No. 1 UCLA Heads to Washington State For Three-Game Series

Friday, May 10

Pullman, WA

5:05 PM

UCLA

Washington State

Jake Moberg (photo: Don Liebig)

Photo by: Don Liebig/ASUCLA

No. 1 UCLA Heads to Washington State For Three-Game Series

May 08, 2019 | Baseball

Game Notes (PDF)Watch Listen

No. 1 UCLA (38-8, 16-5) vs. Washington State (10-33-1, 2-18-1)
Friday, May 10, 2019 - 5:05 p.m. PT
Saturday, May 11, 2019 - 2:05 p.m. PT
Sunday, May 12, 2019 - 12:05 p.m. PT
Location: Pullman, Wash. (Bailey-Brayton Field)
Audio: UCLA Lean Player
Audio Talent: Tim Wilhelm
Streams: Games 1 & 3 | Game 2

UCLA Heads To Pullman For Pac-12 Series At Washington State
No. 1 UCLA (38-8, 16-5), winners of nine of the last 10, resumes Pac-12 play this weekend with a three-game set at Washington State (10-33-1, 2-18-1) starting on Friday at 5:05 p.m. The Bruins most recently swept the Cougars in a three-game series last year at Jackie Robinson Stadium. WSU will stream all three games of the series. 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
Friday, May 10 - 5:05 p.m. PT
UCLA - Ryan Garcia, RHP, Jr. (6-0, 1.29 ERA)
WSU - Ky Bush, LHP, Fr. (0-4, 12.35 ERA)
Saturday, May 11 - 2:05 p.m. PT
UCLA - Jack Ralston, RHP, RJr. (8-0, 2.57 ERA)
WSU - AJ Block, LHP, Jr. (0-6, 5.86 ERA)
Sunday, May 12 - 12:05 p.m. PT
UCLA - Jesse Bergin, RHP, Fr. (5-0, 3.36 ERA)
WSU - Brandon White, RHP, Fr. (2-7, 5.67 ERA)

The Story So Far
UCLA is 38-8 to start the 2019 campaign and 16-5 in Pac-12 play, winning all 11 of its weekend series, taking two of three in the Dodger Stadium College Baseball Classic, and posting an unbeaten 10-0 record in midweeks. At 38-8, UCLA is second in the country in winning percentage (.826) and has the best record through 46 games in program history, besting the previous mark of 36-10 (1979).

Bruins Remain Consensus No. 1 Team In The Country
After winning the series at Arizona State, 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 eighth consecutive week. In addition, the Bruins topped the list of Collegiate Baseball for the fifth 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 eight weeks, this is the longest consecutive stretch of being ranked No. 1 nationally in program history.

The Week In Review
UCLA went 3-1 over the last week, taking two of three from ASU in Phoenix before defeating LBSU at home on Tuesday.

UCLA pulled out a tight 3-2 win in the series opener at ASU, with Holden Powell shutting down the heart of the Devils' order to preserve the lead and record a six-out save. Ryan Garcia put the Bruins in position to win with seven innings of two-run ball, but Powell got the Bruins out of danger in both the eighth and ninth as ASU got the game-tying run on both times. Jack Stronach drove in a run with a sac fly, singled and later scored, and made a critical catch on the warning track in the fifth. Kevin Kendall (2-3, RBI) and Garrett Mitchell (2-4) also had nice days with the bat.
The Bruins had perhaps their finest team offensive performance of the John Savage era on Saturday, routing the Sun Devils 18-3 while setting season-bests in run, hits (22, most by a Bruin team since 2012), and home runs (program-record seven). UCLA scored in each of the first eight innings of the game, a constant stream of offense that was punctuated by a momentum-seizing grand slam from Chase Strumpf in the fourth and an eight-spot in the eighth featuring three home runs. Jake Pries had a pair of homers to lead UCLA's home-run barrage. A fraction of the offense would have sufficed as Jack Ralston was dominant for the Bruins, giving up just three hits and striking out seven over seven scoreless innings. He retired 17 straight batters after a leadoff single in the second, the longest streak by a Bruin this year.
The Bruins were edged 8-7 in a back-and-forth series finale. ASU went up early on a first inning Hunter Bishop grand slam, but the Bruins stormed back for seven unanswered to take a 7-4 lead. However, ASU got one back in the sixth before producing a decisive three-run rally in the bottom of the eighth.
UCLA outlasted Long Beach State to claim a 2-1 walk-off win in 12 innings on Tuesday night. Michael Toglia scored the game-winning run, reaching on a dropped pop-up to lead off the frame, moving to third on a Jake Pries double, and scoring on a passed ball. Bruin pitchers combined to allow just four hits in 12 innings. Felix Rubi allowed one hit and one run over five innings in his debut NCAA start, then the UCLA bullpen shut out the Dirtbags the rest of the way. Standouts included Kyle Mora (3 scoreless IP), Nate Hadley (1-2-3 seventh), and Holden Powell (two scoreless innings, earned the win). Garrett Mitchell was UCLA's primary offensive weapon, going 3-4 with three extra-base hits.

Weekend Warriors
UCLA has won all 11 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.

UCLA Takes Over National Lead In ERA
For the second consecutive week, UCLA is leading the nation in team ERA. The Bruins enter the weekend with a 2.68 ERA after limiting ASU's No. 2-ranked offense to 13 runs over three games - including just five runs combined in games one and two - and giving up one run over 12 innings against LBSU. UCLA also ranks among the nation's best in hits allowed per nine innings (6.2, second) and strikeout-to-walk ratio (3.17, fifth). UCLA has allowed three earned runs or fewer in 30 of its 46 games this season (65%). 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
Junior right-hander Jack Ralston was named the Pac-12 Pitcher of the Week on Monday after recording a masterful performance on Saturday against ASU. It's the fifth time that UCLA has had the Pitcher of the Week over the last eight weeks (Zach Pettway, Ryan Garcia x3), while no other league school has won it more than twice all year. Ralston pitched seven shutout innings against the Sun Devils, striking out seven while giving up just three hits. After a leadoff single in the second, Ralston went on to retire 17 consecutive batters, topping his own team-best streak of 14 set against Utah.

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 11 of the last 12 games, and one earned run or fewer in nine of 12. UCLA starters have combined for a 1.83 ERA in that span. The current weekend rotation of Ryan Garcia, Jack Ralston, and Jesse Bergin is a combined 19-0 with 214 strikeouts in 187 1/3 innings.

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. 2 Stanford, No. 7 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 to No. 11 this week.

Last Year Against Washington State
UCLA swept WSU in a three-game series at Jackie Robinson Stadium last year, outscoring the Cougars 19-14. The Bruins did a lot of damage with the bat, hitting .322 for the weekend. Top hitters included Jeremy Ydens (6-9, 3 RBIs), Jake Hirabayashi (5-10, 4 RBIs), Chase Strumpf (4-11, 3 XBH), and Jack Stronach (3-12, HR). Holden Powell was a standout on the mound for the Bruins, allowing just one hit over four scoreless innings.

History against The Cougars
The Bruins are 56-24 all-time against WSU and 29-13 under head coach John Savage. UCLA has swept three of the last four matchups against the Cougars, and has dropped just one series (2017 at WSU) since 2010. Under Savage, the Bruins have recorded a 12-9 overall mark in Pullman, winning four of their seven series at Bailey-Brayton Field.

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 one earned run over a span of 23 innings, accruing 29 strikeouts in that time compared to just six hits. Powell has earned six-out saves in each of the last two weekends, including a career-high four-strikeout performance against a potent ASU lineup on May 3 to preserve a 3-2 win. He earned the win on Tuesday against LBSU to even his record at 3-3.

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 (third). The Bruins are the only team in the country to rank top-10 in both fielding percentage and ERA.

Savage Records Pair of Milestone Wins in 2019
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.

Cardenas Scorches The Sun Devils
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 last weekend. Cardenas started all three games of the 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 and scored four runs in Saturday's 18-3 rout, hitting his second homer of the year and finishing a double short of the cycle. He followed that up with a 3-4 line on Sunday, singling in his first three plate appearances to give him hits in eight straight at-bats, the longest streak by a Bruin in 2019. Since Apr. 7, he's batting .531 (26-49) with four extra-base hits. He leads the team with a .402 batting average.

Grab Some Pine
The UCLA pitching staff has proven adept at punching out batters this year, leading the Pac-12 and ranking eighth in the nation with 10.4 strikeouts per nine innings. UCLA has punched out at least 10 batters in 29 of its 46 games. UCLA has three of the top-10 strikeout pitchers in the Pac-12, including Ryan Garcia (77, third), Jesse Bergin (71, fifth), and Jack Ralston (66, eighth).

Mitchell Tearing It Up
Leadoff batter Garrett Mitchell has been tearing the cover off the ball over his last six games, going 16-26 (.615) with a trio of three-hit games as well a standout performance that saw him record career-highs in hits (four), RBIs (four), and runs (three) on Saturday at ASU. In the same span, he's drilled eight extra-base hits, including his fourth homer of the year.

Offense Heats Up
Over the last month, UCLA is averaging 6.8 runs per game and has five regulars hitting .300 or better: Noah Cardenas (.491), Garrett Mitchell (.397), Michael Toglia (.338), Chase Strumpf (.313), and Jack Stronach (.306). For the season, UCLA ranks in the top-five league-wide in batting average (.289, fourth), on-base percentage (.452, fifth), slugging (.383, third), runs (291, fourth), and home runs (39, fifth).

Hot At Home
UCLA has won 24 of 28 home games so far this year, right in line with the program's .747 winning percentage (65-22) at Jackie Robinson Stadium since the start of the 2017 season. The Bruins have won 16 consecutive series - including nine Pac-12 sets - on their home field dating back to April 21-23, 2017 (Oregon State).

Steady Strumpf
UCLA Preseason All-American second baseman Chase Strumpf has been a steadying force in the middle of the lineup. Starting on Mar. 1, Strumpf reached base in 36 consecutive games, the longest streak recorded by a Bruin so far in 2019. That stretch was snapped on May 7 against LBSU. He's been held off base in just three games all season, and has a hit in 37 of 46 games, the most of any Bruin.

On The Road Again
After staying in California for the entirety of March and April, UCLA plays a heavy stretch of road games in May. UCLA has just three regular season home games left and will spend three of the final four weekends out of state, traveling to Arizona State, Washington State, and Oregon.

Feeling A Draft
UCLA was well-represented in Baseball America's list of Midseason Top-400 Draft Prospects, as six current players and six commits were included. Current Bruins included Chase Strumpf (No. 35), Michael Toglia (62), Ryan Garcia (116), Ryan Kreidler (158), Jack Ralston (209), and Jeremy Ydens (295). UCLA commits included on the list were Corbin Carroll (No. 6), Evan Fitterer (97), Emanuel Dean (150), Adrian Chaidez (281), Michael Curialle (282), and Joshua Hahn (309).

Triple Threat
The Bruins have legged out 21 triples this season, a figure which ranks seventh nationally and second in the Pac-12. Five separate Bruins have multiple three-baggers, led by Matt McLain's six (seventh nationally, tied for the most by a Bruin since 1988). Garrett Mitchell has five while 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 158 innings, Bruin relievers have combined to record a 2.34 ERA with strong peripherals including 11.4 K/9 and 5.4 hits per nine innings ratios. The Bruin bullpen has gone unscored upon 22 times in 46 games this year. Standouts include Kyle Mora (NCAA-high 35 appearances this year), Holden Powell (league-leading 14 saves), and Nate Hadley (7-1, 3.49 hits per nine innings).

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 55-12 in the seventh inning for the season, a plus-43 run differential. UCLA's next-best single-inning differential is the second (37-13, plus-24). The Bruins are outscoring their opponents 291-144 overall for the year.

WHIP It Good
At 1.05, UCLA enters the weekend with the lowest WHIP (walks and hits per inning pitched) in the country. The Bruins have posted a sub-1.00 WHIP 22 times in 46 games, including in 10 of the first 11 games of the year. Nate Hadley (0.85) and Ryan Garcia (0.89) have the lowest WHIPs on the team among active pitchers.

Comeback Kids
UCLA has proven undaunted when facing a deficit this season, as 17 of the team's 38 wins this season have been of the come-from-behind variety (45%).

Off To A Good Start
UCLA is an unbeaten 13-0 this season when scoring in the first inning. Similarly, the Bruins are 25-3 (.893 winning percentage) when scoring first, compared to a 13-5 (.722) mark when the opposition gets on the board first.

Shutting Them Out
UCLA blanked Utah 5-0 on Apr. 26 to record the team's eighth shutout of the season, which ranks one behind national leader Tennessee. UCLA has recorded a shutout in six of its 11 weekend series and in two midweek games.

Nailing It Down
The Bruins have been rock-steady at the back end of games this year, posting a 34-0 record when leading after eight innings. UCLA is 31-1 when leading after seven, suffering its first and only loss in such a scenario on Sunday at ASU.

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.

Double-Digit Hits
As a team, UCLA has recorded double-digit hits 23 times this season in 46 games. Their hit output has increased recently, as the Bruins have recorded 10 or more hits in nine of their last 12 games, including a season-high 22 at ASU on Saturday, the most single-game hits for UCLA since Apr. 14, 2012. The Bruins are an undefeated 23-0 when putting up double digits in the hit column.

Fastest To 30
With UCLA's win over Cal on Apr. 20, the 2019 Bruins matched the 2010 club as the fastest team in program history to reach the 30-win plateau. John Savage has now led the Bruins to 30 wins in 40 games or less three times in his career (2015 the other).