NICOLE MILLER/Daily Bruin Staff Right-handed freshman
Kyle Wilson hurls a ball against Washington State
last weekend.
By Scott Bair
Daily Bruin Staff
[email protected]
UCLA has reached a fork in the road of its long baseball season.
The Bruins, who own a 5-7 Pac-10 record at the midpoint of their
conference season, have floundered between contender and pretender
status.
They have not been able to put forth a consistent all-around
effort. The seven losses emerge from a breakdown in one facet of
their game, whether it be poor hitting when the pitchers are
throwing well or building a huge lead that the bullpen can’t
seem to hold.
The Bruins must play together as a team if they are to attain a
regional playoff berth. Despite the fact that there are 15 games
left in the 2002 season, this weekend’s three-game series
against Washington has become a do-or-die situation for UCLA.
“We’ve put ourselves in this situation, losing some
close conference games early in the season,” UCLA hitting
coach Vince Beringhele said. “We have to play some very tough
teams over the next month, but the teams we play are the ones ahead
of us in the standings.”
The Bruins remain in the driver’s seat of their playoff
destiny, but the car they’re using doesn’t have any
power steering. It will be hard to control the Washington Huskies,
who have won seven of their last nine Pac-10 contests. It will be
even harder to maneuver around Pac-10 pitcher of the week Shawn
Kohn. He has allowed one run in his last two complete game
victories, and will face off against Bruin pitcher Mike Kunes
Friday in what promises to be the most important outing of his
career.
Kunes has amassed a 6-3 record this year, but will have to
perform better than his 4.08 ERA if he is to compete with Kohn.
“I haven’t been a part of a matchup like this in my
college career,” Kunes said. “I look at this
Friday’s game as a chance to prove myself and set the tone
for the rest of the series.”
The Bruins will need some help from unexpected places if they
are to win the series. Bruin stars Ben Francisco and Casey Janssen
remain out of the lineup due to injury.
“We’re like a M*A*S*H outfit,” UCLA head coach
Gary Adams said.
At the same time, they are receiving offense from some
unexpected sources. Outfielders Rashad Parker and Nick Lyon have
added some pop to the Bruin lineup to accent the hitting of Wes
Whisler, who has hit four home runs in his last four games.
The Bruins do miss the assistance of Adam Berry and pitcher
Chris Cordeiro, both of whom have cooled off after a red-hot start
to the season.
If the Bruins are going to make a push toward the playoffs,
every player must maximize his potential and he must do it now.
Because of their early season mistakes, there is no margin for
error.
“¢bull; “¢bull; “¢bull;
Notes: The baseball team just signed a pair of California
recruits who can do it all ““ pitch and hit. Hector Ambriz
from Valencia High School in Placentia is a right-handed pitcher
and catcher who can also play both corner positions. He is 7-1 with
a 0.59 ERA. Garett White from Centennial High School in Bakersfield
is a lefty who could also be used in the lineup.
“Anytime you can get a quality left-handed pitcher like
Garett White, it’s an advantage for your team,”
pitching coach Gary Adcock said in a statement.