Thursday, April 18
Los Angeles, CA
7:00 PM
UCLA
vs
California at UCLA
Noah Cardenas is batting .500 over his last five starts (photo: Don Liebig)
Photo by: Don Liebig/ASUCLA
No. 1 UCLA Wraps Homestand By Hosting California
April 17, 2019 | Baseball
No. 1 UCLA (28-6, 9-3 Pac-12) vs. California (19-12, 7-5)
Thursday, Apr. 18, 2019 - 7:00 p.m. PT
Friday, Apr. 19, 2019 - 7:00 p.m. PT
Saturday, Apr. 20, 2019 - 2:00 p.m. PT
Location: Jackie Robinson Stadium
TV/Stream: Pac-12 Networks (Thu/Fri)
TV Talent: JB Long (PxP), Wes Clements (analyst)
Audio:ย UCLA Lean Player
Audio Talent: Tim Wilhelm
Live Stats
UCLA Returns To Pac-12 Play By Hosting Californiaย ย ย
No. 1 UCLA (28-6, 9-3) wraps up an eight-game homestand this week, hosting in-state rival California for a three-game series starting on Thursday. The Pac-12 Networks will televise the first two games of the series, which are both set for 7:00 p.m. starts. The weekend concludes with a 2:00 p.m. contest on Saturday. UCLABruins.com will carry a live audio broadcast of every game this season and fans can follow along on Twitter at @UCLABaseball.ย
Projected Pitching Matchups
Thursday, Apr. 18 - 7:00 p.m. PT
UCLA - Zach Pettway, RHP, So. (2-2, 3.81 ERA)
CAL - Arman Sabouri, LHP, Jr. (2-2, 2.56 ERA)
Friday, Apr. 19 - 7:00 p.m. PT
UCLA - Ryan Garcia, RHP, Jr. (4-0, 1.32 ERA)
CAL - Jared Horn, RHP, Jr. (2-1, 2.03 ERA)
Saturday, Apr. 20 - 2:00 p.m. PT
UCLA - Jack Ralston, RHP, RJr. (5-0, 3.20 ERA)
CAL - TBA
The Story So Far
UCLA is 28-6 to start the 2019 campaign and 9-3 in Pac-12 play, winning all eight of its weekend series, taking two of three in the Dodger Stadium College Baseball Classic, and posting an unbeaten 7-0 record in midweeks. At 28-6, UCLA is tied for the best 34-game start in the John Savage era, equaling the mark of the 2010 club.ย
Bruins Remain Consensus No. 1 Team In The Country
After sweeping No. 8 East Carolina last weekend, UCLA retained its place at the top of the polls. 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 for the fifth consecutive week. In addition, the Bruins topped the list of Collegiate Baseball for the second consecutive week, making them the consensus No. 1 team in the country. UCLA jumped to No. 1 in the country in mid-March 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.ย
Going Streaking
UCLA has shown itself undeterred even though facing the No. 1 strength of schedule in the country this year, as the Bruins are currently riding a season-high seven-game win streak. UCLA had won five straight on two separate occasions before the team's current spree.The Bruins just wrapped a stretch that saw them play seven straight games against ranked teams, and UCLA walked away with a 6-1 record in those contests. ย
The Week In Review
UCLA went 4-0 last week, sweeping No. 8 East Carolina in non-conference action, then topping Pepperdine 3-2 on Monday.
UCLA's pitching has been been on fire in 2019, as the Bruin staff has produced some of the best numbers in the nation. The Bruins are among the NCAA leaders in ERA (2.62, second), hits allowed per nine innings (6.30, second), and strikeout-to-walk ratio (3.11, ninth). UCLA has allowed one earned run or fewer in 14 of its 34 games this season.
ย
Offense Heats Up
Over the last month, UCLA has averaged 7.2 runs per game, an increase of two runs compared to the season's first month (5.2 runs per game). Six UCLA regulars are batting north of .300 over the last month: Jack Stronach (.362), Noah Cardenas (.361), Michael Toglia (.351), Kevin Kendall (.347), Chase Strumpf (.313), and Garrett Mitchell (.309).ย
Garcia Named Pac-12 Pitcher of the Week
After his seven-inning, 13-strikeout performance against ECU, Ryan Garcia was tabbed the Pac-12's Pitcher of the Week. It's the second time this season that Garcia earned the league's weekly honor. His 13 punchouts were a career-high, the most in a single game by a Pac-12 pitcher this year, and the most by a Bruin pitcher in over five years (Cody Poteet vs. Michigan in 2014). After striking out 11 at Stanford, he is the first Bruin with 10+ Ks in back-to-back games since Griffin Canning in 2017. Garcia's was the 75th all-time weekly pitching honor for UCLA. In addition, Garcia was named one of the Collegiate Baseball's National Players of the Week in their Monday roundup.ย
Toglia Earns A Pair of Honors
After leading UCLA to a 4-0 week, Michael Toglia was named both the Perfect Game National Player of the Week and the UCLA/Muscle Milk Student-Athlete of the Week. It was the first time earning either of those honors in his career. Toglia was 7-15 last week, posting a .467/.529/1.000 slash line with eight RBIs, six runs scored, and four extra-base hits. He was the X-Factor in three of four games. Against UCI, he had three hits that led off innings and sparked multi-run rallies. He had five RBIs in the late innings to lead the Bruins to a come-from-behind win over ECU in the series opener, then hit a walk-off three-run homer to clinch the series in game one of Saturday's doubleheader.ย
Holden' It Down At The End Of The Game
UCLA sophomore closer Holden Powell is in the midst of a hot streak. He's gone 10 straight appearances, spanning 11.0 innings, without allowing a run. In that span, he's struck out 14 compared to just three walks and two hits. He was near perfect against Stanford two weeks ago, striking out four while only one of the nine batters he faced reach base (via error). ย He leads the Pac-12 and is second nationally with 11 saves. He is the first Bruin with double-digit saves since David Berg had 13 in 2015. Powell last allowed a run on Mar. 17.ย
In The Zone
UCLA finished Monday's game against Pepperdine without allowing a single free pass, the second time this year the team has gone without walking an opposing batter. The Bruins have walked two or fewer batters in 13 of 34 games this year, and rank 33rd nationally with a 3.36 walks per nine innings ratio. The Bruins have surrendered more walks than they've drawn in just 10 of 34 games this year (29%).ย
WHIP It Good
At 1.07, UCLA enters the weekend with the second-lowest WHIP (walks and hits per inning pitched) in the country. The Bruins have posted a sub-1.00 WHIP 16 times in 34 games, including in 10 of the first 11 games of the year. Nate Hadley (0.73) and Ryan Garcia (0.91) have the two-lowest individual WHIPs on the club.ย
Pitching And Defense Is The Name Of the Game
A year after ranking third in the country with a .982 fielding percentage, UCLA is back in the top-10 this year at .980 (seventh). The Bruins are one of two teams (Georgia) who rank in the top-10 nationally in both fielding percentage and ERA.
Savage Records Pair of Milestone Wins in 2019ย ย ย
UCLA head coach John Savage has secured a pair of milestone wins during the 2019 season, earning his 500th at UCLA and 600th overall. His 500th with the Bruins came after a Friday night victory over Oregon State on Mar. 15, making him just the third bench boss in program history to reach that benchmark. Savage then notched his 600th overall after topping ECU 7-5 on Apr. 12.ย
Cardenas Backs Up His Play As The Backstop
Spending the first half of the season in a time-split, freshman Noah Cardenas has started six of the last seven games behind the dish. That includes a stretch of five straight starts, broken up by a doubleheader against ECU, the most consecutive games started by a Bruin catcher this year. Over his last five starts, Cardenas has put together an 8-16 (.500) line with six runs scored. He hit his first career home run last Friday against ECU, and had career-highs in hits (three) and runs (two) in the Stanford series finale on Apr. 7.ย
Run Producersย ย ย
After going 21 straight games without an individual four-RBI performance to start the year, UCLA has received four over the last three weeks. First, Jake Pries hit a first-inning grand slam to help UCLA to a 9-4 win over Loyola Marymount on Mar. 26. Then on Mar. 31 at USC, Jarron Silva doubled his previous career-best with a four-RBI day, hitting a two-run homer in the second and then lining a bases-loaded double to bring in another pair in the ninth. Michael Toglia added a five-RBI performance in the Saturday game of the Stanford series, the third time in his career that he's reached that plateau. Toglia notched his second five-RBI day in a week's time and the fourth in his career after reaching that mark in the Friday game against ECU, powering UCLA to a 7-5 win with a game-tying three-run homer in the sixth and a go-ahead two-run double in the eighth.ย
Toglia Teeing Off
After a bit of a slow start to the season - he was batting .207 through the team's first 15 games - first baseman Michael Toglia is starting to heat up with the bat, collecting hits in 12 of his last 14 games. He was especially on fire last week, going ย 7-15 (.467) with eight RBIs, four extra-base hits, and six runs scored. He was the X-Factor in the first two games of the ECU series, collecting five RBIs in the late innings to deliver a come-from-behind 7-5 win for the Bruins before hitting a walk-off three-run home run in game one of the Saturday doubleheader. A Pac-12 Player of the Week nominee, Toglia currently leads the Bruins in RBIs (37) and extra-base hits (19).
Grab Some Pine
The UCLA pitching staff has proven adept at punching out batters this year, leading the Pac-12 and ranking fifth in the nation with 10.5 strikeouts per nine innings. UCLA has punched out at least 10 batters in 20 of its 34 games, including six of the last seven contests. UCLA has two of the top-five leaders in strikeouts in the Pac-12, including Jesse Bergin (58, third) and Zach Pettway (57, fourth), while Ryan Garcia ranks second league-wide with a 12.2 K/9 ratio.ย
Stronach Making The Most Of His Opportunity
Junior Jack Stronach has been one of UCLA's unsung heroes this year, serving as one of the team's leading bats since assuming a full-time role on Mar. 1. From Mar. 1 to Apr. 7 (21 games), he posted a .444/.516/.619 slash line, leading the team by wide margins in all categories while collecting seven extra-base hits and 17 RBIs. He was been a Pac-12 Player of the Week nominee three times in the last five weeks.ย
Hot At Home
UCLA has won 18 of 21 home games so far this year, right in line with the program's .738 winning percentage (59-21) at Jackie Robinson Stadium since the start of the 2017 season. The Bruins have won 14 consecutive series - including seven Pac-12 sets - on their home field dating back to April 21-23, 2017 (Oregon State).ย
Putting Down Roots
UCLA didn't leave Los Angeles County for the entire month of March, as the team's only road games were at LBSU, LMU, and USC. After traveling to Stanford Apr. 5-7, the Bruins stay in Southern California for the rest of April, traveling for just two road contests (at Cal State Fullerton and at Pepperdine). ย
Six Is The Magic Number
If the Bruins can get to six runs, they're in pretty good shape. So far this season, UCLA has posted an unbeaten 20-0 record when reaching the six-run plateau. UCLA opponents are just 3-3 when scoring six runs or more.ย
Seeing Triple
The Bruins have legged out 17 triples this season, a figure which ranks eighth nationally and second in the Pac-12. Five separate Bruins have multiple three-baggers, led by Matt McLain's six (one off the national lead, tied for the most by a Bruin since 1988). Jake Pries and Michael Toglia have three apiece.
Don't Mess With The Bull(pen)
UCLA's bullpen has been one of the team's strongest assets all season. Through 117.1 innings, Bruin relievers have combined to record a 2.15 ERA with strong peripherals including 11.8 K/9 and 5.1 hits per nine innings ratios. Junior Kyle Mora leads the nation in appearances with 28, and he has struck out 42 batters to this point in the season. Closer Holden Powell is pacing the Pac-12 in both saves (11) and games finished (21). Nate Hadley (6-0, 1.74 ERA) and Jack Filby (2-0, 1.46 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 51-8 in the seventh inning for the season, a plus-43 run differential. UCLA's next-best single-inning differential is the second (27-11, plus-16). The Bruins are outscoring their opponents 213-105 overall for the year.ย
History With The Bears
UCLA leads the all-time series with California by a narrow margin at 181-177. More recently, the Bruins are 25-17 against the Bears under John Savage including an 18-9 mark since 2010. UCLA has won four consecutive home series against Cal, last dropping a set at Jackie Robinson Stadium back in 2009. Under Savage, the Bruins have won five of seven home series against Cal and nine of 14 series overall.ย
Off To A Good Start
UCLA is an unbeaten 9-0 this season when scoring in the first inning. Similarly, the Bruins are 17-2 (.895 winning percentage) when scoring first, compared to a 11-4 (.733) mark when the opposition gets on the board first.ย
Shutting Them Out
UCLA's 3-0 blanking of ECU on Apr. 13 was the team's seventh shutout of the season, putting them one behind national leader Tennessee. 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 midweek games.ย
Nailing It Down
The Bruins have been rock-steady at the back end of games this year, posting a 23-0 record this year when holding the lead after seven innings. Taking it further, the Bruins are 26-0 when leading after eight.ย
Bruins Earn Historic Series Win At Stanford
UCLA's early-April matchup at Stanford, featuring the top-two-ranked teams in the country, was a rarity in college baseball. It was just the 13th-ever matchup between the No. 1 and No. 2 teams in the country, and the first featuring two Pac-12 teams since 1988. It was just the third time in those 13 instances where the road team won the game/series.ย
Savage Named Midseason Coach Of The Year
UCLA head coach John Savage was named the Coach of the Year in Perfect Game's Midseason Baseball Awards, published on Apr. 3. The outlet noted that "UCLA entered the year with lofty expectations, but it's important to note that they have met, and even surpassed, those expectations to this point of the year and have done so without being at full strength." Savage was the 2010 and 2013 National Coach of the Year and the 2015 Pac-12 Coach of the Year.ย
Thursday, Apr. 18, 2019 - 7:00 p.m. PT
Friday, Apr. 19, 2019 - 7:00 p.m. PT
Saturday, Apr. 20, 2019 - 2:00 p.m. PT
Location: Jackie Robinson Stadium
TV/Stream: Pac-12 Networks (Thu/Fri)
TV Talent: JB Long (PxP), Wes Clements (analyst)
Audio:ย UCLA Lean Player
Audio Talent: Tim Wilhelm
Live Stats
UCLA Returns To Pac-12 Play By Hosting Californiaย ย ย
No. 1 UCLA (28-6, 9-3) wraps up an eight-game homestand this week, hosting in-state rival California for a three-game series starting on Thursday. The Pac-12 Networks will televise the first two games of the series, which are both set for 7:00 p.m. starts. The weekend concludes with a 2:00 p.m. contest on Saturday. UCLABruins.com will carry a live audio broadcast of every game this season and fans can follow along on Twitter at @UCLABaseball.ย
Projected Pitching Matchups
Thursday, Apr. 18 - 7:00 p.m. PT
UCLA - Zach Pettway, RHP, So. (2-2, 3.81 ERA)
CAL - Arman Sabouri, LHP, Jr. (2-2, 2.56 ERA)
Friday, Apr. 19 - 7:00 p.m. PT
UCLA - Ryan Garcia, RHP, Jr. (4-0, 1.32 ERA)
CAL - Jared Horn, RHP, Jr. (2-1, 2.03 ERA)
Saturday, Apr. 20 - 2:00 p.m. PT
UCLA - Jack Ralston, RHP, RJr. (5-0, 3.20 ERA)
CAL - TBA
The Story So Far
UCLA is 28-6 to start the 2019 campaign and 9-3 in Pac-12 play, winning all eight of its weekend series, taking two of three in the Dodger Stadium College Baseball Classic, and posting an unbeaten 7-0 record in midweeks. At 28-6, UCLA is tied for the best 34-game start in the John Savage era, equaling the mark of the 2010 club.ย
Bruins Remain Consensus No. 1 Team In The Country
After sweeping No. 8 East Carolina last weekend, UCLA retained its place at the top of the polls. 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 for the fifth consecutive week. In addition, the Bruins topped the list of Collegiate Baseball for the second consecutive week, making them the consensus No. 1 team in the country. UCLA jumped to No. 1 in the country in mid-March 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.ย
Going Streaking
UCLA has shown itself undeterred even though facing the No. 1 strength of schedule in the country this year, as the Bruins are currently riding a season-high seven-game win streak. UCLA had won five straight on two separate occasions before the team's current spree.The Bruins just wrapped a stretch that saw them play seven straight games against ranked teams, and UCLA walked away with a 6-1 record in those contests. ย
The Week In Review
UCLA went 4-0 last week, sweeping No. 8 East Carolina in non-conference action, then topping Pepperdine 3-2 on Monday.
- Michael Toglia played the role of hero in Friday's nights series opener, collecting a season-high five RBIs in the late innings to deliver a come-from-behind 7-5 win. Toglia crushed a three-run homer to tie it at 5-5 in the bottom of the sixth, then drove in the game-winning run with a two-run double off the left field wall in his next at-bat. Jack Filby and Nate Hadley helped settle down the game from the pitching side, teaming up to go 12-up, 12-down from the fifth to eighth innings. Holden Powell closed it down for his ninth save of the year.ย
- For an encore performance, Toglia crushed a three-run walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth to top ECU 8-5 in game one of a Saturday doubleheader. After doing his damage from the left side of the plate on Friday, he blistered the three-run shot from the right side on Saturday. It was UCLA's first walk-off home run in over three years (Kort Peterson vs. Texas on Mar. 12, 2016). Jarron Silva and Noah Cardenas had key RBI hits earlier in the game while Garrett Mitchell put the Bruins up 5-4 with a two-run big fly in the sixth.
- Ryan Garcia led UCLA to a 3-0 shutout win in the nightcap of Saturday's doubleheader to complete the sweep. It was UCLA's seventh shutout of the year. Garcia notched 13 strikeouts in the contest, a personal career-high and the most by a Bruin in over five years. Only one batter - the leadoff batter in the first - managed to get in scoring position against Garcia. He rolled up a 6-4-3 double play to escape that jam, and allowed just two hits the rest of the way. Matt McLain singled and scored the game-winning run in the third, while Chase Strumpf hit a solo homer in the sixth and Jake Pries drove in Ryan Kreidler with a single in the eight for insurance runs.ย
- UCLA is now 6-0 at home all-time against ECU.
- The Bruins closed the week with a 3-2 win over Pepperdine on Monday, recovering from an 0-2 deficit with a three-run seventh inning. Chase Strumpf had the big blow of the decisive rally, hitting a sharp single to left with the bases loaded to bring in the game-tying and go-ahead runs. Kyle Mora and Holden Powell pitched scoreless frames to lock down the win for UCLA. Jesse Bergin struck out eight in a six-inning start.ย
UCLA's pitching has been been on fire in 2019, as the Bruin staff has produced some of the best numbers in the nation. The Bruins are among the NCAA leaders in ERA (2.62, second), hits allowed per nine innings (6.30, second), and strikeout-to-walk ratio (3.11, ninth). UCLA has allowed one earned run or fewer in 14 of its 34 games this season.
ย
Offense Heats Up
Over the last month, UCLA has averaged 7.2 runs per game, an increase of two runs compared to the season's first month (5.2 runs per game). Six UCLA regulars are batting north of .300 over the last month: Jack Stronach (.362), Noah Cardenas (.361), Michael Toglia (.351), Kevin Kendall (.347), Chase Strumpf (.313), and Garrett Mitchell (.309).ย
Garcia Named Pac-12 Pitcher of the Week
After his seven-inning, 13-strikeout performance against ECU, Ryan Garcia was tabbed the Pac-12's Pitcher of the Week. It's the second time this season that Garcia earned the league's weekly honor. His 13 punchouts were a career-high, the most in a single game by a Pac-12 pitcher this year, and the most by a Bruin pitcher in over five years (Cody Poteet vs. Michigan in 2014). After striking out 11 at Stanford, he is the first Bruin with 10+ Ks in back-to-back games since Griffin Canning in 2017. Garcia's was the 75th all-time weekly pitching honor for UCLA. In addition, Garcia was named one of the Collegiate Baseball's National Players of the Week in their Monday roundup.ย
Toglia Earns A Pair of Honors
After leading UCLA to a 4-0 week, Michael Toglia was named both the Perfect Game National Player of the Week and the UCLA/Muscle Milk Student-Athlete of the Week. It was the first time earning either of those honors in his career. Toglia was 7-15 last week, posting a .467/.529/1.000 slash line with eight RBIs, six runs scored, and four extra-base hits. He was the X-Factor in three of four games. Against UCI, he had three hits that led off innings and sparked multi-run rallies. He had five RBIs in the late innings to lead the Bruins to a come-from-behind win over ECU in the series opener, then hit a walk-off three-run homer to clinch the series in game one of Saturday's doubleheader.ย
Holden' It Down At The End Of The Game
UCLA sophomore closer Holden Powell is in the midst of a hot streak. He's gone 10 straight appearances, spanning 11.0 innings, without allowing a run. In that span, he's struck out 14 compared to just three walks and two hits. He was near perfect against Stanford two weeks ago, striking out four while only one of the nine batters he faced reach base (via error). ย He leads the Pac-12 and is second nationally with 11 saves. He is the first Bruin with double-digit saves since David Berg had 13 in 2015. Powell last allowed a run on Mar. 17.ย
In The Zone
UCLA finished Monday's game against Pepperdine without allowing a single free pass, the second time this year the team has gone without walking an opposing batter. The Bruins have walked two or fewer batters in 13 of 34 games this year, and rank 33rd nationally with a 3.36 walks per nine innings ratio. The Bruins have surrendered more walks than they've drawn in just 10 of 34 games this year (29%).ย
WHIP It Good
At 1.07, UCLA enters the weekend with the second-lowest WHIP (walks and hits per inning pitched) in the country. The Bruins have posted a sub-1.00 WHIP 16 times in 34 games, including in 10 of the first 11 games of the year. Nate Hadley (0.73) and Ryan Garcia (0.91) have the two-lowest individual WHIPs on the club.ย
Pitching And Defense Is The Name Of the Game
A year after ranking third in the country with a .982 fielding percentage, UCLA is back in the top-10 this year at .980 (seventh). The Bruins are one of two teams (Georgia) who rank in the top-10 nationally in both fielding percentage and ERA.
Savage Records Pair of Milestone Wins in 2019ย ย ย
UCLA head coach John Savage has secured a pair of milestone wins during the 2019 season, earning his 500th at UCLA and 600th overall. His 500th with the Bruins came after a Friday night victory over Oregon State on Mar. 15, making him just the third bench boss in program history to reach that benchmark. Savage then notched his 600th overall after topping ECU 7-5 on Apr. 12.ย
Cardenas Backs Up His Play As The Backstop
Spending the first half of the season in a time-split, freshman Noah Cardenas has started six of the last seven games behind the dish. That includes a stretch of five straight starts, broken up by a doubleheader against ECU, the most consecutive games started by a Bruin catcher this year. Over his last five starts, Cardenas has put together an 8-16 (.500) line with six runs scored. He hit his first career home run last Friday against ECU, and had career-highs in hits (three) and runs (two) in the Stanford series finale on Apr. 7.ย
Run Producersย ย ย
After going 21 straight games without an individual four-RBI performance to start the year, UCLA has received four over the last three weeks. First, Jake Pries hit a first-inning grand slam to help UCLA to a 9-4 win over Loyola Marymount on Mar. 26. Then on Mar. 31 at USC, Jarron Silva doubled his previous career-best with a four-RBI day, hitting a two-run homer in the second and then lining a bases-loaded double to bring in another pair in the ninth. Michael Toglia added a five-RBI performance in the Saturday game of the Stanford series, the third time in his career that he's reached that plateau. Toglia notched his second five-RBI day in a week's time and the fourth in his career after reaching that mark in the Friday game against ECU, powering UCLA to a 7-5 win with a game-tying three-run homer in the sixth and a go-ahead two-run double in the eighth.ย
Toglia Teeing Off
After a bit of a slow start to the season - he was batting .207 through the team's first 15 games - first baseman Michael Toglia is starting to heat up with the bat, collecting hits in 12 of his last 14 games. He was especially on fire last week, going ย 7-15 (.467) with eight RBIs, four extra-base hits, and six runs scored. He was the X-Factor in the first two games of the ECU series, collecting five RBIs in the late innings to deliver a come-from-behind 7-5 win for the Bruins before hitting a walk-off three-run home run in game one of the Saturday doubleheader. A Pac-12 Player of the Week nominee, Toglia currently leads the Bruins in RBIs (37) and extra-base hits (19).
Grab Some Pine
The UCLA pitching staff has proven adept at punching out batters this year, leading the Pac-12 and ranking fifth in the nation with 10.5 strikeouts per nine innings. UCLA has punched out at least 10 batters in 20 of its 34 games, including six of the last seven contests. UCLA has two of the top-five leaders in strikeouts in the Pac-12, including Jesse Bergin (58, third) and Zach Pettway (57, fourth), while Ryan Garcia ranks second league-wide with a 12.2 K/9 ratio.ย
Stronach Making The Most Of His Opportunity
Junior Jack Stronach has been one of UCLA's unsung heroes this year, serving as one of the team's leading bats since assuming a full-time role on Mar. 1. From Mar. 1 to Apr. 7 (21 games), he posted a .444/.516/.619 slash line, leading the team by wide margins in all categories while collecting seven extra-base hits and 17 RBIs. He was been a Pac-12 Player of the Week nominee three times in the last five weeks.ย
Hot At Home
UCLA has won 18 of 21 home games so far this year, right in line with the program's .738 winning percentage (59-21) at Jackie Robinson Stadium since the start of the 2017 season. The Bruins have won 14 consecutive series - including seven Pac-12 sets - on their home field dating back to April 21-23, 2017 (Oregon State).ย
Putting Down Roots
UCLA didn't leave Los Angeles County for the entire month of March, as the team's only road games were at LBSU, LMU, and USC. After traveling to Stanford Apr. 5-7, the Bruins stay in Southern California for the rest of April, traveling for just two road contests (at Cal State Fullerton and at Pepperdine). ย
Six Is The Magic Number
If the Bruins can get to six runs, they're in pretty good shape. So far this season, UCLA has posted an unbeaten 20-0 record when reaching the six-run plateau. UCLA opponents are just 3-3 when scoring six runs or more.ย
Seeing Triple
The Bruins have legged out 17 triples this season, a figure which ranks eighth nationally and second in the Pac-12. Five separate Bruins have multiple three-baggers, led by Matt McLain's six (one off the national lead, tied for the most by a Bruin since 1988). Jake Pries and Michael Toglia have three apiece.
Don't Mess With The Bull(pen)
UCLA's bullpen has been one of the team's strongest assets all season. Through 117.1 innings, Bruin relievers have combined to record a 2.15 ERA with strong peripherals including 11.8 K/9 and 5.1 hits per nine innings ratios. Junior Kyle Mora leads the nation in appearances with 28, and he has struck out 42 batters to this point in the season. Closer Holden Powell is pacing the Pac-12 in both saves (11) and games finished (21). Nate Hadley (6-0, 1.74 ERA) and Jack Filby (2-0, 1.46 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 51-8 in the seventh inning for the season, a plus-43 run differential. UCLA's next-best single-inning differential is the second (27-11, plus-16). The Bruins are outscoring their opponents 213-105 overall for the year.ย
History With The Bears
UCLA leads the all-time series with California by a narrow margin at 181-177. More recently, the Bruins are 25-17 against the Bears under John Savage including an 18-9 mark since 2010. UCLA has won four consecutive home series against Cal, last dropping a set at Jackie Robinson Stadium back in 2009. Under Savage, the Bruins have won five of seven home series against Cal and nine of 14 series overall.ย
Off To A Good Start
UCLA is an unbeaten 9-0 this season when scoring in the first inning. Similarly, the Bruins are 17-2 (.895 winning percentage) when scoring first, compared to a 11-4 (.733) mark when the opposition gets on the board first.ย
Shutting Them Out
UCLA's 3-0 blanking of ECU on Apr. 13 was the team's seventh shutout of the season, putting them one behind national leader Tennessee. 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 midweek games.ย
Nailing It Down
The Bruins have been rock-steady at the back end of games this year, posting a 23-0 record this year when holding the lead after seven innings. Taking it further, the Bruins are 26-0 when leading after eight.ย
Bruins Earn Historic Series Win At Stanford
UCLA's early-April matchup at Stanford, featuring the top-two-ranked teams in the country, was a rarity in college baseball. It was just the 13th-ever matchup between the No. 1 and No. 2 teams in the country, and the first featuring two Pac-12 teams since 1988. It was just the third time in those 13 instances where the road team won the game/series.ย
Savage Named Midseason Coach Of The Year
UCLA head coach John Savage was named the Coach of the Year in Perfect Game's Midseason Baseball Awards, published on Apr. 3. The outlet noted that "UCLA entered the year with lofty expectations, but it's important to note that they have met, and even surpassed, those expectations to this point of the year and have done so without being at full strength." Savage was the 2010 and 2013 National Coach of the Year and the 2015 Pac-12 Coach of the Year.ย
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/ BaseballUCLA Baseball Postgame - Coach Savage & Players vs. LSU (June 17, 2025)
Tuesday, June 17
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Tuesday, June 17
UCLA Baseball Postgame - Coach Savage & Players vs. Murray State (June 14, 2025)
Saturday, June 14
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Saturday, June 14