Baseball swings into action in preparation for series against Sacramento State

The Bruins’ pitching staff will have the chance to further showcase their arms this weekend.

No. 4 UCLA baseball (7-1) will begin a three-game home series against Sacramento State (3-4) on Friday night – the first time the Bruins are facing the Hornets since 2012.

The Bruins swept the Hornets in a three-game home series seven years ago and were led by their pitching staff of then-sophomore right-handers Adam Plutko, Nick Vander-Tuig and Zack Weiss. The trio of future pros gave up a combined four earned runs that weekend, helping UCLA finish the season 22nd in the country in ERA at 3.15.

UCLA’s ERA is currently 1.11 and ranks second in the nation out of teams that have played more than one game.

The bullpen has posted a 1.30 ERA in 27 2/3 innings, while the Bruins’ four starters have a combined 0.99 ERA in 45 1/3. Most notably, the Sunday and Tuesday starters – freshman right-handers Jesse Bergin and Nick Nastrini – have not let up an earned run in 22 1/3 total innings across their four starts combined.

Nastrini got the nod in the Bruins’ most recent game in a road win against CSUN on Tuesday throwing five scoreless innings with five strikeouts. Coach John Savage said the freshman is making strides in his development as a UCLA player.

“He’s still very young, (but) he’s maturing into a Bruin pitcher,” Savage said. “He’s doing a better job of pitching out of problems.”

Despite the first appearance of his career coming in relief, Nastrini’s transition into the starting rotation likely rules him out of relieving this weekend. The right-hander said the pitching staff will focus on making two adjustments as UCLA heads into the series against Sacramento State.

“I think getting ahead in all the counts and having a conviction in all of our pitches (is important),” Nastrini said.

With junior right-hander Ryan Garcia still out with a flexor injury, Savage said he will stick with the same rotation he used against St. John’s and Georgia Tech – right-handers sophomore Zach Pettway, redshirt junior Jack Ralston and Bergin.

On the offensive side, another freshman – center fielder Matt McLain – is already contributing to the Bruins’ production in his short career. McLain has posted a .400 batting average in his four last games to go along with his team-leading nine RBIs.

McLain attributed his immediate impact at the collegiate level to the guidance he’s received from upperclassmen.

“It’s been an awesome transition (from Beckman High School to UCLA) with some of the older guys helping me out through all of it,” McLain said. “It’s been a lot of fun.”

Fellow Orange County native and First-Team Preseason All-American – junior second baseman Chase Strumpf – is one of many veterans that can guide McLain and UCLA as a whole. The No. 3 hitter leads the team in home runs with two and walks with six.

With a win Friday, the Bruins would jump to 8-1 and earn their third-best start since John Savage took over the head coaching position in 2005.

UCLA began the 2015 season 11-1 and was one win away from making the Super Regionals. In 2010, the Bruins went on a 23-game winning streak to start the year but lost in the NCAA championship to South Carolina in Omaha, Nebraska.

Sacramento State currently sits at 3-4, but the Hornets ended the 2018 season with a 35-25 overall record and placed fourth in the Western Athletic Conference with a 17-7 conference record. They finished with a winning road record at 14-12, but have lost their two away contests this season.

The first pitch will be at 6 p.m. on Friday, followed by 2 p.m. on Saturday and 1 p.m. on Sunday.