Baseball looks ahead

It had become customary for the UCLA baseball team to gather in its clubhouse Mondays following the final game of the season.

But knowing they had no chance of earning the program’s fourth consecutive postseason berth, the Bruins did not assemble to watch the NCAA tournament selection show at Jackie Robinson Stadium.

“It definitely was not a good thing to wake up to,” senior Cody Decker said. “It’s kind of hard for it not to stick in your mind.”

The Bruins played the toughest schedule in the nation and secured a third-place finish in the Pac-10 but ended the year with more losses than wins.

“We just didn’t win enough games, that’s the bottom line,” coach John Savage said.

Of the 29 games UCLA lost, 14 were by a one-run margin. The Bruins were also plagued by an early-season 10-game slide, which put them in a quick 2-10 hole.

“That means we need to be better at the end of the game,” Savage said. “At the end of the day, that really was the difference between us staying home and not moving on to play in the postseason.”

DECKER BOUNCES BACK: Any player’s senior season is important, but for first baseman Decker, it was necessary. After hitting a career-low .218 last year as a junior, he needed to bounce back.

“That junior year was awful,” he said. “There’s nothing much more I can say about it. I just wanted to come back this year and play as hard as I could and make a statement to some people.”

Decker did just that, hitting a Pac-10-best 21 home runs in his final season. He finished his career with 47 long balls, which tied him for seventh-place on the UCLA all-time career home run list. The 47 was one shy of sixth-place Eric Byrnes, who smacked 48 home runs from 1995-98.

“I’m ecstatic for him,” coach John Savage said. “I’m really proud of him and the way he came back. He had a tremendous senior year and was really one of the most feared hitters in the Pac-10.”

Even though Decker did not reach the postseason as a senior, he was a part of the recruiting class that guided the Bruins to three straight tournament appearances for the first time in program history.

“It was the greatest time of my life,” he said. “I got to know such great players and great guys. I’m going to be walking out of here a better baseball player and person than when I walked in.

“Coming out short is not exactly how I wanted to finish this out, but I’m very proud of what I’ve done here.”

TOUGH COMPETITION: During the course of the 2009 season, the Bruins played six of the eventual 16 regional hosts.

UCLA lost two of three against overall No. 2 seed Cal State Fullerton, and suffered the same fate at the hands of No. 5 Arizona State and No. 6 UC Irvine.

The Bruins were swept by No. 7 Oklahoma in a three-game set in Norman, Okla.

UCLA lost its only contest against Houston Regional host Rice but took two of three from Greenville Regional host East Carolina on the road.

PITCHING IN: If there was one facet that could offset the lingering frustration for not reaching the playoffs, it would be the strength and promise of UCLA’s pitching staff.

The Bruins’ weekend rotation is young, anchored by freshmen Gerrit Cole and Trevor Bauer. The right-handed duo exceeded expectations in their first season and clearly emerged as the program’s building blocks for the next two years.

“They’re going to be great,” Decker said of Cole and Bauer. “I can’t imagine these guys not accomplishing everything.”

Cole began the season as the Saturday starter but quickly surfaced as the ace and earned the Friday night starts. Though he finished with a 4-8 record, Cole posted a 3.49 earned-run average and held hitters to a team-low .191 batting average.

Unlike Cole, who was a part of the rotation from the beginning, Bauer was the Bruins’ closer at the start of the season. After a handful of impressive outings, Bauer earned a pair of midweek starts and then moved into the rotation.

Bauer, who skipped out on his senior year in high school to enroll at UCLA, pitched four complete games and led the staff with 105 1/3 innings of work ““ 20 more than the next closest Bruin, Cole, who tossed 85 innings.

“Our future is extremely bright,” Savage said. “We expect in the next few years to make a serious run at Omaha because of those two guys (Cole and Bauer).”

A ROUGH DRAFT: For UCLA, like many other top national programs, the upcoming Major League Baseball Draft will be a determining event.

Collegiate baseball programs face tough situations when they lose committed players who sign professionally after being selected. Draft-eligible juniors can also be selected, so coaches across the country scramble to fill the voids left by those players as well.

“The draft can hurt your recruiting class,” Savage said, “and some of the juniors move out of the program.”

Savage had to deal with both scenarios at the end of last season. Three incoming freshmen ““ Tyler Chatwood, Cutter Dykstra and Clark Murphy ““ signed professionally after being high selections. Four juniors ““ Tim Murphy, Brandon Crawford, Jermaine Curtis and Ryan Babineau ““ skipped their final seasons of eligibility and signed contracts to play in the pros.

“One of our goals is to have those guys move on, play professional baseball, and make a name for themselves,” Savage said. “I think we’ve done a pretty good job of that.”

Yet UCLA’s highest selection last season, then-incoming freshman Gerrit Cole, decided not to sign with the New York Yankees, who made him the 28th overall pick.

Like with Cole a year ago, Savage will be on the edge of his seat with several of his incoming freshmen ““including standout catcher Max Stassi and infielder David Nick ““ being possible early-round selections.

“There’s a lot of work to be done, but there’s some pieces in place that will make you want to believe that we can be a national contender over the next few years,” Savage said.