UCLA Set for the 2023 Pac-12 Tournament

Tuesday, May 23

Scottsdale, AZ

2:30 PM

UCLA

USC

Duce Gourson (photo: Marie Goldfarb)

Photo by: Marie Goldfarb

UCLA Set for the 2023 Pac-12 Tournament

May 22, 2023 | Baseball

Game Notes (PDF)Watch Live Stats

UCLA (27-23-1) at the 2023 Pac-12 Tournament
May 23-27, 2023
Location: Scottsdale, Ariz. (Scottsdale Stadium)
TV: Pac-12 Networks / ESPNU (final only)
Stream: Pac-12 Now App / Pac-12.com
Live Stats

Bruins Set For 2023 Pac-12 Tournament
The UCLA baseball team (27-23-1) begins postseason play this week at the second annual Pac-12 Baseball Tournament in Scottsdale, Ariz. The No. 7-seeded Bruins will face No. 3-seed Washington and No. 4-seed USC in pool play, with the winner of the pool (Pool C) advancing to the tournament semifinals. The Bruins will play at 2:30 p.m. in each day of pool play, facing USC on Tuesday and Washington on Wednesday. The entire tournament will be televised on the Pac-12 Networks, and can be streamed through Pac-12.com/live. Fans can also follow along with live stats and Twitter updates from @UCLABaseball.

Tournament Format/Schedule
In a format change from last year's tournament, the 2023 edition expands the field from eight to nine teams and switches to pool play. Pool play will take place on Tuesday through Thursday. At the conclusion of pool play on Thursday night, the three pool winners advance to the Friday single-elimination semifinals along with one Wild Card team. The Wild Card will be determined by the best record of the non-advancing teams with any tiebreaker awarded to the highest seeded team.

Tuesday, May 23
Game 1 (Pool B) - #8 Arizona vs. #5 Arizona State - 10 AM PT
Game 2 (Pool C) - #4 USC vs. #7 UCLA - 2:30 PM PT
Game 3 (Pool A) - #9 California vs. #6 Oregon - 7 PM PT
Wednesday, May 24
Game 4 (Pool B) - #2 Oregon State vs. #8 Arizona - 10 AM PT
Game 5 (Pool C) - #3 Washington vs. #7 UCLA - 2:30 PM PT
Game 6 (Pool A) - #1 Stanford vs. #6 Oregon - 7 PM PT
Thursday, May 25
Game 7 (Pool B) - #5 Arizona State vs. #2 Oregon State - 10 AM PT
Game 8 (Pool C) - #4 USC vs. #3 Washington - 2:30 PM PT
Game 9 (Pool A) - #6 Oregon vs. #1 Stanford - 7 PM PT
Friday, May 26
Game 10 (Semifinals) - TBD - 2:30 PM PT
Game 11 (Semifinals - TBD - 7 PM PT
Saturday, May 27
Game 12 - TBD - 7 PM PT

Projected Pitching Matchups
Tuesday, May 23 - 2:30 p.m. PT
UCLA - Jake Brooks, RHP, Jr. (6-5, 5.45 ERA)
USC - Eric Hammond, RHP, RFr. (3-4, 4.78 ERA)
Wednesday, May 24 - 2:30 p.m. PT
UCLA - TBA
UW - TBA

UCLA Quick Hits

UCLA is 27-23-1 overall on the year, with a 15-7 mark in non-conference competition
The Bruins went 11-16-1 in Pac-12 play, with series wins against Oregon, Arizona, and Utah
The Bruins ranked top-10 nationally in ERA for most of the year, but enter this weekend ranked No. 34 (4.49)
UCLA ranks top-15 nationally in strikeout-to-walk ratio (2.9, eighth) and walks allowed per nine innings (3.3, 12th)
The Bruins are 22-3 this year when allowing four runs or fewer (5-20-1 when allowing 5+)
Kelly Austin (3.26, fourth) ranks top-five in the Pac-12 in ERA
UCLA has sizable advantages in walks drawn vs. issued (259-167) and HBPs drawn vs. issued (71-42)
The Bruins have issued more walks than they've drawn in just 13 of 51 games this year
The Bruins have homered in 11 of the last 13 games
Jack Holman homered in 4 straight from May 5-9, the first Bruin with a 4-gm homer streak since 1999
The Bruins are 20-6-0 when scoring first this year, and 11-2 when scoring in the first inning
UCLA has got into double-digits in the hit column in 20 of 51 games this year, including nine of the last 16 contests
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

The Week In Review
UCLA went 1-2 last week, dropping its final regular season Pac-12 series of the year at Arizona State:

Daylen Reyes had a career-high four hits, but it wasn't enough as ASU walked off UCLA in the ninth inning, 5-4, on Thursday. Luke Keaschall played the hero for the hosts, dropping a bloop inside the left-field foul line for a walk-off double with one out in the last of the ninth. He also hit a game-tying two-run homer in the third. Reyes and JonJon Vaughns (1-1, 3 BB) each reached four times for the Bruins, and Kelly Austin (6.1 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 9 K) was solid despite pitching through rainy conditions.
The Bruins evened the series with a 6-3 win on Friday. UCLA scored four runs early and never looked back, clinching a spot in the Pac-12 Tourney with the victory. Carson Yates and Darius Perry had key RBI singles in the early innings, and Duce Gourson provided key insurance with a two-run homer in the ninth that stretched UCLA's lead to three after ASU had got within a run at 4-3. Ethan Flanagan led the Bruins on the mound, going a career-long six innings.
Michael Barnett and a quartet of relievers teamed up to throw a combined three-hitter for UCLA in Saturday's series finale, but a solo homer in the eighth inning proved the difference in a 2-1 rubber match win for ASU. Solo homers from UCLA's JonJon Vaughns in the second and ASU's Ryan Campos in the fourth accounted for the game's other two runs. Michael Barnett and Finn McIlroy were especially impressive on the mound for the Bruins. Barnett drew the start and allowed just one baserunner - on a two-out hit by pitch in the third - over his three innings of work. McIlroy retired eight consecutive batters to close his outing after getting UCLA out of a bases-loaded jam in the fifth.
Of note, the team with more hits lost each game in the series

The All-Time Series Against USC
Though USC holds the the advantage in the all-time series, UCLA has turned the tide in recent years. In 19 years under head coach John Savage, UCLA has lost the season series to USC just three times. The Bruins captured weekend sweeps of the Trojans six times in that span, most recently in 2018. UCLA has won each of the last five matchups against USC in the finale of the semi-annual tournament co-hosted by the two schools (last loss: 2018).

This Year Against the Trojans
UCLA is 2-2 against USC in 2023, topping the Trojans at home in a non-league tilt before dropping two of three at Dedeaux Field:

Game 1 (Mar. 5 at UCLA) — UCLA finished off the unbeaten run through the Southern Califonia College Baseball Classic by defeating USC at home, 5-3. The Bruins never trailed in the contest, as JonJon Vaughns hit a two-run homer in the second to put the Bruins up for good. USC didn't get on the board until the sixth inning, and UCLA immediately responded in the bottom half of that inning to make it 5-1. The Trojans made it a two-run game in the ninth off a Nate Clow homer, but that was as close as they would get. Kelly Austin pitched out of trouble to get through 4 1/3 innings without allowing a run. UCLA limited USC to a 1-10 line with runners in scoring position.
Game 2 (Apr. 21 at USC) — Duce Gourson matched a season-high with four RBIs to lead UCLA to a 9-3 Friday. The Bruins never trailed, going ahead for good with a four-run second. Gourson had an RBI in each of UCLA's first three run-scoring innings, helping the Bruins to an 8-3 lead by the sixth. Jake Brooks got the win for UCLA after going five innings with two earned runs against. Kelly Austin and Cody Delvecchio shut out the Trojans the rest of the way.
Game 3 (Apr. 22 at USC) — UCLA was limited to four hits in a 5-1 Saturday loss to USC. Caden Aoki went 6 1/3 strong for the Trojans, allowing just one earned run. Darius Perry threw out a career-high three would-be basestealers in the game. Jack Holman hit a solo homer in the fourth to account for UCLA's one run.
Game 4 (Apr. 23 at USC) — UCLA ended up on the wrong end of a 6-5 thriller in Sunday's rubber match, as USC walked it off with a single in the ninth. The Bruins fought back from an early 3-0 deficit to take the lead, using a four-spot in the seventh to go ahead 5-3. USC answered with a pair in the bottom half of the seventh, and UCLA stranded multiple runners in both the eighth and ninth before Cole Gabrielson's walk-off knock with two strikes and two outs. Kyle Karros had UCLA's biggest swing of the game, clearing the bases for a three-run double to cap off the seventh-inning rally.

Active Bruins Against USC
Active Bruins with strong career numbers against the Trojans include: Kelly Austin (3.55 ERA in 12.2 IP), Cody Delvecchio (1.93 ERA in 4.2 IP), Josh Hahn (3-8, 3 RBIs in 5 GP), and JonJon Vaughns (6-18, 2 HR, 3 RBIs, 7 R in 9 GP).

The All-Time Series Against Washington
UCLA owns a 57-32 record all-time against UW, including a 33-22 mark under head coach John Savage. The Bruins are looking to draw even in the season set this year after dropping the season series to UW in both 2021 and 2022 (the two teams did not meet in 2020). UCLA topped Washington last year in the Pac-12 Tournament, the program's first-ever win in the league tournament.

This Year Against the Huskies
UCLA dropped two of three at home to the Huskies from Mar. 24-26:

Game 1 — Jake Brooks delivered 6 2/3 innings of shutout ball and Jack Holman hit a decisive two-run homer in the fourth as UCLA recorded a 5-1 win in the series opener. Holman's roundtripper opened the scoring, and Duce Gourson and Cody Schrier provided RBI doubles in a three-run seventh. Cody Delvecchio and Charles Harrison got the Bruins out of jams in the seventh and eighth innings, respectively. Brooks retired the first seven batters of the game, and established then-season highs in both IP and Ks (nine). UW's best chance against him came after back-to-back singles to lead off the fourth, but Brooks sent down the next three batters in order to strand both runners.
Game 2 — UW evened up the series with a 3-0 win in 10 innings. The two teams battled to a 0-0 tie through nine, with UCLA allowing just two hits (both singles) during that time. Washington strung together five hits in the 10th for a decisive three-spot. Michael Barnett was a standout for the Bruins, throwing 5 2/3 no-hit innings in his first-career weekend start.
Game 3 — UCLA was edged, 11-10, in a rubber-match shootout on Sunday. The Bruins led the game, 3-2, through five innings, but Washington tied it up in the sixth before posting seven runs in the seventh and another in the eighth. The Bruins fought back in the late innings, with Carson Yates and JonJon Vaughns hitting three-run homers to cut the deficit to two, but UCLA ultimately left the bags full in the eighth.

Active Bruins Against UW
Active Bruins with strong career numbers against the Trojans include: Kelly Austin (3.27 ERA, 13 K in 11.0 IP), Michael Barnett (0 H, 0 R in 5.2 IP), Jake Brooks (7 IP, 0 R, 9 K), Cody Delvecchio, (3.1 IP, 0 R, 3 K), Duce Gourson (10-23, 6 R, 4 RBIs), Kyle Karros (7-22, 4 R, 6 RBIs), Knox Loposer (3-10), and Carson Yates (9-23, 6 RBIs).

Notes on Projected Starters

C Perry — H in 11 of last 12 (16-48) ... Had 3 CS on 4/22 at USC ... Led UCLA w/ .405 OBP in Apr.
1B Holman — 4-gm homer streak (5/5-9) longest by a Bruin since '99 ... Mar.: .321/414/.536
2B Reyes — H in 10 of last 11 (18-51) ... Reached in 14 of last 16 GP ... 15 free passes, 12 R in last 15 GP
SS Gourson — H in 4 straight, 13 of last 16 ... Leads team in multi H (19), multi-RBI (13) games ... Played 2B, SS, 3B this year
3B Karros — Led team w/ .347/.396/.551 in Mar. ... Reached in first 23 starts of '23
OF Hocking — 28-90 (.311) since 4/8 ... Snapped 10 gm hit streak at ASU ... 27 free passes in 34 GP
OF Vaughns — Had team-high 5 HR in Mar. ... Career-hi 3 H on 4/23 at USC ... Leads UCLA w/ 18 career HR
OF Yates — Reached in 17 of last 20 starts ... Leads team w/ 15 productive outs ... Leads team in SB, SB success %
OF Salgado — 7-23 (.304) in 6 GP since returning from injury ... Season-hi 3 H vs. OSU on 5/12 ... Has played 1B, OF
DH Hahn — Team-high 12 PH ABs (3-12) ... Snapped career-hi 12-gm hit streak at ASU (16-36)... Starting P/DH at UCI on 5/2

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-92 walk differential this season (259 drawn, 167 issued), good for 17th in the country. UCLA's 167 walks issued are the ninth-fewest in the country.

Bruins On the National Leaderboards
To this point in the season, UCLA ranks near the top nationally in a number of statistics on both sides of the ball:

K-BB Ratio — 8th (2.92, 1st in the Pac-12)
BB/9 — 12th (3.29, 1st in the Pac-12)
Shutouts — 30th (4, T-1st in the Pac-12)
ERA — 34th (4.49, 3rd in the Pac-12)
WHIP — 40th (1.38, 3rd in the Pac-12)
K/9 — 48th (9.60, 4th in the Pac-12)
H/9 — 82nd (9.12, 6th in the Pac-12)
Walks Drawn — 87th (259, 2nd in the Pac-12)

Strong Starters
UCLA's loss on Mar. 31 to WSU was a rarity, as it marked the first time this season the Bruins lost a game in which they scored first (they had gone 12-0 in such games to that point). Overall this year, UCLA is out-scoring its oponents 34-19 in the first inning of games. The Bruins have gone 11-2 this year when plating a run(s) in the first inning.

Familiar Faces Out of the 'Pen
UCLA's Cody Delvecchio enters the weekend with the second-most pitching appearances in the country at 35. The freshman righty has allowed a run in just eight of those 35 appearances, and had a 0.74 season ERA through his first 28 games. Chris Aldrich (31 appearances, 11th) has also seen plenty of work out of the bullpen.

Homerin' Holman
Sophomore first baseman Jack Holman hit a home run in four straight games from May 5-9, making him the first Bruin to homer in four consecutive games this millennium. The last Bruin with such a streak was Bill Scott, who homered in a school-record seven straight games in 1999. Some UCLA sluggers with three-game homer streaks in the 21st century include Chase Utley, Garrett Atkins, and Michael Toglia. Holman has a team-high 12 HRs on the year, the most single-season bombs by a Bruin since Michael Toglia had 17 in 2019.

Testing Darius
UCLA catcher Darius Perry enters the week with by far the most runners caught stealing (19) of any catcher in the Pac-12, four more than runner-up Caleb Lomavita (California). Perry's 43% runners caught stealing rate (19-46) also leads the Pac. In fact, no other league backstop is above the 40% CS threshold. Perry has thrown out multiple would-be basestealers in four of UCLA's last seven weekend series, including a career-high three in one game alone against USC on Apr. 22.

Four is the Magic Number
So far this season, four has been the magic number for Bruin pitchers in locking down wins. UCLA is 22-3 this year when allowing four runs or fewer, compared to a 5-20-1 mark in games allowing five or more.

2022 Pac-12 Tournament In Review

UCLA went 3-2 at the inaugural Pac-12 Tournament in Scottsdale, fighting through the loser's bracket to face OSU in the divisional final:
The tournament used an eight-team, double-elimination format and was played at Scottsdale Stadium, the spring training home of the San Francisco Giants
The Bruins were limited to one run in a 4-1 tourney-opening loss to Cal on Wednesday. Kyle Karros went 3-3 with a walk and Darius Perry had two singles, but UCLA went 0-4 with RISP and left 10 runners on. Josh Hahn made his first-career start on the mound for UCLA. The game started at 10:18 p.m. local time and finished just short of 1:30 a.m.
Less than 12 hours after the Cal game, UCLA recovered for a 14-8 win over Washington. The 3-4-5 spots in the order (Curialle-Gourson-Karros) combined to go 12-17 with 7 RBIs and 8 R, and the Bruins had a season-high 7 doubles as a team.
The Bruins emerged with a 9-7 triumph in a Friday re-match with Cal to reach the divisional final vs. Oregon State. Trailing for much of the game, the Bruins rallied for two runs in the eighth to send it to extras, then won it with another two-spot in the tenth. Jake Saum, Daniel Colwell, and Luke Jewett combined to throw 6 2/3 relief innings without an earned run against.
UCLA topped OSU 25-22 on Saturday afternoon in the wildest game of the tournament, forcing a re-match with OSU for the right to advance to the Championship Game. UCLA erased a nine-run deficit in the ninth inning, with the first nine batters of the frame reaching before an out was recorded. Kenny Oyama scored from third on a chopper to first, beating the throw home, to tie it up at 21-21. In the tenth, Tommy Beres hit a walk-off three-run homer to end it (his first-career HR). It was the most combined runs in single-game program history, and the Bruins' 25 hits were their most in a single-game since 2008.
The Bruins and Beavers engaged in another back-and-forth battle in the second game of the divisional final, played just an hour after the first, with OSU notching a 8-7 walk-off win in the ninth. UCLA battled back from a large deficit in this contest too, as OSU led 5-0 after two.
INF Ethan Gourson (.435/.517/.565, 6 RBIs) and OF Michael Curialle (.538/.552/.731) made the all-tournament team
3B Kyle Karros reached base in his first nine plate appearances of the tourney, finishing with team-highs in batting (.591), and RBIs (9)