Baseball Heads to LMU For Tuesday Tuneup

Tuesday, March 26

Los Angeles, CA

6:00 PM

UCLA

UCLA at Loyola Marymount

Chase Strumpf has hits in his last 12 games (photo: Don Liebig)

Photo by: Don Liebig/ASUCLA

Baseball Heads to LMU For Tuesday Tuneup

March 25, 2019 | Baseball

Game Notes (PDF)Listen Live Stats

No. 1 UCLA (17-4) at Loyola Marymount (15-8)
Tuesday, Mar. 26, 2019 - 6:00 p.m. PT
Location: Page Stadium
Audio: UCLA Lean Player
Audio Talent: Tim Wilhelm
Live Stats: LMU Live Stats

UCLA Faces Loyola Marymount Tuesday Night
After six straight home games, No. 1 UCLA (17-4) heads to Loyola Marymount (15-8) on Tuesday night for a 6:00 p.m. midweek tuneup. The Bruins defeated the Lions 5-0 on Feb. 19 of this year at Jackie Robinson Stadium. UCLABruins.com will carry a live audio broadcast of Tuesday's game, and fans can also follow along on Twitter at @UCLABaseball.

Projected Pitching Matchups
Tuesday, Mar. 26 - 6 p.m. PT
UCLA - Jesse Bergin, RHP, Fr. (2-0, 3.04 ERA)
LMU - Nate Madole, LHP, Fr. (0-0, 3.60 ERA)

The Story So Far
UCLA is 17-4 to start the 2019 campaign, winning all five of its weekend series, taking two of three in the Dodger Stadium College Baseball Classic, and posting midweek wins at home against LMU and on the road at CSUN and Long Beach State. At 17-4, UCLA is off to its second-best 21-game start of the John Savage era (since 2005).

Bruins Remain Atop National Rankings
After sweeping Pac-12 rival Arizona last weekend, UCLA remained atop nearly every major national poll. On Monday, the Bruins were tabbed No. 1 in the nation by D1Baseball, Baseball America, ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll, the NCBWA, and Perfect Game. The only poll that doesn't have the Bruins on top, Collegiate Baseball, has them at No. 2. UCLA jumped to No. 1 in the country last week after taking two of three from defending national champion Oregon State, the first time the Bruins had been atop the rankings since the final polls of the 2013 season. LMU is unranked in all polls.

Last Week In Review
Last week, UCLA swept a weekend series against Arizona at Jackie Robinson Stadium. It was the Bruins' first series win over the Wildcats since 2015, also a sweep.
-UCLA scored in each of the first five innings and in six of eight innings overall to defeat Arizona 10-5 in the series opener on Friday night. The Bruins shook off a two-spot from the Wildcats in the top of the first, going on to score 10 unanswered runs incuding a decisive four-run fourth inning. Kevin Kendall was 3-3 and scored four runs for the Bruins. Jack Stronach drove in the eventual game-winning run with a two-run double as part of that big fourth inning. UCLA starter Zach Pettway bounced back after the first inning, never allowing a runner to get past first over the remainder of his seven-inning outing.
-UCLA clinched the series with a 12-10 win on Saturday, needing a season-high in runs to outlast Arizona. UCLA eliminated deficits of 0-1, 4-7, and 8-10 to claim the win, going ahead for good with a two-run rally in the eighth. Several Bruins had standout days with the bat, including Stronach (3-4), Kendall (2-4, three runs), Michael Toglia (2-4, two RBIs), Garrett Mitchell (2-4, two runs, two extra-base hits), and Chase Strumpf (1-2, two runs, hit game-tying home run in the sixth). Jesse Bergin (2.1 IP), Kyle Mora (1.1 IP), and Holden Powell (1.0 IP) settled the game down for UCLA, combining to hold Arizona off the board for the final four innings of the game.
-The Bruins completed the sweep with a 3-1 Sunday victory. Ryan Garcia and Arizona lefty Andrew Nardi dueled for the first two-thirds of the game, keeping the score at 0-0 heading to the 7th inning stretch. Michael Toglia broke through for the Bruins with a solo homer in the bottom of the seventh, but the Wildcats answered right back with a run off the UCLA bullpen in the top of the eighth. That tie wouldn't last long, as Jack Stronach would put UCLA up for good after hitting a fly ball of the right field foul pole for a go-ahead two-run homer in the bottom of the eighth. Holden Powell shut the door in the ninth inning to pick up his first win of the campaign.
-With final exams on the schedule, UCLA had no midweek last week.

Garcia Named Pac-12 Pitcher Of The Week
UCLA received the Pac-12 Pitcher of the Week award for the second consecutive time on Monday, as junior righty Ryan Garcia was tabbed by the league after throwing 7 1/3 innings of one-hit ball on Sunday. Garcia retired 22 of the final 23 batters he faced after walking the leadoff batter of the game, including 11 straight to end his outing. It was the first career weekly honor in Garcia's career. Zach Pettway was the Pac-12 Pitcher of the Week last week after allowing three hits over seven shutout innings against OSU, the first time in nearly two years that UCLA had the Pac-12 Pitcher of the Week. UCLA is the first team to have consecutive Pac-12 Pitcher/Player of the Week honors this season.

UCLA Pitching Gets Off To Hot Start
UCLA's pitching has been driving the boat in the early going, as the Bruin staff has produced some of the best numbers in the nation. The Bruins are among the best in the nation in ERA (2.46, fourth), hits allowed per nine innings (6.02, second), strikeout-to-walk ratio (3.44, ninth), and WHIP (1.03, third). UCLA has allowed one earned run or fewer in 10 of its 21 games this season.

Savage Wins 500th At UCLA
The Friday night victory over Oregon State on Mar. 15 represented the 500th as head coach at UCLA for John Savage, making him just the third bench boss in program history to reach that milestone. He is within striking distance of another milestone, as he needs just eight to reach 600 overall in his career.

Shutting Them out
The 8-0 blanking of Oregon State on Mar. 15 was UCLA's sixth shutout of the season, moving them into a tie for the national lead (Tennessee, Auburn). UCLA recorded a shutout in its first four weekend series - once in the opener, twice in the middle game, and once in the finale. The Bruins also have shutouts in two of their three midweek games.

Making The Necessary Sacrifices
Small ball has treated the Bruins well so far in 2019, as UCLA ranks 11th in the country with 20 sac bunts. Will McInerny has laid it down eight times, pacing the league and ranking second nationally.

Grab Some Pine
The UCLA pitching staff has proven adept at punching out batters this year, leading the Pac-12 and ranking eighth in the nation with 11.1 strikeouts per nine innings. The Bruins have struck out at least eight batters in every game so far this year, and have reached double digits in 13 out of 21 games including the last four straight. UCLA has three of the top-10 leaders in strikeouts in the Pac-12, including league-leader Zach Pettway (49), Jack Ralston (31, T-ninth), and Kyle Mora (31, T-ninth).

Stronach Making The Most Of His Opportunity
Junior Jack Stronach has been taking advantage of an uptick in playing time. Over the last six games, all in the cleanup or No. 5 spot in the lineup, Stronach has crafted an 11-22 line (.500) with two home runs, nine RBIs, and five runs scored. He drove in the game-winning run in two of three games in the Arizona series, doubling in a pair in the fourth inning on Friday and hitting a two-run homer off the right field foul pole in the eighth to break a 1-1 tie on Sunday. He has been a Pac-12 Player of the Week nominee in each of the last two weeks.

Hot At Home
UCLA has won 12 of 15 home games so far this year, right in line with the program's .716 winning percentage (53-21) at Jackie Robinson Stadium since the start of the 2017 season. The Bruins have won 13 consecutive series - including seven Pac-12 sets - on their home field dating back to April 21-23, 2017 (Oregon State).

Putting Down Roots
UCLA is not scheduled to leave Los Angeles County for the entirety of March, as the squad's only road games are at LBSU, LMU, and USC. The Bruins don't leave LA county until Apr. 5 (at Stanford) and don't leave California until May 3 (at ASU).

Mitchell Stepping Up
One of UCLA's more consistent hitters early on in the year, sophomore right fielder Garrett Mitchell has stepped it up another level since moving to the leadoff spot. In eight games since going atop the lineup, he's gone 12-30 (.400) with at least one hit in each game (except for Sunday's series finale, when he was forced to leave early). Mitchell has also scored 10 runs in that span, drawn five walks, and stolen two bases. He hit a leadoff home run on Mar. 12 at Long Beach State - a noted pitcher's park - for his first career roundtripper.
Seeing Triple
The Bruins have legged out 12 triples already this season, a figure which ranks sixth nationally and second in the Pac-12. Five separate Bruins have multiple three-baggers, led by Matt McLain's three.

Down But Not Out
UCLA has proven itself undeterred when facing a deficit, as the Bruins are 8-2 this year in games where the opponent scores first. Of those 10 games, the Bruins fought back to tie or take the lead in all but one.

Scouting The Lions
LMU is 15-8 on the season and 5-1 in West Coast Conference play, good for second place in their league. The Lions have won nine of their last 10 games heading into Tuesday, and they are wrapping up a stretch that sees them play five games in five days. Trevin Esquerra (.313/.358/.646) has been their top hitter, though they have three regulars hitting .300 or higher.

Last Time out Against LMU
UCLA defeated Loyola Marymount on Feb. 19 at Jackie Robinson Stadium in a prior matchup between the two teams. The blanking was the last of a four-game stretch that saw the Bruins allow no earned runs. The Bruins did most of their damage in a four-run third inning, as Matt McLain drew a bases-loaded walk before Jake Pries cleared the bags with a triple. Nick Nastrini drew the start for the Bruins and pitched the first 4 2/3 innings of a combined shutout featuring seven UCLA hurlers.

Picking their Spots
UCLA has been efficient on the basepaths this year, stealing 24 bases as a team against just four caught stealings. At 86%, they are one of just two Pac-12 teams over the 80% threshold (Washington, 92%). The Bruins are 7-7 in stolen bases over the last two weekends.

Strumpf Is Streaking
UCLA's standout second baseman, Chase Strumpf, now has a hit in a team-high 12 straight games. He's been held without a hit just three times in the Bruins' 21 games. Strumpf has started to find his power stroke lately as well, as he has two home runs and three extra-base hits over his last four games.

Flashing The Leather
A year after ranking third in the country with a .982 fielding percentage, UCLA has been a standout on the defensive side of the ball again in 2019. With a .981 fielding percentage this year, the Bruins currently rank 10th nationally. UCLA is one of two schools nationwide to rank top-10 in both ERA and fielding percentage (Georgia).

Don't Mess With The Bull(pen)
UCLA's bullpen has been one of the team's strongest assets all season. Through 77 innings, Bruin relievers have combined to record a 2.45 ERA with strong peripherals including 12.4 K/9 and 5.5 hits per nine innings ratios. Junior Kyle Mora leads the nation in appearances with 18, and he has struck out 31 batters to this point in the season, good for ninth in the Pac-12. Closer Holden Powell is pacing the Pac-12 in both saves (seven) and games finished (14). Nate Hadley (3-0, 2.45 ERA) and Jack Filby (2-0, 0.96 ERA) have been excellent out of the pen as well.

Take Me Out To The Ballgame
Something about the seventh inning gives the Bruins an extra pep in their step. They are outscoring their opponents 34-4 in the seventh inning for the season, a plus-30 run differential. UCLA has a plus-33 run differential in all other innings combined. The Bruins have scored in the seventh inning in 13 of their 21 games, more than any other single inning. Sac State and Oregon State are the only squads to score against the Bruins in the seventh.