Thursday, May 23
Eugene, OR
6:00 PM
UCLA
at
Oregon
Kyle Mora (photo: Don Liebig)
Photo by: Don Liebig/ASUCLA
Baseball Heads North to Face Oregon, Wrap 2019 Regular Season
May 21, 2019 | Baseball
No. 1 UCLA (45-8, 22-5) vs. Oregon (27-27, 10-17)
Thursday, May 23, 2019 - 6:00 p.m. PT
Friday, May 24, 2019 - 6:00 p.m. PT
Saturday, May 25, 2019 - 4:00 p.m. PT
Location: Eugene, Ore. (PK Park)
Audio: UCLA Lean Player
Audio Talent: Tim Wilhelm
TV/Stream: Pac-12 Networks
No. 1 UCLA Travels To Eugene To Close 2019 Regular Season
The No. 1-ranked Bruins (45-8, 22-5), winners of eight straight and 24 of their last 26 games, wrap up the 2019 regular season with a three-game series at Oregon (27-27, 10-17) starting on Thursday, May 23 at 6:00 p.m. The Pac-12 Network will televise all three games of the series, with JB Long and J.T. Snow on the call. UCLABruins.com will carry a live audio broadcast of every game this season and fans can follow along on Twitter at @UCLABaseball.
Projected Pitching Matchups
Thursday, May 23 - 6:00 p.m. PT
UCLA - Ryan Garcia, RHP, Jr. (8-0, 1.30 ERA)
ORE - Robert Ahlstrom, LHP, So. (5-6, 3.95 ERA)
Friday, May 24 - 6:00 p.m. PT
UCLA - Jack Ralston, RHP, Jr. (10-0, 2.17 ERA)
ORE - Cullen Kafka, RHP, So. (5-5, 5.48 ERA)
Saturday, May 25 - 4:00 p.m. PT
UCLA - TBA
ORE - TBA
The Story So Far
UCLA is 45-8 so far in the 2019 campaign with a 22-5 mark in Pac-12 play, winning all 13 of its weekend series, taking two of three in the Dodger Stadium College Baseball Classic, and posting an unbeaten 11-0 record in midweeks. At 45-8, UCLA is second in the country in winning percentage (.849) and has the best record through 53 games in program history, besting the previous mark of 41-12 ('10, '15). This year marks the fifth time since 2010 that UCLA has hit the 40-win mark.
Win, Win, Win
The 2019 regular season is shaping up to be the most succesful in program history. The Bruins have already set a program record for regular season wins (45) and are just the sixth team in UCLA history to reach that mark, postseason included. Five of those six squads have come during the John Savage era (since 2005). In addition, UCLA has already tied a program record for conference wins (22, 2015). The Bruins' can finish the regular season with no worse than an .803 winning percentage, which would be the school's best clip since 1924 (.889) when there were just 18 games on the schedule.
Bruins Remain Consensus No. 1 Team In The Country
After sweeping the series over Washington, 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 10th consecutive week. In addition, the Bruins topped the list of Collegiate Baseball for the seventh consecutive week, maintaining their status as the consensus No. 1 team in the country. UCLA jumped to No. 1 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 2013. At 10 weeks, this is the longest consecutive stretch of being ranked No. 1 nationally in program history.
The Week In Review
UCLA went 4-0 last week, defeating UC Irvine in a road midweek before sweeping Washington at home over the weekend.
UCLA has won all 13 of its weekend series this year, the longest streak by the Bruins since the program won 14 straight over the 2014-15 campaigns. The Bruins are the only team in Division I who has yet to drop a weekend series in 2019. With the sweep over Washington, UCLA went unbeaten in all regular season home series for the second straight year.
UCLA Takes Over National Lead In ERA
For the fourth consecutive week, UCLA is leading the nation in team ERA. The Bruins enter the weekend with a 2.56 ERA after surrendering two earned runs or fewer in seven of the last eight games. UCLA has a massive lead nationally in ERA, as they are the only squad with a sub-3.00 figure (No. 2 Texas A&M is at 3.07). The Bruins also lead the country in hits allowed per nine innings (6.2), and WHIP (1.06). Were the season to end today, UCLA's ERA would be the fifth-best in program history.
Ralston Named Pac-12 Pitcher Of The Week, Makes History
After allowing one hit over six shutout innings against Washington on Saturday, Jack Ralston was named the Pac-12 Pitcher of the Week on Monday. It was his third straight nomination and second time winning the award over the past three weeks. He and Ryan Garcia have teamed up to win the league's pitcher of the week honor five times this season, making them the first pair of Bruin teammates ever to have both won the award multiple times in the same season.
Ralston On A Roll
Jack Ralston has been nearly impossible to hit over the last month. Riding a 25-inning scoreless streak, the longest by a Bruin this year, Ralston is 5-0 with a 0.56 ERA and 42 strikeouts in 32 1/3 innings since Apr. 20. UCLA has outscored its opponents 44-5 the last five times Ralston has toed the rubber. He is the Bruins' first 10-game winner since James Kaprielian in 2015, and is tied for the best record in the country at 10-0.
Mitchell Tearing It Up
Garrett Mitchell has been tearing the cover off the ball over the last month. In 13 games since Apr. 28, he is slashing .517/.567/.967 with 22 runs scored, seven triples, three home runs, 17 RBIs and eight stolen bases in as many attempts. He had four triples during the Washington series, giving him nine on the year - one off the national lead and the UCLA program record (Robbie Katzaroff, 1988). Prior to that, he was the Pac-12 Player of the Week after torching Long Beach State and Washington State to the tune of a 11-19 (.579) line with four extra-base hits and six runs scored. Mitchell has hits in 12 of the last 13 games, recording multiple hits in 10 of those contests.
Mitchell Invited to USA Baseball Collegiate National Team
Garrett Mitchell received an invitation to play for the USCNT last week, joining a group of elite UCLA players to have previously suited up for Team USA including Gerrit Cole, Trevor Bauer, Brandon Crawford, and Troy Glaus. He is slated to become the first Bruin position player to don the red, white, and blue since Steve Rodriguez in 2010. The USCNT will play four intrasquad exhibitions in late June before facing off against Cuba, Chinese Taipei, and Japan in July.
Garcia, Ralston Earn Golden Spikes and Dick Howser Consideration
A pair of Bruin starters appeared on Player of the Year watch lists last week. Friday night starter Ryan Garcia was one of 25 players named a Golden Spikes Award Semifinalist, while both Garcia and Jack Ralston were named Dick Howser Award Semifinalists. UCLA has had a GSA Semifinalist in nine separate seasons, tied for the most in the country. Garcia and Ralston are among just eight starting pitchers in consideration for the Dick Howser Award.
Bruins Set Shutout Record
The Bruins' 4-0 win over Washington on May 18 was the team's 11th shutout of the year, extending their national lead and setting a new single-season program record. UCLA had previously recorded 10 shutouts in both the 1969 and 2011 seasons. The Bruins have three shutouts in their last six games, and have recorded one in eight of their 13 weekend series and in three midweeks.
Not Taking It Easy On The Washington Schools
UCLA outscored the two Washington schools 55-17 over the past two weekends, including routs of 10-0 at Washington State and 14-2 over Washington.
More Mora, Please
Kyle Mora has made an NCAA-high 41 appearances this season, pitching to a 2.09 ERA. He is one of just four Bruins ever to make 40 appearances in a season, and he has gone unscored upon in 16 of his last 17 outings. He is quickly moving up the list of UCLA's most single-season appearances:
Jeremy Ydens made his return to the lineup last week after being on the shelf since Mar. 1, and immediately became a dangerous contributor on offense. He went 3-4 in his return at UC Irvine, then had a career performance in the series finale against the Huskies. In that game, he hit his first two home runs of 2019, drove in a career-high five runs, and matched a season-high with three hits. It was his second career multi-home run game, as he hit a pair against Oregon on May 18, 2018.
Bruin Starters On A Roll
A huge part of UCLA's success in the past weeks has been the dominance of its starting pitchers. Bruin starters have allowed two earned runs or fewer in 17 of the last 19 games, and one earned run or fewer in 14 of 19.
Fastest To 40
UCLA's win over Washington State on May 11 represented the team's 40th win of the year in the 48th game of the season, making the 2019 Bruins the quickest to 40 wins in program history. The previous mark was held by the 2010 club, which needed 51 games to get to 40 victories. UCLA has now won 40+ games five times since 2010.
Race For The Pac-12 Title Heats Up
The Bruins' sweep of the Huskies moved them 1.5 games clear at the top of the Pac-12 standings heading into the final weekend of the regular season. UCLA's magic number to clinch the title is two, as both Stanford and Oregon State are 1.5 games behind in the standings. The Bruins are seeking their fourth Pac-12 title in the John Savage era, having previously finished atop the league in 2011, 2012 (co-champions), and 2015.
Midweek Notes
UCLA recorded an undefeated 11-0 record in midweeks this season, going 5-0 at home and 6-0 on the road. 2019 marks the second time in the John Savage era that UCLA has gone unbeaten in midweeks (2012). UCLA outhit its opponents by 100 points in midweek games (.282 to .182) and held a 1.59 to 4.81 advantage in team ERA. Top offensive players in midweeks included Garrett Mitchell (.438/.481/.667) and Noah Cardenas (.364/.464/.409) while top pitchers included Nate Hadley (5-0, 0 R in 11.1 IP), Felix Rubi (1.42 ERA in 12.2 IP), and Nick Nastrini (0 R in two starts).
Toglia In A Groove
UCLA junior first baseman Michael Toglia has been seeing the ball well lately, going 20-48 (.417) with five home runs and 11 extra-base hits in his last 11 games. The current spree has raised his average 30 points to .316, as he jumped above the .300 mark for the first time year after a 3-5 day in the WSU series finale. Toglia has 13 home runs on the year, the most by a Bruin since Cody Decker had 21 in 2009. Paired with his 11-homer sophomore campaign, Toglia is the first Bruin since 2000 to log double-digit home runs in consecutive seasons (Chase Utley, Garrett Atkins, and Bill Scott all accomplished the feat in 1999-2000).
To Be The Best, You Have To Beat The Best
So far in 2019, the Bruins have played - and won - five series against ranked teams, including three currently in the top-10. The Bruins have won series against No. 3 Stanford, No. 6 Georgia Tech, and No. 7 East Carolina University. The Bruins had beaten four top-10 teams - the only club in the country to do so - until Oregon State dropped to No. 11 in early May.
History against The Ducks
UCLA is 29-14 all-time against Oregon, including an 18-12 mark under head coach John Savage. UCLA has won the last three head-to-head series between the two teams. The Bruins have won four of five series in Eugene during the Savage era, only dropping a set in 2015.
Holden' It Down At The End Of The Game
Sophomore closer Holden Powell has been one of college baseball's top closers this year, leading to his inclusion on the Preseason and Midseason NCBWA Stopper of the Year Watch Lists. He paces the Pac-12 with 14 saves, third-most in UCLA single season history and the most since David Berg's NCAA-record 24 in 2013. Since Mar. 17, he's allowed just three earned runs over a span of 26 innings, accruing 35 strikeouts in that time compared to just eight hits.
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 .982 (fourth). The Bruins are the only team in the country to rank top-10 in both fielding percentage and ERA.
Cardenas Figuring It Out As A Freshman
Noah Cardenas has been one of UCLA's hottest hitters in the last few weeks, a trend which was underscored by his monster performance in the desert against ASU. Cardenas started all three games of that series - a career first - and capitalized on that playing time by posting a 9-13 line (.692) with five runs scored. He went 5-5 on Saturday and then singled in his first three at-bats Sunday, giving him hits in five straight plate appearances. He's "cooled off" since, posting three hits in back-to-back series. Since Apr. 7, he's batting .492 (32-65). He leads the club with a .398 batting average overall.
Hot At Home
UCLA has won 27 of 31 home games so far this year, an improvement on the team's .755 winning percentage (68-22) at Jackie Robinson Stadium since the start of the 2017 season. The Bruins have won 17 consecutive series - including nine Pac-12 sets - on their home field dating back to April 21-23, 2017 (Oregon State).
Grab Some Pine
The UCLA pitching staff has proven adept at punching out batters this year, leading the Pac-12 and ranking sixth in the nation with 10.4 strikeouts per nine innings. The Bruins struck out 42 Huskies last weekend (14 per game) including a Savage-era record 19 in the series opener. As a staff, the Bruins have 553 strikeouts on the year, a figure which currently ranks third in all-time program history behind only the 2010 (700) and 2011 (572) clubs. UCLA has three of the top-10 strikeout pitchers in the Pac-12, including Ryan Garcia (95, third), Jack Ralston (87, fifth), and Jesse Bergin (76, seventh).
Offense Heats Up
After a bit of a slow start to the season offensively, UCLA is now among the top-five in the Pac-12 in batting average (.295, fourth), on-base percentage (.386, third), slugging (.476, fifth), runs (353, third), and home runs (55, fifth).
Touch Em' All
The Bruins have hit 55 home runs as a team so far in 2019, tied for second-most in the Savage era. UCLA has hit three or more homers in a game four times this month (zero prior) including a program-record seven dingers at Arizona State on May 4 and six roundtrippers against Washington on May 19.
Triple Threat
The Bruins have legged out 26 triples this season, a figure which ranks sixth nationally and second in the Pac-12. Garrett Mitchell (nine) and Matt McLain (six) rank 1-2 in the Pac-12 in three-baggers.
Don't Mess With The Bull(pen)
UCLA's bullpen has been one of the team's strongest assets all season. Through 185 2/3 innings, Bruin relievers have combined to record a 2.13 ERA with strong peripherals including 11.1 K/9 and 5.4 hits per nine innings ratios. The Bruin bullpen has gone unscored upon 28 times in 53 games this year. Standouts include Kyle Mora (NCAA-high 41 appearances this year), Holden Powell (league-leading 14 saves), and Nate Hadley (8-1, 2.48 ERA). The Bruin pen went 19 innings last week against UCI and UW without allowing a run, the longest collective scoring streak by the relief group this season.
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 65-12 in the seventh inning for the season, a plus-53 run differential. UCLA's next-best single-inning differential is the second (47-19, plus-28). The Bruins are outscoring their opponents 353-161 overall for the year.
Comeback Kids
UCLA has proven undaunted when facing a deficit this season, as 18 of the team's 45 wins this season have been of the come-from-behind variety (40%).
Off To A Good Start
UCLA is an unbeaten 17-0 this season when scoring in the first inning. Similarly, the Bruins are 32-3 (.906 winning percentage) when scoring first, compared to a 13-5 (.722) mark when the opposition gets on the board first.
Nailing It Down
The Bruins have been rock-steady at the back end of games this year, posting a 41-0 record when leading after eight innings. UCLA is 38-1 when leading after seven, suffering its first and only loss in such a scenario on May 5 at ASU.
Thursday, May 23, 2019 - 6:00 p.m. PT
Friday, May 24, 2019 - 6:00 p.m. PT
Saturday, May 25, 2019 - 4:00 p.m. PT
Location: Eugene, Ore. (PK Park)
Audio: UCLA Lean Player
Audio Talent: Tim Wilhelm
TV/Stream: Pac-12 Networks
No. 1 UCLA Travels To Eugene To Close 2019 Regular Season
The No. 1-ranked Bruins (45-8, 22-5), winners of eight straight and 24 of their last 26 games, wrap up the 2019 regular season with a three-game series at Oregon (27-27, 10-17) starting on Thursday, May 23 at 6:00 p.m. The Pac-12 Network will televise all three games of the series, with JB Long and J.T. Snow on the call. UCLABruins.com will carry a live audio broadcast of every game this season and fans can follow along on Twitter at @UCLABaseball.
Projected Pitching Matchups
Thursday, May 23 - 6:00 p.m. PT
UCLA - Ryan Garcia, RHP, Jr. (8-0, 1.30 ERA)
ORE - Robert Ahlstrom, LHP, So. (5-6, 3.95 ERA)
Friday, May 24 - 6:00 p.m. PT
UCLA - Jack Ralston, RHP, Jr. (10-0, 2.17 ERA)
ORE - Cullen Kafka, RHP, So. (5-5, 5.48 ERA)
Saturday, May 25 - 4:00 p.m. PT
UCLA - TBA
ORE - TBA
The Story So Far
UCLA is 45-8 so far in the 2019 campaign with a 22-5 mark in Pac-12 play, winning all 13 of its weekend series, taking two of three in the Dodger Stadium College Baseball Classic, and posting an unbeaten 11-0 record in midweeks. At 45-8, UCLA is second in the country in winning percentage (.849) and has the best record through 53 games in program history, besting the previous mark of 41-12 ('10, '15). This year marks the fifth time since 2010 that UCLA has hit the 40-win mark.
Win, Win, Win
The 2019 regular season is shaping up to be the most succesful in program history. The Bruins have already set a program record for regular season wins (45) and are just the sixth team in UCLA history to reach that mark, postseason included. Five of those six squads have come during the John Savage era (since 2005). In addition, UCLA has already tied a program record for conference wins (22, 2015). The Bruins' can finish the regular season with no worse than an .803 winning percentage, which would be the school's best clip since 1924 (.889) when there were just 18 games on the schedule.
Bruins Remain Consensus No. 1 Team In The Country
After sweeping the series over Washington, 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 10th consecutive week. In addition, the Bruins topped the list of Collegiate Baseball for the seventh consecutive week, maintaining their status as the consensus No. 1 team in the country. UCLA jumped to No. 1 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 2013. At 10 weeks, this is the longest consecutive stretch of being ranked No. 1 nationally in program history.
The Week In Review
UCLA went 4-0 last week, defeating UC Irvine in a road midweek before sweeping Washington at home over the weekend.
- UCLA finished off an undefeated midweek schedule after blanking UC Irvine 7-0 on Tuesday night at Anteater Ballpark. Felix Rubi made the start for the second straight Tuesday, throwing five scoreless to earn his first career win. The bullpen finished off the shutout with four scoreless innings of relief. Nate Hadley had the most impressive relief outing, getting a three-pitch strikeout to get out of an inherited bases-loaded jam before throwing a scoreless seventh. Jeremy Ydens (3-4 in his return to the lineup) and Ryan Kreidler (solo homer, two runs scored) paced the Bruin offense, which put the game away with a four-run fifth inning.
- Garrett Mitchell had two triples and UCLA pitchers struck out 19 batters in an 8-3 series opening win. The Bruins went up 4-1 early, saw UW make it a one-run game, then pulled away with four unanswered runs to close the game. Mitchell singled and scored in the first, then plated the game-winning run with a bases-loaded triple in the second. Ryan Garcia struck out 13 batters in a five-inning start, and the UCLA pen sealed the win with four scoreless frames.
- Jack Ralston and a trio of relievers combined to throw a one-hitter on Saturday, clinching the series with a 4-0 win. It was UCLA's first one-hitter since Jun. 2, 2013 and it was the fewest hits allowed by the team since James Kaprielian and David Berg teamed up for a 10-inning no-hitter on May 15, 2015. Michael Toglia (2-4, solo homer) and Garrett Mitchell (1-3, RBI) provided more than enough offense for UCLA. Ralston gave up just a two-out single as part of his six-plus innings of work, and Nate Hadley, Kyle Mora, and Holden Powell nailed down the shutout with a shutout inning each.
- The Bruins completed the sweep with a 14-2 win on Sunday, clubbing six home runs and getting eight shutout innings of relief from the bullpen. Ryan Kreidler and Jeremy Ydens both had multi-home run days for the Bruins, which produced a decisive five-run rally in the bottom of the first. UCLA would post a crooked number in five of its eight offensive innings. Michael Townsend earned the win with four hitless innings of relief, moving to 2-0 on the year.
UCLA has won all 13 of its weekend series this year, the longest streak by the Bruins since the program won 14 straight over the 2014-15 campaigns. The Bruins are the only team in Division I who has yet to drop a weekend series in 2019. With the sweep over Washington, UCLA went unbeaten in all regular season home series for the second straight year.
UCLA Takes Over National Lead In ERA
For the fourth consecutive week, UCLA is leading the nation in team ERA. The Bruins enter the weekend with a 2.56 ERA after surrendering two earned runs or fewer in seven of the last eight games. UCLA has a massive lead nationally in ERA, as they are the only squad with a sub-3.00 figure (No. 2 Texas A&M is at 3.07). The Bruins also lead the country in hits allowed per nine innings (6.2), and WHIP (1.06). Were the season to end today, UCLA's ERA would be the fifth-best in program history.
Ralston Named Pac-12 Pitcher Of The Week, Makes History
After allowing one hit over six shutout innings against Washington on Saturday, Jack Ralston was named the Pac-12 Pitcher of the Week on Monday. It was his third straight nomination and second time winning the award over the past three weeks. He and Ryan Garcia have teamed up to win the league's pitcher of the week honor five times this season, making them the first pair of Bruin teammates ever to have both won the award multiple times in the same season.
Ralston On A Roll
Jack Ralston has been nearly impossible to hit over the last month. Riding a 25-inning scoreless streak, the longest by a Bruin this year, Ralston is 5-0 with a 0.56 ERA and 42 strikeouts in 32 1/3 innings since Apr. 20. UCLA has outscored its opponents 44-5 the last five times Ralston has toed the rubber. He is the Bruins' first 10-game winner since James Kaprielian in 2015, and is tied for the best record in the country at 10-0.
Mitchell Tearing It Up
Garrett Mitchell has been tearing the cover off the ball over the last month. In 13 games since Apr. 28, he is slashing .517/.567/.967 with 22 runs scored, seven triples, three home runs, 17 RBIs and eight stolen bases in as many attempts. He had four triples during the Washington series, giving him nine on the year - one off the national lead and the UCLA program record (Robbie Katzaroff, 1988). Prior to that, he was the Pac-12 Player of the Week after torching Long Beach State and Washington State to the tune of a 11-19 (.579) line with four extra-base hits and six runs scored. Mitchell has hits in 12 of the last 13 games, recording multiple hits in 10 of those contests.
Mitchell Invited to USA Baseball Collegiate National Team
Garrett Mitchell received an invitation to play for the USCNT last week, joining a group of elite UCLA players to have previously suited up for Team USA including Gerrit Cole, Trevor Bauer, Brandon Crawford, and Troy Glaus. He is slated to become the first Bruin position player to don the red, white, and blue since Steve Rodriguez in 2010. The USCNT will play four intrasquad exhibitions in late June before facing off against Cuba, Chinese Taipei, and Japan in July.
Garcia, Ralston Earn Golden Spikes and Dick Howser Consideration
A pair of Bruin starters appeared on Player of the Year watch lists last week. Friday night starter Ryan Garcia was one of 25 players named a Golden Spikes Award Semifinalist, while both Garcia and Jack Ralston were named Dick Howser Award Semifinalists. UCLA has had a GSA Semifinalist in nine separate seasons, tied for the most in the country. Garcia and Ralston are among just eight starting pitchers in consideration for the Dick Howser Award.
Bruins Set Shutout Record
The Bruins' 4-0 win over Washington on May 18 was the team's 11th shutout of the year, extending their national lead and setting a new single-season program record. UCLA had previously recorded 10 shutouts in both the 1969 and 2011 seasons. The Bruins have three shutouts in their last six games, and have recorded one in eight of their 13 weekend series and in three midweeks.
Not Taking It Easy On The Washington Schools
UCLA outscored the two Washington schools 55-17 over the past two weekends, including routs of 10-0 at Washington State and 14-2 over Washington.
More Mora, Please
Kyle Mora has made an NCAA-high 41 appearances this season, pitching to a 2.09 ERA. He is one of just four Bruins ever to make 40 appearances in a season, and he has gone unscored upon in 16 of his last 17 outings. He is quickly moving up the list of UCLA's most single-season appearances:
- 1. David Berg: 51 (2013)
- 2. David Berg 50 (2012)
- T-3. David Berg: 43 (2015)
- T-3. Zack Weiss: 43 (2013)
- 5. Grant Dyer: 42 (2015)
- 6. Kyle Mora: 41 (2019)
Jeremy Ydens made his return to the lineup last week after being on the shelf since Mar. 1, and immediately became a dangerous contributor on offense. He went 3-4 in his return at UC Irvine, then had a career performance in the series finale against the Huskies. In that game, he hit his first two home runs of 2019, drove in a career-high five runs, and matched a season-high with three hits. It was his second career multi-home run game, as he hit a pair against Oregon on May 18, 2018.
Bruin Starters On A Roll
A huge part of UCLA's success in the past weeks has been the dominance of its starting pitchers. Bruin starters have allowed two earned runs or fewer in 17 of the last 19 games, and one earned run or fewer in 14 of 19.
Fastest To 40
UCLA's win over Washington State on May 11 represented the team's 40th win of the year in the 48th game of the season, making the 2019 Bruins the quickest to 40 wins in program history. The previous mark was held by the 2010 club, which needed 51 games to get to 40 victories. UCLA has now won 40+ games five times since 2010.
Race For The Pac-12 Title Heats Up
The Bruins' sweep of the Huskies moved them 1.5 games clear at the top of the Pac-12 standings heading into the final weekend of the regular season. UCLA's magic number to clinch the title is two, as both Stanford and Oregon State are 1.5 games behind in the standings. The Bruins are seeking their fourth Pac-12 title in the John Savage era, having previously finished atop the league in 2011, 2012 (co-champions), and 2015.
Midweek Notes
UCLA recorded an undefeated 11-0 record in midweeks this season, going 5-0 at home and 6-0 on the road. 2019 marks the second time in the John Savage era that UCLA has gone unbeaten in midweeks (2012). UCLA outhit its opponents by 100 points in midweek games (.282 to .182) and held a 1.59 to 4.81 advantage in team ERA. Top offensive players in midweeks included Garrett Mitchell (.438/.481/.667) and Noah Cardenas (.364/.464/.409) while top pitchers included Nate Hadley (5-0, 0 R in 11.1 IP), Felix Rubi (1.42 ERA in 12.2 IP), and Nick Nastrini (0 R in two starts).
Toglia In A Groove
UCLA junior first baseman Michael Toglia has been seeing the ball well lately, going 20-48 (.417) with five home runs and 11 extra-base hits in his last 11 games. The current spree has raised his average 30 points to .316, as he jumped above the .300 mark for the first time year after a 3-5 day in the WSU series finale. Toglia has 13 home runs on the year, the most by a Bruin since Cody Decker had 21 in 2009. Paired with his 11-homer sophomore campaign, Toglia is the first Bruin since 2000 to log double-digit home runs in consecutive seasons (Chase Utley, Garrett Atkins, and Bill Scott all accomplished the feat in 1999-2000).
To Be The Best, You Have To Beat The Best
So far in 2019, the Bruins have played - and won - five series against ranked teams, including three currently in the top-10. The Bruins have won series against No. 3 Stanford, No. 6 Georgia Tech, and No. 7 East Carolina University. The Bruins had beaten four top-10 teams - the only club in the country to do so - until Oregon State dropped to No. 11 in early May.
History against The Ducks
UCLA is 29-14 all-time against Oregon, including an 18-12 mark under head coach John Savage. UCLA has won the last three head-to-head series between the two teams. The Bruins have won four of five series in Eugene during the Savage era, only dropping a set in 2015.
Holden' It Down At The End Of The Game
Sophomore closer Holden Powell has been one of college baseball's top closers this year, leading to his inclusion on the Preseason and Midseason NCBWA Stopper of the Year Watch Lists. He paces the Pac-12 with 14 saves, third-most in UCLA single season history and the most since David Berg's NCAA-record 24 in 2013. Since Mar. 17, he's allowed just three earned runs over a span of 26 innings, accruing 35 strikeouts in that time compared to just eight hits.
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 .982 (fourth). The Bruins are the only team in the country to rank top-10 in both fielding percentage and ERA.
Cardenas Figuring It Out As A Freshman
Noah Cardenas has been one of UCLA's hottest hitters in the last few weeks, a trend which was underscored by his monster performance in the desert against ASU. Cardenas started all three games of that series - a career first - and capitalized on that playing time by posting a 9-13 line (.692) with five runs scored. He went 5-5 on Saturday and then singled in his first three at-bats Sunday, giving him hits in five straight plate appearances. He's "cooled off" since, posting three hits in back-to-back series. Since Apr. 7, he's batting .492 (32-65). He leads the club with a .398 batting average overall.
Hot At Home
UCLA has won 27 of 31 home games so far this year, an improvement on the team's .755 winning percentage (68-22) at Jackie Robinson Stadium since the start of the 2017 season. The Bruins have won 17 consecutive series - including nine Pac-12 sets - on their home field dating back to April 21-23, 2017 (Oregon State).
Grab Some Pine
The UCLA pitching staff has proven adept at punching out batters this year, leading the Pac-12 and ranking sixth in the nation with 10.4 strikeouts per nine innings. The Bruins struck out 42 Huskies last weekend (14 per game) including a Savage-era record 19 in the series opener. As a staff, the Bruins have 553 strikeouts on the year, a figure which currently ranks third in all-time program history behind only the 2010 (700) and 2011 (572) clubs. UCLA has three of the top-10 strikeout pitchers in the Pac-12, including Ryan Garcia (95, third), Jack Ralston (87, fifth), and Jesse Bergin (76, seventh).
Offense Heats Up
After a bit of a slow start to the season offensively, UCLA is now among the top-five in the Pac-12 in batting average (.295, fourth), on-base percentage (.386, third), slugging (.476, fifth), runs (353, third), and home runs (55, fifth).
Touch Em' All
The Bruins have hit 55 home runs as a team so far in 2019, tied for second-most in the Savage era. UCLA has hit three or more homers in a game four times this month (zero prior) including a program-record seven dingers at Arizona State on May 4 and six roundtrippers against Washington on May 19.
Triple Threat
The Bruins have legged out 26 triples this season, a figure which ranks sixth nationally and second in the Pac-12. Garrett Mitchell (nine) and Matt McLain (six) rank 1-2 in the Pac-12 in three-baggers.
Don't Mess With The Bull(pen)
UCLA's bullpen has been one of the team's strongest assets all season. Through 185 2/3 innings, Bruin relievers have combined to record a 2.13 ERA with strong peripherals including 11.1 K/9 and 5.4 hits per nine innings ratios. The Bruin bullpen has gone unscored upon 28 times in 53 games this year. Standouts include Kyle Mora (NCAA-high 41 appearances this year), Holden Powell (league-leading 14 saves), and Nate Hadley (8-1, 2.48 ERA). The Bruin pen went 19 innings last week against UCI and UW without allowing a run, the longest collective scoring streak by the relief group this season.
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 65-12 in the seventh inning for the season, a plus-53 run differential. UCLA's next-best single-inning differential is the second (47-19, plus-28). The Bruins are outscoring their opponents 353-161 overall for the year.
Comeback Kids
UCLA has proven undaunted when facing a deficit this season, as 18 of the team's 45 wins this season have been of the come-from-behind variety (40%).
Off To A Good Start
UCLA is an unbeaten 17-0 this season when scoring in the first inning. Similarly, the Bruins are 32-3 (.906 winning percentage) when scoring first, compared to a 13-5 (.722) mark when the opposition gets on the board first.
Nailing It Down
The Bruins have been rock-steady at the back end of games this year, posting a 41-0 record when leading after eight innings. UCLA is 38-1 when leading after seven, suffering its first and only loss in such a scenario on May 5 at ASU.
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