By Adam Karon
Daily Bruin Staff
David killed Goliath, and the UCLA baseball team hopes to
accomplish a similar feat when it takes on the powerful No. 1
Stanford Cardinal this weekend in Palo Alto.
The Bruins (20-9) are coming off an 11-3 victory over No. 19
Pepperdine earlier this week. The win stretched UCLA’s
winning streak to three games, but the Bruins are a disappointing
3-3 in conference play.
A good showing against Stanford could put the Bruins back on
track in the Pac-10.
“It’s a crucial point in our season because
we’re 3-3 and we need to get above the .500 mark and get some
wins early,” second baseman Josh Canales said.
But the Cardinal will not be an easy victim. Canales said it
will take solid defense, execution and timely hitting if the Bruins
hope to win.
Stanford is 25-6 for the season and 5-1 in the Pac-10, most
recently surviving a ten-inning contest against San Jose State. As
a team, the Cardinal is batting .290 with 88 extra base hits,
compared to .317 and 99 extra base hits for UCLA.
Stanford’s strength lies in its pitching staff. So far,
they have given up just 89 earned runs in over 280 innings of
work.
“They have pitching galore,” Head Coach Gary Adams
said. “They have starters and relievers. It will take a
high-level brand of baseball to beat those guys.”
Stanford’s depth is what is most impressive about the
team. They do not have a single player with more than six home
runs, but 11 position players have appeared in at least 20 games
this season. Nine pitchers have at least ten innings of work.
“They’re deep,” Adams said.
“They’ve got speed, power, good defense. They are not
the No. 1 team in the nation for nothing.”
The Bruins should be up to the challenge. Led by senior
designated hitter Brian Baron, UCLA is slugging over .450 as a
team. Baron has been one of the more consistent performers in the
nation, batting at a .521 clip. He is slugging .630 with just six
strikeouts in 119 at bats.
Baron will need to continue his hot play for UCLA to have a
chance.
“If we get good starting pitching and hit the ball like we
have been, we can do it,” junior Adam Berry said.
While they respect the nation’s best team, the Bruins are
not going to roll over for Stanford.
“We’re not going to concede to anyone,” Adams
said. “We’re practicing hard and preparing ““
preparing to win.”
Junior Josh Karp is expected to start Friday, senior Jon Brandt
should go Saturday and senior Bobby Roe will finish up the series
for the Bruins on Sunday.