BASEBALL vs. UCLA vs. Cal State Fullerton Today
7 p.m. Fullerton
By Adam Karon
Daily Bruin Staff
The UCLA baseball team resumes play today when it travels to Cal
State Fullerton to take on the No. 24 Titans.
Both teams should be well-rested, coming off weekend rain outs.
Before the weather took effect, No. 22 UCLA (10-4) beat No. 16
Tulane 8-3 on Friday, while Fullerton (6-7) dropped a
non-conference game to Arizona State 5-3.
In their loss, the Titans committed five errors and stranded 14
runners.
“They generally play good defense,” UCLA coach Vince
Beringhele said. “But I guess that’s been their
Achilles heel this year.”
So far, Fullerton has committed 26 errors in just 13 games.
The Titans biggest asset comes in the form of pitcher Kirk
Saarloos. The 6-foot senior has been dominating this year. He was
named National Pitcher of the Week after nearly completing a
perfect game against Brigham Young University. He finished with a
one-hitter, striking out 11 and throwing just 85 pitches.
“They could pitch their ace Tuesday,” UCLA Head
Coach Gary Adams said. “He’s probably the hottest
pitcher in the nation right now.”
Because he did not pitch due to a rain out, Saarloos should be
ready if the Titan coaches decide to use him.
“Either way, we are going to see good pitching,”
Adams said.
So far, it doesn’t seem to matter who is pitching against
the Bruins. The team has won 10 of its last 12 games, including
wins over ranked opponents No. 5 USC, No. 2 Pepperdine and No. 16
Tulane.
“We’ve been a good late-inning team,” Adams
said. “Our relief pitching has really kept us
close.”
The last time these two teams met, relief pitching was not an
issue. Fullerton destroyed the Bruins 17-5 in a game that featured
two Titan grand slams.
“As a coach, you remember everything,” Beringhele
said of last year’s game. “We know it, we remember it,
but we don’t play too much on it. They’re just another
ranked team we have to play.”
The Titans have struggled so far this year. They have yet to
break the .500 barrier, and have lost two out of their last three
games.
Still, Fullerton is well coached and always considered one of
the elite programs in the country.
“They’re always a good team,” Adams said.
“They have quite a few players back from last
year.”
One player who is new to the team is infielder Mike Rouse, a
transfer from San Jose State. He is batting .325 with one home run
and seven RBIs this year. The sophomore is slugging .475 to lead
the Titans.
UCLA has a powerful counter to Rouse’s bat. Bruin senior
Brian Baron is scorching opposing pitchers with a .510 average.
But the Bruins know better than to dwell on personal
satisfaction.
“Right now, we’re playing as well as the high-ranked
teams in the country,” Beringhele said. “We want to
build on that. We’re not satisfied.”
Perhaps UCLA can find satisfaction in avenging last year’s
embarrassment at the hands of the Titans.