Make that FIVE Bruins earn All-Pac 10

WALNUT CREEK, Calif. – Junior Rob Rasmussen and sophomores Trevor Bauer, Gerrit Cole, Dan Klein and Tyler Rahmatulla have earned All-Pac-10 Team honors, as announced by the conference office on Thursday. Bauer and Cole been named to the All-Conference Team for the second time in as many seasons. This marks the first time in which UCLA’s weekend rotation has been named, in its entirety, to the All-Pac-10 Team.

In addition, no UCLA baseball team has had more than three pitchers earn All-Pac-10 Team honors (this year’s ballclub has had four pitchers selected in Bauer, Cole, Klein and Rasmussen).

Klein, Rasmussen and Rahmatulla have each secured All-Pac-10 Team honors for the first time in their career. Additionally, senior Blair Dunlap, juniors Niko Gallego and Brett Krill, sophomore Dean Espy and freshmen Beau Amaral, Cody Keefer and Cody Regis have been named honorable mention selections.

Bauer, who earned Pac-10 Freshman of the Year honors in 2009, has gone 9-3 with a 2.84 ERA in 14 starts. He has struck out 124 batters and issued 33 walks in a team-high 101.1 innings. Bauer has led the Bruins’ staff in innings pitched each of the last two seasons, having gone 18-6 in his career.

Cole, slated to start UCLA’s opening game of this weekend’s NCAA Los Angeles Regional, has posted a 9-2 record with a 3.27 ERA in 16 starts. The native of Santa Ana, Calif., has registered 124 strikeouts and 46 walks in 96.1 innings, leading the Bruins in the strikeout category each of the last two years.

Klein enters the NCAA Tournament having notched a team-leading nine saves, going 5-0 with a 2.13 ERA. Klein’s nine saves are third most in the conference. He leads the Bruins with 33 appearances, all in relief, having collected 48 strikeouts and issued eight walks in 42.1 innings.

Rahmatulla, a sophomore infielder from Mission Viejo, Calif., has been batted .337 with six home runs, one triple, 16 doubles, 41 RBI and 47 runs. He has started 55 of the Bruins’ 56 regular-season games at second base in 2010 and leads UCLA with 23 multiple-hit games.

Rasmussen has served as the Bruins’ No. 3 starting pitcher, going 9-2 with a 2.89 ERA in 15 starts. The native of Arcadia, Calif., is tied for fourth in the Pac-10 and ranks third on the UCLA staff with 101 strikeouts. Rasmussen has limited the opposition to a .220 batting average through 84.0 innings.

Dunlap earned All-Pac-10 honorable mention accolades for the second consecutive season. A redshirt senior from Mission Viejo, Calif., Dunlap batted .333 during the regular season, belting five home runs and totaling a team-leading 19 doubles, two triples, 22 RBI and 40 runs.

Gallego has been named an honorable mention All-Pac-10 selection for the second straight year. The Bruins’ starting shortstop, hailing from Yorba Linda, Calif., has batted .263 with three home runs, 13 doubles, 26 RBI and 42 runs in 55 games. Gallego has stolen 21 bases in 22 attempts, the most stolen bases of any Bruin since Eric Byrnes swiped 30 bases as a senior in 1998.

Krill has posted a .290 batting average, belting seven homers while collecting 36 RBI, 44 runs and 13 doubles. A right fielder from Laguna Niguel, Calif., Krill has earned honorable mention All-Pac-10 honors for the first time in his career.

Espy, a sophomore corner infielder from Mesa, Ariz., enters the 2010 NCAA Regionals leading UCLA with a .359 batting average. After transferring from South Mountain Community College last summer, Espy has provided a boost of power to UCLA’s lineup, connecting for seven home runs, three triples, seven doubles and a team-high 45 RBI.

Amaral has started in center field in 45 of the Bruins’ 56 contests, batting .343 with a .429 on-base percentage, the third-highest mark on the team. A native of Huntington Beach, Calif., Amaral has belted three homers and compiled 22 RBI and 32 runs.

Keefer has batted .318 with two homers, 31 RBI, 29 runs and a team-best .450 on-base percentage. The resident of Davis, Calif., has started in left field in 43 games and ranks second on the club with 32 walks. Keefer provided the highlight of UCLA’s regular season with a two-out walk-off home run in the series finale against USC, helping UCLA sweep a three-game set against the Trojans.

Regis enters the postseason having compiled a .303 batting average, totaling four home runs, one triple, 15 doubles and 34 RBI. The former standout at Glendora High School has registered a .507 slugging percentage, scoring 29 runs in 49 games (41 starts, including 40 starts at third base).