Bruins Prepare to Host USF in Season-Opening Series

Friday, February 19

Los Angeles, CA

5:00 PM

UCLA

San Francisco

JT Schwartz (photo: Scott Chandler)

Photo by: Scott Chandler

Bruins Prepare to Host USF in Season-Opening Series

February 18, 2021 | Baseball

Game Notes (PDF)Watch Listen Live Stats

No. 2 UCLA (0-0) vs. San Francisco (0-0)
Friday, Feb. 19, 2020 - 5:00 p.m. PT
Saturday, Feb. 20, 2020 - 2:00 p.m. PT
Sunday, Feb. 21, 2020 - 1:00 p.m. PT
Location: Jackie Robinson Stadium
Live Stream
Audio: UCLA Lean Player
Audio Talent: Tim Wilhelm
Live Stats

No. 2 UCLA Opens 2021 Campaign At Home Against San Francisco
No. 2 UCLA (0-0) is scheduled to open the 2021 season this weekend with a three-game set against WCC-member San Francisco (0-0), starting on Friday evening at 5:00 p.m. and continuing on Saturday at 2:00 p.m. and Sunday at 1:00 p.m. The opening series against the Dons will be streamed on UCLABruins.com. Fans can follow along all weekend with a radio broadcast, live stats, and updates on the team Twitter account, @UCLABaseball.
Glad to be Back
When the first pitch is thrown on Friday, UCLA will have gone 348 days since its last game (Mar. 8, 2020).

Projected Pitching Matchups
Friday, Feb. 19 - 6:00 p.m. PT
UCLA - Jared Karros, RHP, So. (2020: 2-0, 3.86 ERA)
USF - Landen Bourassa, RHP, Gr. (2020: 1-1, 1.38 ERA)
Saturday, Mar. 7 - 2:00 p.m. PT
UCLA - Jesse Bergin, RHP, Jr. (2020: 4-0, 1.27 ERA)
USF - Eric Reyzelman, RHP, So. (2020: 2-1, 4.70 ERA)
Sunday, Mar. 8 - 3:00 p.m. PT
UCLA - Nick Nastrini, RHP, Jr. (2020: 2-1, 4.60 ERA)
USF - Grant Nechak, RHP, Gr. (2020: 0-0, 2.88 ERA)

UCLA On Opening Day
UCLA is opening the season at home for the 11th consecutive season, and the 18th time in the last 19 seasons. The Bruins are 11-5 on Opening Day under head coach John Savage (since 2005) and have won their opening series in seven of the last eight years. The Bruins swept UC Riverside in the season-opening series of 2020, outscoring the Highlanders by an aggregate score of 21-3. Since 1981, the year Jackie Robinson Stadium opened, UCLA has gone 21-7 on Opening Day.

Bruins Ranked No. 2 in the Preseason Polls
UCLA was represented in all five of the major preseason national polls, and was nearly a unanimous choice for the No. 2 national ranking, with Collegiate Baseball (No. 3) the only outlet to have the Bruins at a spot other than No. 2. UCLA was ranked No. 2 in the preseason polls for D1Baseball, Baseball America, USA Today Coaches Poll, and NCBWA. Florida was the unanimous No. 1 selection in the preseason polls.

Karros Draws Opening Day Start
Sophomore right-hander Jared Karros will draw the Opening Day assigment on the mound for UCLA, joining a prestigious group of recent Bruin sophomores to start on Opening Day including Zach Pettway, James Kaprielian, Adam Plutko, and Gerrit Cole. As a freshman in 2020, Karros went 2-0 with a 3.86 ERA as the team's midweek starter. He was especially effective in his first two starts of the year, allowing just one run and four hits with 14 strikeouts over 10 innings pitched.

A Decade of Opening Day Starts

2020 - Zach Pettway (Jr.) - W, 6 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 8 K vs. UC Riverside
2019 - Zach Pettway (So.) - ND, 6 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 9 K vs. St. John's
2018 - Jake Bird (Jr.) - W, 6 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 6 K vs. Portland
2017 - Griffin Canning (Jr.) - ND, 6 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 8 K vs. San Jose State
2016 - Grant Dyer (Jr.) - L, 5 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 6 K vs. North Carolina
2015 - James Kaprielian (Jr.) - W, 6 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 5 K vs. Hofstra
2014 - James Kaprielian (So.) - L, 5 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 7 K vs. Portland
2013 - Adam Plutko (Jr.) - ND, 6.2 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 6 K vs. Minnesota
2012 - Adam Plutko (So.) - ND, 7 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 10 K vs. Maryland
2011 - Gerrit Cole (Jr.) - W, 6 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 9 K vs. San Francisco

The Series Against San Francisco
UCLA owns a 4-1 all-time record against San Francisco. with all of those matchups coming during the 2011 season. The Bruins and Dons opened that campaign with a three-game set at Jackie Robinson Stadium, with UCLA sweeping the series by a combined score of 8-1. Later in 2011, the two teams split a pair of games in the Los Angeles Regional, giving USF its lone win in the all-time series.

Familiar Faces
UCLA returns the vast majority of its roster from the 2020 season, including its entire weekend rotation and eight of nine starting position players. Overall, UCLA is returning 23 letterwinners from 2020 and three redshirts.

Hot At Home
UCLA was 9-1 at home last year and has gone 79-26 (.757) at Jackie Robinson Stadium since the start of the 2017 season. Dating back to 2017, the Bruins have won 19 consecutive regular season series on their home field, with their last loss coming to Oregon State (Apr. 21-13, 2017).

McLain, Pettway Garner Plenty of Preseason Accolades
Senior right-hander Zach Pettway and junior shortstop Matt McLain both picked up a bevy of preseason awards and accolades ahead of the 2021 campaign.

McLain was a unanimous First Team Preseason All-American, earning honors from D1Baseball, Baseball America, Perfect Game, Collegiate Baseball, and NCBWA.
McLain was named the Pac-12 Preseason Player of the Year by both Baseball America and D1Baseball
McLain in 2020: .397/.422/.621, 3 HR, 19 RBIs; Second Team All-American
Pettway meanwhile was a First Team All-American for Collegiate Baseball and D1Baseball, as well as a Perfect Game Second Teamer
Pettway was named Preseason Pac-12 Pitcher of the Year by both Baseball America and D1Baseball, the second consecutive year he's earned that honor from D1
Pettway in 2020: 3-0, 1.05 ERA, 29 K, 1 BB, 25.2 IP; First Team All-American, Pac-12 Pitcher of the Year (D1Baseball)

Mora Earns Preseason All-America Honors
Fifth-year senior Kyle Mora was tabbed to the D1Baseball Preseason All-America Second Team this offseason. Mora has been one of the most dependable relief arms in the country since arriving in Westwood. He's made 92 appearances over the last three seasons, including an NCAA-high 47 in 2019 and 11 in 2020 (second nationally). He posted a 0.96 ERA with 15 strikeouts in 9 1/3 innings last year, and has a career 2.10 ERA at UCLA over 124 1/3 innings of work. He enters the year at No. 3 in D1Baseball's preseason positional power rankings for collegiate relief pitchers.

Depth On The Mound
UCLA returns 12 of 14 pitchers who appeared on the mound last year. Among those 12:

10 had an ERA under 3.00
7 had an ERA under 2.00
5 had an ERA under 1.00
3 had a perfect ERA, led by Michael Townsend's 0 ER in 12 IP line

Mitchell, Powell Drafted
Two of the Bruins' biggest roster losses of the offseason came via the 2020 MLB Draft. Shortened to five rounds, two Bruins were selected in the draft, down from an NCAA-high 13 in 2019. Garrett Mitchell was the first round selection of the Milwaukee Brewers, No. 20 overall, while Holden Powell went in the third round to Washington (No. 94 overall). Paired with Michael Toglia's No. 23 overall selection by Colorado in 2019, Mitchell's pick gave the Bruins a first round position player draftee in consecutive years for the first time in program history. Four Bruin commits were also selected in 2020 - all six UCLA-affiliated players signed. Mitchell was a sparkplug for UCLA from 2018-20, slashing .323/.393/.478 while providing premium defense in the outfield. Powell was one of college baseball's top relievers, winning the NCBWA Stopper of the Year in 2019 and going without allowing an earned run in 2020. He had a 2.26 ERA and 26 saves over a three-year career.

Other Departures
UCLA lost two other key contributors from the 2020 squad to graduation in backup catcher Will McInerny (.348/.360/.348) and right-handed pitcher Felix Rubi (career 1.05 ERA over 25 2/3 innings).

2020 In Brief
UCLA's 2020 season had the makings of a special year before it was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
13-2 record, .867 winning percentage
11-game winning streak to open the year
Finished the season with the No. 1 RPI
Ranked as high as No. 4 to close the year
Two players selected in the shortened 2020 MLB Draft - Garrett Mitchell (1st rd., MIL) and Holden Powell (3rd rd. - WAS)
Wins over defending national champion Vanderbilt and crosstown rival USC (15-3, in final game of 2020)
Weekend sweeps over UC Riverside and St. Mary's
Dominated strong field at the Frisco College Classic, winning de facto tournament title and outscoring opponents 32-4

Pitching Stands out in 2020
As has become customary during the John Savage era, UCLA's pitching staff was one of the best in the country in 2020. The Bruins finished the season with a 1.88 team ERA, fourth-best in the country. Meanwhile, UCLA led the NCAA in WHIP (0.87) and hits per nine innings (4.97), and paced the Pac-12 Conference in strikeouts per nine innings (11.1) and strikeout-to-walk ratio (3.86). The Bruin rotation pitched to a 2.11 ERA over 15 starts, while back-of-the-bullpen stalwarts Michael Townsend, Kyle Mora, and Holden Powell combined for a 0.30 ERA. All but Powell return from that group.

Deep Offense
One of the things that helped UCLA's offense succeed in 2020 was its strength from top-to-bottom. The Bruins batted .308 as a team a season ago, and had eight regulars finish the year with a batting average north of .300.

MCLain, Pettway Tabbed to Golden Spikes Award Watch list
In addition to their Preseason All-America plaudits, UCLA's Matt McLain and Zach Pettway were both selected to the Golden Spikes Award Preseason Watch List. The duo represents UCLA's 14th and 15th players named to the GSA Preseason Watch List since 2008, which is how far back USA Baseball's records reach. The Golden Spikes Award is presented annually to the top amateur baseball player in the country. In 2011, Trevor Bauer became the first Bruin to win the honor.

Bruins In The D1Baseball Preseason Positional Power Rankings
UCLA was well-represented in the preseason D1Baseball positional power rankings, particularly on the pitching side:

Catcher - Noah Cardenas, No. 14
Shortstop - Matt McLain, No. 1
Starting Pitcher - Zach Pettway, No. 5; Nick Nastrini, No. 55; Jesse Bergin, No. 61
Relief Pitcher - Kyle Mora, No. 3; Michael Townsend, No. 13; Sean Mullen, No. 38

Bauer Wins Cy Young, Signs Megadeal With Dodgers
Former UCLA standout right-hander Trevor Bauer had an offseason to remember, winning the 2020 NL Cy Young as a member of the Cincinnati Reds before signing a 3-year, $102 million deal with the reigning World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers. Bauer had an NL-best 1.73 ERA, 0.79 WHIP, and 5.06 hit per nine innings in 2020, striking out 100 batters in 73 frames. He became both the first Bruin and the first Red (in 140 years of club history) to win a Cy Young, and is just the third person ever to win both a Cy Young and a Golden Spikes Award (David Price, Tim Lincecum). His contract with the Dodgers will reportedly make him MLB's highest-paid player in both 2021 and 2022.

UCLA Athletics Announces Plans for JRS Improvements
Before the 2021 season, UCLA announced plans to make improvements to the Gifford Sports Complex at Jackie Robinson Stadium, including the construction of a state-of-the-art baseball practice infield, to be known as Branca Family Field. The practice infield is to be named after legendary Brooklyn Dodger pitcher and three-time All-Star Ralph Branca, who had a successful 12-year major league career and was famously the first to embrace and welcome Jackie Robinson to Major League Baseball. The Branca Family Field project is being made possible thanks in part to a generous $1 million commitment from prominent entertainment attorney and philanthropist John Branca. An additional $3.8 million was raised through private donations from fans, alumni, and friends of UCLA, as well as alumni including Gerrit Cole, Troy Glaus, Brandon Crawford, Chase Utley, and Eric Karros. Philanthropist Rhodine Gifford once again stepped up, making a $1 million commitment to the campaign. The gift from Gifford, whose late husband Jack was a Bruin baseball player, further enhances the Gifford Sports Complex at Jackie Robinson Stadium, which also includes the Jack and Rhodine Gifford Hitting Facility. The planned Jackie Robinson Stadium improvements will include construction of a new synthetic turf practice infield and bullpen, installation of new sports lighting, and modifications to the existing parking lot and site utilities. After meeting fundraising goals and receiving proper approvals from the VA and UCLA Capital Programs, construction will begin during the summer of 2021. No state or government funds are being used for the project.

Nice to Meet You
UCLA's freshman class was tabbed as the No. 6 recruiting class in the country by Collegiate Baseball, meaning the Bruins have produced a nationally-ranked recruiting class in seven consecutive seasons. It's also the third consecutive year the Bruins have been ranked inside the top-10 and the sixth time overall since 2011. UCLA's 10-player freshman class includes RHP Chris Aldrich (Notre Dame HS), RHP Jake Brooks (Fountain Valley HS), RHP Carson Hamro (Rancho Buena Vista HS), INF Kyle Karros (Mira Costa HS), RHP Kenji Pallares (Salesian HS), 1B Eli Paton (Maranatha HS), RHP Max Rajcic (Orange Lutheran HS), INF Daylen Reyes (Notre Dame HS), OF JonJon Vaugns (St. John Bosco HS), and OF Carson Yates (Leland HS).