No. 3 Bruins Open 2019 Campaign by Hosting St. John's

Friday, February 15

Los Angeles, CA

6:00 PM

UCLA

St. John's

Buy Tickets

Friday marks the start of a new season for the UCLA baseball team (photo: Don Liebig)

Photo by: Don Liebig/ASUCLA

No. 3 Bruins Open 2019 Campaign by Hosting St. John's

February 13, 2019 | Baseball

Game Notes Audio Live Stats Promotions Tickets

UCLA Opens 2019 Season on Friday
The UCLA baseball team commences its 2019 campaign this weekend by hosting St. John's for a three-game series starting on Friday. Start times are 6:00 p.m. on Friday, 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, and 1:00 p.m. on Sunday. Each game can be heard on UCLABruins.com with Tim Wilhelm on the call.

Projected Pitching Matchups
Friday, Feb. 17 - 6 p.m. PT
UCLA - Zach Pettway, RHP, So. (2018: 8-4, 3.35 ERA)
SJU - Sean Mooney, RHP, Jr. (2018: 11-3, 2.56 ERA)
Saturday, Feb. 18 - 2 p.m. PT
UCLA - Jack Ralston, RHP, RJr. (2018: 1-4, 6.44 ERA)
SJU - Jeff Belge, LHP, Jr. (2018: 6-4, 2.84 ERA)
Sunday, Feb. 19 - 1 p.m. PT
UCLA - Jesse Bergin, RHP, Fr. (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
SJU - Joe LaSorsa, LHP, Jr. (4-0, 2.09 ERA)

Performing on Opening Day
UCLA is opening the season at home for the ninth consecutive season, and 16th time in the last 17 seasons. The Bruins are 9-5 on Opening Day in the John Savage era (since 2005), and have won their opening series in five of the last six years. Since 1981, the year Jackie Robinson Stadium opened, UCLA has gone 19-7 at home on Opening Day.

High Expectations for UCLA in Preseason Polls
UCLA appeared in every national preseason poll this winter, coming in as high as No. 3 (Baseball America, Collegiate Baseball). Elsewhere, the Bruins were ranked No. 4 (NCBWA, Perfect Game), No. 5 (D1Baseball), and No. 7 (ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll). UCLA is the highest-ranked Pac-12 team in four of six polls, and has the highest aggregate ranking of any league team.

Bruins Picked to Win Pac-12 in Preseason Coaches Poll
In a vote of all 11 Pac-12 coaches, the Bruins were picked as the favorites to win the league in 2019. UCLA received eight of 11 first place votes and a league-high 97 points. 2015 was the last time that UCLA was picked to finish first in the Preseason Coaches Poll, which was also the last time that UCLA won the league. Stanford (two first place votes, 90 points) and Oregon St. (one first place vote, 85 points) also received first place votes. They were followed in succession by Arizona (67), Washington (60), Arizona State (59), Oregon (49), California (37), USC (32), Washington State (15), and Utah (14).

Pettway Draws Opening Day Start
Sophomore right-hander Zach Pettway has drawn the Opening Day assignment for UCLA, becoming the youngest Bruin to start on Opening Day since then-sophomore James Kaprielian in 2014. Pettway was a Freshman All-American last year, going 8-4 with a 3.35 ERA. He started off his frosh campaign by winning his first five decisions. The last three sophomores to start on Opening Day for UCLA are Kaprielian and current MLB pitchers Adam Plutko and Gerrit Cole.

Strumpf Named a Unanimous Preseason All-American
UCLA junior Chase Strumpf was the First Team second baseman on every Preseason All-America team released this offseason, as he was honored by Baseball America, D1Baseball, Collegiate Baseball, NCBWA, and Perfect Game. He was one of just four players nationwide to gain consensus First Team status, joining catcher Adley Rutschman (Oregon State), first baseman Andrew Vaughn (Cal), and third baseman Josh Jung (Texas Tech). Strumpf slashed .363/.475/.633 last year with 12 home runs and 53 RBIs en route to All-America and Dick Howser Award semifinalist honors.

Toglia, Ydens Also Pick Up All-America Acclaim
Strumpf wasn't the only Bruin to get preseason publicity, as both Michael Toglia and Jeremy Ydens were named Preseason All-Americans. Toglia was a Second Teamer in D1Baseball and a Third Team choice in Collegiate Baseball, NCBWA, and Perfect Game, while Ydens was a Second Team outfielder per Collegiate Baseball. Toglia (.336 average, 11 home runs) and Ydens (.350 average, 28 extra-base hits) were key middle-of-the-order bats for the Bruins last year.

Savage Eyes A Pair of Milestones
Heading into the 2019 season, UCLA head coach John Savage is in striking distance of a pair of career milestones. As of Opening Day, he needs 13 wins for 500 at UCLA and 25 wins for 600 overall in his career.

Fabulous Freshmen
UCLA's newest class of newcomers was ranked as high as No. 4 in the country (D1Baseball). The Bruins' new class was the highest-ranked in the Pac-12 and in the western half of the country. UCLA has turned in a top-25 recruiting class for five consecutive seasons, while the Bruins' No. 4 ranking is the highest for the program since 2015. A trio of frosh players were selected to D1Baseball's Top-100 Impact Freshmen List, including list-topper Matt McLain, catcher Noah Cardenas (No. 81), and right-handed pitcher Sean Mullen (No. 89).

McLain Chooses UCLA
The Bruins' freshman class is highlighted by Tustin, Calif. native Matt McLain, who opted to attend UCLA after being drafted in the first round (25th overall) of the 2018 MLB First-Year Player Draft by the Arizona Diamondbacks. McLain is the second first-round draft pick out of high school to attend UCLA, following in the foosteps of Gerrit Cole (2008). Other high draft choices to turn down MLB overtures include Troy Glaus (37th overall, 1994) and Chase Utley (76th overall, 1997).

Powell Named to Stopper of the Year Watch List
UCLA sophomore righty Holden Powell was named to the 75-man Stopper of the Year Watch List by the NCBWA. First awarded in 2005, the Stopper of the Year is handed out to college baseball's top reliever annually. Former Bruin closer David Berg is the lone pitcher ever to win the award multiple times.

Big League Bruins
Baseball America recently dubbed UCLA as the No. 3 producer of Major League talent in an analysis of alumni production since 1999. Anchored by star pitching performances from the likes of Cole and Trevor Bauer alongside All-Star careers from position players Troy Glaus, Chase Utley, and Brandon Crawford, UCLA alums have produced 139 WAR (wins above replacement) since 1999, third-most of any college baseball program in the country.

Dynamic Duo Named to Golden Spikes Award Watch List
UCLA's Chase Strumpf and Michael Toglia were both named to the Golden Spikes Award Watch List prior to the new season. In 2018, Strumpf and Toglia were the most prolific Bruin teammates of the last 20 years. The right-side of the UCLA infield became the first Bruin duo since 2007 to hit double-digit home runs in the same season when Cody Decker (14) and Gabe Cohen (10) accomplished the feat. Strumpf and Toglia are just the fourth and fifth Bruins since 2001 with 50-plus RBIs and 10-plus home runs in the same season. The pair also became the first UCLA teammates since 2008 to each drive in over 50 runs in the same season (Casey Haerther, 52 and Brandon Crawford, 51).

Schedule At A Glance
This season, UCLA is set to host St. John's, Sac State, and East Carolina in non-conference home series. The Bruins will also travel to Georgia Tech (Feb. 23-25) and participate in the Dodger Stadium College Baseball Classic (Mar. 8-10; field includes USC, Michigan, and Oklahoma State). The Bruins travel no further than Orange County for midweeks, playing home-and-homes against LMU, CSUN, Pepperdine, LBSU, UC Irvine, and Cal State Fullerton.

UCLA in the Positional Power Rankings
As of Wednesday, UCLA was represented in each of the positional power rankings published by D1Baseball.com (catcher and pitcher rankings have yet to be released). Chase Strumpf was the Bruins' top player, taking the No. 1 spot at second base. Michael Toglia was the No. 3 first baseman, Kevin Kendall was the No. 21 shortstop, and Ryan Kreidler was No. 29 at third base. All three of the Bruins' starting outfielders made the power rankings as well: Jeremy Ydens (No. 15), Matt McLain (No. 37), and Garrett Mitchell (No. 62).

Draft Stock
Bruin players were all over the prospect rankings for both Baseball America (all prospects) and D1Baseball (Division I prospects only). Ranked players include Michael Toglia (D1: 22, BA: 44), Chase Strumpf (D1: 23, BA: 79), Ryan Garcia (D1: 53), Jeremy Ydens (D1: 103), Ryan Kreidler (D1: 178, BA: 190), and Justin Hooper (D1: 255). UCLA commits Corbin Carroll (No. 7), Emanuel Dean (No. 71), and Darius Perry (No. 122) were all included in Baseball America's prospect rankings.

Berg Returns to UCLA
David Berg, arguably the top reliever in college baseball history, returned to UCLA this season as an undergrad assistant coach. He is the NCAA record-holder in career appearances (175) and single seasons saves (23), and holds UCLA career marks in saves (49) and ERA (1.11). He was a two-time Pac-12 Pitcher of the Year and NCBWA Stopper of the Year. Berg logged a 4.63 career ERA over three minor league seasons.

Bruins Win the Cape Cod League
Last summer, a quartet of UCLA players – staff ace Ryan Garcia, center fielder Jeremy Ydens, shortstop Ryan Kreidler, and reliever Jack Ralston – made up the backbone of the Wareham Gatemen, who eventually went on to win the Cape Cod League Championship. Ydens (.304/.347/.432) and Garcia (2-0, 1.28 ERA) both put up gaudy stat lines en route to All-Cape Cod League honors.