University of California, Los Angeles, Athletics
Baseball Hosts the Aztecs
March 17, 1998
UCLA vs. San Diego State
UCLA hosts San Diego State on Tuesday at 3:00 p.m. at Jackie Robinson Stadium. Last season, the schools did not play. In 1996, the schools split two games. The Aztecs won 8-7 in Los Angeles and the Bruins won 8-7 in San Diego. Under head coach Gary Adams, the Bruins are 22-16 against the Aztecs.
UCLA's Probable Starters
Pos. Player Class 1998 Stats
(AVG, HR, RBIs)
C Jason Green Jr. .339, 1, 9, just three strikeouts
1B Cassidy Olson Sr. .286, 5, 25
2B Jack Santora Jr. .235, 1, 13, 25 runs scored
3B Garrett Atkins Fr. .382, 2, 21, 13 doubles
SS Chase Utley Fr. .301, 6, 22
LF Brett Nista Sr. .295, 7, 23
CF Eric Valent Jr. .275, 10, 31, 28 runs scored
RF Eric Byrnes Sr. .300, 3, 18, 13 stolen bases
DH Michael Hymes So. .356, 0, 5
Injury Updates:
Senior righthander John Phillips is out indefinitely due to an elbow injury.
Sophomore Rob Henkel, one of the top young lefthanded pitchers in the country, will undergo elbow surgery in two weeks and miss the rest of the season.
All-American candidate Nick Theodorou is close to coming back from a hamstring injury. He is batting .500 with six walks.
Junior righthander Dan Keller will be out of action until at least the end of March due to a shoulder injury.
Pitching Matchups
Tuesday, March 17 vs. San Diego State at 3:00 p.m. PST
Al Thielemann, So., LHP (0-0, 16.20) vs. Abel Herrera, Sr., RHP (1-0, 4.11)
Friday, March 20 vs., CS Northridge at 6:00 p.m. PST
Ryan Carter, Fr., LHP (1-0, 6.35) vs. TBA
Saturday, March 21 @CS Northridge at 1:00 p.m.
Jon Brandt, Fr., RHP (1-3, 8.67) vs. TBA
Head Coach Gary Adams - UCLA's All-Time Winningest Baseball Coach
Head coach Gary Adams became UCLA's all-time winningest head baseball coach on March 2, 1997 when UCLA defeated Minnesota in the Metrodome, 13-5 to win the Hormel Foods Classic. Adams, who is in his 24th season as head coach of UCLA, has a 783-628-7 (.555) record and surpassed Art Reichle's 747 win-total (30 seasons). Thirty of Adams' former players at UCLA have reached the major leagues, the highest total among active coaches. Adams was the head coach at UC Irvine for five years before coming to UCLA and guided the Anteaters to back-to-back NCAA Division II national championships in 1973 and 1974. In 1974, Adams was named as the Division II Coach of the Year. Adams' career record is 971-696-12 (.582). He played second base for the Bruins in 1959, 1960 and 1962. As a senior, he was selected as team captain and MVP.
UCLA's Offense
The Bruins have one of the most explosive offenses in the country. UCLA is averaging 7.77 runs per game and has reached double-digits in runs eight times and double-digits in hits 16 times, including the last three games.
Freshman Garrett Atkins has led the offensive charge so far, collecting a team-high 39 hits, amounting to a .382 batting average. Atkins also has a team-high 13 doubles. With senior Eric Byrnes (leadoff hitter), junior Eric Valent and Atkins, UCLA has three of the top hitters in the nation. Byrnes has stolen 13 bases. Valent has slugged a team-high 10 home runs and has 31 RBIs.
Senior Brett Nista and freshman Chase Utley have been seeing time in the No. 2 spot in the lineup. Nista is batting .295 with seven home runs, including three against the Wildcats in Tucson. Utley is batting .301 with six home runs.
The bottom of the order has been very productive. Senior Cassidy Olson is a very dangerous hitter, who has driven in 25 runs, the second highest total on the team. Sophomore Michael Hymes and freshman Nick Lyon have been platooning in the DH spot. The speedy Hymes is batting .356. Lyon is batting .387 with two home runs and five stolen bases. Freshman Bill Scott has been swinging the bat well and could earn more playing time in the DH spot. Junior Jason Green has been an extremely tough out at the plate, striking out just three times in 67 plate appearances to go along with his .339 batting average.
UCLA's Pitching Staff
The Bruins have a very young pitching staff that has an 9.00 ERA. UCLA's weekend starting rotation consists entirely of true freshman and its closer is also a true freshman. Eight pitchers on the staff have been drafted in the past. Freshmen Chad Cislak, Ryan Carter and Jon Brandt should all develop into big-time pitchers. UCLA will likely have one of the top starting rotations in the country in 1999 and 2000. Cislak has pitched 41.1 innings this season to lead the team. He has been clocked as high as 93 miles per hour. Carter delivered the best starting performance of the season for UCLA. On 3/06 against Arizona St., after an injury to senior John Phillips, Carter was called on as a replacement starter and he allowed just one earned run in seven innings and struck out eight. Brandt has used his wicked curveball and a great fastball to open up a lot of eyes. He earned a spot in the starting rotation after not allowing an earned run in four innings against Stanford while striking out seven on 2/22.
The bullpen has been anchored by freshman Bobby Roe who has saved three games to go along with three wins. He has come through with some of the biggest pitching performances of the season for UCLA.
Freshman Fever
Fifteen true freshmen are currently on UCLA's roster and nine of them were drafted in 1997 out of high school. Nine true freshmen have started at least one game this season. In addition, freshman Bobby Roe is the team's closer and has saved three games. Freshman Tyler Dersom is a key righthanded set-up man. Freshman Charles Merricks has appeared in three games and should become a key lefthanded set-up man.
True freshmen hitters have accounted for 95 hits, including 13 of the team's 41 home runs. True freshmen pitchers have accounted for 137.2 innings (60.6 % of the team's total innings).
Third baseman Garrett Atkins and shortstop Chase Utley are two of the premier freshmen hitters in the nation. Atkins leads the team in batting average (.382). Utley is batting .301 with six home runs. Chad Cislak has been the team's Saturday starter all season long and has struck out 31 batters in 41.1 innings.
Bruin Tidbits
-- Senior Eric Byrnes became UCLA's all-time career hits leader on 2/22 against Stanford when he singled in the sixth inning. Byrnes has 278 career hits, breaking Torey Lovullo's school record. Byrnes became UCLA's all-time career doubles leader earlier this season. He has 66 doubles in his career, six more than Jon Heinrichs who is second on the career list.
-- Byrnes has stolen 13 bases without being caught this season and dating back to last season, has stolen 28 bases in a row without being caught. The last time he was thrown out was on 2/08/97 against Nevada.
-- On 2/22 against Stanford, freshmen occupied the fifth-sixth-seventh and eighth spots in the lineup. UCLA's three-man weekend rotation consists of three true freshmen.
-- Only freshmen pitchers appeared in UCLA's games against Arizona State on 3/06 and 3/07 and freshmen pitched the first 8.2 innings against Arizona State on 3/08.
-- UCLA is averaging 7.77 runs per game and giving up an average of 11.15 runs per game.
-- UCLA has committed 60 errors which have led to 63 unearned runs, an average of 2.42 per game. Opponents have committed 48 errors, leading to 40 unearned runs, an average of 1.54 per game.
Televised Games
Here are the games scheduled to be televised:
Saturday, April 11 vs. Arizona (Fox Sports West 2, delayed at 5:00 p.m.)
Saturday, April 18 @Arizona State (Fox Sports Net, live at 1:00 p.m.)
Sunday, April 26 vs. USC (Fox Sports West 2, delayed at 1:00 p.m.)
Schedule And Game Time Changes
UCLA's game against California in Berkeley that was rained out will be made up on Tuesday, March 31 at 1:00 p.m. after UCLA plays a three-game series against Stanford in Stanford. UCLA will bus to Berkeley from Stanford and then bus to Santa Barbara after its game against California to play the Gauchos on Wednesday at 2:30 p.m.
UCLA's game @Arizona State on Saturday, April 18 has been picked up by Fox Sports Net and will be televised nationally. As a result, the game time has been moved from 7:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Five Inducted Into UCLA Baseball Hall of Fame
Bob Adams, Jeff Conine, Wayne Harding, Torey Lovullo and John Zaby were inducted into the UCLA Baseball Hall of Fame on Saturday January 17, bringing the total number of Hall of Fame members to 56.
Zeile Outslugs Glaus In Alumni Hone Run Contest
Todd Zeile, who belted 31 home runs in 1997 for the Los Angeles Dodgers, defeated Troy Glaus, who was drafted by the Anaheim Angels with the third pick overall in the 1997 draft, in the annual alumni home run hitting contest on January 17. Zeile won the competition for the second year in a row. Glaus had set a record with four home runs in five swings in the first round of the competition, but Zeile was the only slugger who could hit a home run in the final round.
Henkel, Cislak And Utley Participate In Team USA Trials; Henkel Invited Back
Sophomore lefthander Rob Henkel, freshman righthander Chad Cislak and freshman shortstop Chase Utley participated in the Team USA Trials held in Tucson, Arizona this past fall (November 6-9). Henkel struck out seven in 4.2 innings and allowed just one run at the USA Trials. Cislak did not walk a batter in four innings and batted .500 (2-4) at the USA Trials.
Henkel was one of nine players in the country who received an invitation to tryout for Team USA this summer. Around 30 more players will receive invitations. Camp is scheduled to open on June 1 at Hi Corbett Field, home of USA Baseball.
Valent and Byrnes Selected As Preseason All-Americans
Junior center fielder Eric Valent and senior right fielder Eric Byrnes were selected as preseason All-Americans by Baseball America. Valent was a consensus preseason All-American, selected to the first team by Baseball America, Collegiate Baseball and The Sporting News.
Six Bruins Labeled As "Players To Watch" In The Pac-10 By Collegiate Baseball
Junior center fielder Eric Valent, senior right fielder Eric Byrnes, senior second baseman Nick Theodorou, freshman shortstop Chase Utley, sophomore lefthander Rob Henkel and freshman righthander Chad Cislak were selected as "Players To Watch" in the Pacific-10 Southern Division.
Phillips Makes Miraculous Comeback From Tommy John Surgery
Senior righthander John Phillips returned to action on March 1, 1997 after missing the previous 10 and a half months. He had Tommy John surgery performed on his right pitching elbow on April 16, 1996. In his first outing back, on March 1 vs. Nebraska in Minnesota, he pitched 1.1 innings and did not allow a run. He earned his first victory of the season at California on May 2 when he pitched two strong innings out of the bullpen. Phillips returned to action quicker than anyone else who has ever had Tommy John surgery, and he is throwing harder than ever before at 90 miles per hour, when it has taken most pitchers recovering from Tommy John surgery at least two years to regain full velocity. Phillips, a strong professional prospect, pitched a one-hitter in 1995 at the University of San Diego and did not walk a batter in the game.
This season, Phillips has been a key member of the pitching staff. He struck out seven in 3.1 innings on February 8 @Georgia Tech. Phillips made his first start of the season on 2/27 @USC and pitched extremely well. Phillips retired all four batters he faced on 3/13 @Arizona but re-injured his elbow and is out indefinitely.
Academic Stars For Fall Quarter
Here are the honors Coach Adams bestowed upon his players for their accomplishments in the classroom in the fall.
Four-Star Generals:
Adam Berry, Chad Cislak
Three-Star Generals:
Forrest Johnson, Matt Pearl, Tony Righetti
Two-Star Generals:
Tyler Dersom, Brett Nista, Cassidy Olson, Aldo Pinto
One-Star Generals:
Eric Byrnes, Casey Cloud, Jason Green, Rob Henkel, Dan Keller, Matt Klein, Bill Scott, Nick Theodorou
Did You Know?
UCLA has gone 338 games without winning a game while scoring three runs or less. The last time UCLA won a game while scoring three runs or less was at the Mideast Regional in 1992 when UCLA defeated Mississippi St., 3-2 The Bruins have lost 66 games in a row when scoring three runs or less.