History fuels both rivalries and legacies.

And history will encase Easton Stadium on Saturday, as No. 8 UCLA (39-5, 16-2 Big Ten) faces fellow UC and longtime Pac-12 rival California (13-31, 3-15 ACC) in a doubleheader series that will celebrate Jackie Robinson’s legacy and Black excellence.

The double-header against the Golden Bears marks the third consecutive in-state, non-conference opponent the Bruins have faced this week before they close out their season with two Big Ten series against Washington and Oregon, respectively.

While UCLA’s previous Golden State opponents — Cal Baptist and Long Beach State — came into their matchups with winning records, Cal enters Saturday on a six-game losing streak in which the Golden Bears have been outscored 53 to 29. The squad boasts a .273 team batting average and 6.67 team ERA this season.

Alternatively, the Bruins hit over .100 points better than the Golden Bears while forfeiting two runs less on average. UCLA’s .388 team hitting clip ranks third in the country, and the Bruin pitching staff has only allowed 3.2 runs per game across its last five contests.

“Again, it’s the amount of trust that we have in each other,” said junior utility Soo-Jin Berry. “The trust that the pitchers have in the defenders and everything – that’s what it all comes down to.”

Cal’s pitchers will have to face a Bruin lineup that, during a year of consistent explosiveness, is peaking. UCLA outscored Illinois 45-1 last weekend and hit 18 home runs throughout the series in an emphatic sweep.

Against Cal Baptist and Long Beach State, eight different Bruins went deep, and senior infielder Jordan Woolery — whose 26 home runs rank third in the country – garnered three blasts. UCLA ranks second in home runs and home runs per game nationally — trailing only No. 1 Oklahoma in both categories.

“It’s important to know your role, but also embrace your role, too,” Woolery said. “Everyone’s important on the team. We can’t do anything without the people on the field, the people on the bench, the people in the dugout. It’s important that everyone embraces their role.”

Against a struggling Golden Bear squad, the Bruins have a prime opportunity to honor a beacon of their school’s history with another dominant performance and continue to carry their offensive momentum into the final weeks of the regular season.

“You know the old saying, ‘It’s not how you start, it’s how you finish,’” said 20th-year head coach Kelly Inouye-Perez. “Every game is a new game, and with it, this team continues to be impressive.”