As late winter gave way to spring, Cody Schrier couldn’t help but smile.

With each passing month, he looked up and saw his offensive statistics steadily climbing – a trend the freshman shortstop and reigning Pac-12 Player of the Week said indicated he was more than acclimated to college ball.

“It’s exciting. It’s what I want,” Schrier said. “But I kind of expected it.”

Schrier logged a .258 batting average in February against No. 8 UCLA baseball’s (30-14, 14-7 Pac-12) four opponents that month. Against Cal State Northridge, he tallied a 1-for-6 game, and a hitless outing in his next game put him at .188 in his first four games as a Bruin.

But as February turned to March, Schrier began to barrel up the ball. His average jumped as high as .328 in the middle of the month, when he recorded four hits in four at-bats against Harvard on March 18.

The power then began to complement his contact. His first home run came on the first day of March against Long Beach State. On a 1-0 count, the ball rang off his metal bat and carried over the left-field wall.

Schrier hit another home run four days later on the road against Oklahoma. In the Bruins’ next series, he hit yet another.

By the end of March, the shortstop had five long balls to his name, more than double any of his other teammates to that point.

“He’s (Schrier is) a menace out there,” said senior left-hander Daniel Colwell. “He started the season hitting .280-.300, and obviously that is good for a freshman, but we were honestly expecting to see something like this.”

Schrier is in a role with historically big expectations for the Bruins, as the majority of UCLA shortstops in the past decade have found success both at the collegiate and professional levels.

Five of the six Bruins who have played the position for the blue and gold in the last 10 years have gone on to be drafted, including Matt McLain, who was a first-round selection in the 2021 MLB Draft.

“He’s (Schrier’s) an outstanding player,” said coach John Savage. “He’s our shortstop now, and he’s our shortstop of the future.”

In the month of April, Schrier’s performance at the plate continued to improve. He finished the month with a batting average of .320, recording 11 multihit games. As April turned to May, it was more of the same for Schrier, who now owns a season-high .333 average.

His first plate appearance against Long Beach State on Tuesday was a home run that he sent flying over the left-field wall to give UCLA a 1-0 lead in the game’s first at-bat. His next two times in the batter’s box resulted in two more hits, leaving him 3-for-5 on the night.

“He’s dominating out there,” Colwell said. “And it’s pretty special to see.”

This Weekend for the Bruins

UCLA will head to the Pacific Northwest to take on Washington (18-24, 8-16 Pac-12) in a weekend series from Friday to Sunday.

Sophomore right-hander Jake Brooks, the Bruins’ usual Friday night starter, is unlikely to pitch, according to Savage. The team is waiting on the results of an MRI after the sophomore suffered an arm injury before UCLA’s series against Arizona State from Friday to Sunday.

The status of the Bruins’ Sunday starter for three series in April, freshman left-hander Gage Jump, is also questionable.

“It’s (all the injuries are) crazy,” Savage said. “But nobody cares, nobody feels sorry for you. It’s part of the game, and there’s a lot of guys that are stepping up right now.”

Sophomore right-hander Max Rajcic will likely get the start for Friday night’s game after he pitched in game one of the series last weekend. Rajcic threw a season-high 8.1 innings, allowing two earned runs on three hits while striking out 11 batters.

“Max has really turned it on,” Savage said. “He’s done exceptional. I don’t know where we’d be without Max.”

Freshman left-hander Ethan Flanagan and redshirt sophomore right-hander Kelly Austin, who pitched Saturday and Sunday, respectively, are both available to start for the Washington series.