Baseball to rely on depth in final quarter of season after deluge of injuries

The Bruin rotation has to work around another injury.

No. 1 UCLA baseball (35-7, 14-4 Pac-12) lost sophomore right-hander Zack Pettway to a forearm strain last week, the third starting pitcher to suffer an injury this season. Coach John Savage has had to change up the rotation each time a starter has gone down, most recently giving freshman right-hander Sean Mullen his first collegiate start Tuesday against Pepperdine (19-18, 10-8 West Coast Conference).

Before his start, Mullen had pitched just 3 1/3 innings out of the bullpen this season.

“It’s super important to have adaptability,” Mullen said. “A lot of people have been stepping up in big roles at big times. Everyone is practicing as hard as they can every day and treating practice like games. We’re a really strong practice team, and we’re seeing the results of that as guys are stepping up.”

Last season, three UCLA starting pitchers went down with season-ending injuries: then-redshirt sophomore Kyle Molnar and then-juniors Justin Hooper and Jon Olsen. Redshirt junior right-hander Jack Ralston and junior right-hander Ryan Garcia moved into starting roles along with Pettway, and the three combined for a 3.48 ERA in 36 starts in 2018.

Molnar has since left the team, Olsen was selected in the 2018 MLB Draft, and Hooper has not returned from injury despite Savage previously slating him for a Feb. 13 return.

Garcia, Pettway and Ralston all returned to the rotation this season, but Garcia was out for the first three weeks with a flexor inflammation. Freshman right-hander Nick Nastrini took over as the midweek starter, pitching 9 2/3 innings without allowing an earned run.

On March 12, less than a week after Garcia returned to action, his replacement went down. Nastrini was ruled out for the season with thoracic outlet syndrome, just a day before his slated start against Long Beach State.

Pettway – who has been the No. 1 starter all season – missed his start last weekend and will not start this weekend’s series against Arizona State. Savage said the team would conduct an MRI in the next few days to get a better timetable on his return.

“We’ve done a really good job establishing roles throughout the season, but with Pettway being out this weekend again, it does move everybody up,” Savage said. “It’s a joint venture and everybody has their responsibilities and their roles. Sometimes you can get a little outside of that role, and you’ve got to do your job.”

Mullen was the latest pitcher to step outside his role, throwing three shutout innings and striking out three more in his start Tuesday. Mullen said he embraced the opportunity to take on a new challenge.

“It felt like something I’ve worked really hard for,” Mullen said. “It just fired me up.”

While the rotation has dealt with injuries, the lineup has remained healthy. Five players have started every game for the Bruins, including junior first baseman Michael Toglia and junior second baseman Chase Strumpf, who both made the All-Pac-12 team last season.

The only injured everyday player is another member of last year’s All-Pac-12 team, junior center fielder Jeremy Ydens. Last season’s leadoff hitter has been out for two months with a broken finger, but Savage said that the team hopes he will return next week.

According to senior designated hitter Jake Pries, preparation has been key for avoiding injuries in the lineup.

“With every team, there’s gonna be some nicks,” Pries said. “We have a regular workout schedule that we work really hard on. I think what we do off the field really helps us.”

UCLA is now three-quarters of the way through the regular season with 14 games left to play. Savage said there is still plenty of time for other injuries to occur, but that the Bruins will be ready to pick up the slack if need be.

“We do have a lot of depth and we do have guys that step up for guys that have been hurt,” Savage said. “There’s still quite a bit of season left, so everybody on the roster needs to stay ready.”