Tuesday, March 3
Santa Barbara, CA
5:30 PM
UCLA
at
UC Santa Barbara
Felix Rubi (photo: Andrew Berg)
Photo by: Andrew Berg
Bruins to Battle Gauchos in Road Midweek
March 02, 2020 | Baseball
No. 2 UCLA (11-0) at UC Santa Barbara (9-2)
Tuesday, Mar. 3, 2020 - 5:30 p.m. PT
Location: Caesar Uyesaka Stadium - Santa Barbara, Calif.ย
Audio:ย UCLA Lean Player
Audio Talent: Tim Wilhelm
Big West TV
Live Stats
UCLA Faces UC Santa Barbara In Road Midweekย ย ย
No. 2 UCLA (11-0) concludes a four-game road swing on Tuesday, traveling north for a non-conference battle against Big West-member UC Santa Barbara. The Bruins and Gauchos (9-2) will be playing just the fifth night game ever at Caesar Uyesaka Stadium, with first pitch scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Fans can follow along with live stats and radio on UCLABruins.
Projected Pitching Matchups
Tuesday, Mar. 3 - 5:30 p.m. PT
UCLA - Jared Karros, RHP, Fr. (2-0, 0.90 ERA)
UCSB - JD Callahan, RHP, Fr. (2-0, 0.90 ERA)
Hot Start To 2020ย ย ย
UCLA has had an impressive start to the 2020 season, sweeping weekend series against UC Riverside and St. Mary's, going 3-0 at the Frisco College Classic, and defeating Loyola Marymount and Pepperdine in midweeks. UCLA is outscoring its opponents 85-11 (plus-74) so far on the year and has an anemic 0.91 team ERA. This is the team's best start to a season since 2010, when the squad won a program-record 22 straight games to open the year.ย
Through The Quad And Into The Gymnasiumย ย ย
UCLA is streaking, winning 11 straight games to start the year. That streak matches the longest of the 2019 squad which won a program-record 52 games. It ranks among the longest winning streaks in program history:ย ย ย
UCLA has dominated the first inning of games to this point in the season:
The Bruins are outscoring their opponents 16-2 (plus-14) in the first, the team's best margin of any single inning
UCLA has scored in the first inning in six of 11 games (55%), going 6-0 in those contests
The Bruins have had at least one baserunner on in the first in 10 of 11 games
Defensively, UCLA has gone 1-2-3 in the first in 9 of 11 games, including the first six of the year
Over 11 games, Bruin pitchers have allowed ย just two hits in the first inning
Midweek Notes
UCLA is an undefeated 13-0 in midweeks dating back to last season, including home wins this year over Loyola Marymount and Pepperdine. Last season marked the second time in the John Savage era that UCLA went unbeaten in midweeks (2012). Last year, 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 included Garrett Mitchell (.438/.481/.667) and Noah Cardenas (.364/.464/.409) while top pitchers included Felix Rubi (1.42 ERA, 12.2 IP) and Nick Nastrini (0 R in two starts).ย
History Against The Gauchos
The Bruins own a 52-38-1 all-time record against UC Santa Barbara, including a 7-9-1 mark under John Savage. UCLA is looking to break a four-game winless streak against the Gauchos, having gone 0-3-1 over midweek sets in 2014 and 2016. This Tuesday represents the first matchup between the two programs since 2016.ย
Pitching Off To A Hot Startย ย ย
A year after leading the NCAA in team ERA, UCLA's pitching staff is off to a great start to the 2020 campaign. To this point in the year, the Bruins once again lead the country in team ERA (0.91) while also ranking first nationwide in hits allowed per nine innings (3.91) and WHIP (0.71). The hot start is nothing new - UCLA allowed just 15 runs through its first 11 games last year.
No Runs For Youย ย ย
UCLA has surrendered just 11 runs to this point of the campaign. That represents a new program record for the fewest runs allowed through the first seven games of a season (prev: 15, 2019).ย
Bruins In The Pollsย ย ย
UCLA was represented in all five major national polls this week, and was ranked as high as No. 1 (Collegiate Baseball). Elsewhere, the Bruins checked in at No. 2 (ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll), No. 5 (Baseball America), and No. 6 (D1Baseball).
Depth On The Moundย ย ย
UCLA has used 14 different pitchers to this point of the season. Among those:
The Bruins are coming off a 4-0 week, defeating Pepperdine in a midweek before going undefeated at the Frisco Classic.
Out of the 99 innings UCLA has played this season, the Bruins have only trailed for three. The Bruins have trailed in just three of 11 games ... On Opening Day, they fell behind 2-0 in the third before tying it in the fifth in an eventual 4-2 triumph. UCLA briefly trailed 1-0 in the top of the third in the series finale against St. Mary's, but tied it up in the bottom half of frame before going ahead for good their next time up. Illinois scored in the top of the first against UCLA, but the Bruins responded with a go-ahead two-run rally in the second en route to 14 unanswered runs.ย
Mitchell Causing Havoc Atop The Lineupย ย ย
Garrett Mitchell's on-base skills have paid dividends for the Bruins, as UCLA is batting 21-45 (.467) as a team when he's on base. With Mitchell locking down the leadoff spot, UCLA's No. 2 and No. 3 hitters have combined to go 33-86 (.384) with 27 RBIs. An All-American and ABCA Gold Glove finalist in 2019, Mitchell is slashing .372/.472/.512 so far this year and leads the team in doubles (6).ย
Back To Backย ย ย
Freshman Michael Curialle and sophomore Matt McLain launched solo homers in back-to-back fashion during the first inning of Feb. 16's series finale against UCR. The pair of jacks represented UCLA's first set of back-to-back homers since Michael Toglia and Chase Strumpf did so on May 21, 2017 against Utah.ย
Schwartz Swingin'ย Itย ย ย
Redshirt freshman JT Schwartz has looked like anything but a first-year player so far in 2020, batting .354 while starting every game at first base. He's hit safely in all but one contest, and has a trio of three-hit performances.ย
Tuesday, Mar. 3, 2020 - 5:30 p.m. PT
Location: Caesar Uyesaka Stadium - Santa Barbara, Calif.ย
Audio:ย UCLA Lean Player
Audio Talent: Tim Wilhelm
Big West TV
Live Stats
UCLA Faces UC Santa Barbara In Road Midweekย ย ย
No. 2 UCLA (11-0) concludes a four-game road swing on Tuesday, traveling north for a non-conference battle against Big West-member UC Santa Barbara. The Bruins and Gauchos (9-2) will be playing just the fifth night game ever at Caesar Uyesaka Stadium, with first pitch scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Fans can follow along with live stats and radio on UCLABruins.
Projected Pitching Matchups
Tuesday, Mar. 3 - 5:30 p.m. PT
UCLA - Jared Karros, RHP, Fr. (2-0, 0.90 ERA)
UCSB - JD Callahan, RHP, Fr. (2-0, 0.90 ERA)
Hot Start To 2020ย ย ย
UCLA has had an impressive start to the 2020 season, sweeping weekend series against UC Riverside and St. Mary's, going 3-0 at the Frisco College Classic, and defeating Loyola Marymount and Pepperdine in midweeks. UCLA is outscoring its opponents 85-11 (plus-74) so far on the year and has an anemic 0.91 team ERA. This is the team's best start to a season since 2010, when the squad won a program-record 22 straight games to open the year.ย
Through The Quad And Into The Gymnasiumย ย ย
UCLA is streaking, winning 11 straight games to start the year. That streak matches the longest of the 2019 squad which won a program-record 52 games. It ranks among the longest winning streaks in program history:ย ย ย
- ย ย ย 1. 22 (2010)ย ย ย
- ย ย ย 2. 13 (1969, two separate streaks)ย ย ย
- ย ย ย 4. 12 (1967)ย ย ย
- ย ย ย 5. 11 (2013, 2019, 2020)
UCLA has dominated the first inning of games to this point in the season:
The Bruins are outscoring their opponents 16-2 (plus-14) in the first, the team's best margin of any single inning
UCLA has scored in the first inning in six of 11 games (55%), going 6-0 in those contests
The Bruins have had at least one baserunner on in the first in 10 of 11 games
Defensively, UCLA has gone 1-2-3 in the first in 9 of 11 games, including the first six of the year
Over 11 games, Bruin pitchers have allowed ย just two hits in the first inning
Midweek Notes
UCLA is an undefeated 13-0 in midweeks dating back to last season, including home wins this year over Loyola Marymount and Pepperdine. Last season marked the second time in the John Savage era that UCLA went unbeaten in midweeks (2012). Last year, 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 included Garrett Mitchell (.438/.481/.667) and Noah Cardenas (.364/.464/.409) while top pitchers included Felix Rubi (1.42 ERA, 12.2 IP) and Nick Nastrini (0 R in two starts).ย
History Against The Gauchos
The Bruins own a 52-38-1 all-time record against UC Santa Barbara, including a 7-9-1 mark under John Savage. UCLA is looking to break a four-game winless streak against the Gauchos, having gone 0-3-1 over midweek sets in 2014 and 2016. This Tuesday represents the first matchup between the two programs since 2016.ย
Pitching Off To A Hot Startย ย ย
A year after leading the NCAA in team ERA, UCLA's pitching staff is off to a great start to the 2020 campaign. To this point in the year, the Bruins once again lead the country in team ERA (0.91) while also ranking first nationwide in hits allowed per nine innings (3.91) and WHIP (0.71). The hot start is nothing new - UCLA allowed just 15 runs through its first 11 games last year.
No Runs For Youย ย ย
UCLA has surrendered just 11 runs to this point of the campaign. That represents a new program record for the fewest runs allowed through the first seven games of a season (prev: 15, 2019).ย
Bruins In The Pollsย ย ย
UCLA was represented in all five major national polls this week, and was ranked as high as No. 1 (Collegiate Baseball). Elsewhere, the Bruins checked in at No. 2 (ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll), No. 5 (Baseball America), and No. 6 (D1Baseball).
Depth On The Moundย ย ย
UCLA has used 14 different pitchers to this point of the season. Among those:
- All 14 have an ERA of 3.00 or under
- 12 of 14 have an ERA under 2.00
- 11 of 14 have an ERA under 1.00
- 8 of 14 have a perfect ERA, led by Michael Townsend's 0 ER in 10 IP line
The Bruins are coming off a 4-0 week, defeating Pepperdine in a midweek before going undefeated at the Frisco Classic.
- UCLA defeated Keio University (Japan) last Tuesday by a score of 15-1 in an international exhibition. Jarron Silva was the star of the game for the Bruins - who scored nine runs in the first - recording three extra-base hits and five RBIs.
- The Bruins wrapped up their season-opening homestand with an 8-2 triumph over Pepperdine on Wednesday in a battle of then-unbeaten teams. Jared Karros set the tone for UCLA with five innings of shutout ball, retiring the side in order in all but one of his frames. Silva put UCLA up early with a two-run homer in the bottom of the first, and then UCLA pulled away with a four-run seventh in a rally that featured five consecutive Bruin batters reaching base.
- UCLA dominated from the word go against No. 17 Oklahoma State, going up 5-0 by the end of the second inning in an eventual 8-1 win. Zach Pettway tossed seven innings of shutout ball to keep the Bruins up by a large margin. Garrett Mitchell sparked multi-run rallies in the first two innings with ground ball doubles (not a typo), while Matt McLain (3-5), Pat Caulfield (2-4, 2B), and Mikey Perez (2-3, 2B) all had nice days with the bat as well.
- The Bruins threw a combined one-hitter in a dominant 10-2 win over No. 23 Texas A&M on Saturday. UCLA outhit the Aggies 14-1 and led the entire game after putting up a two-spot in the top of the first. Nick Nastrini threw the first five innings of the one-hitter. Every Bruin starter recorded at least one hit, with Jarron Silva and Kyle Cuellar collecting three hits apiece.ย
- UCLA set season highs in runs and hits (17) in an overwhelming 14-1 triumph over Illinois in the Frisco Classic closer. Matt McLain (4-6) and Garrett Mitchell (2-5) had four RBIs apiece and Mikey Perez scored a career-high five runs. The UCLA bullpen combined to go 12-up, 12-down over the final four innings of the game. Jesse Bergin received the win to improve to a team-best 3-0 on the year. He allowed one earned over five innings with six strikeouts.ย
Out of the 99 innings UCLA has played this season, the Bruins have only trailed for three. The Bruins have trailed in just three of 11 games ... On Opening Day, they fell behind 2-0 in the third before tying it in the fifth in an eventual 4-2 triumph. UCLA briefly trailed 1-0 in the top of the third in the series finale against St. Mary's, but tied it up in the bottom half of frame before going ahead for good their next time up. Illinois scored in the top of the first against UCLA, but the Bruins responded with a go-ahead two-run rally in the second en route to 14 unanswered runs.ย
Mitchell Causing Havoc Atop The Lineupย ย ย
Garrett Mitchell's on-base skills have paid dividends for the Bruins, as UCLA is batting 21-45 (.467) as a team when he's on base. With Mitchell locking down the leadoff spot, UCLA's No. 2 and No. 3 hitters have combined to go 33-86 (.384) with 27 RBIs. An All-American and ABCA Gold Glove finalist in 2019, Mitchell is slashing .372/.472/.512 so far this year and leads the team in doubles (6).ย
Back To Backย ย ย
Freshman Michael Curialle and sophomore Matt McLain launched solo homers in back-to-back fashion during the first inning of Feb. 16's series finale against UCR. The pair of jacks represented UCLA's first set of back-to-back homers since Michael Toglia and Chase Strumpf did so on May 21, 2017 against Utah.ย
Schwartz Swingin'ย Itย ย ย
Redshirt freshman JT Schwartz has looked like anything but a first-year player so far in 2020, batting .354 while starting every game at first base. He's hit safely in all but one contest, and has a trio of three-hit performances.ย
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