University of California, Los Angeles, Athletics
1986-1998 Season Recaps
1986: 39-23, 21-9 Pac-10 (First Place)
The Pac-10 title returned to UCLA for the first time since 1979, as the Bruins won the league with a 21-9 mark. The recruiting class that was ranked #2 in the nation by Collegiate Baseball (Torey Lovullo, Todd Zeile, Steve Hisey, Bill Wenrick, and Dana Ridenour) matured into a winning team and finished with a 39-23 record. Jackie Robinson Stadium was chosen as the sight for the NCAA West Regional. The Bruins were 0-2 in the toughest regional field in the nation (Loyola Marymount, Santa Barbara, and Hawaii). Loyola Marymount defeated Hawaii in the finals of the tournament to earn a berth in the College World Series.
UCLA's season began with a three-game sweep of Fresno State in Fresno. After a 1-3 conference start, UCLA rebounded to crush California 12-3, 8-2, and 18-9 at Jackie Robinson Stadium. The hero of the series was second baseman Torey Lovullo. Lovullo was 8-15 (.571) in the series, including one triple, three home runs, and 14 RBI. The series began a season-high 16 game hitting streak for Lovullo. After 35 games, UCLA had a 7-4 conference record and a 22-13 overall mark. Game #36 will go down as one of the best in school history. The Stanford Cardinals, the defending league champions, invaded Jackie Robinson Stadium for a three-game series. The first game featured the long awaited matchup between All-American pitchers Alex Sanchez (UCLA) and Jack McDowell (Stanford). After falling behind by one run early, the Bruins took a 4-1 lead on a grand-slam home run by freshman infielder Scott Cline. Stanford came back to tie the game at four, only to see UCLA score two in the fifth to take the lead for good. Sanchez sealed off the complete game win, leaving Cardinal runners at second and third in the ninth inning. UCLA went on to take the series (2-1), marking the first time in two seasons that the Cardinal had lost a Pac-10 series. The Bruins won 11 of their last 13 regular season games, including their last seven. For his efforts (.317, 16, 65), Lovullo was named Pac-10 Co-Player of the Year with teammate Alex Sanchez. Sanchez was outstanding throughout the season. He led the conference with a 16-3 overall record and was 8-1 against Pac-10 opponents. Sanchez also struck out 142 batters in 139.1 innings pitched, the top mark in the conference.
In Pac-10 play, he won his last seven decisions and threw a complete game victory over each conference team. In addition to power pitching, the Bruins reached their goals with power hitting. For the first time in seven seasons, UCLA led the Pac-10 in home runs (103). UCLA boasted five players that reached double figures. The "Bomb Squad" (#2 through #6 in the order) consisted of Lovullo (16), right fielder Billy Haselman (11), first baseman John Joslyn (18), left fielder Steve Hisey (14), and catcher Todd Zeile (13).
1987: 40-25-1, 16-14 Pac-10 (Second Place)
UCLA failed to bring home the Pac-10 crown but finished with a 40-25-1 overall record and advanced to the finals of the NCAA West II Regional at Tempe, Arizona. UCLA finished second in the conference to Stanford. Only a late-season road slump and an erratic pitching staff prevented the Bruins from repeating as Pac-10 champions. Forced to travel to one of the toughest regionals (Arizona, Arizona State, Hawaii, Southwest Missouri State, and Pepperdine), UCLA fared well. The Bruins reached the finals before losing to host Arizona St. in front of over 8,000 fans.
The star player for UCLA was Torey Lovullo, who became the first player to repeat as Pac-10 Player of the Year in conference history. The senior second baseman also became the first consensus All-America selection (ABCA, Baseball America, Sporting News) in school history. Lovullo (.350, 24, 73) broke the school career records for at bats, hits, runs scored, home runs, RBI, and walks. Once again, UCLA led the Pac-10 in home runs, breaking the league record with 116 blasts. UCLA tied the NCAA record with 10 grand-slam home runs. At the end of the season, Billy Haselman (Texas) and Alex Sanchez (Toronto) were both selected in the first round of the major league draft. Haselman and Sanchez became the fourth and fifth Bruins in the Gary Adams' era who were selected in the first round of the major league draft.
1988: 31-28, 12-18 Pac-10 (Fifth Place)
A lack of pitching depth prevented UCLA from making a third straight appearance in the NCAA playoffs. The Bruins finished with a 5.30 team ERA, topping the 5.00 mark for the seventh time in the last eight seasons. UCLA barely missed out on a playoff berth, as fourth place USC was selected with a 13-17 Pac-10 record. Senior pitcher Mike Magnante and junior first baseman Eric Karros both enjoyed outstanding seasons for the Bruins. Magnante (14-4, 3.93) was selected to the All-Pac-10 team and earned Academic All-America honors. Karros (.415, 17, 54) put together an incredible second half and broke UCLA's single-season hits record with 100 and won the Pac-10 batting title. Karros also earned All-Pac-10 honors.
1989: 27-32, 10-20 Pac-10 (Fifth Place)
The Bruins lost their first eight Pac-10 games and never recovered. It was only the third losing season in the Adams' era. Injuries and illnesses took a toll on the Bruins, as 14 of the 27 total UCLA players missed at least one week of action with an illness or an injury. One of the worst losses was Charlie Fiacco, the team's home run and RBI leader. Fiacco missed the last 18 games with torn ligaments in his right knee. While the UCLA position players missed many games, the pitchers did not suffer. UCLA's 4.54 overall ERA was its lowest since 1980, when the Bruins compiled a 3.55 mark. 1989 also marked only the second time (1983) in the last nine years that the Bruins' team ERA was under 5.00.
Four Bruin pitchers threw more than 90 innings: Dave Zancanaro (90.0), Mike Fyhrie (101.2), Scott Schanz (110.0), and John Sutherland (114.2). UCLA stole 113 bases in 146 attempts (77%). It was the Bruins highest stolen base total since 1976, when they stole 120 bases. Six Bruins reached double figures: Robbie Katzaroff (33), Joel Wolfe (18), Dave Zancanaro (14), Charlie Fiacco (12), Dave Keating (12), and David Tokheim (10). The Bruins had 23 triples, breaking the school record of 22, set in 1965 & 1968. UCLA had rare success with Stanford in 1989. The Bruins took four of six games from Stanford for the first time since the Pac-6 was formed. Also, UCLA took two of three games from Stanford at Sunken Diamond for the first time in Pac-6 history. Robbie Katzaroff (.342) was the lone Bruin representative on the All-Pac-10 team.
1990: 41-26, 14-16 Pac-10 (Fourth Place)
The 1990 season was full of surprises. Only ranked in one preseason poll (20th by The Sporting News), UCLA compiled its highest win total (41) since 1979. The Bruins placed third at the Midwest Regional, losing to the eventual champion, Georgia Southern, 5-4, on the final day of the tournament. The starting rotation of Dave Zancanaro, Tim Lindsay, and Pete Janicki developed into one of the top starting staffs in the conference. Zancanaro led the club with 11 wins, and eliminated the defending NCAA Champion, Wichita State, on its home field in the Midwest Regional. With the win, Zancanaro became the winningest lefthander in Bruin history.
Lindsay led the club in starts (20), complete games (7), and innings pitched (149.0). His innings pitched total also led the Pac-10 and set a new UCLA record, breaking the old record set by Tim Leary in 1979. Janicki was UCLA's hottest pitcher down the stretch, winning his last eight decisions. Janicki earned Freshman All-America honors from Baseball America. Offensively, Paul Ellis, Chris Pritchett, and Joel Wolfe combined to form the "Awesome Threesome." Ellis, the 1990 Pac-10 Co-Player of the Year, enjoyed a dream season. The junior from San Ramon, CA led the nation with 29 home runs, tying the school record set by Jim Auten in 1979. He also collected 83 RBI, setting a new UCLA record which was later broken by Ryan McGuire. He became only the second player in league history to hit at least one home run in every Pac-10 park. Mike Sodders of Arizona State had accomplished the feat in 1981. After the season, Ellis became the second consensus All-America selection in school history, earning first team All-America honors from Baseball America,
The Sporting News, and American Baseball Coaches Association. The ABCA named Ellis as the Division I College Baseball Player of the Year. Pritchett earned third-team All-America honors from Baseball America as well as first-team All Pac-10 and second-team All-District 8 honors. He also broke UCLA's single-season hits record with 102. Wolfe earned first team All-Pac-10 honors in the outfield and second team All-District 8 honors.
1991: 29-30, 13-17 Pac-10 (Fourth Place)
Although UCLA finished under .500, the season certainly was not unsuccessful. In fact, the Bruins had excellent showings in the two tournaments that they participated in. UCLA won the Olive Garden Classic, held in Kissimmee, Florida, and finished in a three-way tie for first in the Oscar Mayer Classic, held in the Minneapolis Metrodome. For the first time in UCLA history, the Bruins swept Stanford at Sunken Diamond, becoming the first team to do so in over one and half years (Arizona State 1990). Offensively, Joel Wolfe had the second highest stolen base total in UCLA history (35) while leading the team in batting average (.345). Chris Pritchett led the team in home runs (18) and RBI (57). Wolfe earned first-team All-Pac-10 honors in the outfield and Ryan McGuire was a second team Freshman All-American selection.
1992: 37-26, 14-16 Pac-10 (Third Place)
Like 1990, this was a season full of surprises. The Bruins were picked to finish last in the Pac-10 preseason poll but finished in a tie for third place in the conference and were ranked in the Top 25 most of the season. The Bruins traveled to the Mideast regional in Starkville, Mississippi, and were one game away from the College World Series. UCLA defeated host school Mississippi State 3-2 to advance to the championship game in the regional, where they lost to Oklahoma. The Bruins endured a grueling regular season schedule in which 34 games came against teams selected to postseason play. Five of the six teams in the Pac-10 Southern Division were picked for regional action. The hitting corps was led by Freshman All-American Mike Mitchell (.351, 12 HR's, 36 RBI) and All-Pac-10 selection David Roberts (.331, 85 hits, 6 stolen bases). Veterans Ryan McGuire (.316, 14 HR's, 61 RBI) and Michael Moore (.338, 8 HR's, 14 stolen bases) were impressive throughout the year. On the mound, the Bruins were led by Pac-10 Pitcher of the Year Pete Janicki (9-4, 3.53 ERA and 150 K's). Transfer Gabe Sollecito made an immediate impact, as he picked up 12 saves during the year to set a new school record. UCLA set another school record with 128 stolen bases, shattering the old record of 125 set in 1976.
1993: 37-23, 17-13 Pac-10 (Second Place)
UCLA reached postseason play for the third time in the last four seasons with its appearance at the Central I Regional. After two wins against Lamar and North Carolina, the Bruins were eliminated by Texas A & M and North Carolina. UCLA finished the season with a 37-23 overall record and finished second in the Six-Pac with a 17-13 record. Several Bruins enjoyed standout seasons, led by consensus All-American Ryan McGuire. McGuire finished the season hitting .376 with 26 home runs, 91 runs batted in, 71 runs scored and 14 stolen bases. On the mound, McGuire finished with a 3-0 record, two saves, 29 strikeouts in 26 innings and a team-leading 1.73 ERA. McGuire was named the Pacific-10 Conference Co-Player of the Year.
Third baseman Adam Melhuse and second baseman David Ravitz both earned All-Pac-10 honors after having banner seasons. Melhuse finished the season with a .344 average, 10 home runs, and 50 runs batted in, while Ravitz hit .324 with six home runs and a team-leading 19 doubles. Ravitz set a UCLA record with 15 doubles in Pac-10 play. Tim Kubinski was the ace of the pitching staff, leading the Bruins with an 11-3 record, 86 strikeouts and a 4.03 ERA. Gabe Sollecito split time between the bullpen and the starting rotation and finished with a 4-3 record, nine saves and a 3.94 ERA.
1994: 22-36, 11-19 Pac-10 (Fifth Place)
The Bruins struggled out of the gate and lost seven of their first 11 games. However, the Bruins finished strong, as they were 15-14 down the stretch. They won six of their last eight games. Although the team had a tough season, several individuals had superb seasons. Senior David Roberts became the UCLA career stolen base leader with 109 and set a single-season record in 1994 with 45 stolen bases. He led the team with a .353 batting average and was selected to the All-Pac-10 Conference team for the third time in his career. He led the conference in stolen bases for a third consecutive year.
Freshman catcher Tim DeCinces earned Freshman All-America honors after batting .305 with six home runs, a team-leading 48 runs batted in and 15 doubles. Junior first baseman Mike Mitchell had another big year for the Bruins. He batted .339 with a team-leading 12 home runs, 19 doubles and 46 runs batted in. Shortstop Gar Vallone finished the season with a .344 batting average with 13 doubles and 42 runs batted in. Pitcher Brian Stephenson became the ace of the pitching staff. As the No. 1 starter, he finished with a 5-5 record, a 4.97 ERA and a team-leading 79 strikeouts. Stephenson was selected in the second-round of the major league draft by the Chicago Cubs. Sophomore Jeff Howatt led the team in saves with three.
1995: 29-28, 12-18 Pac-10 (Fifth Place)
A very young UCLA team swept UNLV finish the 1995 season above .500. The team won just six of its last 17 games to fall out of contention for postseason play, but it was still an exciting season. Offensively, the club was led by sophomore catcher Tim DeCinces, who batted .315 with 13 home runs, and 51 runs batted in. He tied a school record for doubles in a season with 23. DeCinces was named to the All-Pac-10 team and earned Smith Super Team second team honors. Freshman right fielder Eric Byrnes made an immediate impact, as he batted .324 with nine home runs and 18 stolen bases. He earned first-team Freshman All-American honors and All-Pac-10 honors.
Also earning All-Pac-10 honors was freshman first baseman and pitcher Peter Zamora, who batted .295 with six home runs, and 48 runs batted in and was 3-3 with five saves and a 2.76 ERA. Zamora hit game-winning home runs two days in a row versus Arizona on April 14 and 15. The first was a grand slam with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning. Junior third baseman Zak Ammirato finished the season with a 19-game hitting streak. The pitching staff was led by freshman lefthander Jim Parque, who struck out 84 batters in 90 innings, placing him second in the Six-Pac in strikeouts per nine innings and junior Rick Heineman, who was 7-4 with a 4.00 ERA.
1996: 37-27, 16-14 Pac-10 (Third Place)
The Bruins advanced further than any other team in the west coast in 1996, falling just one game short of the College World Series. The Bruins began the year as the 10th-ranked team in the country and moved up to No. 4 in the polls after a 14-6 start. The Bruins lost five of their last seven regular season games but earned a spot in the NCAA Tournament. The Bruins were the fourth seed in the Central I Regional in Austin, Texas. UCLA played like it did earlier in the season and upset Texas in the first round, 5-2, behind an incredible pitching performance from sophomore lefthander Jim Parque and clutch hitting from senior third baseman Zak Ammirato and junior catcher Tim DeCinces.
After losing its next game to Southwest Missouri St., the Bruins came from behind twice the following day and defeated Sam Houston State, 10-8 and Southwest Missouri St., 9-4 in 10 innings. UCLA rallied with two runs in the eighth inning on a home run by Ammirato to take a 4-3 lead, but Southwest Missouri St. tied the game in the ninth inning and had the bases loaded with two outs. Junior Kevin Sheredy got the last out in the ninth, which sent the game to extra innings. Then junior outfielder Jon Heinrichs tripled home a run, and DeCinces hit a grand slam. The Bruins lost the championship game the following night, 8-4 but remained in the game after falling behind 5-0 in the first inning. In fact, the Bruins sent the tying run to the plate in the eighth inning.
The Bruins were led offensively by DeCinces, who batted .500 (30-60) with nine home runs in his final month as a Bruin to finish the season with a .348 batting average, 18 home runs, and 67 RBIs and sophomore infielder Troy Glaus, who batted .352 with 16 home runs, and 50 RBIs before heading off to the Olympics. The pitching staff was led by Parque, who was 9-3 with a 3.72 ERA and 116 strikeouts. All three players earned All-Pac-10 honors. DeCinces and Parque earned Smith Super Team second-team honors and All-Central I Tournament honors along with Heinrichs.
1997: 45-21-1, 19-11 Pac-10 (Second Place)
The players from the highly regarded 1995 recruiting class all had experience under their belts, and UCLA was ranked No. 2 by Collegiate Baseball in its preseason poll. The Bruins lived up to this high billing by setting a school record in wins, runs scored and home runs. UCLA advanced to Omaha for the first time since 1969 after winning the Midwest Regional. The Bruins lost their first game at the Midwest Regional but rebounded and won five straight games, including two over Oklahoma State on its own home field. The Bruins pounced the Cowboys on championship day, winning 14-2 and 22-2. Sophomore Eric Valent earned Tournament MVP honors after blasting six home runs, edging out teammate Nick Theodorou, a junior second baseman who collected 16 hits in Stillwater, OK.
Five Bruins earned All-American honors and seven earned All-Pac-10 first team honors, setting new school records. The offense was led by Pac-10 Player of the Year Troy Glaus, a junior who batted .409 with a Pac-10 record 34 home runs. Glaus also set the Pac-10 record in total bases for a season with 227. Senior Jon Heinrichs was the top leadoff hitter in the nation, blasting 28 home runs and driving in 79. Valent kept pace by hitting 27 bombs. Junior Eric Byrnes, who hit 17 home runs, led the team in stolen bases with 19. Junior Peter Zamora batted .379 and belted 16 home runs. Theodorou batted .473 with runners in scoring position to lead the club and .365 overall.
The pitching staff was led by junior Jim Parque, who posted a 13-2 record and a 3.08 ERA and by sophomore Tom Jacquez, who posted a 10-4 record with a 3.06 ERA. The 1-2 lefthander punch of Parque and Jacquez might have been the best in the country. Zamora, another lefthander, provided the Bruins with another quality starter and he pitched his best down the stretch. Zamora posted a 6-2 record. The bullpen was led by junior Jake Meyer, who saved eight games and by freshman Rob Henkel, one of the nation's top set-up men. Henkel struck out 49 in 41.2 innings and allowed just 37 hits.
UCLA earned its first No. 1 ranking by Collegiate Baseball since 1979 and its first No. 1 ranking ever by Baseball America The Bruins earned the top ranking after winning the Hormel Foods Classic on March 2 at the Minnesota Metrodome.
1998: 24-33, 11-19 Pac-10 (Fifth Place)
This season resembled the 1997 season as incredibly talented freshmen arrived in Westwood. This freshmen class was ranked No. 1 in the nation by Collegiate Baseball. Freshmen pitched 328.2 innings, accounting for 67% of the team's total innings.
UCLA's weekend rotation consisted of all freshmen and its closer was a freshman. Couple this with the fact that UCLA played in the same league as the two College World Series finalists (USC and Arizona State) and the top-ranked team for most of the season (Stanford), and it was not difficult to see why UCLA finished nine games below .500. But that didn't stop junior Eric Valent from blasting 30 home runs. Valent was named as the Pac-10 Player of the Year and earned All-American honors. The freshmen did not disappoint. Freshman Garrett Atkins set a school record with a 33-game hitting streak and batted .383, a new freshman record. Freshman Chase Utley blasted 15 home runs, a new school freshman record. Freshman lefthander Bobby Roe set a school freshman record with seven saves.