UCLA Baseball Prepares for Three-Game Series at Oregon

UCLA Baseball Prepares for Three-Game Series at Oregon

May 4, 2011

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LOS ANGELES - The UCLA baseball team continues Pac-10 play at Oregon this weekend, playing a three-game series against the Ducks (23-20, 5-10) at PK Park in Eugene, Ore. The Bruins (24-16, 11-7) are tied with California for third place in the conference standings.

PROBABLE PITCHING MATCHUPS
Friday, May 6 - 5 p.m.
UCLA - Gerrit Cole, RHP, Jr. (4-5, 3.45)
Oregon - Tyler Anderson, LHP, Jr. (6-1, 1.51)

Saturday, May 7 - 5 p.m.
UCLA - Trevor Bauer, RHP, Jr. (8-2, 1.47)
Oregon - Madison Boer, RHP, Jr. (3-3, 2.15)

Sunday, May 8 - 12 p.m.
UCLA - Adam Plutko, RHP, Fr. (3-3, 1.79)
Oregon - Alex Keudell, RHP, Jr. (5-3, 3.10)

LISTEN LIVE ONLINE (click here)
UCLA's remaining 16 regular-season baseball games will feature a live audio broadcast online, free of charge, at uclabruins.com. Fans can listen live this weekend as UCLA's John Ramey calls the game from Oregon's PK Park. In addition, fans can follow the action online through GameTracker, which provides pitch-by-pitch updates of the game in progress on uclabruins.com.

TELEVISION COVERAGE
Saturday's game at Oregon will be televised by Comcast SportsNet Northwest. The series finale, set for a 12 p.m. first pitch, will be televised by Comcast SportsNet Northwest, CSN California and CSS (Southwest). Fans are advised to check local listings for when the games will be aired (either live or tape delayed).

TRAVELING TO OREGON
UCLA plays its seventh Pac-10 series of the season this weekend, taking on Oregon for a three-game series at the Ducks' PK Park in Eugene, Ore. The Bruins dropped the first two of three games to Oregon in Los Angeles last season (April 2010) after having won the final two contests of a three-game set in Eugene in 2009. The Bruins have gone 7-2 in their last three Pac-10 trips to the Pacific Northwest (2-1 at Washington State in 2011, 3-0 at Washington in 2010, and 2-1 at Oregon State in 2010).

TUESDAY SUCCESS
The Bruins posted their eighth shutout of the season on Tuesday, blanking Pepperdine, 10-0, in Malibu, Calif. Jeff Gelalich snapped a scoreless tie in the top of the sixth inning with a two-out double before UCLA added eight more runs through the final three frames. Freshman right-hander Zack Weiss threw six scoreless innings, recording a season-high seven strikeouts to earn his fourth consecutive win in midweek starts. Dean Espy registered his team-leading 14th multiple-hit game, going 3-for-6 with his 10th double of the spring.

BAUER POWER
Junior right-hander Trevor Bauer leads the nation in strikeouts (142), strikeouts per nine innings (13.94) and hits allowed per nine innings (4.42), through games played Sunday, May 1. Bauer has thrown five complete games this season and enters this weekend having hurled complete games in his last four starts (all in Pac-10 play). He has logged at least 10 strikeouts in 10 of his 11 starts this year. He has been named Pac-10 Pitcher of the Week on four occasions and Louisville Slugger National Player of the Week five times.

CONSISTENCY IS KEY
Freshman right-hander Adam Plutko has gone 3-3 with a 1.79 ERA, the third-lowest mark among Pac-10 pitchers. Plutko collected his third victory of the season last Sunday against Oregon State after having recorded four consecutive no-decisions. Through his last five starts, Plutko has gone 1-0 with a 1.34 ERA, 28 strikeouts, seven walks and a .188 opponent batting average. The native of Upland, Calif., has pitched six innings or more in 10 of his 11 appearances and has limited the opposition to two runs or fewer in eight outings.

THE COLE FILE
Junior right-hander Gerrit Cole has started each of UCLA's series-opening games this season, going 4-5 with a 3.45 ERA and three complete games. Cole pitched complete games to earn the victory on back-to-back starts against Washington (April 1) and at Washington State (April 8). He has collected 81 strikeouts and 16 walks in 75.2 innings. Cole leads UCLA's starting ptichers with a 5.4-to-1 strikeout to walk ratio. He has limited the opposition to under two runs in five of his 11 starts, registering at least 10 strikeouts in four games.

GIVE HIM AN ESPY
Junior first baseman Dean Espy leads UCLA with a .312 batting average and 28 RBI, having totaled one home run and 10 doubles. The resident of Mesa, Ariz., has batted .350 through UCLA's last five games and .359 (14-for-39) through the team's last nine contests. Espy leads UCLA with 14 multiple-hit games, including four three-hit efforts.

POWER PITCHING
UCLA's pitching staff has posted a Pac-10 leading 2.39 ERA. The Bruins also lead the Pac-10 with 408 strikeouts and a .201 opponent batting average. UCLA's pitchers are atop the conference in strikeouts per nine innings (10.2) and hits allowed per nine innings (6.41).

POINT BLANK
UCLA has thrown eight shutouts, the most for the Bruins since 1978 (nine). 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's 1969 ballclub hurled a school-record 10 shutouts.

RECORD WATCH
Trevor Bauer has become UCLA's career leader in strikeouts (399) and wins (29), posting a career 29-8 record (27-5 as a starter). Bauer's 399 strikeouts is fourth all-time among Pac-10 pitchers. He ranks third on UCLA's career innings list (328.1). With a nation-leading 142 strikeouts this season, Bauer is tied for fourth on UCLA's single-season strikeouts list, 23 shy of his school-record 165 from last season.

360 FEET
Sophomore Cody Regis recorded UCLA's first inside-the-park home run at Pepperdine on Tuesday since March 22, 2008, when shortstop Brandon Crawford accomplished the feat in the second game of a doubleheader against Long Beach State at Blair Field. Regis' deep fly ball to right field short-hopped off the wall. Pepperdine right fielder Harrison Kain injured himself slamming into the fence, allowing Regis to round the bases.

GOLDEN SPIKES AWARD
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. Bauer currently leads the country with 142 strikeouts and is among 13 pitchers in the nation with at least eight wins (tied with Sam Gaviglio for the Pac-10 wins lead).

CAUGHT RED-HANDED
Junior catcher Steve Rodriguez has thrown out 16 of 32 attempted base stealers this spring, including seven of 14 attempts in Pac-10 action. Rodriguez is converting on the basepaths at a 50 percent clip, highest among Pac-10 catchers who have had at least 20 attempts against. In Pac-10 play, Rodriguez has batted at a .302 clip with four doubles, nine RBI and five runs. He has posted a .403 on-base percentage in conference games.

NEWS AND NOTES
UCLA's weekend starters (Gerrit Cole, Trevor Bauer, Adam Plutko) have logged 284 strikeouts in 237.1 innings, averaging 10.8 strikeouts per nine innings ... that trio has posted a 2.20 ERA, limiting the opposition to 9.8 hits and walks allowed per nine innings (WHIP) ... first baseman Dean Espy is the only Bruin to have played all 40 games ... second baseman 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 three of the five prominent college baseball polls this week. Collegiate Baseball has tabbed UCLA at No. 13, the National Collegiate Baseball Writers' Association has the Bruins at No. 20 and ESPN/USA Today Coaches' Poll ranks UCLA at No. 22. The Bruins are unranked by Baseball America and Perfect Game USA. Three Pac-10 teams have been ranked by Baseball America - Oregon State (3), Arizona State (6) and California (21). Last season, a record eight Pac-10 teams advanced to NCAA Regionals.

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 (84) and winning percentage (.587). Overall, the Bruins are fourth in total wins (201) and winning percentage (.586). 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.