UCLA
USC
Bruins Renew Rivalry at USC this Weekend
May 03, 2017 | Baseball
LOS ANGELES โ The UCLA baseball team renews its crosstown rivalry with USC this weekend with a three-game Pac-12 series starting on Thursday at 6 p.m. (PT) from Dedeaux Field. All three games of the series will be televised live on the Pac-12 Network with JB Long and Wes Clements on the call.
Probable Starters
Thursday, May 4 - 6:00 p.m. PT
UCLA โ Griffin Canning, RHP, Jr. (4-2, 2.56 ERA)
USC โ CJ Stubbs, RHP, So. (0-3, 4.12 ERA)
Friday, May 5 - 7:00 p.m. PT
UCLA โ Moises Ceja, RHP, Sr. (2-4, 2.96 ERA)
USC โ Chris Clarke, RHP, Fr. (4-1, 5.64 ERA)
Saturday, May 6 - 7:00 p.m. PT
UCLA โ Jon Olsen, RHP, So. (3-1, 3.66 ERA)
USC โ Marrick Crouse, RHP, So. (2-6, 7.22 ERA)
Live Video | Live Audio | Thursday Live Stats | Friday Live Stats | Saturday Live Stats | Follow @UCLABaseball
UCLA Quick Hits
UCLA is 21-20 overall on the season including 10-8 in Pac-12 play.
- Griffin Canning has 98 total punch outs in 12 starts, good for seventh in NCAA and second in the conference. He has tied a career-high with 12 strikeouts three times this season. Canning ranks inside the top-10 in the conference in ERA, opposing batting average and innings pitched.
- Sean Bouchard is fourth in the Pac-12 in slugging percentage at .557 and tied for third in home runs with seven. He also ranks inside the top-10 in the conference in doubles, RBIs and total bases.
- Scott Burke is third in the NCAA in pitching appearances with 29 and top-10 during Pac-12 play in earned runs and hits allowed. He is also 23rd on the NCAA's career active list for relief appearances with 81.
- Kyle Cuellar is top-10 during Pac-12 play in batting average, on-base percentage and doubles.
- Daniel Amaral leads the Pac-12 with 12 stolen bases this season.
- The Bruins pitching staff ranks 21st in the NCAA in hits allowed per nine innings at 7.86, 34th in ERA at 3.60, 37th in WHIP at 1.29, 71st in strikeouts per nine innings at 8.4 and 85th in strikeout-to-walk ratio at 2.25.
Week in Review
UCLA won two out of three games over Cal Poly last weekend and lost to San Diegoย State on Tuesday, 8-6.
- On Friday, Griffin Canning tossed 8.2 innings and struck out 10 batters, while Brett Stephens hit a two-run double as UCLA won the series opener, 2-1.
- The Bruins dropped game two to the Mustangs, 6-3, as Michael Toglia hit a two-run home run and Daniel Amaral went 2-for-3.
- UCLA won the weekend series over the Mustangs on Sunday with a 5-4 victory. Brett Stephens and Kyle Cuellar recorded two hits, while Scott Burke recorded a five-out save.
- The Bruins fell to San Diego State, 8-6, on Tuesday. Michael Toglia and Jeremy Ydens hit home runs, while Brett Stephens, Jake Hirabayashi and Sean Bouchard each tallied two hits.
Scouting USC
The Trojans enter the series with a 19-22 record, including 6-12 in Pac-12 play. USC is coming off dropping two out of three games last weekend at No. 1 Oregon State. Brandon Perez is hitting a team-high .364, while Lars Nootbaar has a team-best five home runs and 25 RBIs. On the mound, Chris Clarke, brother of Zander Clarke, is 4-1 with a 5.64 ERA in 52.2 innings pitched.
The Bruins vs. the Trojans
UCLA has faced USC 396 previous times, posting a record of 135-261 against the Trojans. The Bruins fell to USC, 4-3, in 10 innings on March 5 at Dodger Stadium as Jon Olsen struck out nine batters and Chase Strumpf hit a solo home run. UCLA 9-6 in its last 15 Pac-12 games against USC and on the road the Bruins have won five of the last six contests against the Trojans. Under John Savage, UCLA is 28-18 against USC, the most wins against a single opponent during his tenure.
NCAA Rankings
UCLA as a team is ranked in the top-100 in the country in a number of categories:
- 20th in fielding percentage - 0.979
- 21st in hits allowed per nine innings - 7.86
- 34th in ERA - 3.60
- 37th in WHIP - 1.29
- 70th in shutouts - 3
- 71st in strikeouts per nine innings - 8.4
- 85th in strikeout-to-walk ratio - 2.24
Pac-12 Leaders
Over halfway through Pac-12 play, several UCLA players are ranked inside the top-10 a number of categories:
- Kyle Cuellar: 3rd in on-base percentage (.472), 5th in batting average (.373), T8th in double (6).
- Michael Toglia: T3rd in triple (2), 5th in slugging percentage (.592), 6th in on-base percentage (.459).
- Griffin Canning: 4th in strikeouts (50), 9th in innings pitched (40.2), T9th in wins (3).
- Jon Olsen: 3rd in opposing batting average (.173), 3rd in hits allowed (18), T4th in runs allowed (9), 6th in ERA (2.64).
- Moises Ceja: 6th in opposing batting average (.231), T8th in walks allowed (8), 10th in ERA (3.06).
200 K's
Griffin Canning is the 22nd pitcher in UCLA program history, and the eighth pitcher since John Savage took over the program in 2005, to surpass the 200 strikeout mark.
- 1. 460 - Trevor Bauer (2009-11)
- 2. 376 - Gerrit Cole (2009-11)
- 8. 272 Adam Plutko (2011-13)
- 9. 265 Jon Brandt (1998-2001)
- 10. 262 Josh Karp (1999-2001)
- 11. 259 - Griffin Canning (2015-Pres.)
Canning Effect
Griffin Canning has excelled on the bump for the Bruins this season and is one of the top starters in the country. Earlier this season, he was selected to the Golden Spikes Midseason and Preseason Watch Lists and named a Preseason All-America third team selection by Baseball America. He lasted at least 5.0 innings in 25 of last 26 eligible starts, including throwing 7.0 or more innings in 15 of the 26 starts. He currently ranks 14th in strikeouts on the NCAA's active career list with 259, 22nd for complete games with five, 46th in innings pitched with 250.1 and 50th in fewest walks per nine innings at 1.80. In addition, Canning ranks top-100 in the country in several individual categories:
- 4th in games starts (12)
- 7th in strikeouts (98)
- 34th in strikeouts per nine innings (11.41)
Tough Road
The Bruins have played one of the toughest schedules in the country as UCLA ranks No. 21 on the NCAA's Toughest Schedule Report. UCLA's opponents have accumulated a 0.578 winning percentage coming in to this week. The Bruins also rank No. 1 in strength of schedule by Boyd's World and No. 7 by Warren Nolan.
Freshman Stepping Up
A number of UCLA freshman have made a big impact this season:
- Kyle Cuellar is the team leader in batting average at .327 and on-base percentage at .423. He is also third on the team in slugging percentage at .439 and tied for second in RBIs with 20. Cuellar also leads the team in batting average and on-base percentage during Pac-12 play.
- Michael Toglia is second on the team in slugging percentage at .465 and in home runs with five. He is also third in on-base percentage at .397 and batting average at .263. He is hitting .327 in Pac-12 play and is third on the team with 12 RBIs. Toglia is batting .382 with four home runs and 10 RBIs over the last 10 games.
- Ryan Kreidler has driven in 18 runs, scored 20 times and has started at shortstop in 14 of the last 16 games. He hit his second career home run in win over No. 1 Oregon State. During Pac-12 play he is hitting .294 with two home runs and eight RBIs.
- Chase Strumpf is third on the team in home runs with four and has 18 RBIs, including 14 during Pac-12 play. He is the first UCLA player since 2000 to drive in seven runs in a single game on April 2 at Arizona State.
- Jack Stronach is second on the team hitting .353 during Pac-12 play with five doubles and has recorded nine RBIs. He totaled 13 RBIs and seven runs in 63 at-bats this season.
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.
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, including the next six conference games.
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
