University of California, Los Angeles, Athletics
No. 9 UCLA Baseball Welcomes Utah for Three-Game Pac-12 Series
May 2, 2013
Utah at UCLA - Game Notes 
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Los Angeles, Calif. - The ninth-ranked UCLA Baseball team (28-13, 11-7 Pac-12) will host the Utah Utes (16-23, 5-16 Pac-12) in a three-game series from Friday, May 3 to Sunday, May 5 out at Jackie Robinson Stadium. Game times are 6 p.m., 2 p.m. and 1 p.m. respectively.
PROBABLE STARTING PITCHERS
Friday, May 3 - 6 p.m.
UTAH - Mitch Watrous, RHP, So. (3-2, 2.81)
UCLA - Adam Plutko, RHP, Jr. (5-2, 2.69)
Saturday, May 4 - 2 p.m.
UTAH - Dalton Carroll, RHP, Fr. (3-5, 4.64)
UCLA - Nick Vander Tuig, RHP, Jr. (7-3, 1.77)
Sunday, May 5 - 1 p.m.
UTAH - Tanner Banks, LHP, Jr. (1-4, 5.08)
UCLA - Grant Watson, LHP, So. (5-3, 3.13)
LISTEN LIVE
All three of the UCLA/Utah games this weekend will feature a live audio broadcast online, free of charge, at uclabruins.com. John Ramey and Tim Wilhelm will have the call live from Jackie Robinson Stadium. Fans can also follow all three games online through GameTracker, which provides pitch-by-pitch updates on uclabruins.com. Links can be found on the front page of uclabruins.com on the events calendar or on the 2013 UCLA Baseball schedule page.
UCLA VS. UTAH
UCLA and Utah have only met on the baseball diamond 12 times, with the Bruins having won 10 of those meetings. Last season, UCLA swept the Utes in Salt Lake City, outscoring Utah by 23 runs in the series (30-7). In addition, head coach John Savage has an all-time record of 3-1 against Utah.
A LOOK AT THE PAC-12 RACE
With four conference series left on the schedule, the Bruins find themselves in third place in the standings, just 3.5 games behind Pac-12 leaders Oregon, who have played three more conference games than UCLA. The Bruins are three games behind Oregon State for second place in the conference and are currently tied for third with Arizona State with matching 11-7 conference records. UCLA's remaing Pac-12 schedule includes road series at USC and Stanford and home series vs. Utah and Arizona. The Bruins have finished among the top three in the Pac-12 Conference each of the last seven seasons (2006-2012), the only Pac-12 team to have done so.
TUESDAY RECAP
Behind six strong innings from freshman right-hander Cody Poteet and a 13-hit performance from its offense, UCLA defeated the UC Irvine Anteaters, 8-1, on Tuesday night at Jackie Robinson Stadium. Poteet's six innings pitched were a new season-high for the freshman, as were the five batters he struck out. He also allowed just two hits and did not walk a batter to earn his third win of the year. Sophomore Kevin Kramer led the UCLA offense on the night, going 2-5 with a double, a triple and two runs scored while matching a career-high with three RBI. Eric Filia, Pat Gallagher and Christoph Bono each added two hits as well while Brenton Allen posted his first career three-hit game. With the win, UCLA achieved its highest four-year win total (162) in program history, surpassing the 161 wins accumulated from 2009-2012.
STARTING THE SERIES OPENER
Junior-right hander Adam Plutko will start the series opener for the Bruins on Friday night. Plutko owns a record of 5-2 entering this weekend's games, posting a 2.69 ERA in 11 starts this season. In his last four starts, Plutko is 3-0 with a 1.38 ERA and 22 strikeouts. Overall, Plutko has 53 strikeouts in 70.1 innings this season and has allowed hitters to bat just .198 against him, which is fifth-lowest in the Pac-12. In his career, Plutko has been named to the All-Pac-12 team twice and in 2012, captured third-team All-America honors from Baseball America.
GAME TWO STARTER
Junior-right hander Nick Vander Tuig will take the mound in the second game of the series on Saturday afternoon. Vander Tuig enters this weekend 7-3 on the year and has been lights out so far, striking out a team-high 54 batters in 76.1 innings. Overall, Vander Tuig leads all UCLA starters with 1.77 ERA and has walked just 10 batters all season, fifth-fewest in the Pac-12. His 1.77 ERA is also sixth-best in the conference and he has allowed just a .213 batting average against him. In his last three starts, Vander Tuig is 3-0 with a 0.79 ERA and 19 strikeouts versus three walks. Earlier this week, he was named the Pac-12 Pitcher of the Week after pitching the second complete game of his career in UCLA's 10-1 win over Washington State. Vander Tuig allowed one run on seven hits while matching a season-high with eight strikeouts. He also did not issue a walk in the game.
CLOSING OUT THE SERIES
Sophomore left-hander Grant Watson will start Sunday's series finale for the Bruins. Watson, who owns a career record of 13-4 as a starter, is 5-3 on the season with a 3.13 ERA. He has surrendered just 10 walks thus far, good for fifth fewest in the conference, and has struck out 37 batters in 60.1 innings pitched. In 2012, Watson set a UCLA record for wins by a freshman with nine and was rewarded with freshman All-America honors from Collegiate Baseball.
BERG'S BRILLIANCE
After his record-setting freshman season in 2012, sophomore David Berg has continued to string together terrific performances out of the bullpen in 2013. Berg, a preseason All-American, currently leads the Pac-12 and ranks second in the country with a 0.73 ERA. He has allowed the fewest walks (6), fewest runs (4) and third-fewest hits (33) in the conference as well and is sixth in the nation in WHIP with a 0.80 mark. Berg has appeared in 29 games thus far (most in the Pac-12), posting a record of 5-0 with 10 saves and 48 strikeouts in 49 innings pitched. Additionally, Berg has allowed an opponent's batting average of just .191, the second-lowest opposing average in the Pac-12, and has not allowed a run in his last 22.2 innings of work. In 2012, Berg led the Pac-12 with a 1.46 ERA, appearing in 50 games, which was one appearance shy of the NCAA Division I record. Berg also earned freshman All-America honors from Baseball America in 2012.
BRUINS NAMED TO WATCH LISTS
Sophomore Shane Zeile and junior Adam Plutko have been named to watch lists for the Johnny Bench Award and the Golden Spikes Award respectively. The Johnny Bench Award honors the nation's premier collegiate catcher while the Golden Spikes Award is handed out to the nation's top amateur player. Zeile is hitting .242 on the year, but has swung the bat well in conference play, batting .299 with a team-leading 20 hits. Overall, he has logged 11 RBI, seven doubles and a .351 on-base percentage in 38 appearances thus far, while posting eight multi-hit games. Behind the plate, Zeile has handled a pitching staff that ranks second in the conference in ERA and while committing just three errors behind the dish all season. Plutko was selected among 60 candidates for the nation's top amateur award after posting a 5-2 record and a 2.69 ERA in 11 starts in 2013.
GOLD GLOVE DEFENSE
UCLA has been outstanding in the field this season, posting a team fielding percentage of .980, which is ranked eighth in the country and is tied for first in the Pac-12. The Bruins have committed only 34 errors thus far, the fewest in the conference. Individually, junior shortstop Pat Valaika has not committed an error in his last 31 games, with his last error coming back on March 3 against Wright State. In 2012, UCLA's defense recorded a .976 fielding percentage, matching the second-highest mark in school history.
HOT CORNER
Sophomore Kevin Kramer has been swinging a hot bat as of late, as he is 13 for his last 36 (.361 avg.) and has hit safely in nine of the last 11 games. The Turlock, Calif. native leads the team with a .417 on-base percentage 42 hits, 13 multi-hit games and eight multi-RBI games as well. Kramer is second on the team in RBI (29), total bases (60), home runs (2) and runs scored (27). In addition, he leads the team in walks with 24, which is good for third most in the conference, and 12 hit by pitches, second-most in the Pac-12. As a team, UCLA is second in the Pac-12 in walks (191) and first in hit by pitches (61).
STEADY AT SHORTSTOP
Junior shortstop Pat Valaika has been a steady presence in the middle of the lineup and a leader in the field this season. Valaika is second on the team with 12 multi-hit games and five multi-RBI games. Additionally, Valaika enters this week leading the Bruins in home runs (4), RBI (30), total bases (68), doubles (13) and slugging percentage (.425). In the field, Valaika has anchored the defense at shortstop, leading the Bruins with 20 double plays turned while posting a .988 fielding percentage.