning tied a career-high with 12 strikeouts in 7.0 innings.
- On Saturday, the Bruins won 6-1 as Sean Bouchard hit two home runs and drove in four RBIs, while Jake Bird set a career high with seven strikeouts over 6.0 shutout innings.
- On Sunday, UCLA won the series with a 5-4 victory. Jake Pries collected three hits including a home run and the Bruins bullpen recorded 5.0 shutout innings as Nick Scheidler earned his first career win.
- On Tuesday, UCLA fell at CSUN 6-5 in its first road contest. Sean Bouchard went 3-for-3 with a home run and a double, while Nick Valaika collected a pair of doubles in the loss.
Scouting the DSCBC Field
Michigan enters the weekend with a 7-2 record and are riding a five-game winning streak after sweeping four games in Northern California last week and defeating Loyola Marymount, 14-2, on Wednesday. San Diego is 4-2 after winning all three of its games at the Tony Gwynn Classic earning wins over Notre Dame, UC Irvine and Oregon. USC comes into this weekend with a 6-2 mark after going 2-2 in the state of North Carolina with a win over Duke on Tuesday, 2-0, and dropping two out of three to Wake Forest.
The Bruins vs. The DSCBC Field
UCLA holds an all-time record of 1-2 against Michigan, 16-7 against San Diego and 135-260 against USC. The Bruins last matchup with Michigan resulted in a 5-0 win in 2014 at the Notre Dame Classic in Cary, N.C. UCLA's last matchup with San Diego was in 2013 during the UCLA Regional when the Bruins won 6-0 en route to its College World Series victory. The Bruins split four games with the Trojans last season, 2-2, including a 6-5 in 14 innings at Dodger Stadium. Under Coach Savage, UCLA has gone 1-0 against Michigan, 2-1 against San Diego and 28-16 against USC and Savage has more career wins over USC, since taking over at UCLA, than any other school.
NCAA Rankings
UCLA as a team is ranked inside the top-50 in the country in a number of categories:
- 4th in hits allowed per nine innings - 5.71
- 11th in ERA - 2.14
- 18th in WHIP - 1.05
- 37th in strikeouts per nine innings - 9.9
- 37th in fielding percentage - 0.980
UCLA in the Top-25 Rankings
The Bruins have cracked the top-25 of a national poll for the first time this season as Collegiate Baseball has UCLA ranked No. 20 in the country.
Bouchard's Big Bat
Sean Bouchard has been on fire at the plate to begin the season. He is riding a 9-game hitting streak dating back to last season. Bouchard also ranks in the top-50 in the NCAA in several categories:
- 7th in slugging percentage (1.000)
- 14th in sacrifice flies (2)
- 36th in home runs (3)
- 43rd in batting average (.478)
Canning Effect
Griffin Canning made the jump last season to UCLA's Friday starter and has excelled on the bump for the Bruins. Earlier this season, he was selected to the Golden Spikes Preseason Watch List and named a Preseason All-America third team selection by Baseball America. He lasted at least 5.0 innings in all 17 starts, including throwing 7.0 or more innings in nine of the last 17 starts. In addition, Canning ranks top-50 in the country in several individual categories:
- T1st in ERA (0.00)
- 11th in strikeouts (20)
- 21st in hits allowed per nine inning (2.77)
- 50th in strikeouts per nine inning (13.85)
Bruins Bats Heating Up
The UCLA bats have come alive over the last three games compared to the beginning of the season.
- The Bruins are hitting 75 points higher over the stretch and slugging 218 points higher.
- The Bruins are collecting over 2 more hits per game.
- UCLA is averaging just under two home runs per contest over the stretch.
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 as UCLA received 54 points overall. Prior to the season, D1Baseball.com ranked the top position players in the country and 11 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 and 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 at 3 p.m. (PT).
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
