Tuesday games aren’t supposed to be this important. But with UCLA baseball looking for a spot in a 64-team NCAA Tournament with an RPI ranking of 68, every one of the 11 games left in the Bruins’ schedule are going to count. Read more...

Photo: As UCLA baseball closes out the final 11 games of their season, they are on the cusp of a playoff bid. But with an RPI ranking of 68, UCLA currently sits on the outside looking in for the 64-team NCAA tournament. (Ken Shin/Daily Bruin)

Coach John Savage called this weekend’s starting pitching contagious. “Watching Griff (Canning) kind of inspires me,” said junior starter Grant Dyer. “And then hopefully Kyle (Molnar) can learn a little bit from me.” UCLA baseball (23-22, 10-11 Pac-12) took two out of three from UC Irvine (26-19, 7-8 Big West) thanks to its starters. Read more...

Photo: Junior starter Grant Dyer held the Anteaters to one run on four hits Saturday, the second of three dominant starting pitching performances from the Bruins. (Mackenzie Possee/Daily Bruin)

The baseball rivalry between UCLA and UC Irvine has traditionally been one of the best on the West Coast. From 2007 to 2015, the two teams combined for five College World Series appearances and 13 NCAA Tournament berths. Read more...

Photo: UCLA baseball is on the bubble entering this weekend’s series with UC Irvine. The Bruins have an RPI of 83. (Daniel Alcazar/Photo Editor)

There were plenty of scouts on hand behind home plate, radar guns raised, to witness UCLA baseball’s sweep of Oregon a couple weeks ago. That was a function not only of the marquee pitching matchups on display that weekend, but also the general lack of premier talent across West Coast college baseball. Read more...

Photo: Junior designated hitter Kort Peterson and the Bruins have an RPI of No. 73 in the nation, partly due to their .500 record and the weakness of West Coast college baseball this season. (Mackenzie Possee/Daily Bruin)

The game should have been over by the time it reached the bottom of the first. After four hours and 45 minutes, the Bruins finally pulled away with an 11-10 victory. Read more...

Photo: Senior second baseman Brett Urabe got the scoring going for UCLA baseball early, reaching base twice and scoring both times in the Bruins’ eight-run first inning. (Kathy Chen/Daily Bruin)

The Bruins wanted Kyle Molnar to take the ball in position to win this weekend’s series with the Utah Utes. The series didn’t play out that way, but the freshman right-hander did his job Sunday, helping UCLA baseball (20-21, 10-11 Pac-12) earn a 10-3 win in the final contest of its three-game set with conference-leading Utah (16-23, 11-7). Read more...

Photo: Freshman right-hander Kyle Molnar pitched UCLA to a win in Sunday’s game at Utah, giving the Bruins their lone victory from the weekend’s three-game series with the Utes. (Daniel Alcazar/Photo editor)

UCLA baseball will face one of the most surprising teams in the Pac-12 – if not the country – when it heads to Salt Lake City this weekend. Read more...

Photo: Coming off a three-game sweep against Oregon last weekend, UCLA baseball heads to Salt Lake City to take on Utah, which is ranked last in the Pac-12 with a 5.35 ERA. (Kathy Chen/Daily Bruin)