Tuesday, 5/20/97 Bruins take No. 1 seed for Midwest regional
BASEBALL: UCLA ready to face No. 6 Crimson in first game of
postseason
By Tim Yun Daily Bruin Contributor On Monday, the 48 best
baseball teams in the nation were selected to play in eight
regionals for a chance to play in the College World Series. As
expected, the fourth-ranked Bruins received a No. 1 seed in the
Midwest regional. Also included in UCLA’s bracket are Harvard,
Tennessee, University of Ohio, Oklahoma State and Stetson. The
Bruins will play the sixth-seeded Crimson in the opening game of
the postseason on Thursday. Of the teams that were selected to play
in this regional, host Oklahoma State is the toughest obstacle for
the Bruins. Not only are the Cowboys second in the nation in home
runs and a solid defensive team, but they have the added advantage
of playing in front of a home crowd, which can wreak havoc on the
opposing team. "I have been told that the Oklahoma State fans will
be rabid against any team from the West," head coach Gary Adams
said, "the noise level is going to be sky-high." Perhaps a more
pressing concern for Adams is the Bruins’ performances in
non-league games during the season. They had a mediocre 1-5 record
against teams outside of the Pac-6 division during the last half of
the season. "The reason why we have not played as well against the
non-league teams is because our pitching depth did not show
itself," Adams said, "but, I think that we have done some things in
our inter-squad games, that has sharpened up our relievers and
hopefully that will help out a lot." Although the team’s fourth and
fifth starters have not pitched well over the last few games, they
still have the support of their fellow teammates. "They have to
step it up," Pete Zamora said. "There has been a lot of talk that
they have not been doing their job, but they are really good
pitchers," Tom Jacques added. "If they step it up, there is no way
that anyone is going to stop us." The Six-Pac was well-represented
in the field of 48 as the conference sent four teams to various
regionals. Arizona State earned a No. 3 seed in the Atlantic
regional, USC earned a No. 2 seed in the South 2 region and
Washington earned a No. 4 seed in the Mid East Regional.