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UCLA Faces Cal State Fullerton During Conference Bye Week

by uclabruins.com
May 2, 2024
Duce Gourson

UCLA (14-28) vs. Cal State Fullerton (13-28)
Friday, May 3, 2024 - 6:05 p.m. PT at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, Calif.
Saturday, May 4, 2024 - 4 p.m. PT at Goodwin Field in Fullerton, Calif.
Sunday, May 5, 2024 - 2 p.m. PT at Jackie Robinson Stadium
Friday links: Listen | Live Stats
Saturday links: Listen | Stream | Live Stats
Sunday links: Listen | Live Stats

UCLA Set for Tri-Venue Series vs. Cal State Fullerton    
This weekend, the UCLA baseball team (14-28) faces local rival Cal State Fullerton (13-28) in a three-day, three-city, three-venue series. The two teams will play at Angel Stadium on Friday at 6:05 p.m. PT, followed by a Saturday contest at CSF's Goodwin Field at 4 p.m. PT and a Sunday finale at UCLA's Jackie Robinson Stadium starting at 2 p.m. PT. Saturday's contest will be streamed through ESPN+, and Nick Koop will be on hand for an audio-only broadcast of all three games in the set. Fans can also follow along with live stats (StatBroadcast) and X/Twitter updates (@UCLABaseball). 

UCLA Quick Hits    

  • UCLA is 14-28 overall on the season
  • This is UCLA's second appearance at an MLB venue this season (March 3 at Dodger Stadium vs. UC Irvine)
  • The Bruins are 5-5 in midweek contests, with wins against Nevada, LBSU, UCSB, LMU, and Pepperdine
  • UCLA is 11-11 so far this season at home
  • The Bruins are 6-18 in Pac-12 play, taking weekend series against Washington State and USC
  • UCLA enters the contest with a plus-22 walk differential (197 drawn, 175 issued)
  • The Bruins have an 84% success rate on stolen bases so far this year (37-44)
  • Duce Gourson had a 22-game reached-base streak snapped Apr. 9 ... he's reached in 38 of 41 games so far this year
  • The Bruins hit a season-high five home runs on April 30 at Pepperdine, including a pair from Mulivai Levu
  • Mulivai Levu is the first Bruin freshman in the John Savage era with multiple 2-HR games
  • The Bruins have started multiple players at all nine defensive positions (plus DH)
  • UCLA is coming off a 28-24-1 campaign and a berth into the 2023 Pac-12 Tournament
  • It marked the program's 7th consecutive winning season and 15th overall in 19 seasons under HC John Savage
  • The Bruins' freshman class was the No. 1-ranked recruit class in the country (as was the junior class)
  • Junior 2B Duce Gourson earned Preseason All-America acclaim from Baseball America and Perfect Game
  • Gourson, Cody Schrier, and Luke Jewett were named to the 2024 Pac-12 Preseason All-Conference Team
  • The Bruins were picked to finish 3rd in the Pac-12 Preseason Coaches Poll
  • Bruin alum Gerrit Cole won the 2023 AL Cy Young, making UCLA the first DI school ever to have had multiple Cy Young winners on the same team
  • Nick Nastrini was called up by the White Sox on April 15, making him the 92nd Bruin all-time to make his MLB debut

Projected Pitching Matchups
Friday, May 3 - 6:05 p.m. PT 
UCLA - Jr. RHP Luke Jewett (1-4, 4.23 ERA)
CSF - So. LHP Mikiah Negrete (4-3, 4.45 ERA)
Saturday, May 4 - 4 p.m. PT 
UCLA - So. RHP Michael Barnett (3-3, 5.07 ERA)
CSF -RJr. RHP Christian Rodriguez (2-5, 5.81 ERA)
Sunday, May 5 - 2 p.m. PT 
UCLA - TBA
CSF - TBA

On the Road    
UCLA is in the middle of a stretch of playing 10 of 11 games away from Jackie Robinson Stadium. The Bruins are scheduled to play road series against Pac-12 opponents Utah and Oregon State, and midweeks at Pepperdine and UC Irvine. In the middle of that, the Bruins will play a tri-venue series against Cal State Fullerton during the team's conference bye week (one apiece at Angel Stadium, CSF's Goodwin Field, and UCLA's Jackie Robinson stadium; the latter representing the Bruins' lone home game during this span). Prior to this stretch, UCLA had played just 15 true road games all season. 

Change of Scenery    
UCLA is also in the middle of a span of playing seven consecutive games at seven different venues (Utah's Smith's Ballpark, Pepperdine's Eddy D. Field Stadium, Angel Stadium, Cal State Fullerton's Goodwin Field, Jackie Robinson Stadium, UC Irvine's Anteater Ballpark, and Oregon State's Goss Stadium). It is believed to be the first time in program history that the team is playing at a different venue in seven straight games. Earlier this year, the team played four straight contests in different venues (Mar. 1 at Jackie Robinson Stadium, Mar. 3 at Dodger Stadium, Mar. 5 at LBSU's Blair Field, Mar. 8 at Cal's Stu Gordon Stadium). Even that stretch was just the second time over the last eight years (2021) that UCLA had played four consecutive games at a different venue. 

Current Bruins Against Cal State Fullerton    
Active Bruins with strong career numbers against Cal State Fullerton include: Michael Barnett (3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 K), Jarrod Hocking (3-5, HR, 4 RBIs in 2 GP), Jack Holman (3-9, 4 R, 2 HR, 2 RBIs in 3 GP), Luke Jewett (2 IP, 0 R, 3 K), and Malakhi Knight (4-8, 2 RBIs in 2 GP).

The All-Time Series Against Cal State Fullerton    
UCLA owns a 43-70-2 all-time record against Cal State Fullerton, including a 20-29 mark under John Savage. The Bruins have had the edge over CSF in recent years, winning eight of the last 10 meetings. Exempting the COVID-shortened 2020 season, UCLA and Cal State Fullerton have met every year since 1974, a streak of 49 consecutive seasons. The Bruins have faced the Titans in the postseason 13 times, over twice as many as any other opponent (Oklahoma is next at six). This weekend marks the first time the two teams will meet in a regular season series since 2009 (CSF took two of three in the split-venue set). UCLA and CSF also played regular season series in 2005 and 2006.

Last Year Against the Titans    
UCLA split a home-and-home midweek series with Cal State Fullerton last season:

  • Game 1 (March 28, 2023 at CSF) – Cal State Fullerton posted three crooked numbers early, ultimately recording a 15-5 win over UCLA. The Bruins received notable offensive performances from Knox Loposer (2-4, two doubles), Malakhi Knight (2-4, double, two RBIs), and Jack Holman (solo homer).
  • Game 2 (May 9, 2023 at UCLA) – UCLA finished off its 2023 midweek slate with a 10-2 win over Cal State Fullerton. The Bruins got it done on both sides of the ball, scoring their most single-game runs in over a month while six pitchers combined to throw a three-hitter. The Bruins never trailed after opening the scoring with a six-run third, a rally highlighted by a grand slam from Jarrod Hocking. Jack Holman later homered, while Josh Hahn chipped in a two-run single in the seventh. All nine of UCLA's starters reached base, and five finished with multiple hits. Michael Barnett was UCLA's most-effective pitcher, drawing the start and going nine-up, nine-down over three innings. Finn McIlroy later retired eight in a row to pick up the win, and JonJon Vaughns tossed a scoreless seventh in his collegiate pitching debut.

Levu Leaves the Yard    
UCLA freshman first baseman Mulivai Levu has made a habit of hitting the long ball this year. He hit three home runs during the Cal series, including a two-HR performance in the series finale that made him the first Bruin in 2024 with multiple home runs in one game, and the first Bruin frosh with a two-homer game since current Cincinnati Red Matt McLain had two bombs at Washington State on May 12, 2019. He added two homers in as many innings at Pepperdine on April 30, making him the first and only Bruin frosh in the John Savage era (since 2005) to record multiple 2-HR games. His seven RBIs in that Pepperdine game are the most by a Bruin since Tommy Beres in the 2022 Pac-12 Tournament. 

UCLA Hits Five Homers in Pepperdine Midweek    
The Bruins went yard five times on April 30 at Pepperdine, the team's first five-homer performance since April 16, 2021 against Utah. Mulivai Levu hit a homer in both the first and second innings en route to a seven-RBI day, and Roch Cholowsky, Blake Balsz, and Cody Schrier also left the yard. It was the second consecutive Tuesday that the Bruins hit a season-high in homers in their midweek game, as Cholowsky (2), Duce Gourson, and Jack Holman combined for a then-season-best four roundtrippers against UC Irvine on April 23. In the 2020s, UCLA has had just five games as a team with 4+ homers (two in 2021, one in 2023, two in 2024).

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