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Undefeated UCLA baseball to face Vanderbilt in first road trip of season

Junior outfielder JonJon Vaughns prepares to swing. Vaughns’ three home runs pace the blue and gold. (Grace Wilson/Daily Bruin)

Baseball


No. 10 Vanderbilt
Friday, 2:30 p.m.

Nashville, TN
No TV info
No. 10 Vanderbilt
Saturday, 11 a.m.

Nashville, TN
No TV info
No. 10 Vanderbilt
Sunday, 10 a.m.

Nashville, TN
No TV info

By Shane Smith

Feb. 24, 2023 12:03 p.m.

After outscoring opponents 58-4 through their first four games, the Bruins await their first challenge of the season.

No. 17 UCLA baseball (4-0) will face No. 10 Vanderbilt (3-2) in a three-game series at Hawkins Field in Nashville, Tennessee, in its first road trip of the season beginning Friday. The Commodores – winners of two of the last eight College World Series – have gotten off to a rocky start, allowing an average of nearly six runs per game so far.

Nevertheless, coach John Savage said the Vanderbilt series is a chance to evaluate his team early in the season.

“It’s a really, really good opportunity to see where we’re at,” Savage said. “Go on the road for the first time. They’re one of, if not the premier program in the country, so it’s a good test.”

UCLA’s performance to begin the season has been one of the best starts in program history on both sides of the ball. The Bruins’ 58 runs through four games is the most runs scored in any four-game stretch in Savage’s 19 years as head coach.

On the pitching side, the Bruins rank top five in the NCAA in runs scored and earned run average, and have the best strikeout-to-walk ratio in the country.

The Commodores have dropped two of their first five games, including a loss to a Central Arkansas team that was below .500 in the previous two seasons.

Senior right-hander Kelly Austin – who threw five shutout innings against Omaha on Sunday – talked about the anticipation of playing a high-profile opponent like Vanderbilt.

“Any time you’re gearing up to play a big SEC team, especially one that’s as highly touted as them, there’s always going to be a sixth sense of excitement,” Austin said.

The two programs have met four times since 2010, with the pair splitting the four games. UCLA won the most recent matchup between the two schools in 2020, a victory in which the Bruins scored three runs on two hits off right-hander Kumar Rocker, who went on to be the third overall pick in the 2022 MLB Draft.

Savage’s Bruins have turned into a formidable road team, finishing each of the last six seasons with a record at or above .500 away from Westwood. Savage emphasized the importance of a team translating production at home into success on the road.

“We played four home games in our friendly confines of Jackie Robinson Stadium, and now let’s go see what we got on the road,” Savage said. “We’re looking forward to it.”

UCLA’s early offensive explosion has been bolstered by the bats of junior outfielder JonJon Vaughns, sophomore catcher Jack Holman, junior third baseman Kyle Karros, and sophomore second baseman Duce Gourson, all of whom currently sport an on-base plus slugging exceeding 1.300.

Gourson – a San Diego native and 2022 Freshman All-American – is batting over .500 and getting on base at a .682 clip while driving in seven runs. He credited his team for the Bruins’ early success and echoed his coach’s sentiment about the upcoming test.

“It’s going to be a good atmosphere, good experience for all of us,” Gourson said. “They’re a really good team over there; we’re a really good team over here. It should be fun, should be electric.”

The series is set to begin at Hawkins Field in Nashville on Friday at 2:30 p.m.

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Shane Smith | Sports contributor
Smith is currently a contributor on the beach volleyball beat. He was previously a contributor on the men's soccer beat.
Smith is currently a contributor on the beach volleyball beat. He was previously a contributor on the men's soccer beat.
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