No. 24 UCLA Baseball to Host Cal State Bakersfield

No. 24 UCLA Baseball to Host Cal State Bakersfield

May 12, 2011

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LOS ANGELES - The No. 24 UCLA baseball team plays a three-game series this weekend against Cal State Bakersfield at the Bruins' Jackie Robinson Stadium. UCLA (27-18) has three weeks remaining in its regular season, including this weekend's three-game set against the Roadrunners (26-19). Fans can listen to each of this weekend's three games online, free of charge, at uclabruins.com.

PROBABLE PITCHING MATCHUPS
Friday, May 13 - 6 p.m.
CSUB - Mike McCarthy, RHP, R-Sr. (5-5, 1.81)
UCLA - Gerrit Cole, RHP, Jr. (5-5, 3.25)

Saturday, May 14 - 2 p.m.
CSUB - Martin Medina, RHP, Jr. (2-2, 4.15)
UCLA - Trevor Bauer, RHP, Jr. (9-2, 1.43)

Sunday, May 15 - 1 p.m.
CSUB - Jonathan Montoya, LHP, Jr. (7-4, 3.64)
UCLA - Adam Plutko, RHP, Fr. (4-3, 1.59)

LISTEN LIVE ONLINE (click here)
Each of UCLA's remaining 11 regular-season ballgames will feature a live audio broadcast online, free of charge, at uclabruins.com. UCLA's John Ramey and Tim Wilhelm will have the call from Jackie Robinson Stadium this weekend as the Bruins take on Cal State Bakersfield. In addition, fans unable to attend this weekend's games can follow online through GameTracker, which provides pitch-by-pitch updates of the game in progress on uclabruins.com.

GETTING TO JACKIE ROBINSON STADIUM
Steele Field at Jackie Robinson Stadium is located on the grounds of the West L.A. Veteran Administration, north of Wilshire Blvd. and west of the 405 Freeway. From the 405 North, exit Wilshire Blvd. (west offramp), stay in the right lane coming down the offramp and turn right onto Sepulveda Blvd. Continue until Constitution Ave. and turn left. Parking lots for the ballpark are located on the north side of Constitution Ave.

TICKETS AND PARKING
Tickets to this weekend's games against Oregon State cost $7 for adults and $5 for children (ages 16 and under). Parking on the VA grounds costs $7. UCLA's baseball concession stand is stocked with hot dogs, peanuts, nachos, chili, sodas and much more classic ballpark food.

BACK HOME
UCLA hosts a three-game non-conference series against Cal State Bakersfield this weekend during the team's final stretch of eight home games. The Bruins have only faced Cal State Bakersfield once in the past, earning a 15-2 decision in midweek action on May 5, 2009 after having returned home from a series at Oregon. Currently of independent affiliation, the Roadrunners have lost 11 of their last 13 since opening the year 24-8.

MIDWEEK SETBACKS
After sweeping Oregon last weekend, the Bruins dropped consecutive midweek games to Long Beach State and UC Santa Barbara on Tuesday and Wednesday. UCLA could not overcome a 4-0 deficit at Long Beach State. Against UC Santa Barbara, the Bruins rallied with two runs in the eighth inning to reduce their deficit to 5-4 but could not tie the contest. Jeff Gelalich went 3-for-4 and Beau Amaral went 2-for-5 against the Gauchos.

PAC-10 PITCHER OF THE WEEK
Freshman right-hander Adam Plutko fired UCLA's fourth complete game shutout of the season on Sunday, limiting Oregon to two hits before earning Pac-10 Pitcher of the Week acclaim on Monday. Plutko improved his record to 4-3, lowering his ERA to a 1.59 mark (second-lowest in the Pac-10). Plutko has pitched six innings or more in 11 of his 12 appearances and has limited the opposition to two runs or fewer in nine outings.

WEEKEND IN REVIEW
The Bruins swept a three-game Pac-10 series at Oregon last weekend, outscoring the Ducks by a 14-2 margin. Freshman right-hander Adam Plutko threw a two-hit complete game shutout on Sunday in UCLA's 4-0 victory. Junior right-hander Trevor Bauer hurled his fifth consecutive complete game on Saturday (3-1 win). Junior right-hander Gerrit Cole limited Oregon to one run and six hits through 7.1 innings on Friday night (7-1 win).

BAUER POWER
Junior right-hander Trevor Bauer leads the nation in strikeouts (154), strikeouts per nine innings (13.76) and hits allowed per nine innings (4.38), through May 8. He has thrown six complete games this spring (including each of his last five starts) and has logged at least 10 strikeouts in 11 of his 12 starts. He has been named Pac-10 Pitcher of the Week on five occasions and Louisville Slugger National Player of the Week five times.

THE COLE FILE
Junior right-hander Gerrit Cole has started each of UCLA's series-opening games, going 5-5 with a 3.25 ERA and three complete games. He has collected 81 strikeouts and 16 walks in 75.2 innings and has limited the opposition to under one run or fewer in six of 12 starts. The right-hander from Santa Ana, Calif., held Oregon to one run and six hits through 7.1 innings in last Friday's 7-1 win.

ATOP THE OFFENSE
Sophomore outfielder Beau Amaral enters this weekend's series against Cal State Bakersfield with a team-best .315 batting average. Amaral has totaled two home runs, 24 RBI and a team-leading 30 runs in 44 starts. He leads all Bruins with a .437 on-base percentage and has stolen eight bases in 11 attempts. Amaral has started each of the team's last 41 games in center field. He also leads the offense with a .378 batting average in all 21 Pac-10 Conference games.

POINT BLANK
UCLA has thrown nine shutouts, the most for the Bruins since 1978 (nine). In 1969, the Bruins hurled a school-record 10 shutouts. UCLA totaled eight shutouts in 1967 and had five in 2008, 1992 and 1977. UCLA's vaunted pitching staff hurled just one shutout last spring. The Bruins opened this season with six shutouts in their first 18 games. UCLA has tossed three of its nine shutouts this spring in Pac-10 action.

RECORD WATCH
Trevor Bauer has become UCLA's career leader in strikeouts (411) and wins (30), posting a career 30-8 record (28-5 as a starter). Bauer's 411 strikeouts is fourth all-time among Pac-10 pitchers. He ranks second on UCLA's career innings list (337.1), trailing leader Alex Sanchez by 3.2 innings. Bauer's nation-best 154 strikeouts this season ranks second on UCLA's single-season strikeouts list, behind his school-record 163 strikeouts in 2010.

NATIONAL WATCH LISTS
Junior right-handers Trevor Bauer and Gerrit Cole are among the 60 semifinalists for the Golden Spikes Award, as announced by USA Baseball on May 3. The Golden Spikes Award is presented at the conclusion of each season to the nation's top amateur baseball player. In addition, Bauer has been named as one of 25 pitchers to the National Pitcher of the Year Watch List, as announced by the College Baseball Hall of Fame.

COMING ON STRONG
Freshman infielder Kevin Williams has started at second base in nine of the team's last 16 games. The former standout at Crespi High School (Encino, Calif.) has batted .370 in UCLA's last 14 games, going 10-for-27 with five runs and three RBI. Williams had the eventual game-winning hit in UCLA's 3-1 victory at Oregon on May 7, grounding a two-run single up the middle in the top of the fifth inning to snap a 1-1 tie.

PACKING SOME POWER
Sophomore infielder Cody Regis has been among UCLA's most prolific power hitters in 2011. Despite a nationwide decline this season in power production, Regis leads the team with three home runs and 33 RBI. After batting at a .179 clip through the Bruins' first 14 games, Regis has hit safely in 25 of UCLA's 31 contests since then, posting a .340 batting average in that 31-game span. The resident of Glendora, Calif., has batted .338 in UCLA's last 23 games, totaling nine extra-base hits with 26 RBI since the start of April.

NEWS AND NOTES
Through games played on May 8, UCLA ranks fourth in the nation in ERA (2.27) and first in strikeouts per nine innings (10.1) and hits allowed per nine innings (6.26) ... nationally, Trevor Bauer leads all pitchers in strikeouts (154), strikeouts per nine innings (13.94) and hits allowed per nine (4.38) ... Dean Espy is the only Bruin to have played all 45 games ... Tyler Rahmatulla is unable to play, pending the resolution of an academic issue.

CHASING HISTORY
UCLA was no-hit by Oregon State left-hander Josh Osich on April 30, marking the first no-hitter against UCLA (and in a Pac-10 game) since May 8, 1994, when Stanford's Jason Middlebrook no-hit UCLA in the second game of a doubleheader in Palo Alto, Calif. UCLA pitchers have had a no-hitter through six innings three times this season. Gerrit Cole had a perfect game broken with two outs in the seventh inning at Nebraska (March 4) and with one out in the seventh against Georgia (March 11). Trevor Bauer had a perfect game with one out in the seventh at USC and had his no-hit bid broken with one out in the eighth inning that night (March 26).

THIS WEEK'S POLLS
The Bruins are ranked in four of the five prominent college baseball polls this week. Collegiate Baseball has tabbed UCLA at No. 13, ESPN/USA Today Coaches' Poll has the Bruins No. 19, the National Collegiate Baseball Writers' Association has UCLA No. 20, and Baseball America has tabbed the Bruins No. 24. Three Pac-10 teams have been ranked by Baseball America - Oregon State (3), Arizona State (6) and UCLA (24).

2010 IN REVIEW
UCLA advanced to the finals of the College World Series in 2010 for the first time ever. The Bruins earned their third trip to the College World Series (first since 1997), defeating Cal State Fullerton in an NCAA Super Regional. UCLA's 51 wins and 43 regular-season victories established school records. The pitching staff led the nation with 700 strikeouts, (school and Pac-10 record) after the Bruins opened with a program-best 22-game win streak. UCLA hosted an NCAA Regional for the first time since 1986 (first-ever Super Regional host).

SIX-SEASON COMPOSITE
In conference games over the last five-plus seasons (2006-11), UCLA ranks second in both wins (87) and winning percentage (.596). Overall, the Bruins are fourth in total wins (204) and winning percentage (.584). UCLA finished second in the Pac-10 in 2010, after having posted a third-place finish the previous four years. The Bruins have advanced to the postseason in four of the last five seasons.