UCLA wins No. 1 overall seed in NCAA Tournament despite loss to Oregon

The stakes were different for the two college baseball teams playing in Eugene, Ore., this past weekend.

No. 2 UCLA (42-14, 22-8 Pac-12) entered the weekend with a Pac-12 title already in tow, and a chance to compete for the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament.

Oregon (37-23,16-14 Pac-12), on the other hand, entered the weekend as a bubble team in the clearest sense. The Ducks sat right on the No. 64 RPI ranking when the weekend started; there are 64 teams that are included in the NCAA Tournament.

By the time the tournament selection show aired on Monday morning, a day after Oregon clinched the series 2-1, it was clear the two teams did what was necessary to reach their immediate goals.

Oregon played well enough against highly ranked UCLA to make it in, as the Ducks were awarded the No. 3 seed in the Springfield Regional. As for the Bruins, it turns out that they didn’t really have anything else they needed to prove against the Ducks. Despite losing two of three games to Oregon, UCLA was still awarded the No. 1 overall seed.

“It was pretty exciting,” said redshirt junior outfielder Christoph Bono. “I’m not sure many of our guys thought we would be the number one seed.”

Bono said he was a little bit surprised that UCLA was granted the No. 1 overall seed for the first time in school history – but not because he thought the Bruins weren’t deserving of that rank.

“I (just) thought we would maybe be around two or three,” Bono said.

That’s right about where UCLA stood in the RPI entering the weekend, holding the No. 3 spot. But in the eyes of the selection committee, UCLA was probably a bit higher. The No. 1 team in the RPI before the weekend began – Miami (44-14) – won the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament this past weekend, but that still wasn’t enough to earn the Hurricanes and their high-powered offense the No. 1 overall seed.

Instead, the No. 1 seed went to the team with the top pitching staff: UCLA. Even though the Bruins lost two of three up in Eugene, the pitching staff still held strong, posting a 3.19 ERA in the series.

Although UCLA’s pitching held to its season standard by pitching strong throughout the weekend, sophomore first baseman Luke Persico said there were other areas where the Bruins fell short.

“We need to be able to pass the baton to each other a little better,” Persico said. “That was one thing that we really talked about and harped on.”

In the 11th inning of rubber game on Sunday afternoon, the Bruins looked to be passing the baton well. With two outs, Persico drew a walk on a full count, allowing senior third baseman Chris Keck to come to the plate with runners on first and second. Keck was hit by the pitch, giving freshman second baseman Sean Bouchard a chance to break the game open with the bases loaded.

But Bouchard grounded out to shortstop, and Oregon capitalized on its opportunity in the bottom half of the 11th, winning on a walk-off single.

“Oregon’s a good team – I think they are definitely a better team than their record shows,” Bono said.

The Ducks were good enough to hand the Bruins their first Pac-12 series loss of the season. They were also strong enough to defeat the Bruins twice in extra innings. Before the series began, UCLA was on a three-game win streak in extra-inning games.

But even though some streaks ended, Persico and the Bruins know there are a lot more chances for greater achievements in the NCAA Tournament.

“This is the beginning of the new part of the season and you know we’re just ready to get prepared for the rest to come,” Persico said.

Compiled by Matthew Joye, Bruin Sports senior staff.