Rex Peters Has 18 Years As Head Coach…

Peters

LOS ANGELES – Rex Peters has been named assistant baseball coach at UCLA, as announced Monday by head coach John Savage. Peters, who spent the last nine seasons as head coach at UC Davis, will serve as the Bruins’ hitting and outfield coach.

Peters guided UC Davis from NCAA Division II to Division I status during his nine-year tenure (2003-11), helping the Aggies advance to the 2008 NCAA Tournament in their first year as a Division I member and Big West Conference program. He arrived at UC Davis after having spent nine seasons (1994-2002) as head coach at Chapman University (Orange, Calif.).

“Rex is a great addition to our program,” Savage said. “He brings a wealth of experience to UCLA and is very familiar with players and programs on the West Coast. We are very fortunate to be able to get somebody as talented as Rex to join our program as an assistant coach. He is a very accomplished offensive coach who I know our players are looking forward to working with.”

In nine seasons at UC Davis, Peters helped produce 21 MLB Draft selections, including a program-best seven draftees in 2008. Third baseman Daniel Descalso was selected in the third round of the 2007 MLB Draft by the St. Louis Cardinals and made his major league debut with the organization in 2010. Additionally, seven UC Davis players earned ABCA or NCBWA All-Region honors during Peters’ tenure as head coach.

Peters’ most successful season at UC Davis came in 2008, when the Aggies went 35-24 with a trip to the NCAA Stanford Regional. Playing as the No. 4 seed, UC Davis defeated No. 1-seed Stanford, 4-2, on the first day of the NCAA Regional before losing the next two games.

In his second season as head coach at UC Davis (2004), Peters helped the Aggies post a 37-15-1 record, including a 32-7 mark in the program’s final year with the California Collegiate Athletic Association. While no longer eligible for postseason play as part of its transition to Division I status, UC Davis finished atop the conference standings by more than seven games.

In 2003, Peters guided UC Davis to a 36-24 record and first NCAA Division II postseason berth since 1995.

Peters helped lead Chapman to three appearances in the NCAA Division III College World Series, including a third-place finish in 2000. He established program records as a head coach for most wins and highest winning percentage, taking the Panthers to the NCAA West Regional five times.

Through 18 seasons as a head coach, Peters collected a 482-396-3 (.549) career record.

Peters graduated from Cal State Fullerton in 1989 with his bachelor’s degree in physical education. He was an honorable mention All-America selection for the Titans, helping lead the ballclub to a third-place finish at the 1988 College World Series. He was selected in the 24th round of the 1989 MLB Draft by the Los Angeles Dodgers and played four years in the minor leagues, advancing as high as double-A San Antonio.

Peters earned his master’s degree in education, with an emphasis in physical education, from Azusa Pacific in 1994.

(Release)

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Bruins Gain Momentum – Ducks Seek Identity…

Seattle Mariners General Manager Jack Zduriencik was among those in attendance for last Friday's UCLA-Oregon game.

Friday’s series-opener marked one of the most anticipated pitching match ups in PK Park’s short history. Gerrit Cole, a potential number one overall pick in this year’s draft, faced off against Oregon’s Tyler Anderson, a probable first round draft pick. An estimated 25 scouts were on-hand, including Seattle Mariners General Manager Jack Zduriencik.

The Bruins took advantage of Anderson’s lack of control, tagging him for four runs (three earned) on six hits and drew four walks. Anderson only lasted 5 1/3 innings. Cole’s stuff wasn’t as sharp as usual, but he only allowed one earned run through 7 1/3 innings. A steady drizzle throughout the game could have been a factor for both pitchers, although Anderson said it wasn’t.

Saturday night against Ducks’ sophomore Madison Boer, the Bruins bats did get to Boer early, but not often. UCLA right fielder Chris Giovinazzo led the game off with a double and would later score. They rattled Boer once more in the fifth innings, scoring two runs on three hits and a walk.

The nation’s strikeout leader, Trevor Bauer, was on the hill for the Bruins, and he dazzled as usual. The probable top-10 pick struck out 12 on the way to earning his fifth consecutive complete game (sixth on the year). The only sign of life in the Oregon lineup came from freshman Ryon Healy who drove a 4-seam fastball over the wall for his second home run of the year.

Healy’s performance in recent series’ has earned him a starting spot in the lineup, and has many excited about his future as a Duck.

Adam Plutko was named Pac-10 Pitcher of the Week for his efforts on Sunday.

UCLA looked to earn the sweep behind the arm of freshman Adam Plutko on Sunday. Plutko was a sixth round draft pick in 2010 by the Houston Astros out of high school, and showed he why on Sunday. He and Oregon starter Alex Keudell matched zeroes until Keudell came out of the game after 6 2/3 innings. In the eighth inning, UCLA got on the board first. Things fell apart for the Ducks in the ninth as relief pitcher Scott McGough was tagged for three earned runs.

Plutko earned his first complete game of the season in a shutout effort. He pitched to his scouting report, as he worked his fastball and changeup effectively and recorded seven strikeouts. He did show an extreme lack of confidence in his curveball. Following a base hit up the middle by Oregon center fielder Brett Thomas on a hanging curveball in the fourth inning, Plutko did not appear to throw another curve throughout the rest of the game.

By series end, the Bruins had outscored the Ducks 14-2, and continued to prove that their weekend rotation is among the best—if not the best—in the nation. They also out-hit the Ducks 30-to-13. UCLA was able to get to the Oregon pitching staff in a way that not many teams have. Bruins head coach John Savage said that any concerns about his team’s offense were “a non-issue,” and that is hard to argue after their showing at the plate over the weekend.

John Savage's UCLA offense is starting to get hot at the right time of year.

Bruins third baseman Cody Regis raised his batting average over the weekend from .287 to .302—he went 4-for-4 in the final game of the series. Including Regis, the Bruins two, three, four and five hitters in Sunday’s lineup are all hitting above .300.

UCLA’s offense was reeling during the first half of the year, but that was likely due to a lack of comfort with the new bats. While they did leave 26 runners on base over the weekend, they found ways to get on base and continuously executed sacrifices, helping to bring runners home. With their pitching staff, that might be all it takes to win games now, and possibly into June.

Following the game on Sunday, there was plenty of insult to add to the injury. Second baseman Danny Pulfer’s streak of reaching base consecutively ended at 31 games. It was the first time the Ducks have been swept at home since May 24, 2009. They were also held to a season low two hits.

Last year the Ducks were selected for regionals with a 13-14 record in the Pac-10. They now sit at 5-13 and would have to go 8-1 through their remaining conference schedule to match their record from last season. That includes a three game series against No. 3 Oregon State at home to finish the regular season.

Oregon appeared to be a team finding their stride as of late. After taking two out of three against Arizona , the Ducks went on the road and played No. 21 Cal. Oregon did drop the series but both losses came on walk-off hits by the Bears.

In the week before UCLA, the Ducks beat Oregon State during a mid week, non-conference game, 7-2.

But by many accounts following the sweep, this is a team that consists of some players who have given up on the season.

“Pretty sure we established that we’re soft two weeks ago…” Pulfer said. “Some guys are focused, some guys aren’t.”

George Horton's Oregon Ducks have struggled to find consistency in 2011.

Ducks head coach George Horton echoed Pulfers thoughts. “I feel like throwing up. I thought it was one of the weakest offensive efforts that I’ve seen in a long time,” he said of Sunday’s game. “I’m out of speeches.”

While by last year’s standards the Ducks are not yet eliminated from the postseason, mentally they appear to be. In the week leading up to this series, Horton described his team as being “immature”, and those feelings are probably even stronger after the weekend. 21 of the 35 Oregon players are underclassmen, and the immaturity could be a result of that.

This is a team that hasn’t found an identity, nor do they have the emotional stability that would make them poised enough to finish the year by going 8-1. To be a year older and a year wiser could create for an impressive turnaround next season. They’re a team with raw offensive talent and freshman set to become the face of the program in the next couple of years. But with every step forward comes two steps backwards.

Barring a dramatic epiphany, Oregonis a team better suited for the future than the present.

Both The Good & The Bad…

It’s no surprise that offense has been down, while pitching numbers have been better so far this season. However, nobody predicted James Madison would erupt for 91 runs with those new bats in a four-game sweep of Bucknell to open the season. Jake Lowery and David Herbek have combined to lead not only the Dukes, but also the nation with 14 and 12 home runs, respectively, while also sitting among the nation’s Division One leaders in sever other offensive categories.

Following is a look at some other surprises, both good and bad, to this point in the season.

Pleasant Surprises…

Danny Hultzen is 6-0 with a 1.36 ERA in 2011

Virginia was supposed to be good this year, but Brian O’Connor’s Cavaliers have been flat-out great so far. UVA debuted at #15 in our Preseason Composite National Rankings, but is 29-2 overall and 11-1 in ACC play heading into this weekend’s showdown with Georgia Tech. The Cavs lost just one game in the month of March-their series finale against Florida State. They’ve done anything but mash the ball out of the yard en-route to their 29 victories. Keith Werman has nearly twice as many sac bunts (13) as his team has home runs (7), while they still average 7.3 runs a game with a .300 team batting average. Danny Hultzen (6-0, 1.36 ERA) is second in the nation with 78 strikeouts for a pitching staff that’s so deep that midweek starter Will Roberts, who pitched a perfect game last week, is riding a 21-inning scoreless streak. Virginia has a 1.93 team ERA with 333 strikeouts and just 64 walks this season.

Fresno State was a team that many thought deserved an NCAA bid in 2010, but the Bulldogs (38-25) just missed the field of 64 after Hawaii ended their reign of four straight WAC Tournament titles. Offense wasn’t a problem for Mike Batesole’s squad, but the pitching staff ended the season with a 6.05 ERA. Things have been much different for the 2011 edition of the Bulldogs (20-3). Greg Gonzalez (6-0, 1.36 ERA) fronts a pitching staff that sports a 2.50 ERA. The senior led the staff with 73 strikeouts last year, but he already has 52 Ks with just 9 BB in 46 1/3 IP in 2011. Charlie Robertson has slammed the door at the end of games with 9

Fresno State's Charlie Robertson is among the DI leaders with 9 saves.

saves in 10 appearances. He is yet to surrender an earned run in 16 1/3 IP this year. Like everyone, Fresno State’s offense is still adjusting to the new bats. Most notably Jordan Ribera, who hit .343 and led the nation with 27 home runs last year. He is batting just .244 with one HR and 7 RBIs in 23 starts in ’11. Dusty Robinson has picked-up the slack though, with a .321 BA, 6 HR and 19 RBIs.

Georgia was just 16-37 last year with a dismal 5-23 record in the SEC. Outfielder Zach Cone (.363, 10 HR, 53 RBIs) was practically the entire offense for Dave Perno’s Bulldogs, while the pitching staff had a bloated 8.51 ERA with no complete games. The Bulldogs (15-14, 6-3) are one win from matching last year’s overall win total, while a series win over LSU and a sweep of Mississippi State has already exceeded last year’s conference win total. Georgia also boasts wins over UCLA, Florida State and South Carolina. There’s still work to be done, but where UGA is now is a far cry from a season that started by being swept in a 3-game series at Stetson.

Cal State Bakersfield is well on its way to eclipsing last year’s win total. The Roadrunners are off and running to a 20-7 start after finishing with a 26-30 record in 2010. Bill Kernan’s squad hasn’t shied away from tough competition either. The DI independent has wins over top 10 opponents Arizona State and defending national champion South Carolina along with series wins over Washington and Ohio State. Ryan McIntyre (.363, 10

Tommy Hoenshell has helped spearhead Bakersfield's pitching staff.

doubles, 4 triples, .966 OPS) leads an offense that has five regulars hitting above .300, but it’s pitching that’s really fueled Bakersfield so far. Tommy Hoenshell (5-3, 1.97 ERA) has two complete games and leads the nation with 64.0 IP, Jonathon Montoya (5-1, 3.06 ERA) is tied for the DI lead with four complete games and closer Martin Medina (1-1, 2.45 ERA, 5 saves) has 19 strikeouts in 14 2/3 innings to date.

Cal may or may not be reinstated beyond this season, but the Golden Bears are doing everything they can to make 2011 memorable. Dave Esquer has his team off to a 19-7 record, including 5-1 in the Pac-10, in what could be the program’s swan song. The pitching was expected to be good in 2011, but so far it’s been flat-out great. Justin Jones and Erik Johnson are each 4-1 with respective 2.47 and 2.08 ERAs, while Kevin Miller (3-2, 0.63 ERA, 1 save) has been nearly lights-out in a swing role. The senior has made three relief appearances and five starts, with a team-high 53 strikeouts and just 7 BB in 43.0 IP. Cal has a balanced offensive attack. Six regulars are batting between .317 and Austin Booker’s team-best .346, while eight players have accounted for the team’s 12 home runs.

Central Florida’s sites have been set on Omaha since Terry Rooney left his job as an LSU assistant to take over in Orlando. Now in his third year, Rooney has a team that’s starting to make some noise. The Knights (20-9) opened Conference USA with the program’s first ever series win over Rice only to be swept last weekend by Southern Mississippi.  However, UCF responded by toppling Florida 4-3 Tuesday night in Gainesville. D.J. Hicks (.347, 6 HR,

UCF's D.J. Hicks is among the top overall Conference USA hitters this season.

1.008 OPS) leads an offense that has seven starters batting above .300. Freshman Ben Lively (5-0, 1.88 ERA) has been UCF’s top weekend starter, while relievers Nick Cicio (1.08 ERA) and Joe Rogers (2.04 ERA) have each made 11 appearances out of the Knight’s bullpen, combining for 8 saves and 42 Ks with 5 BB in 44.0 IP.

Stetson (22-7) is another Florida school that’s exceeded most expectations so far. The Hatters need just five wins to match the win total of last year’s team that finished 27-31. Head coach Pete Dunn’s 32nd edition of the Hatters is also just five wins away from matching its 14 Atlantic Sun Conference win total from 2010. Robert Crews (.378, 3 HR), Nick Rickles (.345, 10 doubles, 3 HR, 28 RBIs) and Mark Jones (.343) have provided the bulk of the offense, while relievers Robbie Powell (4-0, 1.05 ERA) and Jake Boyd (2-0, 2.45 ERA) have combined for 8 saves in 31 appearances. The pitching staff has notched 232 strikeouts with 94 walks so far this season.

Head-scratching Surprises…

Connecticut was the darling of the north heading into the 2011 season. The Huskies brought back most of their line-up and pitching from last year’s team that won a school record 48 games and hosted an NCAA Regional. Most is the key word. UConn struggled to an 8-9-1 start to the new campaign without table setter Pierre LePage (.327, 63 R, 29 SB) and top run producer Mike Olt (.318, 23 HR, 76 RBIs), who were both drafted last June. The Huskies (15-10-1) have won seven of their last eight and look like they are back on the right track after sweeping St. John’s last weekend. Ace pitcher Matt Barnes (5-2, 1.00 ERA, 2 CG) has been as dominant as advertised. After starting the season in the Saturday starting role, he’s now the Friday night man. The UConn staff currently sports a 2.78 ERA, which should go a long way toward curing what ails Jim Penders‘ team now that Big East play is here.

UCLA road its pitching and a scrappy offense to a national runner-up finish in Omaha last year. The Bruins might have to lean on the arms of Trevor Bauer and Gerrit Cole even more this year. UCLA hit .304 as a team and averaged 6.8 runs a game last year, but those numbers are down to .244 and 4.0 through 24 games this year. John Savage’s Bruins (14-10) weren’t a team built on power to begin with (Dean Espy’s 9 HR led the club last year), but they have just four home runs to date in ’11. Seven different Bruin regulars batted .308 or better last year, but Cody Keefer’s .293 currently leads the team. Bauer (5-1, 1.46 ERA), who leads the nation with 82 Ks, and Cole (3-2, 2.06 ERA, 57 K) and the staff have been overpowering, with a 2.06 staff ERA and 259 strikeouts vs. just 74 walks in 218 2/3 innings this season. But consider this: After a 22-game win streak to start the season, UCLA didn’t lose its first game until April 2 last year. They lost 17 times in 68 games last year, but they have already lost 10 games this season.

San Diego has been to the NCAA Tournament in four of the last five seasons, but the Toreros will have a tough time getting back this year. San Diego (7-19) is off to one of the worst starts in Rich Hill’s 13-year tenure. USD currently sports a .256 team batting average, .325 on-base percentage and 4.82 ERA. The holes in the weekend pitching rotation left by Kyle Blair (8-4, 2.84 ERA) and Sammy Solis (9-2, 3.42 ERA) have been tough to fill on the mound, while the bats of Chris Engall (.416) and James Meador (.391) have left a big offensive void as well. To its credit, San Diego has played a tough schedule, with losses to the likes of Vanderbilt, Oklahoma, Cal, Coastal Carolina, and Fresno State.

New Mexico had its best season in nearly 50 years in 2010, but things have been different this year. After earning the program’s first NCAA bid since 1962, the 2011 Lobos are off to a 9-20 start, including eight straight losses to start the campaign. However, Ray Birmingham’s squad returned just one position starter and six pitchers from last year’s team that went 38-22. Birmingham’s teams have always been offensive minded, but it’s hitting a whopping 80 points below last year’s .346 team batting average, while reaching base at a .342 clip (down nearly 70 points). The lack of offense, combined with a 6.05 staff ERA has been a recipe for  misfortune so far. Give Birmingham credit though. He knew what kind of turnover he would be facing this year, but still scheduled the likes of Arizona State, Oklahoma State, Arizona, and Oklahoma. The first of two conference series against TCU is this weekend.

Oregon is off to just a 14-12 start after an NCAA berth in just the second year of existence in the program’s return. The 40-24 record and that postseason appearance brought high expectations and a top 10 ranking coming into 2011. Like UCLA, George Horton’s offense is know for its small ball approach, but the Ducks are waddling to the tune of a dismal .229 team batting average and a .310 slugging percentage. Aaron Jones (.310) and Danny Pulfer (.301) are the only Ducks batting above .300, while K.C. Serna, who hit a team-best .348 in ’10, is struggling at .194 this season. Oregon scored just three runs in last week’s sweep at the hands of Arizona State to open Pac-10 play, making this weekend’s home series against Washington huge.

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By College Baseball 360 Editor Sean Stires

We are just days away from a new year and that means we’re less than two months away from the start of the 2011 college baseball season. There was good and there was bad, and with that in mind here are 10 significant things we’ll take from college baseball in 2010…

1.  Goodbye to Rosenblatt Stadium

What can be said about Rosenblatt that hasn’t already been said? After 60 years at the top of the hill in Omaha, Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium hosted its final College World Series in 2010. The move to the new TD Ameritrade Park in 2011 is seen by progress to some, but heartbreak to many. The new park will have all the amenities that Rosenblatt lacked, and maybe the future will be even brighter at the CWS and Omaha down the road. However, wouldn’t it have been nice if the new stadium had even a hint of nostalgia? The new Yankee Stadium has oversized high-priced seats and is swelling with luxury suites, but they still managed to keep the look from the House that Ruth Built. Too bad they couldn’t do the same at TDA.  CLICK HERE to read a letter of thanks from Omaha native Paul Fiarkoski to Johnny Rosenblatt.

2. Cal Cuts Baseball

Septbember 28, 2010 could be remembered as “Black Tuesday” at Cal. That’s the day Cal-Berkley Chancellor Robert Birgeneau and Athletic Director Sandy Barbour announced the school would eliminate baseball and four other sports (rugby, gymnastics and lacrosse) at their school at the conclusion of the 2010-2011 season. The given reason was to “generate an estimated $4 million annual savings in direct and indirect costs for Cal Athletics, while limiting further growth in expenses.” The outcry was instant, and the “Save Cal Baseball” movement began.  More than $10 in pledges have poured in to save the 118 year-old baseball program and the four other sports. The future is still uncertain, but head coach Dave Esquer’s Golden Bears are ranked 33rd in Collegiate Baseball’s 2011 preseason poll.

3. Arizona State Gets Probation

Our top story from 2009 was Pat Murphy leaving ASU, but Tim Esmay still led the Sun Devils to Omaha after the departure of the controversial head coach. That won’t be possible in 2011 after the NCAA slapped the program with postseason probation due to “lack of institutional control”.  Click here for the full rundown. While Arizona State plans to appeal the postseason ban, the school has been sanctioned nine times since 1953 (in sports other than baseball). Murphy is currently working in the San Diego Padres organization, but the NCAA also ruled that if he were to return to college baseball he would not be able to make recruiting calls until December 14, 2011.

4. Garrett Wittels Chases History, And Then…

Garrett Wittels

Heading into the 2010 season nobody was talking about Florida International, and they sure weren’t talking about Garrett Wittels. However, by season’s end the sophomore infielder who hit just .246 as a freshman was the toast of college baseball. Wittels batted .413 by hitting safely in all 56 games he started in 2010 (he didn’t play in five games) while helping his team to a Sun Belt Conference title and an NCAA Regional berth. He enters 2010 on the heels of Robin Ventura’s 1987 Division I record 58-game hitting streak. Things took a turn for the surreal earlier this month though when Wittels and a group of friends were charged with raping two 17-year-old girls on Dec. 20 in the Bahamas. Wittels is free on bond as the 2011 season approaches. ESPN is scheduled to televise FIU’s season-opening series against Southeastern Louisiana, but for now the question is will Wittels be in the line-up or behind bars?

5.  South Carolina Wins The CWS

Ray Tanner

Ray Tanner’s Gamecocks became regulars at Omaha over the last decade, but they never won it all. In the 61st and final CWS at Rosenblatt, South Carolina changed that in a big way. South Carolina lost its first game, but stormed back to win six straight to claim the school’s first major championship in any sport. They also beat their biggest rival, Clemson, twice in the process. No player more embodied the Gamecocks’ team effort than soph. Michael Roth, who made his first two starts of the season on the Omaha dirt. Roth held opponents to a .167 average in 16 1/3 total innings at the CWS. It was only fitting that South Carolina won in dramatic fashion on Whit Merrifield’s walk-off single in the bottom of the 11th inning against UCLA.

6. Matt Curry’s CWS Grand Slam

Matt Curry

With two out, a full count and his team down by two runs to Florida State, TCU’s Matt Curry jacked a grand slam to centerfield to stave-off elimination. The big hit made TCU an instant CWS legend in the the most electric moment of the 61st and final series at Rosenblatt. Not bad for a senior who played his first two seasons of college ball at Howard Junior College. Of that moment, TCU head coach Jim Schlossnagle would later tell us “That’s a game and that’s a moment I think that if they were to do a history of the College World Series…it’s gonna be a very small part, but I think it would be a part.” Said Curry afterward “When I hit it, I knew it was gone, because I’ve hit home runs and I usually know when I get them. I look and I’m all fired up” CLICK HERE for more postgame reaction from Curry, Schlossnagle and FSU head coach Mike Martin.

7. TCU Beats Texas In Super Regionals

Before Curry had his shot at Omaha immortality, TCU had to beat Texas in Super Regional play. Many thought the Horned Frogs were deserving of a national seed and the chance to host a Super Regional that would come with that distinction, but that didn’t happen. Instead, for a second straight year TCU was matched with the perennial power in Austin with a trip to Omaha on the line.  TCU won games one and three by giving-up just a run in each game against the #2 national seed Longhorns to send the Horned Frogs to the program’s first CWS. CLICK HERE for more from TCU’s historic win.

8. New Mexico And Oregon Make It To NCAA Regionals

Ray Birmingham

For the game of college baseball to grow it has to prosper in places where it has not traditionally prospered. New Mexico made it to an NCAA Regional for the first time in 48 years in 2010, while Oregon made it in just its second season since resurrecting the program after a nearly 30 year extinction. The Lobos and Ducks reached the postseason with the distinctive styles of their head coaches. For UNM it was Ray Birmingham’s “Kick down the door” offensive approach, while UO did it with George Horton’s pitching laden formula. It should come as no surprise that both programs prospered under their skippers. Birmingham led New Mexico Junior College to a 2005 national championship, while Horton more famously won the 2003 CWS at Cal State Fullerton.

9. Kyle Parker’s Record-Setting Double Duty

Kyle Parker

Parker took being a two-sport college athlete to another level during the 2009-2010 season. The Clemson quarterback/outfielder became the first Division One athlete to ever throw 20 touchdown passes and hit 20 home runs in the same academic year. In fact, he was the first to even go 15/15. Parker helped the football team to a Music City Bowl win in the fall and then helped Jack Leggett’s baseball team reach the College World Series in the spring. Parker was taken by the Colorado Rockies with the 26th overall pick in the June, 2010 draft. He has signed a professional contract and will report to spring training in 2011. CLICK HERE for an exclusive podcast interview with Parker.

10. UCLA And Arizona State Get Off To Fast Starts

The Bruins and Sun Devils both ended their seasons in Omaha, and they both got their seasons off to blazing hot starts. UCLA road its pitching out of the gates to a 22-0 record that didn’t end until an April 2 loss to Stanford. Arizona State used its balance of pitching and offense to start 24-0 under new head coach Tim Esmay. Their first setback came a day after UCLA’s first defeat when they dropped a 12-inning game at Oregon. John Savage’s Bruins ended their season with a 51-17 mark and a second place finish at the CWS, while ASU finished with a 52-10 mark despite going 0-2 in Omaha.

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LOS ANGELES, CA – T.J. Bruce, a former player and assistant coach at Long Beach State, has been named assistant baseball coach at UCLA, as announced by seventh-year head coach John Savage. Bruce will serve as the infield coach, assist recruiting efforts and work with the hitters with assistant coach Rick Vanderhook.

T.J. Bruce Comes to UCLA from Long Beach State

Bruce spent five seasons as an assistant coach at Long Beach State (2005, 2007-10), helping lead the 49ers to NCAA Regional appearances in 2007 and 2008. He served as an undergraduate assistant coach at Long Beach State in 2005, guiding the 49ers to an NCAA Regional berth.

“We are very excited about T.J. joining our coaching staff,” Savage said. “He is an outstanding young coach who brings a lot of knowledge and energy to our program. T.J. will have a major impact with our infielders.”

Working with the infielders as an assistant coach at Long Beach State, Bruce helped the development of All-Big West Conference selections Troy Tulowitzki (2003-05), Evan Longoria (2005-06), Danny Espinosa (2007) and Devin Lohman (2010). Tulowitzki and Longoria have since enjoyed successful major league careers with the Colorado Rockies and Tampa Bay Rays, respectively.

Bruce spent the 2006 season as an assistant coach at Cerritos College, helping the Falcons advance to the Southern California College playoffs. Cerritos finished the season with a 27-17 record, tied for second place in the competitive South Coast Conference. Two players from that team were selected in the 2006 MLB Draft.

Bruce played for Long Beach State as a senior in 2004 after spending his first two seasons (2001-02) at Cerritos College and his junior year (2003) at Texas Tech. In 2004, he helped Long Beach State to an NCAA Super Regional. The 49ers fell one game short of advancing to the College World Series, dropping the best-of-three series to Arizona in a decisive third game that lasted 11 innings. That season, Bruce played alongside Tulowitzki, who has since earned the 2008 American League Rookie of the Year award and has been named a three-time American League All-Star.

At Texas Tech in 2003, Bruce batted at a .321 clip, playing in all 55 games (making 53 starts). He belted three home runs, collecting 11 doubles, 38 RBI and 44 runs during his junior campaign.

Bruce earned honorable mention All-South Coast Conference acclaim in each of his two seasons at Cerritos College, leading the Falcons to the first round of the Southern California College playoffs both years. He batted .320 as a freshman in 2001 and finished his sophomore year batting .330 with 37 RBI and 28 stolen bases.

A three-year baseball letterwinner at St. John Bosco High School, Bruce was twice named to the Long Beach Press-Telegram’s “Dream Team” as a standout shortstop. He earned All-League Most Valuable Player honors as a junior and senior at St. John Bosco, helping lead the Braves to the league championship his senior season.

(UCLA Release)

LOS ANGELES – The UCLA baseball team has released its 2011 schedule, which features 25 games against teams that advanced to the 2010 NCAA Tournament, as announced by seventh-year head coach John Savage. UCLA opens the season with a three-game home series against San Francisco on Friday, Feb. 18.

John Savage

The Bruins will be working toward their second consecutive trip to the College World Series in 2011 after having set a school record for single-season wins (51) in 2010. Last June, UCLA advanced to the finals of the College World Series for the first time in program history, falling to South Carolina in a best-of-three series.

COMPLETE 2011 UCLA SCHEDULE

“We’re very excited about next season’s schedule, both our road trips and our weekends at Jackie Robinson Stadium,” Savage said. “Our fans did a tremendous job supporting us last season, and we look for more excitement at the ballpark in 2011. The Pac-10 sent more teams to the NCAA Tournament than any other league last season, and we anticipate the conference race to be just as competitive next spring.”

UCLA’s 56-game regular-season schedule features 28 home games, 27 road games and one neutral contest against USC at Dodger Stadium. The non-conference slate includes weekend series at home against San Francisco (Feb. 18-20) and San Jose State (Feb. 25-27) and road series at Nebraska (March 4-6) and Cal Poly (March 19-21).

For the second straight year, UCLA will compete in the Dodgertown Classic, taking place in 2011 the weekend of March 11-13. This year’s four-team field includes Georgia, Ohio State, USC and UCLA. The Bruins are slated to host Ohio State and Georgia on March 11 and 12 before facing USC at Dodger Stadium on March 13.

“Last year’s game against USC at Dodger Stadium was an overwhelming success, and we’re thrilled to have the opportunity to play there again,” Savage said. “We had over 14,000 fans show up for our game at Dodger Stadium last February. With Ohio State and Georgia heading to Los Angeles next March, we’ll work our hardest to make sure this year’s Dodgertown Classic even better.”

The Bruins kick off Pac-10 play at crosstown rival USC (March 25-27), having won 13 of their last 16 games against the Trojans, including three-game series sweeps in 2007 and 2010.

UCLA’s home Pac-10 weekends feature series against Washington (April 1-3), Arizona (April 15-17), Oregon State (April 29-May 1) and California (May 20-22). In addition to a road series at USC, the Bruins will play Pac-10 series at Washington State (April 8-10), Stanford (April 21-23), Oregon (May 6-8) and Arizona State (May 27-29). UCLA hosts a non-conference series in May against Cal State Bakersfield (May 13-15).

Midweek contests include two games each against Cal State Fullerton, Long Beach State, Pepperdine, San Diego State and UC Irvine and one game at UC Riverside.

The Bruins’ last five schedules have been ranked among the top three-most difficult in the country, as ranked by Boyd’s World (strength of schedule ranking service, boydsworld.com). UCLA’s schedule was ranked No. 1 in 2006 and 2010, No. 2 in 2007 and No. 3 in 2008 and 2009.

Three consecutive trips to the College World Series can create unrealistic expectations for any program, let alone one that plays inside the fish bowl called the Southeastern Conference (SEC). (front-page photo of Niko Gallego courtesy of UCLA)

South Carolina Coach Ray Tanner and UCLA Coach John Savage discuss their successes this year and the upcoming championship series.

College World Series Gameday: TCU (53-13) vs. UCLA (50-14) …

Coming into the game between UCLA and TCU, a close inspection of the team stat page in each program’s media guide revealed some interesting data.

The number six and the sixth inning would be an important run total and a pivotal inning for both teams, in determining who was going to win the epic matchup involving two programs loaded with pitching depth.

Rob Rasmussen Wwent 4.1 innings giving up 3 Runs on 6 Hits. (Photo: Chase Titleman)

UCLA has piled up some impressive statistics, most impressive (other than the 50-14 record with a program-best 22-game win streak to start the season) is the PAC-10 season strikeout record in which the Bruins logged 665 punchouts in 582 innings (10.3 ’s per 9-inning game).

Equally impressive is limiting the opponent batting average to .217 and the fact that the offense has jumped into high gear, hitting .311 in eight postseason games this month.

At 50-14 overall, the Bruins sport a 21-4 record on the road, 8-3 in 1-run games and 4-0 in extra inning affairs. Overall, the quality pitching depth has limited opponents in 2010 to 0-2 runs in 30 ballgames (UCLA is 29-1 in those games).

With all these impressive stats running rampant in the media guide, it is rather hard to find a chink in the Bruin armor.

But a closer examination reveals that the Bruins are only 9-7 when the opponent scores in the first inning, which TCU did on Friday afternoon when Taylor Featherston drove in a run on a bases-loaded walk when UCLA starter Rob Rasmussen struggled with his command.

When UCLA scores in the first inning, they are 22-3 … but they drew a blank tonight in Omaha during the opening frame. Advantage TCU!

Furthermore, when trailing after six innings UCLA is 3-11, but when leading they are 43-1. So when the Bruins began the top of the 7th inning trailing 3-1, you can bet your bottom dollar the west-coasters were in a tight fix given the few statistical numbers that have not worked in their favor this season (although they did stage a memorable late-inning rally to beat Cal State Fullerton in the Super-Regional round).

Cody Regis started the 7th inning with a drag-bunt single on the first pitch, and a pitch later Joe Giovinnazo hit a high-chop grounder to third to advance Regis (iovinnazo was out on the play). Trevor Brown entered the game to pinch-hit for Uribe, a rather odd move considering Uribe is hitting .329 on the year while Brown is hitting .296, but Coach John Savage wanted a better right-left matcup versus the taltented LHP Matt Purke (Uribe swings lefthanded).

Working the count full at 3-2, Brown drew a walk, finally running the TCU All-American Purke from the game and setting up runners at 1st and 2nd with one out.

The pitching change called upon another decision by Savage and he chose lefthanded hitter Jeff Gelalich to hit for Krill, for the same reason as the Uribe-Brown scenario as the new TCU pitcher Tyler Lockwood is a veteran righthander.

When Gelalich grounded a ball to third base, only his foot speed prevented the Frogs from turning a double play ball to get out of the inning (his speed also would come in handy two batters later).

Steve Rodriguez then walked to load the bases, which brought up leadoff hitter Niko Gallego, who hit a high chopper to third base and once again the speed of Gelalich beat the race to the bag (prolonging the inning). The Bruins had cut the lead to 3-2, but Beau Amaral struckout in a key at-bat as the Bruins left three runners on base and swam upstream against the statistics all evening long.

UCLA’s chance to defy the statistical trend faded, as the Bruins now are 5-14 and 4-15 when trailing after the 8th and 9th innings, respectively. They will need to limit TCU from scoring in the 1st inning tomorrow and likely must hold TCU to 0-5 runs to enhance their oddes at victory.

Taylor Featherston, Jerome Pena & Bryan Holaday all homered for TCU

In the bottom of the inning, Matt Curry – who hit the thrilling gamewinning grand slam versus Florida State two nights ago –  singled to right and Jantzen Witte bunted Corry to second. Hot-hitting Taylor Featherston then hit a towering home run into the leftfield bleachers to extend the lead to 5-2. An inning later, Bryan Holaday hit his 16th home run of the season (TCU’s 99th long ball of the season) to slam the door on the Bruins at 6-2.

With each team now beating the other in Bracket #1, the third and decisive game of the head-to-head series will be decided tomorrow afternoon at either 1 p.m. or 6 p.m (depending on the outcome of the Clemson – South Carolina ballgame this evening). If Clemson wins, they will clinch a championship series berth and if South Carolina wins, it forces a game-3 doubleheader tomorrow for both brackets (first game at 1:00 p.m. and the second to begin 50 minutes following the completion of TCU vs UCLA).

UCLA Postgame Comments:

Coach John Savage:

“It was one of those days. … You have to give Matt Purke and TCU a ton of credit. I thought he did a good job of pounding the zone … seemed like we were swimming upstream all day. Credit Lockwood as well. We just have to make sure there is no residue tomorrow. We will go with [Trevor] Bauer. We had a misstep today, but give a lot of credit to TCU.

“I thought Rob [Rasmussen] did fine. He had some tough luck defensively. It seemed like we couldn’t finish innings defensively.  e walked three guys in 4.1 [innings], which is uncharacteristic. They pecked away and then got some big swings late.”

On the decision to go with Clayton Claypool: “We could have gone in many directions. … Tomorrow, we have plenty of arms out of the bullpen. Bauer is one day short of a normal week. [Gerrit] Cole will be ready to go and then we have Klein, Grace and Goeddel.”

UCLA PLAYERS

Starter Rob Rasmussen: “I just tried to keep my team in the game as much as possible. I think you have to give Matt Purke a ton of credit. He did an excellent job all day.”

Shortstop Niko Gallego: “Wind was really brutal out there. … The wind was blowing pretty good, TCU had to deal the same wind, we should have handled it better, but no excuses, we should have played better defensively and handled the wind better.  [On Purke] … Not anything that he was doing,. He was pitching well, he threw a great game, he has his own rhythm and stuck to it.”

TCU Postgame Comments:

Head Coach Jim Schlossnagle: “Really good win for us, UCLA has a really great club. Matt [Purke] did a good job of making adjustments, especially with the sinker. I was nervous after the first inning, leaving the bases loaded with the catch in center field. … That was a tremendous play. [Lockwood] pitching on fumes did a great job. We survived another day.”

On the number of close calls: “On maybe the check-swing I could see arguing, but I thought he was safe at third. You can only control the things that you can control. At least for me it has to be something very grievous for us to lose our cool.

“The scary thing about UCLA is they know who they are, they are doing the same thing we talk about … maximizing their time at bat and minimizing their time on the mound. I think they are very well-coached. Bauer is a 3- or 4-pitch guy, he has a great routine, mentally strong. I’m sure he is a bulldog. My college coach coached those guys in Team USA and has always gone on and on and on about those guys. It’s not about the team that is the best, it’s about the team that plays the best.

“This is classic, this is what Omaha’s all about. [UCLA] still is in the driver’s seat because they have the extra day’s rest.We are both against the wall due to elimination. I don’t know who we are going to pitch tomorrow, but we have some options. Don’t let coach Savage fool you, they are pretty loaded over there.”

On Matt Purke’s Performance: “Sign of a good pitcher is winning when you don’t have your best stuff. He got groundball outs in hitters counts. Anyone can pitch when you have your best stuff … that’s a piece of cake. Jerome [Pena] has done a great job. He hasn’t even played infield in JC ball, it’s all about pitching and defense.“

Secon Baseman Jerome Pena: “On the home run, I was behind in the count again so I was guessing a bit and I got a good swing on it.”

Starter Matt Purke: “This place is an adventure on its own. We’ve been told to expect the unexpected here. Something on the boxscore that you were interested in: I came in looking at the ERA, hoping I could get down under the three, yes, it was today’s game was like the game I had versus Arizona in the regional. Guys took a long time to get to the plate … you can’t get rattled by that. Sooner or later, I was going to get them out and they could take their time on the bench.”

On UCLA’s patience: “Best I could compare them to is Texas in terms of patience, they really like getting the first guy on and doing some hit-and-runs or steals. You you have to focus on getting ahead and keeping them off base. [13 groundball outs]:  These guys play phenomenal behind me.  Jerome joked with me during the FSU game that he didn’t get a ground ball. So he wanted one today”

Shortstop Taylor Featherston: “I feel like every one of my at-bats have come with two strikes, so I am kind of getting used to it.”