Cole looks to continue solid pitching when UCLA baseball travels to Pullman to take on Washington State
Junior right-handed pitcher Gerrit Cole, ranked 11th in the nation in strikeouts, will open No. 24 UCLA’s weekend series at Washington State today in Pullman, Wash.
Baseball
Washington State
Today through Sunday
Pullman, Wash.
Follow GameTracker at UCLABruins.com
By Daily Bruin Staff
April 8, 2011 2:03 a.m.
At 6 feet 4 inches and 220 pounds, Gerrit Cole would undoubtedly be the “muscle” in any business setting. Just standing next to him is enough to make any executive tremble.
This weekend, Cole is the chief executive officer of UCLA Baseball, and he means business as the Bruins head to Pullman, Wash., to take on Washington State in a three-game series.
After Tuesday’s heart-wrenching 5-4 loss in 11 innings against UC Riverside, Wednesday’s practice had the feel of a business meeting as the Bruins prepare to make their first true road trip of the conference season.
“There wasn’t a lot of vocal energy at practice but there was a lot of intensity,” he said. “Everybody was just quiet and went about their business. It was kind of interesting.”
Cole ranks No. 11 in the nation in strikeouts and boasts a 2.06 earned run average, but has only a 3-2 record to show for it.
“I’m throwing the ball well, but we’re not getting the results that we want as a team,” Cole said. “But later down the line, it could turn around and be the other way. You’ve just got to keep going about your business and being detailed.”
A trip across Interstate 10 to face USC last month could hardly be counted as a road trip, but it did account for No. 24 UCLA’s (14-10, 5-1 Pac-10) only conference loss of the year. The Bruins are currently tied for first place in the conference with Arizona State and California.
The Cougars (12-12, 1-5), meanwhile, are eighth in the conference standings and have struggled so far this season. They have, however, lost just three games at home this season and lost just five home games in 2010 before falling in the NCAA Fayetteville Regional.
“It’s going to be a tremendous challenge,” coach John Savage said. “They’re a very good team at home. They’ve always been one of the better home teams in the conference.”
This is UCLA’s longest trip since going to Nebraska on March 4. Although the Bruins went 1-2 in that series, Cole said he and his teammates are drawing on their experiences from Lincoln, Neb., as they head to Pullman.
At this point in the junior pitcher’s career, he’s adept at blocking out the stresses of the road and focusing on junior catcher Steve Rodriguez’s glove.
“You try to take that all out of the equation and keep it simple,” said Cole, who threw nine scoreless innings at Nebraska without securing the victory.
“In certain situations, you do have to be prepared for what the elements can throw at you and what situations you are going to be put into. This being my second time going to Pullman, that’s something that I can share with the younger guys.”
The first time Cole and his fellow junior teammates made the trip to Pullman in 2009, they came away 1-2 despite a six-inning, eight-strikeout game from Cole in his start.
It’s safe to say they’re looking to come away with a series win this time around.
“We’ll come into it playing Bruin baseball,” sophomore left fielder Cody Keefer said. “That’s what we’ve been doing in league play so hopefully we can keep it going.”
