Friday, May 31
Los Angeles, CA
7:00 PM
UCLA
vs
Omaha at UCLA
UCLA is the No. 1 national seed for the second time since 2015 (photo: Don Liebig)
Photo by: Don Liebig/ASUCLA
No. 1 UCLA Set to Host Los Angeles Regional
May 30, 2019 | Baseball
LOS ANGELES REGIONAL TOURNAMENT CENTRAL PAGE
Top-Ranked UCLA Selected As No. 1 National Seed, Will Host Los Angeles Regionalย ย ย
The top-ranked Bruins were selected as the No. 1 National Seed during Monday's NCAA Baseball Selection Special, earning a host appointment for the Los Angeles Regional. The regional field is rounded out by No. 2 seed Baylor (34-17), No. 3 seed Loyola Marymount (32-23), and No. 4 seed Omaha (31-22-1). The entire regional will be televised on the ESPN family of networks, with Roxy Bernstein and Wes Clements on the call. ย UCLABruins.com will carry a live audio broadcast of every game this season, with Tim Wilhelm on the call, and fans can follow along on Twitter at @UCLABaseball.ย
Regional Scheduleย ย ย
Friday, May 31ย ย ย
Game 1: LMU (32-23) vs. Baylor (34-17) | 1:00 p.m.ย ย ย
Game 2: No. 1 UCLA (47-8) vs. Omaha (31-22-1) | 7:00 p.m.ย ย ย
Saturday, June 1ย ย ย
Game 3: Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2 | 2:00 p.m.ย ย ย
Game 4: Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2 | 7:00 p.m.ย ย ย
Sunday, June 2ย ย ย
Game 5: Loser Game 4 vs. Winner Game 3 | 12:00 p.m.ย ย ย
Game 6: Winner Game 4 vs. Winner Game 5 | 6:00 p.m.ย ย ย
Monday, June 3ย ย ย
Game 7: Winner Game 4 vs. Winner Game 5* (if necessary) | 7:00 p.m.
Projected Pitching Matchups
Friday, May 31 - 7:00 p.m. PT
UCLA - Ryan Garcia, RHP, Jr. (9-0, 1.42 ERA)
OMAHA - Payton Kinney, RHP, Sr. (11-1, 1.65 ERA)
The Story So Far ย
UCLA went 47-8 in the 2019 regular season with a 24-5 mark in conference play. The Bruins won all 14 of their weekend series, took two of three in the Dodger Stadium College Baseball classic, and posted an unbeaten 11-0 record in midweeks. At 47-8, UCLA leads the country in winning percentage (.855) and has the best record through 55 games in program history, besting the previous mark of 42-13 ('10, '15). This year marks the fifth time since 2010 that UCLA has hit the 40-win mark.ย
Win, Win, Win ย
UCLA's 2019 season was arguably the most successful in program history.ย
After winning both games in Oregon, 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 11th consecutive week. In addition, the Bruins topped the list of Collegiate Baseball for the eighth 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 11 weeks, this is the longest consecutive stretch of being ranked No. 1 nationally in program history.ย
Weekend Warriorsย ย ย
UCLA has won all 14 ย of its weekend series this year, a first in program history. In addition, the 14-series winning streak is tied for the longest in the school annals, matching a streak from the 2014-15 seasons. UCLA was the only Division I team that didn't drop a weekend series in 2019. UCLA won all its home series for the second consecutive year and won all road series for the first time since 2010.
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 2.59 ERA after surrendering two earned runs or fewer in eight of the last 10 games. UCLA has a massive lead nationally in ERA, as only one other squad nationwide has an ERA under 3.00 (Oregon State, 2.98). The Bruins also lead the country in WHIP (1.06) and rank top-five in hits allowed per nine innings (6.16, second) and strikeout-to-walk ratio (3.12, fifth).ย
Bruins Claim The 2019 Pac-12 Championshipย ย ย
UCLA claimed the 2019 Pac-12 Championship in entertaining fashion last Thursday night. Needing a win at Oregon and losses from both Stanford and Oregon State, the Bruins took care of business by beating the Ducks 4-2 that night. Oregon St. went on to get blanked 2-0, and Stanford surrendered four runs in the bottom of the ninth to lose 6-5 and seal the league title for the Bruins. UCLA didn't reach first place in the league until May 12, and didn't take sole possession of first place until after the Washington series which ended on May 19. UCLA had previously won Pac-12 Championships under John Savage in 2011, 2012 (co-champions), and 2015.ย
On A Hot Streakย ย ย
UCLA is entering the postseason on a season-long 10-game winning streak. That represents the longest winning streak for the program since the 2013 Bruins won 11 consecutive games to close out the year and win the National Championship. The Bruins are 18-1 since Apr. 20 and 26-2 since Apr. 5.ย
Planting A Seedย ย ย
This season represents the fourth time in program history that UCLA has earned a national seed, all in the John Savage era. The Bruins were previously the No. 1 seed in 2015, the No. 2 seed in 2012, and the No. 6 seed in 2010.
ย
Postseason Notesย ย ย
UCLA is making its 23rd all-time postseason appearance, and its 12th in the last 16 seasons. This is the 11th time that the Bruins have qualified for NCAAs in 15 seasons under John Savage and it's the sixth time that UCLA is hosting a first-round regional since 2010. The Bruins have a 65-45 all-time record in postseason games, including a 50-31 mark in regional contests. The Bruins have made five trips to Omaha all-time, winning the program's first national championship in 2013.
History Against The Los Angeles Regional Field
The Pac-12 released its All-Conference Team on Wednesday, and UCLA dominated the postseason honors. John Savage was named the Coach of the Year for the second time in his career, and Ryan Garcia became the third Bruin ever to be named Pac-12 Pitcher of the Year, joining Trevor Bauer and David Berg. UCLA had almost twice as many all-league picks as any other team (second-place Stanford had five), and the eight honorees set a new program record, besting the 1997 squad that had seven selections. Garcia, Ryan Kreidler, Garrett Mitchell, Holden Powell, Jack Ralston, Jack Stronach, Chase Strumpf, and Michael Toglia were tabbed All-League. Mitchell was also named to the All-Defensive Team. Nate Hadley earned an all-league honorable mention and Noah Cardenas was an all-defensive team honorable mention.ย
Mitchell Tearing It Up
Garrett Mitchell has been tearing the cover off the ball over the last month. In 15 games since Apr. 28, he is slashing .486/.532/.871 with 22 runs scored, seven triples, three home runs, 19 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 14 of the last 15 games, recording multiple hits in 11 of those contests.ย
Mitchell Invited to USA Baseball Collegiate National Team
Earlier this season, Garrett Mitchell received an invitation to play for the USCNT, 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.ย
Garcia, Ralston Earn Golden Spikes and Dick Howser Consideration
A pair of Bruin starters appeared on Player of the Year watch lists. 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.ย
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 eight games, and have recorded one in eight of their 14 weekend series and in three midweeks.
More Mora, Please
Kyle Mora has made an NCAA-high 43 appearances this season, pitching to a 2.22 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 18 outings. He is quickly moving up the list of UCLA's most single-season appearances:
Ydens No Worse For Wear
Preseason All-American outfielder Jeremy Ydens made his return to the lineup on May 14 at UC Irvine after being on the shelf since Mar. 1. He's started all six games since then, and has had a couple big performances including a monster game in the series finale against Washington on May 19. ย 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.ย
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 18 of the last 21 games, and one earned run or fewer in 14 of 21. ย
Fastest To 40ย ย ย
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.ย
Midweek Notesย ย ย
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).ย
Toglia In A Grooveย ย ย
UCLA junior first baseman Michael Toglia has been seeing the ball well lately, going 22-55 (.382) with six home runs and 12 extra-base hits in his last 13 games. The current spree has raised his average 29 points to .315, as he jumped above the .300 mark for the first time year after a 3-5 day in the WSU series finale on May 12. Toglia has 14 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).ย
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. 8 East Carolina University. The Bruins had beaten four top-10 teams - the only club in the country to do so - until Oregon State dropped out of the top-10 in early May.
Ralston On A Roll
Jack Ralston had a spectacular stretch run to the regular season. He went nearly a month without allowing a run, throwing 27 straight scoreless innings from Apr. 27 to May 24. Since Apr. 20, he's gone 6-0 with a 1.17 ERA and 52 strikeouts in 38 1/3 innings. ย 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.ย
Dynamic Duo
Ryan Garcia and Jack Ralston have been a two-headed beast at the top of the rotation, combining for a 20-0 record, 1.93 ERA, and 198 strikeouts in 165 innings (10.8 per nine innings). Since Garcia assumed the Friday role on Apr. 26, the tandem has won all 10 of their combined starts with a 1.47 ERA and 94 Ks in 67 innings. That includes seven starts with one earned run or fewer against (three for Garcia, four for Ralston) and four starts with 10 or more strikeouts (two apiece). Should Garcia earn another victory this season, he and Ralston would be the first set of 10-win Bruin teammates since Nick Vander Tuig (14) and Adam Plutko (10) in 2013.
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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 16 saves, second-most in UCLA single season history, trailing only David Berg's NCAA-record 24 in 2013. Since Mar. 17, he's allowed just three earned runs over a span of 28 2/3 innings, accruing 42 strikeouts in that time compared to just eight hits. One of his most impressive fireman outings of the year came last weekend against Oregon, as he struck out five batters in a row - a career-high - to record a five-out save in a narrow 6-5 win.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 .982 (second). 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 second half of the season, a trend which was underscored by his monster performance in early May at ASU. He 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 .500 (35-70). He leads the club with a .407 batting average overall.ย
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).ย
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 10.5 strikeouts per nine innings. The Bruins have had their two best strikeout performances of the year over the last two weekends, striking out a Savage-era record 19 batters against Washington on May 17 and then punching out 17 ducks in Eugene on May 24. As a staff, the Bruins have 578 strikeouts on the year, a figure which currently ranks second in all-time program history behind only the 2010 (700) club. UCLA has two of the top-five strikeout pitchers in the Pac-12 in Ryan Garcia (101, second) and Jack Ralston (97, fourth).ย
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 (.294, fourth), on-base percentage (.384, third), slugging (.473, fifth), runs (363, third), and home runs (56, fifth).ย
Touch Em' All
The Bruins have hit 56 home runs as a team so far in 2019, the second-most in the Savage era. UCLA hit three or more homers in a game four times in May (zero prior) including a program-record seven dingers at Arizona State on May 4 and six roundtrippers against Washington on May 19.ย
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.ย
Don't Mess With The Bull(pen)
UCLA's bullpen has been one of the team's strongest assets all season. Through 190 2/3 innings, Bruin relievers have combined to record a 2.12 ERA with strong peripherals including 11.2 K/9 and 5.3 hits per nine innings ratios. The Bruin bullpen has gone unscored upon 29 times in 55 games this year. Standouts include Kyle Mora (NCAA-high 43 appearances this year), Holden Powell (league-leading 16 saves), and Nate Hadley (8-1, 2.41 ERA). Two weeks ago, the Bruin pen went 19 innings against UCI and UW without allowing a run, the longest collective scoring streak by the relief group this season.ย
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 (48-19, plus-29). The Bruins are outscoring their opponents 363-168 overall for the year.ย
Garcia And Ralston Team Up To Make History
Junior righties Ryan Garcia and Jack Ralston teamed up to win five Pac-12 Pitcher of the Week awards this spring,making them the first pair of Bruin teammates ever to have both won the award multiple times in the same season. Garcia took home the award three times this season while Ralston won a pair of times.ย
Comeback Kids
UCLA has proven undaunted when facing a deficit this season, as 18 of the team's 47 wins this season have been of the come-from-behind variety (38%).ย
Off To A Good Start
UCLA is an unbeaten 17-0 this season when scoring in the first inning. Similarly, the Bruins are 34-3 (.919 winning percentage) when scoring first, compared to a 13-5 (.722) mark when the opposition gets on the board first.ย
Nailing It Down
The Bruins have been rock-steady at the back end of games this year, posting a 43-0 record when leading after eight innings. UCLA is 39-1 when leading after seven, suffering its first and only loss in such a scenario on May 5 at ASU.ย
Big Innings
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 East Carolina University 7-5 on Apr. 12.ย
Top-Ranked UCLA Selected As No. 1 National Seed, Will Host Los Angeles Regionalย ย ย
The top-ranked Bruins were selected as the No. 1 National Seed during Monday's NCAA Baseball Selection Special, earning a host appointment for the Los Angeles Regional. The regional field is rounded out by No. 2 seed Baylor (34-17), No. 3 seed Loyola Marymount (32-23), and No. 4 seed Omaha (31-22-1). The entire regional will be televised on the ESPN family of networks, with Roxy Bernstein and Wes Clements on the call. ย UCLABruins.com will carry a live audio broadcast of every game this season, with Tim Wilhelm on the call, and fans can follow along on Twitter at @UCLABaseball.ย
Regional Scheduleย ย ย
Friday, May 31ย ย ย
Game 1: LMU (32-23) vs. Baylor (34-17) | 1:00 p.m.ย ย ย
Game 2: No. 1 UCLA (47-8) vs. Omaha (31-22-1) | 7:00 p.m.ย ย ย
Saturday, June 1ย ย ย
Game 3: Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2 | 2:00 p.m.ย ย ย
Game 4: Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2 | 7:00 p.m.ย ย ย
Sunday, June 2ย ย ย
Game 5: Loser Game 4 vs. Winner Game 3 | 12:00 p.m.ย ย ย
Game 6: Winner Game 4 vs. Winner Game 5 | 6:00 p.m.ย ย ย
Monday, June 3ย ย ย
Game 7: Winner Game 4 vs. Winner Game 5* (if necessary) | 7:00 p.m.
Projected Pitching Matchups
Friday, May 31 - 7:00 p.m. PT
UCLA - Ryan Garcia, RHP, Jr. (9-0, 1.42 ERA)
OMAHA - Payton Kinney, RHP, Sr. (11-1, 1.65 ERA)
The Story So Far ย
UCLA went 47-8 in the 2019 regular season with a 24-5 mark in conference play. The Bruins won all 14 of their weekend series, took two of three in the Dodger Stadium College Baseball classic, and posted an unbeaten 11-0 record in midweeks. At 47-8, UCLA leads the country in winning percentage (.855) and has the best record through 55 games in program history, besting the previous mark of 42-13 ('10, '15). This year marks the fifth time since 2010 that UCLA has hit the 40-win mark.ย
Win, Win, Win ย
UCLA's 2019 season was arguably the most successful in program history.ย
- Program record for regular season wins (47)
- Program record for conference wins (24) and Pac-12 winning percentage (.828)
- .855 winning percentage is highest since 1924 (.889), when there were just 18 games on the schedule
- 2019 represents fourth time that a UCLA team has won 47+ games, postseason included (all four during Savage era)
- Pac-12 Champions, fourth league title under Savage and 12th all-time
- Ranked No. 1 for 11 straight weeks, longest stretch in program history
After winning both games in Oregon, 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 11th consecutive week. In addition, the Bruins topped the list of Collegiate Baseball for the eighth 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 11 weeks, this is the longest consecutive stretch of being ranked No. 1 nationally in program history.ย
Weekend Warriorsย ย ย
UCLA has won all 14 ย of its weekend series this year, a first in program history. In addition, the 14-series winning streak is tied for the longest in the school annals, matching a streak from the 2014-15 seasons. UCLA was the only Division I team that didn't drop a weekend series in 2019. UCLA won all its home series for the second consecutive year and won all road series for the first time since 2010.
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 2.59 ERA after surrendering two earned runs or fewer in eight of the last 10 games. UCLA has a massive lead nationally in ERA, as only one other squad nationwide has an ERA under 3.00 (Oregon State, 2.98). The Bruins also lead the country in WHIP (1.06) and rank top-five in hits allowed per nine innings (6.16, second) and strikeout-to-walk ratio (3.12, fifth).ย
Bruins Claim The 2019 Pac-12 Championshipย ย ย
UCLA claimed the 2019 Pac-12 Championship in entertaining fashion last Thursday night. Needing a win at Oregon and losses from both Stanford and Oregon State, the Bruins took care of business by beating the Ducks 4-2 that night. Oregon St. went on to get blanked 2-0, and Stanford surrendered four runs in the bottom of the ninth to lose 6-5 and seal the league title for the Bruins. UCLA didn't reach first place in the league until May 12, and didn't take sole possession of first place until after the Washington series which ended on May 19. UCLA had previously won Pac-12 Championships under John Savage in 2011, 2012 (co-champions), and 2015.ย
On A Hot Streakย ย ย
UCLA is entering the postseason on a season-long 10-game winning streak. That represents the longest winning streak for the program since the 2013 Bruins won 11 consecutive games to close out the year and win the National Championship. The Bruins are 18-1 since Apr. 20 and 26-2 since Apr. 5.ย
Planting A Seedย ย ย
This season represents the fourth time in program history that UCLA has earned a national seed, all in the John Savage era. The Bruins were previously the No. 1 seed in 2015, the No. 2 seed in 2012, and the No. 6 seed in 2010.
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Postseason Notesย ย ย
UCLA is making its 23rd all-time postseason appearance, and its 12th in the last 16 seasons. This is the 11th time that the Bruins have qualified for NCAAs in 15 seasons under John Savage and it's the sixth time that UCLA is hosting a first-round regional since 2010. The Bruins have a 65-45 all-time record in postseason games, including a 50-31 mark in regional contests. The Bruins have made five trips to Omaha all-time, winning the program's first national championship in 2013.
History Against The Los Angeles Regional Field
- This is UCLA's first-ever matchup against (4) Omaha
- The Bruins are 6-4 all time against (2) Baylor, with all games coming since 2009. UCLA lost a neutral contest to Baylor on Feb. 28, 2009 in the first-ever matchup between the two schools. Since then, the Bruins have won two of three games in series against the Bears in 2012 (home), 2013 (away), and 2018 (home). Pitching led the way in last year's series win over Baylor, as the staff allowed just 10 runs in the three-game set. Michael Toglia (4-9, three RBIs) and Jeremy Ydens (3-10, two extra-base hits) swung hot bats during the series.ย
- UCLA is 54-47-1 all-time against (3) LMU, including a 10-5 mark in the John Savage era and two wins in as many matchups in 2019. The Bruins have won six straight over the Lions, last dropping a game during the 2014 season. In the first UCLA-LMU matchup this year, Nick Nastrini threw the first 4.2 innings of a combined shutout while Jake Pries was 2-4 with three RBIs in a 5-0 home win on Feb. 19. Pries was a key figure in the other 2019 matchup against LMU as well, hitting a first-inning grand slam as part of an eventual 9-4 victory at Page Stadium.ย
The Pac-12 released its All-Conference Team on Wednesday, and UCLA dominated the postseason honors. John Savage was named the Coach of the Year for the second time in his career, and Ryan Garcia became the third Bruin ever to be named Pac-12 Pitcher of the Year, joining Trevor Bauer and David Berg. UCLA had almost twice as many all-league picks as any other team (second-place Stanford had five), and the eight honorees set a new program record, besting the 1997 squad that had seven selections. Garcia, Ryan Kreidler, Garrett Mitchell, Holden Powell, Jack Ralston, Jack Stronach, Chase Strumpf, and Michael Toglia were tabbed All-League. Mitchell was also named to the All-Defensive Team. Nate Hadley earned an all-league honorable mention and Noah Cardenas was an all-defensive team honorable mention.ย
Mitchell Tearing It Up
Garrett Mitchell has been tearing the cover off the ball over the last month. In 15 games since Apr. 28, he is slashing .486/.532/.871 with 22 runs scored, seven triples, three home runs, 19 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 14 of the last 15 games, recording multiple hits in 11 of those contests.ย
Mitchell Invited to USA Baseball Collegiate National Team
Earlier this season, Garrett Mitchell received an invitation to play for the USCNT, 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.ย
Garcia, Ralston Earn Golden Spikes and Dick Howser Consideration
A pair of Bruin starters appeared on Player of the Year watch lists. 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.ย
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 eight games, and have recorded one in eight of their 14 weekend series and in three midweeks.
More Mora, Please
Kyle Mora has made an NCAA-high 43 appearances this season, pitching to a 2.22 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 18 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. Kyle Mora 43 (2019)
- T-3. David Berg: 43 (2015)
- T-3. Zack Weiss: 43 (2013)
Ydens No Worse For Wear
Preseason All-American outfielder Jeremy Ydens made his return to the lineup on May 14 at UC Irvine after being on the shelf since Mar. 1. He's started all six games since then, and has had a couple big performances including a monster game in the series finale against Washington on May 19. ย 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.ย
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 18 of the last 21 games, and one earned run or fewer in 14 of 21. ย
Fastest To 40ย ย ย
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.ย
Midweek Notesย ย ย
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).ย
Toglia In A Grooveย ย ย
UCLA junior first baseman Michael Toglia has been seeing the ball well lately, going 22-55 (.382) with six home runs and 12 extra-base hits in his last 13 games. The current spree has raised his average 29 points to .315, as he jumped above the .300 mark for the first time year after a 3-5 day in the WSU series finale on May 12. Toglia has 14 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).ย
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. 8 East Carolina University. The Bruins had beaten four top-10 teams - the only club in the country to do so - until Oregon State dropped out of the top-10 in early May.
Ralston On A Roll
Jack Ralston had a spectacular stretch run to the regular season. He went nearly a month without allowing a run, throwing 27 straight scoreless innings from Apr. 27 to May 24. Since Apr. 20, he's gone 6-0 with a 1.17 ERA and 52 strikeouts in 38 1/3 innings. ย 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.ย
Dynamic Duo
Ryan Garcia and Jack Ralston have been a two-headed beast at the top of the rotation, combining for a 20-0 record, 1.93 ERA, and 198 strikeouts in 165 innings (10.8 per nine innings). Since Garcia assumed the Friday role on Apr. 26, the tandem has won all 10 of their combined starts with a 1.47 ERA and 94 Ks in 67 innings. That includes seven starts with one earned run or fewer against (three for Garcia, four for Ralston) and four starts with 10 or more strikeouts (two apiece). Should Garcia earn another victory this season, he and Ralston would be the first set of 10-win Bruin teammates since Nick Vander Tuig (14) and Adam Plutko (10) in 2013.
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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 16 saves, second-most in UCLA single season history, trailing only David Berg's NCAA-record 24 in 2013. Since Mar. 17, he's allowed just three earned runs over a span of 28 2/3 innings, accruing 42 strikeouts in that time compared to just eight hits. One of his most impressive fireman outings of the year came last weekend against Oregon, as he struck out five batters in a row - a career-high - to record a five-out save in a narrow 6-5 win.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 .982 (second). 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 second half of the season, a trend which was underscored by his monster performance in early May at ASU. He 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 .500 (35-70). He leads the club with a .407 batting average overall.ย
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).ย
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 10.5 strikeouts per nine innings. The Bruins have had their two best strikeout performances of the year over the last two weekends, striking out a Savage-era record 19 batters against Washington on May 17 and then punching out 17 ducks in Eugene on May 24. As a staff, the Bruins have 578 strikeouts on the year, a figure which currently ranks second in all-time program history behind only the 2010 (700) club. UCLA has two of the top-five strikeout pitchers in the Pac-12 in Ryan Garcia (101, second) and Jack Ralston (97, fourth).ย
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 (.294, fourth), on-base percentage (.384, third), slugging (.473, fifth), runs (363, third), and home runs (56, fifth).ย
Touch Em' All
The Bruins have hit 56 home runs as a team so far in 2019, the second-most in the Savage era. UCLA hit three or more homers in a game four times in May (zero prior) including a program-record seven dingers at Arizona State on May 4 and six roundtrippers against Washington on May 19.ย
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.ย
Don't Mess With The Bull(pen)
UCLA's bullpen has been one of the team's strongest assets all season. Through 190 2/3 innings, Bruin relievers have combined to record a 2.12 ERA with strong peripherals including 11.2 K/9 and 5.3 hits per nine innings ratios. The Bruin bullpen has gone unscored upon 29 times in 55 games this year. Standouts include Kyle Mora (NCAA-high 43 appearances this year), Holden Powell (league-leading 16 saves), and Nate Hadley (8-1, 2.41 ERA). Two weeks ago, the Bruin pen went 19 innings against UCI and UW without allowing a run, the longest collective scoring streak by the relief group this season.ย
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 (48-19, plus-29). The Bruins are outscoring their opponents 363-168 overall for the year.ย
Garcia And Ralston Team Up To Make History
Junior righties Ryan Garcia and Jack Ralston teamed up to win five Pac-12 Pitcher of the Week awards this spring,making them the first pair of Bruin teammates ever to have both won the award multiple times in the same season. Garcia took home the award three times this season while Ralston won a pair of times.ย
Comeback Kids
UCLA has proven undaunted when facing a deficit this season, as 18 of the team's 47 wins this season have been of the come-from-behind variety (38%).ย
Off To A Good Start
UCLA is an unbeaten 17-0 this season when scoring in the first inning. Similarly, the Bruins are 34-3 (.919 winning percentage) when scoring first, compared to a 13-5 (.722) mark when the opposition gets on the board first.ย
Nailing It Down
The Bruins have been rock-steady at the back end of games this year, posting a 43-0 record when leading after eight innings. UCLA is 39-1 when leading after seven, suffering its first and only loss in such a scenario on May 5 at ASU.ย
Big Innings
- UCLA has shown a penchant for the big inning this season.ย
- UCLA has scored 4+ runs in an inning 27 times this year
- UCLA has scored 5+ runs in an inning nine times this year
- UCLA has scored 6+ runs in an inning five times this year
- UCLA has scored 7+ runs in an inning twice this year
- UCLA put up a season-best eight runs in the top of the eighth at Arizona State on May 4. Three Bruins hit a home run in that frame as part of an 18-3 rout
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 East Carolina University 7-5 on Apr. 12.ย
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