No. 12 UCLA Hosts Arizona in Pac-12 Battle

Friday, March 17

Los Angeles, CA

6:00 PM

UCLA

Arizona

Cody Schrier (photo: Scott Chandler)

Photo by: Scott Chandler

No. 12 UCLA Hosts Arizona in Pac-12 Battle

March 16, 2023 | Baseball

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IMPORTANT: UPDATED PARKING PROCEDURES

No. 12 UCLA (12-3, 2-1) vs. Arizona (12-3, 3-0)
Friday, Mar. 17, 2023 - 6:00 p.m. PT
Saturday, Mar. 18, 2023 - 2:00 p.m. PT
Sunday, Mar. 19, 2023 - 1:00 p.m. PT
Location: Los Angeles, Calif. (Jackie Robinson Stadium)
Stream: Pac-12 Now App / Pac-12.com
Audio: UCLA Lean Player
Play-by-Play Talent: Nick Koop
Live Stats

No. 12 UCLA Hosts Arizona in Pac-12 Battle
UCLA (12-3, 2-1) returns to Jackie Robinson Stadium this weekend, hosting Arizona (12-3, 3-0) for a Pac-12 series starting on Friday night at 6:00 p.m. PT and continuing on Saturday at 2:00 p.m. PT and Sunday at 1:00 p.m. PT. The entirety of the series will be streamed through Pac-12.com, with Nick Koop on the call. Fans can also follow along with an audio broadcast, live stats, and Twitter updates from @UCLABaseball.

Quick Hits

UCLA is 12-3 overall on the year, including a 7-1 mark since the calendar turned to March
The Bruins are 2-1 in league play after taking two of three at Oregon last weekend
UCLA has had two of its last three Tuesday games rained out
The Bruins enter the weekend with the No. 3 ERA in the country (2.32)
UCLA also ranks top-10 nationally in strikeout-to-walk ratio (4.9, fourth) and WHIP (1.02, sixth)
The Bruins have allowed two earned runs or fewer in 11 of 15 games to start the year
UCLA has sizable advantages in walks drawn vs. issued (99-33) and HBPs drawn vs. issued (25-12)
Three Bruins regulars have an OPS north of 1.000 (Kyle Karros, Duce Gourson, JonJon Vaughns)
UCLA's bullpen has combined for a 1.97 ERA and 13.0 K/9 ratio over 59 1/3 innings pitched
The Bruins are averaging 10.2 runs per game at home
UCLA has allowed a crooked number just nine times in 132 defensive innings
UCLA is 8-0 this year in games with 1+ SB, and 11-1 in games with 1+ HR
The Bruins have homered in eight straight games, the longest streak for the progam since Apr. 2-18, 2021 (9 gms)
UCLA's current sophomore class was the No. 1-ranked recruit class in the country
Cody Schrier and Alonzo Tredwell were named 2023 Preseason All-Americans
2022: UCLA went 40-24, earned a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tourney, had an NCAA-high four Freshman All-Americans

Projected Pitching Matchups
Friday, Mar. 17 - 6:00 p.m. PT
UCLA - Jake Brooks, RHP, Jr. (2-2, 5.85 ERA)
ARIZ - TJ Nichols, RHP, Jr. (3-0, 3.86 ERA)
Saturday, Mar. 18 - 2:00 p.m. PT
UCLA - Alonzo Tredwell, RHP, So. (3-0, 1.59 ERA)
ARIZ - Bradon Zastrow, LHP, Jr. (2-0, 4.05 ERA)
Sunday, Mar. 19 - 1:00 p.m. PT
UCLA - Kelly Austin, RHP, Sr. (2-1, 0.82 ERA)
ARIZ - Aiden May, RHP, So. (2-0, 6.16 ERA)

The Week In Review
UCLA is coming off a series win at Oregon in the first Pac-12 set of the year for either team:

UCLA dropped game one of the series, 6-2. The Ducks built a 3-0 lead after two innings and never looked back. AJ Salgado and JonJon Vaughns hit solo home runs to account for the entirety of UCLA's run production. Oregon starter Jace Stoffal totaled nine strikeouts in four innings, and the Ducks' bullpen held UCLA scoreless the rest of the way.
The Bruins evened the series with an 8-7 win on Saturday. UCLA hit four home runs in the contest, led by a two-bomb day from Duce Gourson (his first-career multi-HR game). Vaughns and Kyle Karros also went yard. UCLA held leads of 6-0 in the fifth and 8-2 in the ninth, but had to weather a five-spot in the ninth from the Ducks to pull out the win. Right-hander Alonzo Tredwell earned the win for the Bruins, allowing just two earned runs over 5 2/3 innings. Freshman righty Cody Delvecchio was a standout out of the pen, retiring all four batters he faced.
UCLA routed Oregon, 16-0, on Sunday to clinch the series win. The Bruins were up 9-0 by the second inning, and ultimately posted four crooked numbers. Duce Gourson had his second-straight four-RBI game to pace the Bruin offense, while Karros (3-6, three RBIs) and Jack Holman (2-5, three RBIs) also had big days with the bats. Kelly Austin led a combined three-hit shutout, setting or matching career bests in innings (6.2) and strikeouts (8). Chris Aldrich and Finn McIlroy combined to face the minimum over the remainder of the game.
For the series, UCLA outscored Oregon 26-13, out-hit them .245 to .219, drew 22 walks while issuing nine, and had a 4.50 to 8.33 advantage in team ERA
Ethan Gourson (.385/.500/1.077, 3 HRs, 8 RBIs) and Kelly Austin (6.2 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 8 K) were nominated as Pac-12 Player and Pitcher of the Week, respectively.

In The Polls
UCLA entered the week ranked in every major national poll, checking in as high as No. 9 (Collegiate Baseball) while also appearing at No. 11 (NCBWA), No. 12 (Baseball America, USA TODAY Coaches Poll), and No. 13 (D1Baseball). Arizona enters the weekend unranked, but received votes in the USA TODAY poll.

The All-Time Series Against Arizona
UCLA owns a 137-125-2 record against Arizona all-time, including a 30-22 mark under head coach John Savage. The Bruins have won three of the last four head-to-head sets between the two schools, including each of the last two weekend series at Jackie Robinson Stadium. In fact, the Bruins have lost a home series to the Wildcats just once since 2006 (2017).

Last Year Against the Wildcats
UCLA won took two of three on the road at Arizona last week, the program's first series win in Tucson since 2012.

Game 1 — Cody Schrier posted five RBIs to lead UCLA to a 10-2 win in game one of the series. Schrier hit a grand slam in the sixth inning to push UCLA's lead to 6-0 and bring in the eventual game-winning run. Jake Brooks and a trio of Bruin relievers limited the Wildcats to just two runs. Each of the first eight hitters in the UCLA lineup had a hit, and all nine reached base at least once.
Game 2 — Arizona evened the series with a 4-2 Saturday win. Garrett Irvin tossed 7 2/3 innings of one-run ball to lead the Wildcats. UCLA was led on the mound by Kelly Austin, who tossed 3 1/3 scoreless innings out of the bullpen. He retired the first seven batters he faced, and allowed just two hits – both singles – over the course of his outing.
Game 3 — UCLA finished off the series win with a 7-3 rubber-match result on Sunday. The Bruins scored in three consecutive innings starting in the sixth to go ahead for good, with Josh Hahn driving in the game-winning run with a two-run homer in the sixth. The Bruins never trailed in the contest after posting a two-spot in the top of the first. Each of the top eight hitters in the starting lineup reached base at least once.

Current Bruins Against Arizona
Active Bruins with strong career numbers against the Wildcats include Jake Brooks (2.57 ERA in 7 IP), Kyle Karros (.300/.364/.500 in 3 GP), Malakhi Knight (5-15 in 3 GP), and Alonzo Tredwell (3.1 IP, 0 R, 3 K).

Bruins On the National Leaderboards
Through three-plus weeks of regular season play, UCLA ranks near the top nationally in a number of statistics on both sides of the ball:

ERA — 3rd (2.32)
BB/9 — 3rd (2.25)
K-BB Ratio — 4th (4.88)
Shutouts — 5th (3)
WHIP — 6th (1.02)
H/9 — 15th (6.95)
Walks Drawn — 22nd (99)
K/9 — 30th (11.0)
Home Runs/game — 40th (1.53)
OBP — 43rd (.416)

Controlling the Zone
So far this season, UCLA has ranked among the best in nation in drawing walks on the offensive end while limiting free passes on the mound. The Bruins have a plus-66 walk differential this season (99 drawn, 33 issued), good for sixth in the country. UCLA is the only school in the country with 99+ walks drawn and under 25 walks issued.

Digging the Long Ball
UCLA has hit 23 home runs so far this season over 15 games, while allowing just 12. The Bruins are a near-spotless 11-1 when hitting at least one home run. Junior outfielder JonJon Vaughns and second baseman Duce Gourson co-lead the team with six homers apiece, with both of those figures representing single-season career highs. Kyle Karros (4) and Cody Schrier (3) have also left the yard plenty. UCLA has hit a home run in a season-high eight consecutive games, the program's longest streak since Apr. 2-18, 2021 (nine games).

Strong Starters
UCLA has consistently drawn first blood against its opponents, scoring first in 11 of 15 games to start the year and going 11-0 in those contests. Meanwhile, the Bruins have allowed a run in the first inning just one time in 15 games. Overall, UCLA is outscoring the opposition 42-8 (plus-34 run differential) in the first three innings of games, including a 20-1 disparity in the opening frame alone.

Friendly Confines
The Bruins are an undefeated 9-0 in home games at Jackie Robinson Stadium so far this season. Only four teams in the country have a better home record than the Bruins entering the weekend. UCLA has widely outperformed its opposition at JRS, slashing a collective .321/.459/.510 (compared to .208/.254/.327 for opponents) while posting a plus-70 run differential (92-22). On the pitching side, the Bruins have a 1.44 team ERA at Jackie (opponents: 10.00) with a 108-69 advantage in strikeouts.

Familiar Faces Out of the 'Pen
UCLA right-handed relievers Cody Delvecchio (10 appearances), Chris Aldrich (nine appearances), and Charles Harrison (nine appearances) all rank among the national leaders in pitching appearances this season, with only two hurlers in the country having entered more games than Delvecchio. UCLA is the only school in the country which has three or more pitchers with 9+ appearances. Luke Jewett (six apps), Jake Saum (six), Caedon Kottinger (six), and Finn McIlroy (five) have all seen plenty of action in relief, as well.

Testing Darius
UCLA catcher Darius Perry enters the weekend with the most caught stealing (6) of any catcher in the Pac-12. He has thrown out exactly half of his attempted base stealers against (6-12), making him the only catcher in the league with a success rate against of 50% or lower (Washington's Johnny Tincher is next at 6-10, 60%). He's thrown out a would-be basestealer in three of his last four games, and has a pair of games this season with multiple runners caight stealing.