UCLA Baseball: Bruins Win Super Regional And A Berth In College World Series

Jun 8, 2013; Fullerton, CA, USA; UCLA Bruins relief pitcher David Berg (26) celebrates with catcher Shane Zeile (14) following a 3-0 win against the Cal State Fullerton Titans to win the Fullerton super regional of the 2013 NCAA baseball tournament at Goodwin Field. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

Before I continue, I need to issue an apology to UCLA’s baseball team.

Facing the third-ranked Cal State Fullerton Titans with a lack of hitting prowess that characterized the Bruins all season long – their team batting average is a mere .251 and no Bruin is currently hitting over .279 – even though UCLA’s pitching was excellent, with a team earned run average of 2.69, I honestly felt that my alma mater’s chances of winning were not that great.

However, after sweeping the Titans on the road at Goodwin Field in Fullerton, winning the best-of-three NCAA Super Regionals by scores of 5-3 in ten innings on Friday and 3-0 on Saturday, I sincerely and profusely apologize to the Bruins for doubting them, as they clinched a spot in the College World Series for the fifth time in their history.

It will be the second straight year, and the third time in the past four seasons, that UCLA will be heading to Omaha, NE after going just twice in the 63 years before that.

There is absolutely no doubt: coach John Savage has taken the Bruin baseball program to the next level as with 27 post-season wins, breaking the old mark of 26 set by Gary Adams, and a record of 44-17 in 2013, the 10th-ranked Bruins depended on pitching and defense to reach these heights.

Nick Vander Tuig upped his season record to 12-4 by pitching into the seventh inning on Saturday, shutting out Cal State Fullerton on eight hits. UCLA scored three runs in the first inning, Pat Gallagher hitting a two-run single while taking advantage of two Titan errors, and it held up.

Jun 8, 2013; Fullerton, CA, USA; UCLA Bruins starting pitcher Nick Vander Tuig (21) throws in the seventh inning against the Cal State Fullerton Titans during the Fullerton super regional of the 2013 NCAA baseball tournament at Goodwin Field. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

Vander Tuig’s effort complimented fellow starter Adam Plutko’s, who on Friday evening allowed one run in seven innings while the Bruins, after giving up a 3-1 lead in the ninth, scored two runs in the top of the 10th to pull it out.

David Berg solidified his status as team MVP (in my book) by winning on Friday, pitching three innings, and saving Saturday’s game, reaching a school-record 22 for the season while sporting a minuscule 0.88 ERA in what some may say is the second coming of Eric Gagne, the former Dodgers reliever who set an all-time record with 84 consecutive saves from 2002-2004.

Berg sports a won-loss record of 6-0, the best thing about him being that he’s a sophomore and will return in 2014.

“…I couldn’t be prouder of our program and the student athletes,” Savage said after his team clinched their College World Series bid. “Whenever you get to Fullerton and win two games, to beat I think the best team in the country says a lot about the character…I think we earned it.”

As for how I think UCLA will do in Omaha, former Dodgers and Red Sox star and current ESPN analyst Nomar Garciaparra put it best when he stated that with the Bruins’ pitching and defense, they will be in every game, which tells me that they have a decent chance to win their first national championship and the school’s 109th.

If they can beat LSU, who at 57-9 is ranked second in the nation, walloped Oklahoma in their Super Regional and will be the Bruins’ first opponent in Omaha, I feel that they will have a GREAT chance of winning it all.

It will all depend on UCLA’s pitching and whether they can hit well enough; Plutko, Vander Tuig, third starter Grant Watson, Berg,  and the rest of the staff can’t be pressured to throw zeros every inning.

In the meantime, as a Bruin alum I’m most excited over – and proud of – UCLA’s diamond success and am eagerly looking forward to seeing the team at TD Ameritrade Park, where their first game will either be on June 15th or June 16th.

AUTHOR’S NOTE:  UCLA’s first game of the College World Series with LSU has been set – it will be on Sunday, June 16th at 5:00 p.m. PT and will be televised on one of the ESPN channels.