LOS ANGELES, Calif. -- The Arizona Wildcats (13-8, 2-2) continue a three-game series against the top-ranked UCLA Bruins (15-4, 2-2) on Saturday afternoon in Los Angeles, Calif.

The Bruins took game one by a score of 10-5. Nick Quintana notched a two-RBI double in the top of the first inning while Matthew Dyer and Austin Wells both logged two hits and combined to drive in three RBI.

UCLA came out on top of a back-and-forth offensive slug fest in game two, winning by a score of 12-10 to take the series. Nick Quinana and Cameron Cannon both hit home runs for the Wildcats and combined to drive in six RBI.

This weekend is the Wildcats first games against the No. 1 team in the country since a three-game series against the Oregon State Beavers in March 2017.

A complete series preview is below.
 

Date	Time (MST)/Results	Live Stats	Wildcats Pitcher	Bruins Pitcher
Friday, March 22	L, 5-10
Saturday, March 23	L, 10-12
Sunday, March 24	1:00 PM	Stats	RHP Bryce Collins (0-1, 4.43)	RHP Ryan Garcia (1-0, 2.35)

Live Stream/TV: None
Radio: Arizona IMG Sports Network with Brian Jeffries on the call - 1290 AM KCUB | TuneIn

All-Time Series: UCLA leads, 130-123
Last Meeting: Arizona swept UCLA, 3-0, from May 3-5, 2018 in Tucson, AZ

Leading Off...

• The Wildcats jump back into Pac-12 Conference play with a three-game set against the No. 1 ranked UCLA Bruins at Jackie Robinson Stadium in Los Angeles, Calif.
• Arizona and UCLA have matched up 251 times in program history, with the Bruins currently holding a slight series lead of 128-123. In their most recent meeting May 3-5 last season the Wildcats earned a 3-0 sweep of the Bruins on final scores of 2-0, 3-1, and 6-3 at Hi Corbett Field.
• The Wildcats prolific offense enters the weekend ranked among the top 10 teams in the nation in runs per game (2nd, 10.6), on-base percentage (2nd, .446), runs (2nd, 211), triples (2nd, 14), doubles (T-3rd, 51), batting average (4th, .327), slugging percentage (4th, .509), hits (T-5th, 233), and walks drawn (6th, 137).
• Five Arizona players currently have active on-base streaks of 10 or more games: Austin Wells (14), Nick Quintana (13), Donta Williams (12), Ryan Holgate (11), and Matthew Dyer (10). If he were healthy, Matt Fraizer (13) would be the sixth player on the list.
• Arizona has logged 58 consecutive games scoring at least one run, giving the Cats the longest active scoring streak in the Pac-12. The Wildcats were last shut out March 17, 2018 at Washington.

SERIES THEMES: The Wildcats roll into the weekend with a three-game win streak, having won the final two games of a three-game set against Utah last weekend and a midweek contest against New Mexico State on Tuesday...UCLA won 2-of-3 games against Oregon State last weekend and did not have a midweek contest this week...The Wildcats and Bruins have matched up 251 times in program history, with UCLA holding a slim 128-123 all-time series advantage...However, recent momentum has been in the Arizona dugout, with the Wildcats having won each of the last three series and seven of the last nine games between the two schools...Most recently, Arizona swept a three-game series from then-No. 7 UCLA at Hi Corbett in May of last year, winning by scores of 2-0, 3-1, and 6-3...The Wildcats have gone 7-2 against the Bruins under head coach Jay Johnson...UCLA is one of two teams in the Pac-12 that they Jay Johnson Wildcats have never lost a series to (also: Washington State)...This weekend will be the first time the Wildcats have played the No. 1 ranked team in the country since a three-game series against Oregon State form March 24-26, 2017 in Corvallis...The last time Arizona beat the No. 1 ranked team in the country was a 4-2 victory over Arizona State in a midweek contest on April 20, 2010 in Phoenix...The Wildcats rank first or second in the Pac-12 in 15 different categories (AVG, SLG, OBP, runs scored, hits, RBI, doubles, triples, total bases, plate appearances, at-bats, walks, hit by pitch, sac flies, stolen bases), while the Bruins place among the top two teams on the circuit in 11 pitching categories (ERA, opponent AVG, strikeouts, strikeouts looking, wins, saves, fewest hits allowed, fewest runs allowed, fewest earned runs allowed, fewest doubles allowed, fewest triples allowed).

KNOW YOUR FOE: The UCLA Bruins enter the weekend with a record of 14-4 and currently sit in second place in the Pac-12...The Bruins are ranked as the No. 1 team in the country by D1Baseball.com, USA Today, the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association, and Baseball America, while Collegiate Baseball has UCLA ranked No. 3...The Bruins have scored just 5.4 runs per game (Arizona, 10.6) but have found great success on the mound...The UCLA pitching staff leads the Pac-12 with a 2.21 ERA (next: Stanford, 2.31) while also pacing the circuit in opponent batting average (.188), strikeouts (197), and saves (6)...The Bruins currently have five pitchers who have logged 10+ innings of work this year and sports sub-3.00 ERAs, including two who have registered sub-2.00 ERAs with over 20 innings pitched (Kyle Mora, 0.82; Jack Ralston, 1.86)...Offensively, UCLA is led by infielder Ryan Kreidler and outfielder Garrett Mitchell, who have both started in all 18 games for the Bruins and have posted batting averages of .358 and .324, respectively...Infielder/outfielder Matt McClain leads the Bruins with 16 RBI this year - six Wildcats players currently have more than 16 RBI on the year.

EXTRA EXTRA, READ ALL ABOUT IT: The Wildcats have excelled at hitting to the gaps this year, and as a result are currently second in the Pac-12 with 82 extra-base hits on the year (first: Arizona State, 83)...Arizona's offense has hammered out a league-leading 51 doubles and 14 triples to go with 17 home runs, which stands as the third-best mark on the circuit...Infielder Cameron Cannon leads the Wildcats in doubles (12), home runs (4), and extra-base hits (16) - the next closest player on the team is outfielder Donta Williams with 11 extra-base hits (6 2B, 4 3B, 1 HR)...Williams' four triples are tied for the most in the Pac-12.

BIG-TIME BLAS: Since re-joining the team, infielder Jacob Blas has made his presence felt both in the lineup and on defense...Blas has collected three multi-hit games since his return to the lineup while driving in five RBI and scoring five runs...He has driven in at least one run in four of his last five games...During conference play in 2018 as a freshman, Blas posted a .291 (25x86) batting average with 15 runs scored and 15 RBI while registering a .396 on-base percentage.

BULLPEN BULLY: Left-handed freshman pitcher Randy Abshier has been a steady arm out of the Wildcats bullpen this season...After allowing two run in his collegiate debut he has strung together five straight scoreless outings, dropping his ERA to 2.08...Abshier has made six relief appearances covering 8.2 innings of work and has allowed just six hits and two earned runs while striking out eight.

CATCH US IF YOU CAN: The Wildcats have excelled at scoring early and often in games this season...Through the first 20 games, Arizona has out-scored their opponents 35-17 in the first inning and 89-39 across the first three frames...The Cats have scored at least one run in the first inning 14 times this year and have posted multiple runs in the opening frame eight times...Arizona's season-best mark in the first inning was a 10-run outburst against UMass Lowell in the second game of the season on February 16...The Wildcats have a record of 10-4 when scoring in the first inning...Arizona as a team has posted a .387 (36x93) batting average, a .753 slugging percentage, and a .487 on-base percentage in the first inning while tallying 12 doubles, two triples, and six of the club's 17 home runs...Five Cats players are hitting over .400 in the first inning, with Donta Williams (.667/4x6), Austin Wells (.600/6x12), and Matthew Dyer (.500/4x8) leading the way.

STREAKONOMICS: Five Wildcats players have active on-base streaks that have gone 10 or more games...Austin Wells leads the pack with a 14-game on-base streak that dates back to February 23 at Houston - during that stretch he has hits in 12 games with six multi-hit performances...Right on the heels of Wells are Nick Quintana (13 games), Donta Williams (12 games), Ryan Holgate (11 games), and Matthew Dyer (10 games)...Outfielder Matt Frazier would be the sixth name on this list if he were healthy - at the time of his injury Frazier was sporting a team-best 13-game hit streak.

DOUBLE TROUBLE: Infielder Cameron Cannon has smacked 12 doubles through the first 20 games of the season...As of games played March 20, Cannon's 12 two-baggers are tied for second among all NCAA Division I baseball players (also: Harris Yett, Charlotte; Oliver Dunn, Utah)...Cannon has registered multiple doubles in a game twice this year, and has swatted at least one double in 9-of-20 games...Cannon smacked a team-best 21 doubles in 56 games last season...The Arizona single-season record for doubles is 30, set by Dave Stegman in 1976 and tied by JJ Matijevic in 2017...Cannon is currently on pace for 34 doubles through the remainder of the regular season...He is 16 doubles shy of breaking into the Top 10 of Arizona's career doubles leaderboard.

Arizona Single-Season Doubles Leaders

(Rank) PLAYER	DOUBLES	YEAR
T-1. Dave Stegman	30	1976
T-1. JJ Matijevic	30	2017
3. Todd Trafton	27	1986
T-4. Terry Francona	26	1980
T-4. Willie Morales	26	1993
6. Trevor Crowe	25	2005

TATER HOT: Outfielder Tate Soderstrom has excelled in limited action this year for the Wildcats...In just 36 at-bats, Soderstrom has driven in 16 RBI, tied for the sixth-most on the team this year...Soderstrom's seven multi-RBI games are tied with Matthew Dyer and Matt Fraizer for the second most on the team...Tate has at least one base hit in 11-of-16 games this year and has collected an RBI in 9-of-16 contests...Among players on the team with at least 10 at-bats with runners in scoring position, Soderstrom's .412 (7x17) batting average is the fourth-best mark on the squad...He has also collected the second-most bases-loaded hits this year, going 3-for-5 with the bases juiced (first: Matt Fraizer, 5-for-8).

QUINNSTANT IMPACT: Freshman right-hander Quinn Flanagan has been a big boost to the Wildcats pitching staff this season...In five games (four starts), Flanagan has posted a team-best 1.12 ERA (3ERx24.0IP) while registering a perfect 3-0 record...Flanagan's March 9 start against College of Charleston resulted in his first collegiate quality start (6.0+ IP, three or fewer earned runs allowed) - in that outing he worked 6.0 innings, allowed just three runs (one earned) on five hits, and struck out four batters...He followed that up with a complete-game shutout effort against Utah on March 16 in which he scattered six hits and struck out four in an 8-0 victory...Flanagan has limited opponents to one or fewer earned runs in each of his five appearances this year...Opposing batters have combined to hit just .218 off Flanagan in 24.0 innings this season...Flanagan missed both his junior and senior seasons of high school ball with an arm injury, and sat out his first year at Arizona under a redshirt...His start against Feb. 17 against UMass Lowell (4.0,4,2,1,0,4,W) was his first game action in nearly three years.
ON THE BOARD: The Wildcats have scored at least one run in 58 straight games, with their last shutout loss coming all the way back on March 17, 2018 at Washington...The Cats 58-game scoring streak is the longest active streak among Pac-12 teams (next: Oregon, 27 games)...Even more impressive is the club's ability to avoid being shut out at home, with the Cats last blanking at Hi Corbett coming on April 25, 2015 against Cal - they have registered 115 straight home games without being kept off the scoreboard...During that 115 game stretch the Wildcats have been held to just one run twice, while posting 5+ runs 81 times...The Cats haven't been limited to just one run at home since May 15, 2016 against Arizona State.

Pac-12 Active Scoring Streaks

SCHOOL	SCORING STREAK	LAST SHUTOUT LOSS (Score)
Arizona	58 games	March 17, 2018 at Washington (0-1)
Oregon	27 games	May 8, 2018 vs. Oregon St. (0-10)
USC	25 games	May 18, 2018 vs. Oregon St. (0-4)
UCLA	24 games	May 24, 2018 at Oregon St. (0-2)
Arizona St.	20 games	May 26, 2018 vs. California (0-3)
Stanford	3 games	March 7, 2019 vs. Texas (0-4)
Washington St.	2 games	March 15, 2019 at Arizona St. (0-6)
Oregon St.	2 games	March 15, 2019 at UCLA (0-8)
California	2 games	March 16, 2019 vs. USC (0-1)
Utah	2 games	March 16, 2019 at Arizona (0-8)
Washington	0 games	March 17, 2019 at Oregon (0-1)

DYER ON FIRE: Catcher/utility Matthew Dyer has proved to be a huge addition to the Wildcats after transferring into the program from the University of Oregon...Through his first 19 games in a Wildcat uniform, Dyer has excelled at the plate and provided crucial flexibility on defense...He has logged a batting average of .333 (22x66) - tied for the fourth-best mark on the team - while also collecting 19 runs scored, 19 RBI, one double, two triples, two home runs, and 14 walks...Dyer has reached base safely in 16-of-19 games, and tallied eight multi-hit performances already this year...On defense, he has seen time behind the plate at catcher, at first base, and in left and right field, and committed just one error while bouncing between four positions...Dyer has always excelled while playing at Hi Corbett Field; while playing for Oregon in 2017, Dyer hit .462 (6x13) with three runs scored and a triple in a three-game series at Hi Corbett, and this season has posted a .358 (19x53) batting average in 15 home contests.

MR. 200: The Wildcats victory over Milwaukee on March 1 gave head coach Jay Johnson his 200th career win as an NCAA Division I head coach...Across time with Nevada (2014-15) and Arizona (2016-current) he has amassed a record of 201-114 (.638)...Johnson is the second-fastest coach to tally 200 career Division I wins among the current Pac-12 head coaches (first: George Horton, 287 games) after achieving the feat in just 312 games...During his first three seasons leading the Wildcats, Johnson averaged 40 wins per year...In addition to his 201 Division I wins, Johnson racked up a record of 37-16 in his one season as the head coach at Point Loma Nazarene in 2005.

Quickest to 200 Div. I Wins - Current Pac-12 Head Coaches

COACH	200th WIN	GAMES TO WIN 200	WIN % AT 200
George Horton	April 17, 2001	287	.697
Jay Johnson	March 1, 2019	312	.641
Tracy Smith	May 23, 2004	356	.562
David Esquer	May 10, 2006	386	.518
John Savage	May 24, 2008	403	.496
Lindsey Meggs	April 12, 2014	407	.491