UCLA
Vanderbilt
No. 11 Bruins Host Dodger Stadium College Baseball Classic
March 08, 2018 | Baseball
LOS ANGELES - The 11th-ranked UCLA baseball team (10-2) will participate in the 2018 Dodger Stadium College Baseball Classic over the weekend with Vanderbilt, TCU and USC. UCLA will begin the weekend hosting No. 21 Vanderbilt at 6 p.m. PT on Friday at Jackie Robinson Stadium then No. 7 TCU on Saturday at JRS at 7 p.m. PT. The Bruins will conclude the weekend playing crosstown rival USC at Dodger Stadium on Sunday at 3 p.m. PT. Saturday and Sunday's game will be televised on the Pac-12 Networks, while each game can be heard live on UCLABruins.com with Tim Wilhelm on the call.
Probably Starters
Friday, March 9 - 6 p.m. PT
UCLA - Jake Bird, RHP, Sr. (1-0, 0.49 ERA)
Vanderbilt - Drake Fellows, RHP, So. (1-0, 1.76 ERA)
Saturday, March 10 - 7 p.m. PT
UCLA - Jon Olsen, RHP, Jr. (2-0, 2.08 ERA)
TCU - Nick Lodolo, LHP, So. (3-0, 2.60 ERA)
Sunday, March 11 - 3 p.m. PT
UCLA - Zach Pettway, RHP, Fr. (3-0, 0.69 ERA)
USC - Kyle Hurt, RHP, Fr. (1-0, 3.95 ERA)
Dodger Stadium College Baseball Classic Information | Live Video | Live Audio | Live Stats | Live Stats (Sunday) | Follow @UCLABaseball
Weekย in Review
UCLA went 3-1 over the last week going 2-1 at the DQ Baseball Classic in Minneapolis and earning a midweek win.
- The opening game of the weekend saw the Bruins fall to Illinois, 5-3, for just their second loss of the season as Jake Bird threw 6.2 innings allowing one run, while Jake Hirabayashi collected two hits with a double and a RBI.
- Game two of the weekend Jon Olsen threw a complete game allowing just one run, while Jake Hirabayashi and Michael Toglia each hit home runs to lead UCLA over Michigan State 4-1.
- In the final game of the weekend, the Bruins earned a 6-1 win over host Minnesota as Zach Pettway tossed six innings allowing just one run, while Ryan Kreidler and Jake Hirabayashi each hit RBI-doubles.
- On Tuesday, UCLA collected a 12-1 win over Loyola Marymount at home behind six strong innings by Ryan Garcia with a career-high nine strikeouts, while Jake Hirabayashi and Jeremy Ydens each tallied three hits.
Toglia Sets the Pace
Sophomore Michael Toglia is leading the Bruin offense to begin the season. Toglia comes into the weekend leading the team hitting .400, slugging .800 and recording a .525 on-base percentages. Toglia has four home runs this season, including two at Cal State Fullerton from both sides of the plate, has driven in 12 runs and has also stolen two bases. He ranks top-50 in the country in slugging percentage, home runs, doubles and walks.
Bosh Breaks Out
Junior Jake Hirabayashi has broken out offensively over the past five games. The infielder is hitting a team-best .364 over the span with a team-high eight hits, four doubles, drove in five runs and scored seven runs. He hit his first career home run in the 4-1 win over Michigan State and on Tuesday collected two doubles and three runs.
Starting Pitchers Lead the Way
Under head coach John Savage, the UCLA baseball team has been known for its starting pitching and this year is no different. Through the first 12 games of the season, Bruin starting pitchers have thrown 75.2 innings and have amassed a 1.19 ERA. The four starters have also totaled 69 strikeouts compared to just 16 walks and are 8-0.
Hot Start for the Bruins
The Bruins are off to a fast start this year as they enter the weekend with a 10-2 record. This is the best start for UCLA since beginning the 2015 season 11-1, becoming the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament and also the 2013 season starting 10-2, the year the Bruins won its first-ever NCAA championship.
Oh the Places You'll Go
This weekend the Bruins will have a unique opportunity to do something that may never have been done in college baseball. UCLA will be playing consecutive Sundays in stadiums that hosted the most recent Super Bowl as U.S. Bank Stadium welcomed Super Bowl LII with the Philadelphia Eagles and New England Patriots, and the most recent World Series game as Dodger Stadium was the site of Game 7 between the Houston Astros and the Los Angeles Dodgers.
NCAA Rankings
Heading into the fourth week of the college baseball season, the Bruins are ranked top-25 nationally in a number of categories:
- WHIP (2nd, 0.99), Fielding Percentage (5th, .989), Hits Allowed Per Nine Innings (6th, 6.31), ERA (7th, 1.93), Hit by Pitch (8th, 26), Doubles (10th, 32), Sacrifice Flies (10th, 9), Shutouts (13th, 2), Walks Allowed Per Nine Innings (14th, 2.61) and Walks (23rd, 72).
Pac-12 Leaders
UCLA is ranked in the top-3 in the conference both individually and as a team in a number of categories:
- As a team, UCLA is tops in the Pac-12 in doubles, walks, ERA and runs allowed. The Bruins are top-3 in on-base percentage, hits, runs, RBIs, home runs, stolen bases, opposing batting average, hits allowed, walks allowed and fielding percentage.
- Individually, Michael Toglia leads the Pac-12 in doubles, while also top-10 in batting average, RBIs, runs, home runs, slugging percentage and on-base percentage. Daniel Amaral is tied for the lead in stolen bases and top-10 in on-base percentage. Jon Olsen is top-10 in opposing batting average, strikeouts and innings pitched, while Zach Pettway is top-10 in ERA, opposing batting average, and innings pitched. Ryan Garcia leads the conference in strikeouts.
In The Polls
UCLA held firm in the polls this week after a 2-1 weekend in Minneapolis. Baseball America has the Bruins steady at No. 11 in the country, while D1Baseball has UCLA holding at No. 11 in the nation, as did Collegiate Baseball.
Olsen Named Preseason All-American
Junior right-handed pitcher Jon Olsen was named to the Preseason All-American third team by both Collegiate Baseball and the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association. Olsen was an All-Pac-12 selection last season after posting a 7-1 record with a 2.86 ERA. He totaled 80 strikeouts in 85.0 innings of work and held opponents to a .201 batting average. During conference play, the Rancho Cucamonga, Calif. native finished with a perfect 6-0 record and a team-best 2.08 ERA.
Representing the Red, White and Blue
Over the summer in 2017, head coach John Savage was the manager of the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team and right-handed pitcher Jon Olsen became the first Bruin to play for Team USA since James Kaprielian in 2014. Savage led the U.S. to a 15-5 record over the summer, including holding an 11-4 mark during international play. The United States won all three international series it competed in, including going 4-0 against Chinese Taipei and 3-2 versus both Cuba and Japan. Olsen finished the summer with a 1-0 record and a 2.67 ERA in six appearances for the red, white and blue. He also registered 15 strikeouts compared to just two walks.
Preseason Rankings
The Bruins were tabbed to finish third in the Preseason Pac-12 coaches poll. UCLA received 84 votes, behind favorite Oregon State and second place Stanford. Arizona came in fourth with 68 points, followed by California with 56 and Oregon with 51.
Baby Bruins
The Bruins welcome eight new players to Westwood for the 2018 season. The recruiting class was ranked No. 16 by Baseball America, marking the fourth consecutive year that UCLA has been tabbed in the top 25. The class was also tabbed No. 18 by Collegiate Baseball. It marks the 11th time in 13 years the Bruins have earned a top-20 ranking from Collegiate Baseball.
- Garrett Mitchell, Sam Glick and Chase Farrell were selected in the 2017 MLB draft in June.
- Holden Powell was named to the All-West Coast League second team selection, while Zach Pettway was named an honorable mention over the summer.
- Mitchell was named the Preseason Freshman of the Year in the Pac-12 by Baseball America.
Scouting the Competition
Vanderbilt and TCU enter the weekend ranked top-25 with the Horned Frogs coming in at No. 7 and Vanderbilt tabbed at No. 21 by Baseball America, while USC is 8-3 at the start of the weekend. The Commodores suffered a loss at Long Beach State on Wednesday, 4-3, but are 10-4 on the season. VU is led by Pat DeMarco hitting .393 with seven doubles and 12 RBIs for a offense that is averaging nine runs a game. TCU is 8-3 and offensively is led by Josh Watson batting a team-high .462 and leading the team with four home runs and 14 RBIs. Chase Bushor leads the Trojans with a .433 batting average, while Matthew Acosta has driven in a team-best 10 runs.
History against this Weekend's Opponents
The Bruins are 1-1 against Vanderbilt all-time with UCLA picking up a win in 2010, 9-2, but falling in 2015, 6-0. Against the Horned Frogs, UCLA is 4-2 having won two out of three at the 2010 College World Series and also taking two games in the 2012 Los Angeles Super Regional. UCLA and USC will meet for the 400th time on Sunday at Dodger Stadium with UCLA trailing the all-time series 138-261. The Bruins are 31-18 against USC under head coach John Savage, the most wins against a single opponent during his tenure.
Positional Rankings
D1Baseball has ranked the top players in the country by position and a number of Bruins have made the positional rankings:
- Michael Toglia - 1B - No. 9
- Chase Strumpf - 2B - No. 13
- Ryan Kreidler - SS - No. 23
- Jon Olsen - SP - No. 33
- Daniel Amaral - OF - No. 59
- Kyle Molnar - SP - No. 70
- Garrett Mitchell - OF - No. 81
Draft Stock
UCLA has several players that are ranked inside the top 100 MLB draft prospects in the country.
- Kyle Molnar was named the No. 10 2018 draft prospect by Baseball America and No. 13 by D1Baseball in the Pac-12. He was also tabbed the No. 91 overall college draft prospect by D1Baseball.
- Jon Olsen was pegged No. 14 by Baseball America and No. 16 by D1Baseball in the Pac-12 for 2018 draft prospects.
- Daniel Amaral and Jake Bird were each named to D1Baseball's list of 2018 draft prospects in the Pac-12.
- Bird was also named as one of the top college senior draft prospects by D1Baseball and baseball America.
- Michael Toglia was tabbed the No. 1 draft prospect in the Pac-12 by D1Baseball for the 2019 MLB draft and No. 8 by Baseball America. He was also tabbed the 12th-highest prospect overall by D1Baseball.
- In addition to Toglia, Chase Strumpf, Ryan Kreidler, Jeremy Ydens and Jack Stronach were on D1Baseball'sย top 2019 MLB draft prospects list.
2017 at a Glance
In 2017, UCLA made its ninth postseason in the last 12 seasons and second in the last three years after earning a berth into the Long Beach Regional and finished with an overall record of 30-27. The Bruins finished third in the Pac-12 with a record of 19-11 after earning a road sweep at crosstown rival USC and also taking two out of three at both Stanford and Oregon. The season came to a heartbreaking end in the regional after dropping a tough opening game to Texas, 3-2, and then being eliminated in a thrilling 13-inning affair, 3-2, to San Diego State.
UCLA continued its success on the mound as the team was ranked in the top-30 in the country in ERA, shutouts, hits allowed per nine innings and WHIP. The pitching staff was led by All-American and All-Pac-12 selection Griffin Canning and also All-Pac-12 team honoree Jon Olsen. Offensively, UCLA was led by All-Pac-12 selection Sean Bouchard and Freshman All-Americans Kyle Cuellar and Michael Toglia.
Looking Ahead
The Bruins will travel to CSUN for a midweek game on Tuesday before returning to Jackie Robinson Stadium to open Pac-12 play hosting Washington State for a three-game series starting on Friday at 6 p.m. PT.
