UCLA could benefit from pitching depth in baseball regional

UCLA baseball Coach John Savage has one of those enviable problems.

While most college baseball coaches juggle staffs diluted by the Major League Baseball draft and damaged by aluminum bats, Savage can arrange his pitching staff for this weekend’s regional like a decorator.

“We’ll decide tomorrow what direction we’ll go,� Savage said Monday. “We’ll look at all the teams in the regional and see who matches up best.�

Such is the luxury of having four starters: Gerrit Cole (9-2 record, 3.27 earned-run average), Trevor Bauer (9-3, 2.84), Rob Rasmussen (9-2, 2.89) and Garett Claypool (8-3, 2.05). All are more than capable, giving UCLA an edge this weekend. The Bruins (43-13) play Kent State (39-23) at Jackie Robinson Stadium on Friday, while UC Irvine (37-19) faces Louisiana State (40-20).

Both LSU and Kent State enter the regional with team earned-run averages above 5.00. UC Irvine has had to massage its rotation after ace Daniel Bibona suffered a ribcage injury a month ago. UCLA, on the other hand, comes in with a 3.02 ERA, second only to Texas (2.53) nationally.

“I keep hearing about the Texas pitching staff, but it would be hard to conceive of one that’s deeper than UCLA,� Irvine Coach Mike Gillespie said. “Most of us can only dream about what UCLA has got.�

The Bruins may need all that depth, as they are faced with playing in the only regional that has three ranked teams. The Bruins, seeded sixth overall in the tournament, were ranked eighth in Baseball America’s final poll. Irvine was 21st and LSU, the defending national champion, is 23rd.

“This is going to be the most challenging route to get to Omaha since I’ve been here,� said LSU Coach Paul Mainierei in Baton Rouge on Monday.

Arizona State, the Pacific 10 Conference champion, is the No. 1-seeded team in the tournament, followed by Texas, Florida, Coastal Carolina, Virginia, UCLA, Louisville and Georgia Tech. The Pac-10, Atlantic Coast Conference and Southeastern Conference all had eight teams make the tournament.

Cal State Fullerton (41-15) was not seeded, but the Titans appear to have a smoother route to the super regional. Fullerton faces Minnesota (30-28) Friday at Goodwin Field. The Gophers won only 13 of 32 outside Big 10 Conference play. Stanford (31-23) plays New Mexico (37-20) in the regional’s other game Friday.

Fullerton, which has gone to the College World Series 11 times in the last 20 seasons, has won 22 of its last 24 games. The Titans, though, will be without star centerfield Gary Brown, who is out at least one more week with a broken middle finger on his left hand.

Brown, a junior, is hitting .438 with six home runs and 41 runs batted in. He has missed the last eight games and will be reevaluated June 7.

“We’ve already anticipated that we are going to have to win the first regional without him,� Fullerton Coach Dave Serrano said.

Left fielder Joey Siddons has replaced Brown in center field. Austin Kingsolver and Anthony Hutting have shared time in left field.

The Titans have a wealth of experienced talent, including shortstop Christian Colon, first baseman Nick Ramirez and second baseman Corey Jones. Fullerton scored 10 or more runs in 17 games this season.

“I’m confident in this team and confident that our players are confident with the way they are playing,� Serrano said.

Irvine was forced to readjust its pitching staff after Bibona was injured following a 3-1 victory over Cal Poly San Luis Obispo on May 7.

Christian Bergman was elevated to the No. 1 slot in the Anteaters’ rotation. He is 8-3 with a 3.82 ERA. Freshman Evan Brock has filled the void, going 2-0 with a 2.79 ERA in three starts since Bibona was injured. Brock is 5-4 with a 2.96 ERA on the season.

“If there is a silver lining to Bibona being injured it’s that Evan matured rapidly,� Gillespie said. “Bergman stepped in and energized our pitching. We have not lost a Friday game with him the last month.�

Meanwhile, UCLA’s pitching situation has not needed to be massaged.

The Bruins pitching depth goes beyond its rotation. Dan Klein is 5-0 with nine saves and a 2.13 ERA as the team’s closer. Matt Grace and Erik Goeddel have been solid in relief.

“We feel our strong pitching gives us options,� Savage said.

It allowed the Bruins to get off to a fast start this season, then finish strong. UCLA has won 13 of 16 games since being swept in a three-game series by Arizona State.

“We knew we weren’t going to run through the Pac-10 like we did the first 22,� Savage said. “It’s something we’re accustomed to meeting, the challenge of the Pac-10. I feel like we have played good baseball from beginning to end this season.�

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