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No. 13 UCLA Travels to Cal

by uclabruins.com
Apr 21, 2022
Tommy Beres (photo: Ross Turteltaub)

No. 13 UCLA (25-11, 9-6) at California (18-18, 9-9)
Friday, Apr. 22, 2022 - 6:05 p.m. PT
Saturday, Apr. 23, 2022 - 3:05 p.m. PT
Sunday, Apr. 24, 2022 - 1:05 p.m. PT
Location: Berkeley, Calif. (Evans Diamond)
Stream: Pac-12.com
Live Stats

Bruins Face Cal in Road Pac-12 Series    
No. 13-ranked UCLA (25-11, 9-6) wraps up a four-game road trip this weekend, heading north for a Pac-12 series at California (18-18, 9-9). All three games of the set will be streamed live on Pac-12.com, and fans can also follow along with live stats on UCLABruins.com and Twitter updates from @UCLABaseball.

Quick Hits    

  • UCLA is 25-11 so far on the year, including an 9-3 mark in April
  • The Bruins trailed at some point in eight of their last 10 wins (dating to Mar. 29 vs. UCSB)
  • UCLA ranks top-10 nationally in ERA (3.18, 7th), WHIP (1.16, 5th), and strikeout-to-walk ratio (3.7, 7th)
  • The Bruins played seven consecutive one-run games from Apr. 1-10, a program record
  • UCLA was crowned champion of the Shriner's Children's College Classic in Houston (2-1 record, plus-15 run differential)
  • The Bruins have won seven straight midweek games, after starting the year 0-2 in such contests
  • UCLA is 55-63 this season in stolen base tries (87% success rate), including a team-high 18 from Kenny Oyama
  • The Bruins have struck out 10+ batters in 19 of 36 games so far, including a season-high 19 vs. LBSU on Mar. 1
  • This season, John Savage has recorded career win No. 700 as well as his 600th win at UCLA 
  • UCLA's current freshman class was the No. 1-ranked recruit class in the country
  • UCLA had six players on D1Baseball's Top 100 Impact Freshmen List, more than any other school in the country
  • 2021: 37-20 record, No. 2 seed in NCAA Regionals, NCAA-high 10 players selected in MLB Draft

Projected Pitching Matchups
Friday, Apr. 22 - 6:05 p.m. PT
UCLA – Jake Brooks, RHP, So. (5-3, 3.32 ERA)
Cal – Ian May, LHP, Fr. (1-1, 5.77 ERA)
Saturday, Apr. 23 - 3:05 p.m. PT
UCLA – Max Rajcic, RHP, So. (4-3, 3.09 ERA)
Cal – Joseph King, RHP, Jr. (3-1, 2.68 ERA)
Sunday, Apr. 24 - 1:05 p.m. PT
UCLA – Gage Jump, LHP, Fr. (1-1, 4.63 ERA)
Cal – TBA

The Week In Review    
UCLA went 2-2 last week, dropping two of three to Stanford over the weekend then rebounding for a Tuesday win over UCSB

  • The Bruins scored once in the bottom of the first, but it was all Stanford the rest of the way as the Cardinal posted a 9-1 series-opening win on Thursday. Carter Graham and Braden Montgomery each had a three-run homer for Stanford. Jake Brooks was solid for UCLA, fanning nine batters (his second-highest K total this year) while pitching into the seventh inning. 
  • UCLA evened the series with a nail-biter 5-4 win on Friday, in a game televised by ESPN2. Michael Curialle (two-run homer) and Jake Palmer (two-run single) helped the Bruins open up a four-run lead, but Stanford slowly chipped away and eventually tied it up in the eighth. The Bruins immediately responded in the bottom half though, with Darius Perry knocking in Curialle with an RBI single for the go-ahead and ultimate game-winning run. Ethan Flanagan pitched out of trouble in the eighth and ninth to pick up the win, while Max Rajcic (7 IP, 10 K) set career highs in innings and strikeouts.
  • The Bruins suffered an 11-0 loss in the series finale. Gage Jump (2 ER, 7 K) was solid over a career-high five innings, while Luke Jewett closed the game out by going seven-up, seven-down. Jake Palmer reached base three times to lead UCLA offensively.
  • UCLA put up a crooked number in each of its first four offensive innings en route to a 14-4 win over UCSB on Tuesday in Santa Barbara. Six different Bruins finished with multiple hits, led by Michael Curialle (3-5, two HRs), Kyle Karros (4-6, two RBIs), and Jake Palmer (3-5, HR, three runs). The Bruins used six pitchers to cover the game, with strong outings coming from Charles Harrison (2 IP, 0 H), Alonzo Tredwell (struck out the side in the seventh), and Daniel Colwell (1-2-3 eighth). 
  • In The Polls    
  • UCLA appeared in all five major national polls this week, checking in as high as No. 12 (Collegiate Baseball) while also appearing at No. 13 (D1Baseball), No. 14 (USA TODAY Coaches Poll), No. 15 (NCBWA), and No. 16 (Baseball America). UCLA has been ranked as high as No. 9 this season (last week, Collegiate Baseball), and entered the year as high as No. 22 in the preseason polls.
  • The All-Time Series Against California    
  • UCLA owns a 184-180 mark all-time against California, including a 28-20 mark under head coach John Savage. The Bruins have won five of their last six series against Cal, with the Golden Bears taking two of three at Jackie Robinson Stadium in 2021. Under Savage, the Bruins have won 10 of 16 series against Cal. The following Bruins have posted strong career numbers against Cal: Jake Brooks (3 IP, 0 R), Jake Moberg (3-11, HR, 3 RBIs), and Max Rajcic (3.2 IP, 0 ER).

Last Year Against the Golden Bears    
The Bruins dropped two of three to Cal at Jackie Robinson Stadium, salvaging the series with a 7-4 Sunday win. UCLA dropped the first two games of the series by scores of 14-2 and 4-2. Jake Moberg (2-4, three RBIs), Kevin Kendall (3-5, two runs), and Kyle Cuellar (3-5, two RBIs) were the standouts in the Bruins' Sunday win, which was also Senior Day. UCLA used 11 pitchers over the course of the weekend, with five posting a perfect ERA.

Good Start    
UCLA's starting pitching has been excellent in 2022, as the group of Jake Brooks, Max Rajcic, Kelly Austin, Ethan Flanagan, Thatcher Hurd, and Gage Jump have combined for the following stats:

  • 3.05 ERA and 198-43 strikeout-to-walk ratio over 174 innings
  • 59 total earned runs allowed (1.6 per game)
  • 1.06 WHIP, 10.2 K/9
  • Allowed 0 ER or fewer in 10 of 36 games, 1 ER or fewer in 18 of 36 games, and 2 ER or fewer in 27 of 36 games
  • Allowed more than four hits just 10 times in 36 games

In The Zone    
As is the case most years, the Bruins have been adept so far in 2022 at limiting free passes. Entering the weekend, UCLA is sixth in the country in WHIP (1.16), seventh in walks allowed per nine innings (2.9), and seventh in K-BB ratio (3.5). The Bruins have sizable advantages over their opponents in walks drawn vs. issued (188-105) and HBPs drawn vs. issued (72-20). The Bruins' +52 differential in HBPs is fourth-best in the country, and their +83 walk differential ranks ninth nationally. 

Savage Hits a Trio of Milestones in 2022    
The 2022 campaign has been chock-full of milestones for UCLA head coach John Savage, who this year has reached:

  • Career win No. 700 (at Pepperdine on Apr. 12, 9-7)
  • Win No. 600 at UCLA (vs. Harvard on Mar. 18, 25-2)
  • Career game No. 1,000 at UCLA (Apr. 5 vs. LMU; W, 5-4)

On The Move    
UCLA has been busy on the basepaths so far in 2022, stealing 55 bases at an 87% success rate to this point. The Bruins rank 47th in the country in total stolen bases and 19th in success rate. UCLA is one of just two schools in the top-50 with 50+ SBs and eight or fewer times caught stealing (Mississippi State). The Bruins have swiped a bag in 27 of 36 games this year, including nine contests with at least 3 SBs. UCLA stole 11 bases over three games against CSUN to open the season, the program's most in a single series over the last 10 years. 

Close Shave    
UCLA pulled off a string of six consecutive one-run victories from Apr. 1-9, as part of an overall eight-game winning streak. That mark of six straight one-run wins doubled the previous program record of three consecutive one-run victories. The last time UCLA reeled off three straight one-run wins was on Mar. 18-19, 1995 against Washington and Washington State. 

Rub Some Dirt On It    
UCLA enters the weekend ranked ninth in the country in offensive HBPs (72). The Bruins have an HBP in 27 of 36 games so far this year (including 14 in a row to start the season) and are averaging 2.0 HBPs per game. The Bruins had 12 batters plunked vs. Harvard (including a season-high six on Mar. 18) and saw another eight batters plunked during the Arizona series. Ethan Gourson leads the Pac-12 and is 13th nationally with 15 HBPs so far in 2022, and five Bruins regulars have at least 7 HBPs. 

Young Blood    
Despite a heavy amount of turnover on the pitching staff, UCLA has continued to excel on the mound in 2022 thanks in large part to the performance of its freshmen. The five first-year Bruin pitchers who have recorded an out so far (Luke Jewett, Thatcher Hurd, Ethan Flanagan, Gage Jump, Alonzo Tredwell) have combined for some gaudy numbers: 8-1, six saves, 2.09 ERA, 0.98 WHIP, and a 154-38 K-BB ratio over 116 innings. The top three ERAs on the staff belong to freshmen (Hurd, Flanagan, Tredwell). 

Early Birds    
UCLA is outscoring its opponents by a healthy margin (216-142) overall in 2022, and that advantage is particularly acute in the early innings. In the first three innings of games, the Bruins are outscoring their opponents 88-37 (plus-51), including a 37-14 advantage in the first inning alone. The Bruins are 19-3 this season when scoring first (.864 winning percentage) and 13-2 when scoring in the first inning (.867 winning percentage). 

Spreading Around the Saves    
Five different pitchers have recorded a save for UCLA this year, tied for the most of any Bruin team coached by John Savage (2005, 2006, 2008). Alonzo Tredwell, Gage Jump, and Ethan Flanagan co-lead the squad with two saves apiece, while Kelly Austin and Chris Aldrich have also nailed down a save. 

Leaving the Yard    
UCLA hit three home runs in its midweek game at UC Santa Barbara on Apr. 19, checking off a pair of season-firsts. Jake Palmer and Michael Curialle each hit a solo home run in the second inning, the first time UCLA has had multiple home runs in one inning this season. Curialle added another solo shot later in the game, making him the first Bruin in 2022 with multiple home runs in a single game. 

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