UCLA Bruins
Overall rank: #19
Conference Rank: #4 Pac-12
UCLA Team Page
One of the traditional college baseball powers of late had a decent season, but was it good enough by UCLA’s standards? In the over 90 years UCLA has offered baseball, the Bruins have been to regionals 16 times and to the College World Series three times. UCLA has a decent chance to go back to the postseason, but it has to overcome the loss of two devastatingly effective pitchers before it can make a return trip.
2011: 35-24, 18-9
2011 Postseason: Lost in UCLA regional (lost to San Francisco, beat Fresno State and San Francisco, lost to UC-Irvine)
Coach: John Savage
Field Players:
Infielder Dean Espy was UCLA’s hottest hitter last year (.320 batting average, three home runs, 40 runs batted in, 74 hits), but the standout found himself drafted by the Kansas City Royals and is now a part of one of the deepest farm systems in all of the major leagues. Outfielder Cody Keefer (.303-1-18), the only other UCLA hitter above .300, is back for another season, but he doesn’t possess much pop in his bat. Only 15 of his 61 hits went for extra bases. Outfielder Beau Amaral (.299-2-29, 8 SB) also hits with not much pop but possesses decent speed. For home-run zip, the Bruins will need infielder Cody Regis (.284-6-45) to duplicate his success of a year ago. Outfielder Jeff Gelalich (.268-2-13, 10 SB) is also back for another go-round. UCLA only hit .263 as a team last year and slugged at a .359 clip with 17 home runs. The Bruins need more than that to stay competitive.
Pitchers:
Adam Plutko (see Who to Watch) will be relied on to shore up a decimated staff; more on that later. Zack Weiss is the No. 2 ace, coming off a season where he went 5-3 with a 2.86 earned run average, 22 walks and 53 strikeouts. Weiss held batters to a great .191 opposing average, but his tendency to hit others (15 hit-by-pitches) marred some of that greatness. The return of Nick Vander Tuig (3-4, 2.90 ERA, nine saves) is key, as he displayed solid control in his outings (eight walks, 31 strikeouts).
Who to Watch:
To say the team will rely on Plutko this year is an understatement. Take a look at what UCLA lost in pitching. Gerrit Cole is gone, who had a 6-8 record, 3.31 ERA and 24 walks and 119 strikeouts. He also ate up 114 innings. Teammate Trevor Bauer pitched nearly 137 innings and went 13-2 with a 1.25 ERA, walking 36 and fanning an amazing 203 hitters. Cole became the top selection by the Pittsburgh Pirates, while Bauer was the Golden Spikes Award winner (given to the nation’s top amateur baseball players) and third overall selection by the Arizona Diamondbacks. Plutko isn’t a bad replacement, as he went 7-4 with a 2.01 ERA, 24 walks and 92 strikeouts. Opponents hit .193 against Plutko, and it looks like he’ll get more chances to prove his worth.
Final Projection:
How fast the Bruins rebound depends on how well they do without the likes of Bauer and Cole. Together those two combined for nearly 250 innings, and UCLA needs to find people that can eat up innings and strike out batters. Hitting-wise, the team is a bit better off, but it needs to hit more home runs and display a little more extra-base power. UCLA should make the tournament this year, but don’t be surprised if the Bruins falter.
Projected Postseason: NCAA
Returning Leaders:
At bats: Beau Amaral, OF, 221
Hits: Beau Amaral, OF, 66
Home Runs: Cody Regis, IF, 6
RBIs: Cody Regis, IF, 45
Runs: Beau Amaral, OF, 37
Stolen Bases: Jeff Gelalich, OF, 10
Wins: Adam Plutko, P, 7
Innings Pitched: Adam Plutko, P, 107.2
Strikeouts: Adam Plutko, P, 92
Saves: Nick Vander Tuig, P, 9
