University of California, Los Angeles, Athletics
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Bruins Host CSUN on Tuesday
March 06, 2017 | Baseball
LOS ANGELES - The UCLA baseball team will host CSUN on Tuesday for midweek action at Jackie Robinson Stadium with first pitch scheduled for 6 p.m. (PT).
Probable Starters
Tuesday, March 7 - 6:00 p.m. (PT)
UCLA – Justin Hooper, LHP, So. (0-0, 4.09 ERA)
CSUN – Ray Diaz, RHP, So. (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
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Weekend in Review
UCLA went 1-2 this past weekend during the annual Dodger Stadium College Baseball Classic.
- On Friday, UCLA earned a walk-off win against Michigan, 1-0, in the team's first shutout of the season. Griffin Canning tied a career-high with 12 strikeouts for the second-straight start in 8.0 innings of work.
- Canning now has 32 total punch outs in three starts, good for fifth in NCAA.
- On Saturday, the Bruins dropped a 12-inning game to San Diego, 3-1. Sean Bouchard hit a solo home run for his fourth of the season.
- Bouchard is tied for the most home runs in the Pac-12 with four.
- On Sunday, UCLA fell to USC, 4-3 in 10 innings, at Dodger Stadium. Chase Strumpf hit a solo home run and starting pitcher Jon Olsen set career-highs with nine strikeouts and 5.2 innings pitched.
Scouting CSUN
The Matadors come into Tuesday's midweek game with a 6-5 overall record after winning two out of three games over the weekend against No. 14 Vanderbilt in Nashville, Tenn. It marks CSUN's first series victory over a top-25 school since 2009. Tei Vanderford was named Big West Pitcher of the Week after throwing a complete game against the Commodores allowing just one run with eight strikeouts. The Matador offense is led by Albee Weiss hitting .333 with a team-high three home runs and 12 RBIs.
The Bruins vs. The Matadors
UCLA has faced CSUN 67 previous times, posting a record of 35-31-1 against the Matadors.The Bruins fell to CSUN last Tuesday by the score of 6-5 in Northridge as Sean Bouchard went 3-for-3 with two RBIs and Nick Valaika recorded two doubles in the loss. In the last 10 games, UCLA is 6-4 against the Matadors and under John Savage, UCLA is 13-6 against CSUN.
NCAA Rankings
UCLA as a team is ranked in the top-50 in a number of categories:
- 1st in hits allowed per nine innings - 5.36
- 7th in ERA - 2.01
- 8th in WHIP - 1.02
- 23rd in strikeouts per nine innings - 10.1
- 29th in fielding percentage - 0.982
- 44th in shutouts - 1
Bouchard's Big Bat
Sean Bouchard has been on fire at the plate to begin the season. He is riding a 12-game reached base streak dating back to last season. Bouchard also ranks in the top-50 in several NCAA categories:
- 25th in home runs and T1st in Pac-12 - 4
- 28th in sacrifice flies - 2
- 33rd in slugging percentage - 0.800
- 33rd in home runs per game - 0.40
Freshman Stepping Up
A number of UCLA freshman have made a big impact through the first 10 games this season:
- Nick Scheidler is tied for a team-best six appearances on the mound and has not allowed a run in 6.1 innings of work. He earned his first career win against Gonzaga on Feb. 26.
- Ryan Kreidler is second on the team in RBIs with six and drove in the game-winning run against San Jose State in the season opener.
- Chase Strumpf is second on the team in home runs including hitting a solo home run against the Trojans at Dodger Stadium on March 5.
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
