March 14, 2013
Washington at UCLA - Game Notes 
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Los Angeles, Calif. -
The 11th-ranked UCLA Baseball team begins Pac-12 play this weekend, as they host the Washington Huskies in a three-game series from Friday, March 15 to Sunday, March 17. Game times are 6 p.m., 2 p.m. and 1 p.m. respectively.
PROBABLE STARTING PITCHERS
Friday, March 15 - 6 p.m.
WASH - Nick Palewicz, RHP, Jr. (2-3, 5.01)
UCLA - Adam Plutko, RHP, Jr. (2-0, 2.45)
Saturday, March 16 - 2 p.m.
WASH - Austin Voth, RHP, Jr. (2-2, 4.74)
UCLA - Nick Vander Tuig, RHP, Jr. (2-2, 2.42)
Sunday, March 17 - 1 p.m.
WASH - TBD
UCLA - Grant Watson, LHP, So. (3-0, 1.35)
IMPORTANT TRAFFIC INFO FOR THIS WEEKEND'S GAMES
The southbound I-405 off-ramp to westbound Wilshire Blvd. will be closed until 6 a.m. on Friday, March 22, 2013. Due to the off-ramp closure, fans looking to come out to Jackie Robinson Stadium this weekend should note that the only available entrance to the ballpark is now on Constitution Ave. off Sepulveda Blvd. Fans traveling on the I-405 should use either the Sunset or Santa Monica off-ramps to make their way to Sepulveda Blvd. Fans should also note that on Sunday, due to the L.A. Marathon, Sepulveda will be closed between Santa Monica Blvd. and Wilshire. Anyone looking to come to the ballpark on Sunday should use either the Montana or Sunset exits to make their way to Sepulveda.
LISTEN LIVE
All three of UCLA's home games this weekend will feature a live audio broadcast online, free of charge, at uclabruins.com. John Ramey and Tim Wilhelm will have the call live from Jackie Robinson Stadium this weekend. Fans can also follow every UCLA home game online through GameTracker, which provides pitch-by-pitch updates on uclabruins.com. Links can be found on the front page of uclabruins.com on the events calendar or on the 2013 UCLA Baseball schedule page.
UCLA VS. WASHINGTON
The 11th-ranked UCLA Baseball team begins Pac-12 play this weekend, as they host the Washington Huskies in a three-game series from Friday, March 15 to Sunday, March 17. Game times are 6 p.m., 2 p.m. and 1 p.m. respectively. The Bruins have won 14 straight over Washington, with their last loss to the Huskies coming back on April 26, 2008. UCLA has also won the last six series against Washington. Additionally, head coach John Savage has a record of 17-7 against the Huskies in his eight seasons at UCLA.
BRUINS EDGE MATADORS, 5-4, IN MIDWEEK ROAD TEST
UCLA picked up their 14th consecutive midweek win on Tuesday, overcoming an early two-run deficit to defeat Cal State Northridge, 5-4, at Matador Field. After falling behind 4-2 in the third inning, the Bruins got runs in the fifth, seventh and eighth innings to earn the one-run victory. Freshman right-hander Cody Poteet lasted five innings in his third collegiate start, allowing four earned runs on two hits while walking two and striking out four. Junior Zack Weiss earned his first win of the year after pitching a scoreless seventh inning while sophomore David Berg tossed a scoreless eighth and ninth inning to pick up his fourth save of the year. Sophomore Eric Filia and freshman Trent Chatterton each went 2-4 at the plate, scoring one run apiece. Sophomore Kevin Kramer knocked in two runs to lead the Bruins in the RBI department while junior Pat Valaika went 2-2 in stolen base attempts.
FRIDAY STARTER
Junior-right hander Adam Plutko will take the mound for the Pac-12 opener on Friday night. Plutko owns a record of 2-0 with a 2.45 ERA in four starts this season, striking out out 17 batters in 25.2 innings pitched. He's allowed just six walks all season and in his last 11 starts, has a record of 9-0 with a 1.42 ERA and 54 strikeouts. Plutko's last loss came back on April 27, 2012 against Stanford. Additionally, Plutko has twice been named to the All-Pac-12 team and in 2012, captured third-team All-America honors from Baseball America.
ROUNDING OUT THE ROTATION
Junior-right hander Nick Vander Tuig and sophomore left-hander Grant Watson will round out UCLA's rotation this weekend, starting on Saturday and Sunday respectively. Vander Tuig has a record of 2-2 entering this weekend's games, despite posting a 2.42 ERA. He has thrown 26.0 innings thus far, walking only four batters and striking out 12. Watson has been terrific in his first four starts, going 3-0 with a 1.35 ERA. The sophomore left-hander from Bakersfield has struck out 17 batters in a team-high 26.2 innings pitched, walking just two and allowing a .167 average against him. Watson is 11-1 with a 3.09 ERA as a starter in his career. The Bruins have also won all four of the games he has started in 2013.
TAKING THE HITS
UCLA has had a total of 28 batters get hit by a pitch in its last 12 games, bringing the season total to a Pac-12 best 37 hit batters through 15 games. Kevin Kramer and Shane Zeile lead the Bruins with six hit by pitches apiece while Brian Carroll has been hit five times. Eric Filia, Pat Gallagher and Pat Valaika have each been hit four times. Overall, the Bruins have had a batter get hit by a pitch in 16 consecutive games dating back to last year and their 37 overall hit batters ranks fifth in the country. UCLA had a school record 104 batters hit by a pitch back in 2010.
STRONG STAFF
UCLA's starting rotation of Adam Plutko, Nick Vander Tuig, Grant Watson and Cody Poteet has combined to post a 2.31 ERA in their 15 starts thus far. UCLA's starters have allowed just 24 earned runs in 93.2 innings pitched, striking out a combined 55 hitters. As starters, Plutko, Vander Tuig, Watson and Poteet have a record of 8-2 through the first 15 games with five no-decisions. Meanwhile, UCLA's bullpen has posted an ERA of 2.55. As a team, the Bruins have posted an ERA of 2.38, allowing just a .200 batting average against them and collectively posting a WHIP of 0.97, which entering the week was sixth best in the country.
OFF TO THE RACES
Junior Brian Carroll has gotten off to a fast start on the basepaths, stealing 13 bases in 14 attempts thus far. Carroll, who ranks second in the Pac-12 and eighth in the country in stolen bases, is a perfect 8-8 in his last eight stolen base attempts. The Bruins as a team are 24-34 in stolen base attempts, good for a 71% success rate. Last season, UCLA stole 62 bases in 98 attempts (63.2% success rate).
MISCELLANEOUS NOTES
The Bruins are outscoring their opponents 15-1 in the first inning and 38-9 through the first three innings thus far. UCLA is also 11-1 on the year when they score first and 7-0 when they score in the first inning. In addition, UCLA has a record of 11-0 when they score more than three runs in a ballgame. In one-run games, the Bruins are a perfect 5-0 on the season and are 9-0 when leading after seven innings. Additionally, UCLA has won nine of its last 10 games.
PRESEASON POLL
UCLA was selected to finish second in the Pac-12's preseason coaches' poll. Stanford was picked to finish first while Oregon State, Oregon and Arizona rounded out the top five in that order. The remaining six teams include (in order) Arizona State, California, USC/Washington State (tie), Washington and Utah. The Bruins have a Pac-12 record of 56-28 over the last three seasons, winning conference championships in 2011 and 2012.
