Baseball looks to hand No. 6 USC first weekend series loss

This weekend, UCLA has the chance to get revenge and do what no team has done against USC this season – yet the Bruins will be careful not to let their opponent upset their rhythm.

No. 7 UCLA (23-6, 10-2 Pac-12) will make the the trip to Dedeaux Field for a three-game series against No. 6 USC (25-7, 7-2), starting at 3 p.m. on Friday.

The Trojans beat the Bruins at Dodger Stadium in early March and have not dropped a weekend series so far this season.

Coach John Savage recognized that it is a big series, but said it’s important not to get overly excited about one weekend. In a season with 56 regular season games, the outcome of one weekend bears little significance in the long run.

Redshirt junior shortstop Kevin Kramer echoed his coach’s attitude.

“I don’t think any weekend is bigger than the other,” Kramer said. “Obviously, they got us last time, so I think we’re gonna come out hungry like we have been.”

Both teams have been dominating the diamond as of late. In each of their last 10 games, UCLA has won nine and USC has won eight.

That’s not the only thing they have in common. The two rivals share similar strengths, but the Trojans have the slight edge on offense, and the Bruins in pitching.

USC is batting .304 with 214 runs on the season – both of which rank in the top 40 nationally – while UCLA is batting .286 with 190 runs under its belt.

But what the Bruins lack behind the plate, they make up for on the mound. The staff’s 2.22 ERA and 1.03 WHIP rank fourth and third respectively among Division I teams.

The Trojan staff does not quite have eye-grabbing numbers like the Bruins’, but are not far behind. USC pitchers have combined for a 2.70 ERA and 1.29 WHIP.

With the teams’ offenses and pitching staffs being so well-matched, defense may prove to be the factor that tips the scale in the series.

Junior second baseman Trent Chatterton said the Bruins will need to sharpen up their defense after a five-error weekend against the Oregon State Beavers.

“It’s kind of odd to see us with that many errors,” Chatterton said. “We get back to it in practice and really focus on defense. It should be a fun series.”

Savage, confident in his team’s road abilities, said he is eager to meet the challenge.

“Our record on the road is good and it’ll be a tough test, and I’m looking forward to getting on with that,” Savage said.

UCLA will not have another shot at USC this season at home – barring a playoff matchup – so it has one chance to wash the bitter taste from the loss at Chavez Ravine out of its mouth.

“We’re a better team now than when we played at Dodger Stadium. So look for us to come out to play well, to keep it rolling a little bit and see what happens,” Kramer said. “We’re just trying to play our type of baseball, and if we do that, we’ll be good.”