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UCLA Faces Cal State Fullerton on Tuesday

by uclabruins.com
May 9, 2022
Charles Harrison (photo: Scott Chandler)

No. 22 UCLA (30-17) at Cal State Fullerton (18-27)
Tuesday, May 10, 2022 - 6:00 p.m. PT
Location: Fullerton, Calif. (Goodwin Field)
Stream: ESPN+
Audio: UCLA Lean Player
Play-by-Play Talent: Nick Koop
Live Stats

Bruins Wrap Road Trip at Cal State Fullerton    
No. 22-ranked UCLA (30-17) concludes a five-game road trip on Tuesday night, heading to Cal State Fullerton (18-27) for a 6:00 p.m. PT contest. The game will be streamed live through ESPN+, and a live audio call with Nick Koop on play-by-play can be heard through UCLABruins.com. Fans can also follow along with live stats and Twitter updates from @UCLABaseball.

Quick Hits    

  • UCLA is 30-17 so far on the year, including a 16-7 mark against non-conference opponents
  • The Bruins trailed at some point in 11 of their last 15 wins (dating to Mar. 29 vs. UCSB)
  • UCLA ranks top-10 nationally in ERA (3.40, 7th), WHIP (1.16, 4th), and strikeout-to-walk ratio (3.5, 6th)
  • 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 eight of their 11 weekend series this year, and are 7-4 in midweek contests
  • UCLA has an identical 7-4 record in midweek games, series openers, series middle games, and series finales
  • UCLA is 65-75 this season in stolen base tries (87% success rate), including a team-high 19 SBs from Kenny Oyama
  • The Bruins have struck out 10+ batters in 22 of 47 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
Tuesday, May 10 - 6:00 p.m. PT
UCLA – Daniel Colwell, LHP, Sr. (2-0, 3.00 ERA)
CSF – Ryan Gil, LHP, Jr. (2-1, 4.60 ERA)

The Week In Review    
UCLA went 0-4 last week, dropping a Tuesday contest at LBSU before enduring a weekend sweep at Washington:

  • UCLA dropped a game in extra-innings for the first time this season on Tuesday, as Peyton Schulze hit a solo homer on the first pitch of the bottom of the 12th to give LBSU a 4-3 win at Blair Field. UCLA had led 3-0 through five and a half (Cody Schrier and Darius Perry each popped solo home runs, Schrier also added an RBI single) but LBSU sent it to extras with two runs in the sixth and another in the seventh. Daniel Colwell allowed just two soft singles over three innings in his first career start, Ethan Flanagan faced four batters and struck them all out, and Alonzo Tredwell struck out six and allowed just one baserunner over 3 1/3 high-leverage innings (he entered the game with two outs in the eighth). 
  • The Bruins plated a run in the top of the first, but were held off the board the rest of the way in a 7-1 loss in game one of a Saturday doubleheader in Seattle. The graduate duo of Jake Palmer (2-4) and Kenny Oyama (2-3) each had multi-hit efforts to lead the Bruins, while Max Rajcic fanned eight in a seven-inning start. Rajcic went without walking a batter for the second straight start.
  • The Bruins were edged 5-4 in the nightcap of Saturday's doubleheader. The two teams traded four spots in the first half of the game, but UW plated a single run in the sixth for the decisive score. Carson Yates went 3-4 with an RBI to pace the Bruins, and UCLA's bullpen collectively went 5 1/3 innings with just one run against.
  • Washington brought across two runs in the bottom of the ninth to record a walk-off 4-3 win on Sunday afternoon. UCLA led off the game with back-to-back homers from Cody Schrier and Jake Palmer, and never trailed until Cam Clayton's walk-off single. Alonzo Tredwell had retired eight consecutive batters before the ninth-inning rally, and Kelly Austin yielded just one earned run over a 4 1/3 inning start. 
  • The series was supposed to run Friday through Sunday, but Friday's opener was postponed to Saturday due to forecasted rain

In The Polls    
UCLA appeared in all five major national polls this week, checking in as high as No. 15 (Collegiate Baseball) while also appearing at No. 20 (NCBWA), No. 22 (Baseball America), No. 23 (D1Baseball), and No. 24 (USA TODAY Coaches Poll). The Bruins have been ranked as high as No. 6 this season (May 2, Collegiate Baseball) and entered the year ranked as high as No. 22 in the preseason polls. 

The All-Time Series Against Cal State Fullerton    
UCLA owns a 42-68-2 all-time record against Cal State Fullerton, including a 19-27 mark under John Savage. The Bruins have had the edge over CSF in recent years, winning the last seven matchups in a row. Exempting the COVID-shortened 2020 season, UCLA and Cal State Fullerton have met every year since 1974, a streak of 47 consecutive seasons. The Bruins have faced the Titans in the postseason 13 times, over twice as many as any other opponent (Oklahoma is next at six). 

Last Time Out Against the Titans    
Michael Curialle opened and closed the scoring with RBI doubles as UCLA notched a 5-4 win over the Titans at Jackie Robinson Stadium on Mar. 8 of this season. the Bruins never trailed in the contest, leading 3-0 after two innings. The Titans managed to tie it at 4-4 late, but Curialle drove in Kenny Oyama with his second double of the game in the eighth to plate the game-winning run. Thatcher Hurd tossed 4 1/3 innings of one-run ball, and the bullpen went the rest of the way without allowing an earned run.

Last Year Against the Titans    
UCLA and Cal State Fullerton played three times over an eight-day span last year (Mar. 2-9, 2021), with the Bruins taking away wins in each matchup. Key performers from last year still on the UCLA roster include Josh Hahn (4-8, HR) and Michael Curialle (4-11, two doubles, three RBIs).

Midweek Notes    

  • UCLA is 28-5 in midweek contests since the start of 2019 (7-4 this year)
  • In 2022, UCLA has defeated UCSB (twice), LMU (twice), LBSU, Pepperdine and CS Fullerton (losses against Pepp, Omaha, UCI, LBSU)
  • The Bruins went undefeated in midweeks in 2019 (11-0) and 2021 (8-0)
  • Midweek standouts this year include Kyle Karros (.370/.357/.519), Michael Curialle (.364/.404/.705, three HRs, 11 RBIs), Cody Schrier (.300/.364/.560, three HRs, nine RBIs), Chris Aldrich (0 R in 4.1 IP), and Alonzo Tredwell (8 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 18 K). 
  • Five Bruins are hitting .300 or better in midweek action (Karros, Curialle, Knight, Reyes, Schrier)
  • UCLA won seven straight midweeks from Mar. 1 to Apr. 19

Schrier Standing Out    
True freshman shortstop Cody Schrier leads the Bruins in a host of offensive statistics, including batting average (.315), home runs (9), slugging (.535), OPS (.942), hits (63), and at-bats (200):

  • His 9 HRs are the most by a UCLA freshman since Cody Regis in 2010 (last Bruin frosh w/ 10+ HRs: Gabe Cohen, 2007)
  • In 31 games since moving Schrier atop the lineup, UCLA is 20-11 while Schrier has slashed .328/.416/.562
  • He hit safely in 11 straight games from Apr. 15 to May 3, the longest hitting streak by a Bruin so far in 2022
  • During the streak, he batted .451 (23-51) with 11 extra-base hits and a team-high 14 RBIs
  • He reached base safely in 19 consecutive games from Apr. 2 to May 3, slashing .424/.505/.694 during that span
  • Key performances: Mar. 18 vs Harvard (4-4, 6 RBIs), Apr. 5 vs. LMU (walk-off HR), ASU series (P12 Player of the Week, 6-13, 9 RBIs)

This Is 30    
UCLA's win over Arizona State on May 1 was the team's 30th victory of the season. Exempting the COVID-shortened 2020 season (in which UCLA was pace for 48 regular season wins), UCLA has now hit the 30-win plateau in five straight and six of the last seven seasons. Overall, UCLA has won 30+ games 13 times under head coach John Savage.

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, Gage Jump, and Daniel Colwell have combined for the following stats:

  • 3.56 ERA and 243-57 strikeout-to-walk ratio over 222 1/3 innings
  • 88 total earned runs allowed (1.9 per game)
  • 1.13 WHIP, 9.8 K/9
  • Allowed 0 ER or fewer in 11 of 47 games, 1 ER or fewer in 23 of 47 games, and 2 ER or fewer in 35 of 47 games
  • Allowed more than four hits just 15 times in 47 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 week, UCLA is fourth in the country in WHIP (1.16), seventh in walks allowed per nine innings (2.8), and sixth in K-BB ratio (3.5). The Bruins have sizable advantages over their opponents in walks drawn vs. issued (236-130) and HBPs drawn vs. issued (83-32). 

  • UCLA's +51 differential in HBPs is fifth-best in the country
  • UCLA's +106 walk differential is seventh-best in the country
  • The Bruins have had an extra 157 baserunners via BB/HBP. That total ranks third in the country, behind only the top-two ranked teams in the country (Tennessee, Oregon State)

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)

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 six first-year Bruin pitchers who have recorded an out so far (Luke Jewett, Thatcher Hurd, Ethan Flanagan, Gage Jump, Alonzo Tredwell, James Hepp) have combined for some gaudy numbers: 10-4, eight saves, 2.50 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, and a 194-52 K-BB ratio over 150 2/3 innings. The top three ERAs on the staff belong to freshmen (Hurd, Flanagan, Tredwell). 

On The Move    
UCLA has been busy on the basepaths so far in 2022, stealing 65 bases at an 87% success rate to this point. The Bruins rank No. 61 in the country in total stolen bases and 15th in success rate. UCLA is one of just three schools in the country with 65+ SBs and 10 or fewer times caught stealing (Vanderbilt, Mississippi State). The Bruins have swiped a bag in 32 of 47 games this year, including 10 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. Kenny Oyama is second in the Pac-12 with 19 stolen bases, and he is looking to become just the second Bruin in the last 10 years to steal 20+ bases in a season (Brian Carroll, 32; 2013). 

Curialle Coming Through    
Michael Curialle has been on a tear over the last month, batting a team-best .410 (25-61) over the last 16 games while earning a pair of UCLA Student-Athlete of the Week nominations. He has hit five home runs over that span (he had just three home runs in 95 prior career games). He's added nine multi-hit performances over that span, and he ranks second on the team with 16 multi-hit games overall in 2022.

April Showers (of Offense)    
UCLA had a strong collective showing on offense in the month of April. After slashing .252/.392/.371 as a team through March, the Bruins had a sharp uptick in April, slashing .293/.393/.458. The Bruins had no starters hitting over .300 entering March, but four UCLA regulars accomplished that feat in April: Darius Perry (.429/.556/.686, 12 RBIs), Michael Curialle (.396/.474/.771, five HRs, 11 RBIs), Cody Schrier (.385/.473/.628, 12 RBIs), and Jake Palmer (.343/.482/.478, reached in every game).

Gourson Doing Great    
Freshman second baseman Ethan Gourson has been one of the top all-around offensive perfumers on the team this season, as he is the only player in the Pac-12 Conference to rank top-10 league-wide in doubles (19, second), HBPs (17, T-1st), and walks (32, ninth). He is one of just two players on the roster with an OPS of .900 or higher (Schrier). 

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