UCLA needs one more win to punch ticket to Omaha

UCLA will be the road team in Game 2 of tonight’s super regional v. TCU.

The Horned Frogs (40-21) will go with right hander Preston Morrison who is 9-1 on the year with a 1.98 ERA against UCLA’s (46-14) Nick Vander Tuig. Vander Tuig is 9-3 this season with a 4.53 ERA.

Here are tonight’s lineups:

UCLA

25 CF Beau Amaral
8 C Tyler Heineman
7 LF Cody Keefer
20 RF Jeff Gelalich
11 1B Trevor Brown
10 SS Pat Valaika
18 DH Cody Regis
3 3B Kevin Kramer
5 2B Kevin Williams

21 RHP Nick Vander Tuig

TCU

1 CF Kyle Von Tungelin
24 C Josh Elander
0 1B Kevin Cron
35 3B Jantzen Witte
2 2B Derek Odell
31 LF Jerrick Suiter
4 DH Josh Gonzales
5 RF Brance Rivera
26 SS Keaton Jones

18 RHP Preston Morrison

Plutko seeks return visit to Omaha

A little sneak preview of future glory might just have prepared Adam Plutko for a return trip to Omaha.

Plutko headed to the Midwest along with his father, Gary, to watch the UCLA baseball team compete in the 2010 College World Series after his senior year at Glendora High.

After home runs by high school teammates Cody Regis in the regionals and super regionals, they just had to go be a part of it.

Not yet in college but already bleeding Bruin blue – he committed to UCLA as a sophomore in high school, don’t forget – he took in the sights and sounds of one of the great spectacles of college sport. He watched Trevor Bauer and Gerrit Cole, his two future mentors, mow down batter after batter. He soaked in the scene as the Bruins checked off accomplishment after accomplishment. He shared in their disappointment when they lost in the championship series to South Carolina.

But most of all, he readied himself to be on the big stage himself.

After his performance on Friday – a seven-hit, seven-strikeout effort in a 6-2 UCLA win over TCU in College World Series Super Regionals at Jackie Robinson Stadium – he and the Bruins are one step away.

“My dad looked at me and said we gotta go,” Plutko said. “We took the first flight we could. It was just so phenomenal being out there. It’s the only place on earth like that.”

Plutko did not master the Horned Frogs with the same ruthless efficiency he displayed against Creighton in a 3-0 two-hitter over the Bluejays in the regionals last Saturday, but aside from a pair of early inning hiccups, he was able to bide his time until the Bruin bats exploded in the bottom of the sixth inning.

Plutko allowed solo home runs to Josh Elander and Kyle Von Tungeln in the first and third innings, respectively, but limited the damage, scattering five hits while staying out of trouble before giving way to UCLA reliever David Berg after an Elander single in the top of the eighth.

By then the Bruins lead by four, thanks to one huge sixth inning.

First, UCLA’s loaded the bases to open the inning by way of TCU wildness – a walk and two hit batters – and Trevor Brown stroked a single into centerfield to score Tyler Heineman, tying the game.

Three batters later, Cody Regis strolled to the plate once more with the bases loaded and the Bruin junior fried the Horned Frogs just as he did two years ago.

Then, he was a freshman batting .500 with four RBIs against TCU in the College World Series tournament in Omaha, when the Bruins beat the Horned Frogs three times in six days.

Now, he delivered with a bases-clearing double to put UCLA ahead for good.

“I talked to coach (Rex) Peters before that bat and he basically he said (TCU pitcher Justin Scharf) likes to work down away in the zone,” Regis said. “We’re somewhat familiar with them – obviously not same team – but having that in back of your mind it gives you confidence going into it.”

Steady David Berg finishes 6-2 win for UCLA

After giving up two solo home runs in the first three innings of UCLA’s 6-2 win over TCU, ace Adam Plutko settled down to put four straight zeroes on the board.

With his pitch count at 105 in the eighth inning, UCLA coach John Savage turned to freshman walk-on David Berg in a nationally televised game with a trip to Omaha hanging in the balance.

Berg, a side-arm right-hander, set down the next three batters he faced. Savage gave him the ball again in the ninth. Three up, three down.

“He’s been a rock,” Savage said. “He gets the ball outing after outing and he’s the same guy. When they know what you’re going to do to them and you still do it, that’s a good sign.”

Berg’s line: Twenty-five pitches, four strikeouts, no hits.

As Savage said, you know what you’re going to get with Berg. So often this season that has been an untouchable sinking fastball and absolute consistency.

Berg broke UCLA and Pac-12 records for appearances with 45 and he’s thrown in 20 of the Bruins’ last 21 games.

The contrast of UCLA’s starters’ high heat to Berg’s sinker has kept teams off balance all season.

“It’s a pretty interesting dynamic,” Berg said. “A lot of our starters are fly-ball pitchers, so all of a sudden, I come in with that sinking fastball and get ground balls.”

Now, Berg and the Bruins are now a game away from Omaha, and if Savage sticks to the bullpen rotation that has won his team 46 games this season, Berg will continue to get innings.

“It helps because I know I’m going in and I’m not thinking about it,” Berg said. “You stick with what you’ve been doing.”

UCLA taking balanced approach against familiar foe

The UCLA baseball team has been here before, hosting the NCAA Series Super Regional, peaking at the right time.

Only this time, they’re taking a more balanced approach.

Two years ago, the Bruins were propelled by a pitching staff that ranked among the nation’s best, guided by a two-headed sensational sophomore monster in Gerrit Cole and Trevor Bauer, backed by the nation’s best Sunday starter in Rob Rasmussen and bolstered by perhaps the country’s best bullpen.

The bats, however, were prone to lapses, and they ultimately failed in the College World Series championship series against South Carolina.

This year, as proven in UCLA’s thorough domination of last weekend’s regionals – a combined 23-6 handling of Creighton, New Mexico and Creighton again – everything is clicking.

Everything.

“We feel really balanced as a team,” said shortstop Pat Valaika, whose Bruins host TCU at Jackie Robinson Stadium, beginning at 6 p.m. tonight. “We pitch real well, we play solid defense and we score a lot of runs; that’s a recipe for a lot of wins. We don’t have to rely on our pitching, I think, like we did last year with Cole and Bauer
“This year it’s more of a whole team effort.”

It certainly was in the regionals.

There was Friday starter Adam Plutko – who picked up a win in his lone playoff start last season as a freshman – dazzling the Bluejays in a 3-0 two-hitter.

There was scorching Jeff Gelalich, smashing two home runs in the series-clinching win over Creighton.

It was a group effort, and one that will be needed against the Horned Frogs, as TCU brings a little edge into the matchup.

UCLA defeated the revenge-thirsty Horned Frogs three times in the 2010 College World Series en route to a program-best runner-up finish.

Head coach John Savage isn’t about to take anything for granted.

“TCU played very, very well up at A&M, I thought one of the toughest regionals in the country,” Savage said. “To do what they did in College Station was very, very impressive. They’re a little bit like us.”

And both teams are a little like they were two years ago.

But only a little.

“It’s been different – I’ve kind of seen it all being here for three years, being able to watch Cole and Bauer and have a pretty big spotlight on them,” UCLA centerfielder Beau Amaral said. “This year, it’s been a lot different. You kind of want the target on your back. This year we haven’t had it as much early on, not having Cole and Bauer. But I think I’ve we’ve earned it throughout the year.”

UCLA draws TCU in Super Regional at Jackie Robinson Stadium

From UCLA:

LOS ANGELES – UCLA has been selected as one of eight NCAA Super Regional hosts, as college baseball’s NCAA Tournament continues this weekend. The Bruins (45-14) will face TCU (40-20) in a best-of-three series at Jackie Robinson Stadium beginning Friday.

UCLA will host an NCAA Super Regional for the second time since the current postseason format expanded in 1999. Game times are 6 p.m. Friday (ESPN), 6 p.m. Saturday (ESPN2) and 7 p.m. Sunday, if necessary (ESPN2). UCLA last hosted a Super Regional in 2010, defeating Cal State Fullerton, two games to one.

The Bruins swept the NCAA Los Angeles Regional at home over the weekend, advancing to the Super Regional round for the third time in six seasons. UCLA defeated Creighton, 13-5, in the NCAA Regional final on Sunday.

“I’d like to thank our fans who came to the ballpark last weekend and watched us win the Los Angeles Regional,” eighth-year UCLA head coach John Savage said “Our program relies on strong fan support, and I urge those fans to come back for the Super Regional this weekend and give us a great home field advantage.”

All-session ticket packages for the upcoming NCAA Los Angeles Super Regional will be on sale beginning Tuesday at 10 a.m. through UCLA’s Central Ticket Office. Fans can order tickets online (tickets.ucla.edu) or by calling (310) 825-2101.

TCU defeated Mississippi in the College Station Regional final, 7-4, on Monday evening to advance to the NCAA Los Angeles Super Regional. The Horned Frogs finished the regular season tied for first place with New Mexico, at 18-6, in the Mountain West standings.

“TCU had a very successful season in the Mountain West and won a challenging regional in College Station at Texas A&M,” Savage said. “This will be a very tough test for our program, and we’re looking forward to opening the series on Friday at Jackie Robinson Stadium.”

All-session reserved tickets cost $42 for adults and $30 for youth (ages 3-16). Pending availability, single-game tickets may go on sale later this week.

NCAA Super Regionals
TCU at UCLA
Los Angeles, Calif.

Kent State at Oregon
Eugene, Ore.

N.C. State at Florida
Gainesville, Fla.

St. John’s at Arizona
Tucson, Ariz.

Arkansas at Baylor
Waco, Texas

Oklahoma at South Carolina
Columbia, S.C.

Stanford at Florida State
Tallahassee, Fla.

Stony Brook at LSU
Baton Rouge, La.