Baseball looks to face Cal State Fullerton after upset win over top-ranked Texas
UCLA baseball sophomore outfielder Carson Yates awaits a pitch in the batter’s box in a game at Jackie Robinson Stadium against Omaha on Feb. 23. Yates earned Pac-12 Player of the Week honors for his performance at the Shriners Children’s College Classic over the weekend. (David Rimer/Assistant Photo editor)
Baseball
Cal State Fullerton
Tuesday, 6 p.m.
Jackie Robinson Stadium
UCLA Live Stream 3
By Jay Fenn
March 8, 2022 2:39 p.m.
The Bruins are returning home two days after upsetting the top-ranked team in the country.
After defeating No. 1 Texas in Houston on Sunday, UCLA baseball (8-4) will take on Cal State Fullerton (2-8) at Jackie Robinson Stadium on Tuesday night. The Bruins are coming off a road trip where they took two out of three games against a trio of Big 12 teams.
Coach John Savage said playing against some of the best programs in the nation will help the Bruins moving forward.
“You want to make sure you’re playing the best people, and this weekend was a really good challenge and a great opportunity,” Savage said.
In the Lone Star State, UCLA’s offense was carried by the bat of sophomore outfielder Carson Yates, who accumulated five hits, seven RBIs and two home runs across the three contests.
“We got two wins under our belt this past weekend, but we got to keep playing our game and keep rolling,” Yates said. “We’re really looking forward to Tuesday. We just got to come out ready with the same edge from this weekend.”
Taking the mound against the Titans will be freshman right-hander Thatcher Hurd. Across his first two collegiate starts, the top pitching recruit in California has tallied 23 strikeouts across 10 innings while only giving up one run.
Through the first 12 games of the season, the Bruins’ starting pitchers have allowed 10 runs, a trend Savage said he wants to continue to see.
“A lot of guys are buying in,” Savage said. “Lots of guys making good pitches and counts, using their defense behind them and moving the fastball, owning their secondary pitches. All the things we talk about every day.”
One of those starters has been redshirt sophomore right-hander Kelly Austin, who has accumulated a 0.52 ERA across his three starts – one of which being the win against the Longhorns.
Austin said the Bruins won’t let the top-ranked win get to their heads and they will continue to work hard.
“Having big wins against big teams is always encouraging for a team,” Austin said. “But we won’t let one win affect us too much.”
The Bruins have won six of their last seven games, the type of results that Savage said he always expected from his team.
“It’s not a surprise to any of us,” Savage said.
First pitch against the Titans will be at 6 p.m.
