2023 Baseball Roster
Roster
Austin, Kelly
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Jersey Number 55
Kelly Austin
- Position:
- RHP
- Height:
- 6-0
- Weight:
- 200
- Class:
- Senior
- Hometown:
- Costa Mesa, Calif.
- High School:
- Newport Harbor HS
Bio
Notes
Signed as an undrafted free agent with the Houston Astros after the 2023 season ... Two-year member of the UCLA baseball program (2022-23) ... Earned All-America and All-Pac-12 honors after leading UCLA's pitching corps as a senior in 2023 ... As a Bruin, went 9-7 with a 3.72 ERA and 178 strikeouts over 159 2/3 innings ... Broke the 100-strikeout barrier as a senior (104) ... Was UCLA's first junior college transfer to start a weekend game on the mound since 2007.
Career Highlights
2023 All-American
2023 Pac-12 All-Conference Team
2022 Auburn Regional All-Tournament Team
2021 Orange Empire Conference Pitcher of the Year
2023
Earned NCBWA Third Team All-America honors after a superlative senior season at UCLA ... Was also named to the Pac-12 All-Conference Team ... Made 17 appearances (13 starts) for the season, going 5-4 with a 3.39 ERA and .229 batting average against over 82 1/3 innings ... Had 104 strikeouts against 34 walks and six hit batters ... Became the first Bruin with 100+ strikeouts in a season since 2019 (Ryan Garcia, Jack Ralston) ... Started in each possible weekend role for UCLA over the course of the season, including a pair of series openers, three middle games, and seven finales ... Finished top-five in the Pac-12 in strikeouts (second), ERA (second), and strikeouts per nine innings (11.4) ... Allowed two earned runs or fewer in eight of 13 starts ... Had a trio of double-digit strikeout games ... Struck out a career-high 13 in just six innings against Oregon State on May 13 ... Completed seven innings and struck out 11, both for the first time as a Bruin, on Apr. 6 against Utah ... In his final start as a Bruin, punched out a dozen and allowed three earned over five innings as UCLA defeated Washington, 17-4, in the Pac-12 Tournament on May 24 ... His 3.32 ERA in league play led qualifying Bruins ... UCLA was 7-6 in his starts ... Had a 1.25 ERA over four starts in March ... Had a team-best 2.45 ERA in road games (among pitchers with over 10 IP).
2022
Made 25 appearances, including a team-high 16 starts, during his first year with the Bruins ... Finished with a 4-3 record and 4.07 ERA over 77 1/3 innings ... Had 74 strikeouts against just 16 walks ... Appeared in a wide variety of roles for UCLA, starting the year as the Sunday starter but also serving as a midweek starter, late-game reliever, and long reliever ... As a starter, was 2-2 with a 3.92 ERA and 56 strikeouts in 64 1/3 innings ... As a reliever, posted a 4.85 ERA and 18 strikeouts in 13 innings ... Had solid control, as his 1.86 BB/9 rate ranked third on the team and his 4.6 strikeout-to-walk ratio ranked fourth ... Became the first junior college transfer to start on the mound for UCLA since 2019 (Felix Rubi), and the first JC transfer to start a weekend game since 2007 (Tyson Brummett) ... During the regular season, made eight weekend starts and six midweek starts ... Named to the Auburn Regional All-Tournament Team after a standout outing in his first postseason start, limiting three-seed Florida State to one run on six hits with six strikeouts over six innings on Jun. 5 ... Allowed one earned run or fewer in 10 of 16 starts ... Walked one batter or fewer in 23 of his 25 appearances ... Made his Division I debut on Feb. 20 against CSUN, firing six shutout innings and matching a season-high with eight strikeouts (allowed just three hits) ... One of just three Bruins with an eight-strikeout, no-walk outing in 2022 (Jake Brooks, Max Rajcic) ... Limited UC Riverside to just two hits over six scoreless innings on Feb. 27 ... Picked up the win over then-No. 1 Texas on Mar. 6 at Minute Maid Park as part of the Shriner's Children's Classic, striking out eight and allowing one earned over 5 1/3 frames ... Led qualifying UCLA pitchers with a 3.42 ERA in away games ... Against non-conference foes, had a solid 2.96 ERA and 54 strikeouts in 48 2/3 innings ... Among qualifying pitchers, finished the year ranked top-five in the Pac-12 in starts (fourth), strikeout-to-walk ratio (fifth), and walks per nine (fourth) ... Stranded 11 of his 14 inherited runners for the season ... Posted a 3.86 ERA over six midweek appearances, all starts ... UCLA was 12-4 in his starts; the team's .750 winning percentage behind him was second-best on the team behind Thatcher Hurd (5-1, .833).
2021 (Summer)
Spent the summer with the Cowlitz Black Bears in the West Coast League ... Named First Team All-WCL at the conclusion of the season ... Ranked the No. 6 prospect in the WCL by Baseball America ... Made 10 starts on the mound for Cowlitz, going 4-1 with a 2.43 ERA and a 83-8 strikeout-to-walk ratio over 63 innings ... Allowed three earned runs or fewer in nine-of-10 starts, and allowed one earned run or fewer in half of his starts ... Reached double-digit strikeouts four times, and added a pair of 9-K performances ... Best start of the summer came on Jul. 6 at Portland, as he struck out 10 while allowing just two hits over seven shutout frames ... Struck out nine, gave up just three hits over eight scoreless against Yakima Valley on Jul. 16 ... Completed at least six innings in all but one appearance ... Pinch-hit and played center field against Ridgefield on Jun. 2, singling in both of his plate appearances (his only two PAs of the summer).ย
Orange Coast College (2020-21)
Spent two seasons at OCC in Costa Mesa, Calif. ... Had a breakout campaign in 2021, earning Orange Empire Conference Pitcher of the Year honors ... Over seven starts spanning 46 innings, went 6-0 with a 1.57 ERA and 57 strikeouts ... Didn't allow a home run the entire season ... Allowed two earned runs or fewer in each of his seven outings ... Standout performances came against Irvine Valley on Apr. 23 (7 IP, 0 R, 3 H, 10 K), Golden West on Apr. 30 (6 IP, 1 ER, 11 K), and Santa Ana on May 28 (CG, 0 R, 5 H, 9 K) ... Threw 15 2/3 innings as a true freshman in 2020 before the season was wiped out to due to COVID.
Highย School
Played high school baseball at Newport Harbor High School in Newport Beach, Calif.
Personal
Richard Kelly Austin was born in 2000 to parents Kelly and Ronda in Orange, Calif. โฆ Has one sister, Clare โฆ Chose UCLA because โof their amazing track record on the field and in the classroomโ โฆ Lists Sony Gray and Zack Greinke as his favorite athletes โฆ Describes his first outing at OCC as his greatest pre-UCLA athletic thrill ...ย Enjoys surfing and playing guitar โฆ Studying applied mathematics at UCLA โฆ Aspires to be a coach and math teacher.
Career Highs (as of conclusion of 2023 season)
Innings: 7.1 vs. California (5/6/23)
Strikeouts: 13 vs. Oregon State (5/13/23)
Signed as an undrafted free agent with the Houston Astros after the 2023 season ... Two-year member of the UCLA baseball program (2022-23) ... Earned All-America and All-Pac-12 honors after leading UCLA's pitching corps as a senior in 2023 ... As a Bruin, went 9-7 with a 3.72 ERA and 178 strikeouts over 159 2/3 innings ... Broke the 100-strikeout barrier as a senior (104) ... Was UCLA's first junior college transfer to start a weekend game on the mound since 2007.
Career Highlights
2023 All-American
2023 Pac-12 All-Conference Team
2022 Auburn Regional All-Tournament Team
2021 Orange Empire Conference Pitcher of the Year
2023
Earned NCBWA Third Team All-America honors after a superlative senior season at UCLA ... Was also named to the Pac-12 All-Conference Team ... Made 17 appearances (13 starts) for the season, going 5-4 with a 3.39 ERA and .229 batting average against over 82 1/3 innings ... Had 104 strikeouts against 34 walks and six hit batters ... Became the first Bruin with 100+ strikeouts in a season since 2019 (Ryan Garcia, Jack Ralston) ... Started in each possible weekend role for UCLA over the course of the season, including a pair of series openers, three middle games, and seven finales ... Finished top-five in the Pac-12 in strikeouts (second), ERA (second), and strikeouts per nine innings (11.4) ... Allowed two earned runs or fewer in eight of 13 starts ... Had a trio of double-digit strikeout games ... Struck out a career-high 13 in just six innings against Oregon State on May 13 ... Completed seven innings and struck out 11, both for the first time as a Bruin, on Apr. 6 against Utah ... In his final start as a Bruin, punched out a dozen and allowed three earned over five innings as UCLA defeated Washington, 17-4, in the Pac-12 Tournament on May 24 ... His 3.32 ERA in league play led qualifying Bruins ... UCLA was 7-6 in his starts ... Had a 1.25 ERA over four starts in March ... Had a team-best 2.45 ERA in road games (among pitchers with over 10 IP).
2022
Made 25 appearances, including a team-high 16 starts, during his first year with the Bruins ... Finished with a 4-3 record and 4.07 ERA over 77 1/3 innings ... Had 74 strikeouts against just 16 walks ... Appeared in a wide variety of roles for UCLA, starting the year as the Sunday starter but also serving as a midweek starter, late-game reliever, and long reliever ... As a starter, was 2-2 with a 3.92 ERA and 56 strikeouts in 64 1/3 innings ... As a reliever, posted a 4.85 ERA and 18 strikeouts in 13 innings ... Had solid control, as his 1.86 BB/9 rate ranked third on the team and his 4.6 strikeout-to-walk ratio ranked fourth ... Became the first junior college transfer to start on the mound for UCLA since 2019 (Felix Rubi), and the first JC transfer to start a weekend game since 2007 (Tyson Brummett) ... During the regular season, made eight weekend starts and six midweek starts ... Named to the Auburn Regional All-Tournament Team after a standout outing in his first postseason start, limiting three-seed Florida State to one run on six hits with six strikeouts over six innings on Jun. 5 ... Allowed one earned run or fewer in 10 of 16 starts ... Walked one batter or fewer in 23 of his 25 appearances ... Made his Division I debut on Feb. 20 against CSUN, firing six shutout innings and matching a season-high with eight strikeouts (allowed just three hits) ... One of just three Bruins with an eight-strikeout, no-walk outing in 2022 (Jake Brooks, Max Rajcic) ... Limited UC Riverside to just two hits over six scoreless innings on Feb. 27 ... Picked up the win over then-No. 1 Texas on Mar. 6 at Minute Maid Park as part of the Shriner's Children's Classic, striking out eight and allowing one earned over 5 1/3 frames ... Led qualifying UCLA pitchers with a 3.42 ERA in away games ... Against non-conference foes, had a solid 2.96 ERA and 54 strikeouts in 48 2/3 innings ... Among qualifying pitchers, finished the year ranked top-five in the Pac-12 in starts (fourth), strikeout-to-walk ratio (fifth), and walks per nine (fourth) ... Stranded 11 of his 14 inherited runners for the season ... Posted a 3.86 ERA over six midweek appearances, all starts ... UCLA was 12-4 in his starts; the team's .750 winning percentage behind him was second-best on the team behind Thatcher Hurd (5-1, .833).
2021 (Summer)
Spent the summer with the Cowlitz Black Bears in the West Coast League ... Named First Team All-WCL at the conclusion of the season ... Ranked the No. 6 prospect in the WCL by Baseball America ... Made 10 starts on the mound for Cowlitz, going 4-1 with a 2.43 ERA and a 83-8 strikeout-to-walk ratio over 63 innings ... Allowed three earned runs or fewer in nine-of-10 starts, and allowed one earned run or fewer in half of his starts ... Reached double-digit strikeouts four times, and added a pair of 9-K performances ... Best start of the summer came on Jul. 6 at Portland, as he struck out 10 while allowing just two hits over seven shutout frames ... Struck out nine, gave up just three hits over eight scoreless against Yakima Valley on Jul. 16 ... Completed at least six innings in all but one appearance ... Pinch-hit and played center field against Ridgefield on Jun. 2, singling in both of his plate appearances (his only two PAs of the summer).ย
Orange Coast College (2020-21)
Spent two seasons at OCC in Costa Mesa, Calif. ... Had a breakout campaign in 2021, earning Orange Empire Conference Pitcher of the Year honors ... Over seven starts spanning 46 innings, went 6-0 with a 1.57 ERA and 57 strikeouts ... Didn't allow a home run the entire season ... Allowed two earned runs or fewer in each of his seven outings ... Standout performances came against Irvine Valley on Apr. 23 (7 IP, 0 R, 3 H, 10 K), Golden West on Apr. 30 (6 IP, 1 ER, 11 K), and Santa Ana on May 28 (CG, 0 R, 5 H, 9 K) ... Threw 15 2/3 innings as a true freshman in 2020 before the season was wiped out to due to COVID.
Highย School
Played high school baseball at Newport Harbor High School in Newport Beach, Calif.
Personal
Richard Kelly Austin was born in 2000 to parents Kelly and Ronda in Orange, Calif. โฆ Has one sister, Clare โฆ Chose UCLA because โof their amazing track record on the field and in the classroomโ โฆ Lists Sony Gray and Zack Greinke as his favorite athletes โฆ Describes his first outing at OCC as his greatest pre-UCLA athletic thrill ...ย Enjoys surfing and playing guitar โฆ Studying applied mathematics at UCLA โฆ Aspires to be a coach and math teacher.
Career Highs (as of conclusion of 2023 season)
Innings: 7.1 vs. California (5/6/23)
Strikeouts: 13 vs. Oregon State (5/13/23)
UCLA Baseball Postgame - Coach Savage & Players vs. LSU (June 17, 2025)
Tuesday, June 17
UCLA Baseball Postgame - Coach Savage & Players vs. Arkansas (June 17, 2025)
Tuesday, June 17
UCLA Baseball Postgame - Coach Savage & Players vs. Murray State (June 14, 2025)
Saturday, June 14
Highlights - UCLA Baseball vs. Murray State (June 14, 2025)
Saturday, June 14
