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UCLA Baseball Multimedia 2018 Season Preview

Nathan Eberhardt
Nathan Eberhardt

Go Joe Bruin

OMAHA, NE - JUNE 25: Head coach John Savage of the UCLA Bruins stands in the dugout before playing the Mississippi State Bulldogs during game two of the College World Series Finals on June 25, 2013 at TD Ameritrade Park in Omaha, Nebraska. (Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images)

OMAHA, NE – JUNE 25: Head coach John Savage of the UCLA Bruins stands in the dugout before playing the Mississippi State Bulldogs during game two of the College World Series Finals on June 25, 2013 at TD Ameritrade Park in Omaha, Nebraska. (Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images)
OMAHA, NE – JUNE 25: Head coach John Savage of the UCLA Bruins stands in the dugout before playing the Mississippi State Bulldogs during game two of the College World Series Finals on June 25, 2013 at TD Ameritrade Park in Omaha, Nebraska. (Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images)

The UCLA baseball team returns and Go Joe Bruin has your mutlimedia preview complete with a full analysis of the team brought to you by the UCLA B Team podcast.

The 2018 UCLA Baseball team is, in many ways, the culmination of a four-year journey. The 2015 team entered the postseason as the number one team in the nation, maximizing the John Savage model of relying on pitching and defense at the expense of hitting – a gamble which came back to bite them with a surprise elimination in the Regional round.

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The 2016 team was primed to build on their predecessors’ success but got derailed by key injuries and missed the postseason all together. The 2017 team was in full rebuild mode, laden with freshmen, and they surprised by even making the postseason.

The 2018 team gets key pieces back from injury, has a ton of talented and experienced sophomores, and appears (after a two-year stint in the wilderness) ready to reclaim its spot among the nation’s elite.

I had the distinct pleasure of talking with UCLA Baseball superfan Ryan Rosenblatt this week on the UCLA B Team Podcast. I won’t rehash everything we said here, but I encourage you to listen to the episode, which I’ve embedded here. I learned more from Ryan about this program in 50 minutes than I had in the previous three years of writing about UCLA Baseball for Go Joe Bruin. Give it a listen:

The UCLA B Team UCLA Baseball Preview

I do want to share some salient items with you, namely starters, key dates, projected finishes and the full game and TV schedule.

OMAHA, NE – JUNE 24: Eric Filia
OMAHA, NE – JUNE 24: Eric Filia

Starters

  • 1B – Michael Toglia – So. – expected to be the team’s primary power hitter
  • 2B – Chase Strumpf – So.
  • 3B – Jack Stronach – So.
  • SS – Ryan Kreidler – So.
  • RF – Garrett Mitchell – Fr. – perhaps the team’s breakout star-to-be
  • CF – Daniel Amaral – Jr.
  • LF – Jake Pries – So.
  • C – Daniel Rosica – So.
  • DH – Kyle Cuellar – So. – last year’s best hitter
  • 1P – Kyle Molnar – RHP – So. (rs) – last year’s projected ace coming off of Tommy John
  • 2P – Jon Olsen – RHP – Jr.
  • 3P – Jake Bird – RHP – Sr.
  • 4P – Nick Scheidler?? – LHP – So. – projected midweek starter Justin Hooper is out for Tommy John
  • CP – Brian Gadsby – RHP – Jr.

Key Dates

  • February 16-18 – Season Opener – Portland State – Jackie Robinson Stadium
  • March 2-4 – Pac-12 / B1G Challenge – Illinois, Michigan State, Minnesota – US Bank Stadium, Minneapolis
  • March 9-11 – Dodger Stadium Classic – Vanderbilt, TCU, USC – Jackie Robinson Stadium & Dodger Stadium
  • March 16-18 – Pac-12 Opener – Washington State – Jackie Robinson Stadium
  • April 6-8 – Stanford – Jackie Robinson Stadium
  • April 20-22 – USC – Jackie Robinson Stadium
  • May 24-26 – Final Regular Season Series – Oregon State – Goss Stadium, Corvallis
  • Jun 1-4 – NCAA Regionals
  • Jun 8-11 – NCAA Super Regionals
  • Jun 16-27 – College World Series – Omaha
OMAHA, NE – JUNE 25: Starting pitcher Nick Vander Tuig
OMAHA, NE – JUNE 25: Starting pitcher Nick Vander Tuig

Projections

Most outlets are pre-season ranking the Bruins between 10th and 15th nationally and second in the Pac-12. The Bruins’ main conference competition is likely to be a very good Stanford team and an absolute juggernaut of an Oregon State team. Winning the conference outright would be nice, but is admittedly a tall order.

With regard to the postseason, the Bruins should absolutely expect to make a Regional – this season will be a significant disappointment if they don’t. Their goal should be to host one by finishing in the top 16. And it’s not at all unreasonable to hope they can finish in the top 8 and be in line to host a Super Regional as well.

As 2015 showed, anything can happen in an elimination tournament, so what happens after the regular season is always hard to predict. The best UCLA can do is perform in the regular season such that they give themselves the best odds of success come June. This team is equipped to do just that.

OMAHA, NE – JUNE 25: The UCLA Bruins take infield practice before playing the Mississippi State Bulldogs during game two of the College World Series Finals on June 25, 2013 at TD Ameritrade Park in Omaha, Nebraska. (Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images)
OMAHA, NE – JUNE 25: The UCLA Bruins take infield practice before playing the Mississippi State Bulldogs during game two of the College World Series Finals on June 25, 2013 at TD Ameritrade Park in Omaha, Nebraska. (Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images)

The Full UCLA Baseball 2018 Game and TV Schedule (all times Pacific)

  • Fri, Feb 16, 6 p.m. vs Portland State
  • Sat, Feb 17, 2 p.m. vs Portland State
  • Sun, Feb 18, 1 p.m. vs Portland State
  • Tue, Feb 20, 6 p.m. vs Pepperdine
  • Fri, Feb 23, 6 p.m. vs Baylor
  • Sat, Feb 24, 2 p.m. vs Baylor
  • Sun, Feb 25, 1 p.m. vs Baylor
  • Tue, Feb 27, 6 p.m. at CS Fullerton
  • Wed, Feb 28, 4 p.m. vs NC Dinos (Exhibition)

DQ Classic/Pac-12 vs. Big Ten Challenge (Minneapolis, MN)*

  • Fri, Mar 2, 9 a.m. vs Illinois*
  • Sat, Mar 3, 9 a.m. vs Michigan State*
  • Sun, Mar 4, 4 p.m. vs Minnesota*
  • Tue, Mar 6, 6 p.m. vs Loyola Marymount

Dodger Stadium College Baseball Classic*

  • Fri, Mar 9, 6 p.m. vs Vanderbilt*
  • Sat, Mar 10, 7 p.m. vs TCU*
  • Sun, Mar 11, 3 p.m. vs USC*
  • Tue, Mar 13, 2 p.m. at CSUN

Pac-12 Season Begins (with non-conference games intermixed)

More from Go Joe Bruin

  • Sat, Mar 17, 2 p.m. vs Washington State (Pac-12 Network)
  • Sun, Mar 18, 1 p.m. vs Washington State (Pac-12 Network)
  • Fri, Mar 16, 6 p.m. vs Washington State (Pac-12 Network)
  • Fri, Mar 23, 7 p.m. vs Arizona State (Pac-12 Network)
  • Sat, Mar 24, 1 p.m. vs Arizona State (Pac-12 Network)
  • Sun, Mar 25, 12 p.m. vs Arizona State (Pac-12 Network)
  • Thu, Mar 29, 7:05 p.m. at California (Pac-12 Network)
  • Fri, Mar 30, 6:05 p.m. at California (Pac-12 Network)
  • Sat, Mar 30, 2:05 p.m. at California (Pac-12 Network)
  • Tue, Apr 3, 6 p.m. at Loyola Marymount
  • Fri, Apr 6, 6 p.m. vs Stanford (Pac-12 Network)
  • Sat, Apr 7, 2 p.m. vs Stanford (Pac-12 Network)
  • Sun, Apr 8, 1 p.m. vs Stanford (Pac-12 Network)
  • Tue, Apr 10 6 p.m. at Long Beach State
  • Fri, Apr 13, 5 p.m. at Utah (Pac-12 Network)
  • Sat, Apr 14, 12 p.m. at Utah (Pac-12 Network)
  • Sun, Apr 15, 12 p.m. at Utah (Pac-12 Network)
  • Tue, Apr 17, 6 p.m. vs UC Irvine
  • Fri, Apr 20, 7 p.m. vs USC (Pac-12 Network)
  • Sat, Apr 21, 4 p.m. vs USC (Pac-12 Network)
  • Sun, Apr 22, 12 p.m. vs USC (Pac-12 Network)
  • Tue, Apr 24, 6 p.m. vs CS Fullerton
  • Fri, Apr 27, 6 p.m. at Cal Poly
  • Sat, Apr 28, 6 p.m. at Cal Poly
  • Sun, Apr 29, 1 p.m. at Cal Poly
  • Tue, May 1, 6:30 p.m. at UC Irvine
  • Fri, May 3, 6 p.m. at Arizona (Pac-12 Network)
  • Sat, May 4, 7 p.m. at Arizona (Pac-12 Network)
  • Sun, May 5, 3:30 p.m. at Arizona (Pac-12 Network)
  • Tue, May 8, 6 p.m. vs Long Beach State
  • Fri, May 11, 6:05 p.m. at Washington (Pac-12 Network)
  • Sat, May 12, 2:05 p.m. at Washington (Pac-12 Network)
  • Sun, May 13, 1:05 p.m. at Washington (Pac-12 Network)
  • Tue, May 15, 6 p.m. vs CS Northridge
  • Fri, May 18, 4 p.m. vs Oregon (Pac-12 Network)
  • Sat, May 19, 1:30 p.m. vs Oregon (Pac-12 Network)
  • Sun, May 19, 12 p.m. vs Oregon (Pac-12 Network)
  • Fri, May 24, 4 p.m. at Oregon State (Pac-12 Network)
  • Sat, May 25, 4 p.m. at Oregon State (Pac-12 Network)
  • Sun, May 26, 2 p.m. at Oregon State (Pac-12 Network)

Post-Season

  • June 1-4 NCAA Regionals
  • June 8-11 Super Regionals
  • June 16-27 NCAA College World Series

Go Bruins and PLAY BALL!

Nathan Eberhardt

Nathan Eberhardt

UCLA fan by the grace and wisdom of my dad, who taught me to love sports while sitting in Section 17 Row 71 of the Rose Bowl on fall Saturdays from the time I was four. San Francisco Giants fan by marriage since 2005 (which means I've put in my dues with some awful teams).Fulham FC fan by choice - an increasingly baffling choice, but one I stand by.