Reports: Transfer pitchers August Souza, Ian May add arms to UCLA baseball
Rising senior Ian May pitches at Stu Gordon Stadium in Berkeley. On Monday, D1Baseball reported the left-hander is transferring to UCLA after three seasons with California. (Courtesy of Cal Athletics)
By Kai Dizon
June 27, 2024 7:10 p.m.
May and August are finding their homes with the Bruins this June.
Rising graduate student right-hander August Souza announced his transfer to UCLA baseball on Instagram on Sunday. On Monday, D1Baseball reported rising senior left-hander Ian May’s jump to Westwood.
Coach John Savage said the cascade of injuries to the pitching staff and lack of experience spelled disaster for the Bruins in 2024.
Through the transfer portal, UCLA may find some solutions.
Savage looked to his alma mater to bolster his team’s roster. Souza pitched for five seasons with Santa Clara – the same school Savage pitched at before being selected in the 1986 MLB Draft.
Savage and Souza also both graduated from Reno High School – whose baseball program Savage’s older brother, Pete Savage, has led for the past 29 seasons.
Souza’s breakout season came in 2023, where he posted a 1.85 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and 8.21 K/9 across 34 innings for a Santa Clara team that earned an NCAA regional appearance. Souza garnered an All-WCC honorable mention in May 2023 and earned a spot in the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association’s 2024 Stopper of the Year Preseason Watch List, but he was limited to just 5.1 innings of work this past season.
The Reno, Nevada, local could fill the role left open by former right-hander Rashad Ruff – another 2024 Stopper of the Year Preseason Watch List honoree who the Bruins acquired through the portal last year ahead of his final year of collegiate eligibility. In 2024, Ruff tied for third in the Pac-12 in appearances and for fifth in saves, earning an all-conference honorable mention.
May has a 4.40 ERA, 1.38 WHIP and 6.7 K/9 in 90 innings pitched over three seasons with the Golden Bears. In his sophomore campaign, the Laguna Niguel, California, local held opponents scoreless in three starts before an elbow injury cut May’s season short. Still, May earned preseason All-Pac-12 honors in 2024.
Following the loss of five southpaws a year ago and another left-hander injured for the entirety of the 2024 campaign, the Bruins had just 9.2 innings pitched by left-handers last season.
In May, the Bruins find an experienced southpaw with a chance at landing a weekend rotation spot or a high-leverage position in the bullpen.
With the portal open until next Tuesday, there remains time for the Bruins to continue stacking their roster ahead of their first Big Ten season in 2025.
