UCLA Opens Pac-12 Play at California

UCLA (5-6, 0-0) at California (8-3, 0-0)
Friday, Mar. 8, 2024 - 6 p.m. PT
Saturday, Mar. 9, 2024 - 2 p.m. PT
Sunday, Mar. 10, 2024 - 1 p.m. PT
Location: Berkeley, Calif. (Stu Gordon Stadium)
Stream: Pac-12.com / Pac-12 Now app
Live Stats

UCLA Opens Pac-12 Play at California
The UCLA baseball team (5-6, 0-0) this weekend flies north to open Pac-12 Conference play at California (8-3, 0-0) starting on Friday night at 6 p.m. PT and continuing at 2 p.m. PT on Saturday and 1 p.m. PT on Sunday. All three games of the series will be streamed live via Pac-12.com. Fans can also follow along with live stats (StatBroadcast) and X/Twitter updates (@UCLABaseball).

UCLA Quick Hits

UCLA is 5-6 on the season, including a sweep of Gonzaga and midweek wins over Nevada and Long Beach State
The Bruins are 5-1 so far this season in home games, but are seeking their first win away from Jackie Robinson Stadium
Cody Schrier has hit safely in nine of 11 games so far and carries a .364/.451/.568 triple-slash line
The Bruins enter the weekend with a plus-26 walk differential (59 drawn, 33 issued)
Michael Barnett enters the weekend with the best BB/9 rate (1.2) among all qualifying Pac-12 pitchers
UCLA is coming off a 28-24-1 campaign and a berth into the 2023 Pac-12 Tournament
It marked the program's 7th consecutive winning season and 15th overall in 19 seasons under HC John Savage
The Bruins' freshman class was the No. 1-ranked recruit class in the country (as was the junior class)
Junior 2B Duce Gourson earned Preseason All-America acclaim from Baseball America and Perfect Game
Gourson, Cody Schrier, and Luke Jewett were named to the 2024 Pac-12 Preseason All-Conference Team
The Bruins were picked to finish 3rd in the Pac-12 Preseason Coaches Poll
Bruin alum Gerrit Cole won the 2023 AL Cy Young, making UCLA the first DI school ever to have had multiple Cy Young winners on the same team

Projected Pitching Matchups
Friday, Mar. 8 - 6 p.m. PT
UCLA - Jr. RHP Luke Jewett (0-1, 4.67 ERA)
CAL - TBA
Saturday, Mar. 9 - 2 p.m. PT
UCLA - So. RHP Finn McIlroy (1-1, 2.25 ERA)
CAL - TBA
Sunday, Mar. 10 - 1 p.m. PT
UCLA - So. RHP Michael Barnett (1-1, 5.40 ERA)
CAL - TBA

The All-Time Series Against California
UCLA owns a 187-185 record all-time against California, including a 31-25 mark under John Savage. The Bruins have won six of their last eight weekend series against the Golden Bears, but Cal did pull off a weekend sweep at Jackie Robinson Stadium last season. Overall under Savage, UCLA has won 11 of 18 weekend sets against Cal. The teams met twice in the inaugural Pac-12 Tournament in 2022, splitting those two games.

Current Bruins Against the Golden BEars
Active Bruins on the 2024 roster with strong career numbers against California include Jack Holman (6-13, 3 HR, 9 RBIs in 3 GP), Daylen Reyes (.333 BA in 9 GP), and Cody Schrier (6-21, .429 SLG in 3 GP).

Last Year Against California
UCLA absorbed a weekend sweep at the hands of Cal from May 5-7, 2023 at Jackie Robinson Stadium:

FRI — The Bruins fought back from an eight-run deficit to get the game-tying run to the plate in the ninth inning, but ultimately dropped a 10-7 decision to Cal in the series opener. The Golden Bears built an 8-0 lead on the strength of four home runs, but the Bruins began to charge back in the fifth. Jack Holman had the biggest part in UCLA's comeback effort, lofting a grand slam to right-center as part of a five-run sixth.
SAT — Cal clinched the series with a 9-2 win in game two. The Bruins plated single runs in the seventh and eighth innings to get within two runs at 4-2, but the Golden Bears pulled away with a five-run ninth, hitting three solo homers in that frame. Jack Holman homered for the second straight game to lead the Bruins, while Daylen Reyes had a couple knocks, including an RBI single that got UCLA on the board in the seventh.
SUN — Similar to the first two games in the series, UCLA saw a late comeback effort come up short in a 9-8 finale loss. The Bruins briefly led after Holman hit a three-run homer in the fifth inning to make it 5-4 in the Bruins' favor, but Cal responded with a three-spot in the next half-inning to retake a lead they would not relinquish. The Bruins scored in both the eighth and ninth, making it a one-run game and getting the tying and go-ahead runners aboard, but Cal's Tucker Bougie ended up striking out the side to escape with the win. UCLA had 14 hits as a team in the contest, with Holman (3-5), Daylen Reyes (3-6), and Duce Gourson (3-3, reached five times) collecting multiple knocks.

The Week In Review
UCLA is 0-3 over the last week, dropping two games in the Dodger Stadium College Baseball Classic as well as a road midweek at LBSU:

FRI — UCLA was edged 4-3 by Michigan in the opener of the DSCBC on an intermittently-rainy night at JRS. The Bruins led for much of the night, but allowed three unearned runs under slippery field conditions in a seventh inning that proved decisive. Michigan righty Mitch Voit fired a complete game (UCLA's first CG against since 2018) to lead the Wolverines to the win. Luke Jewett was strong for the Bruins, allowing just one run over six innings.
SAT — Saturday's scheduled game against San Diego was rained out. It was the Bruins' second rainout already in 2024 (Feb. 20 vs. LMU)
SUN — A seventh-inning grand slam proved to be the difference as UCLA dropped a 5-2 decision to No. 20 UC Irvine at Dodger Stadium. UCLA tied the game at 1-1 in the fifth on an RBI groundout from Duce Gourson, but the Anteaters broke it open on a four-run homer from Caden Kendle to improve to 9-0 on the year. Barnett pitched five solid innings for the Bruins, allowing just five hits and one run. It was UCLA's first appearance at Dodger Stadium since 2019.
TUE — Freshman right-handers Landon Stump (4 IP, 1 ER, 8 K) and Luke Rodriguez (3 IP, faced the minimum) teamed up for seven standout innings on the mound, but UCLA couldn't get the bats going in a 2-0 loss at Long Beach State. Stump's 8 Ks were the most by a Bruin pitcher in a single game this year.

Bruins On the National Leaderboards

UCLA enters the week ranked highly in the following team stats:
BB/9 - 3.16 (2nd in the Pac-12 / 23rd in the NCAA)
Shutouts - 1 (2nd / 27th)
K-BB Ratio - 2.70 (2nd / 41st)
WHIP - 1.34 (5th / 53rd)
ERA - 4.31 (4th / 63rd)
Double plays turned - 9 (6th / 63rd)
Walks drawn - 58 (2nd / 92nd)

Change of Scenery
UCLA is in a stretch that sees the team play four consecutive games in different venues (Mar. 1 at Jackie Robinson Stadium, Mar. 3 at Dodger Stadium, Mar. 5 at Blair Field, Mar. 8 at Stu Gordon Stadium). It's just the second time that's occurred for the Bruins over the last eight seasons, matching a stretch from May 9-15, 2021 that saw UCLA play four successive games at Washington State's Bailey-Brayton Field, LMU's Page Stadium, Jackie Robinson Stadium, and UC Santa Barbara's Caesar Uyesaka Stadium.

Good Eye
So far this season, UCLA has issued more walks than its drawn just twice in 11 games. The Bruins own a plus-26 walk differential overall on the season (59 drawn, 33 issued), good for first in the Pac-12, third among schools in the western half of the country, and 33rd overall in the NCAA.

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UCLA Opens Pac-12 Play at California

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Players Mentioned

Michael Barnett

Duce Gourson

Jack Holman

Luke Jewett

Finn McIlroy

Daylen Reyes

Luke Rodriguez

Cody Schrier

Landon Stump

University of California, Los Angeles, Athletics

UCLA Opens Pac-12 Play at California

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Players Mentioned

Michael Barnett

Duce Gourson

Jack Holman

Luke Jewett

Finn McIlroy

Daylen Reyes

Luke Rodriguez

Cody Schrier

Landon Stump

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