10 Reasons Why You Should Go See UCLA Baseball Games This Season - Part 2

Bumped. If you haven't done it yet, you can read Part I over here. BTW you can get most up to the minute updates on UCLA baseball via Rye's UCLA baseball tweeter account. If you are a college baseball fan I'd recommend you follow him. GO BRUINS. -N

(Kids run the bases as Andy Lopez chews out the Arizona team after a 8-6 loss to the Bruins.)

Thanks for reading, here are the rest of the 10 Reasons.

5. Bruins Athletics - First to 100

UCLA was the first college to amass 100 NCAA championships. 100! I know some people knock it because some were in less well-known sports like water polo but I think it's quite significant.

As I mentioned earlier, UCLA has higher academic requirements for student athletes than many other schools. That means they can't just collect the best athletes in each sport. In fact, in some sports like football, some of the best high school athletes don't have good enough grades to qualify. Schools with higher academic restrictions (e.g. Northwestern, Stanford, Notre Dame of late) tend to struggle because of this. Some of them compensate with throwing more money at the programs for better coaches, better facilities, etc. That's fine but UCLA as a public institution doesn't do that. So how did UCLA get to 100?

I'd like to think Bruins are tough and smart, and proud to continue a legacy, like the ones built by John Wooden or men's volleyball coach Al Scates (19 titles). These players play their hearts out so OUR school can win. Let's support them.

4. Legacy of the Baseball Program

Know these guys? Chase Utley. Ben Francisco. David Huff. Hector Ambriz. Todd Zeile. Troy Glaus. Dave Roberts. Eric Byrnes. Garrett Atkins. Eric Karros. Ron Roenicke. Mike Gallego. These and many other guys played at UCLA. (And I met some of them at the Spring Training trip with UCLA's winningest coach Gary Adams, organized by UCLA Alumni Travel [squeal!])

And of course, the home games are played at the Jackie Robinson Stadium, named after one of baseball's most historic figures. Robinson was the first four-sport letterman in UCLA history - football, basketball, track and field and baseball. Although statistically baseball was his worst sport, you know that he went on to become the first African American Major League Baseball player in modern history in 1947, breaking the color barrier and forever changing the face of baseball. Come see the statue of Jackie Robinson and honor his legacy.

3. Coaching

Coach John Savage, who enters his sixth season at UCLA, is the only head coach in UCLA baseball history to have led the program to three consecutive NCAA postseason appearances. A phenomenal recruiter and a great mentor and coach to players, he has consistently produced MLB draft selections. Prior to UCLA, he was at UC Irvine, where he was responsible for re-launching the baseball program after years of dormancy and, within three years, taking it to a NCAA Division I Tournament appearance. Savage was also a pitching coach at USC where he produced many Major Leaguers including perhaps his most famous signee, Barry Zito.

Coach Savage is assisted by Coach Rick Vanderhook, who will be entering his second year in the position. Mark and I are SO unbelievably excited that he stayed. Prior to coming to UCLA, Vanderhook was the assistant coach at Cal State Fullerton, one of the most dominant baseball programs in the country and a perennial contender in the College World Series. Vanderhook was one of the masterminds behind the crushing offense at Fullerton, and just in his first year the Bruins made enormous strides.

One of our favorites from 2009 was Cody Decker, who in the previous year had a .218 batting average and was kind of struggling toward the end of the season. That was his junior year and he wasn't drafted. In 2010 he broke out big, hitting 21 home runs and ending with a .322 average. He was drafted by the San Diego Padres and was recently awarded the Minor League Short-Season Hitter of the Year honors. I'm not saying that's all Vanderhook, because Decker was a good guy who worked really hard, but I'm sure his coaching had a lot to do with it.

This year's class has got some more players that are more in line with Vanderhook's style of offense, so it'll be interesting to see how UCLA's offense will play out.

2. Pitching

Baseball analysts peg UCLA as having one of the nation's best one-two starting pitcher combinations in sophomores Gerrit Cole and Trevor Bauer. Many of you may have heard of Gerrit Cole, who was the #1 draft pick by the NY Yankees in 2008 but turned it down to come and pitch under Savage. Trevor Bauer finished high school one semester early and joined the Bruins last winter, so he was never drafted but many speculate that he would have been a first-round pick.

These guys are phenomenal. Cole is a monster, who in high school was pitching 98 mph. If you look at him, you can see him playing in the Major Leagues already. If you look at his record from last year, you might not be impressed. But keep in mind that he started every Friday game, meaning he was facing off against the opposing team's number one pitcher. Many times, UCLA's offense was unable to overcome that and UCLA often lost by just one or two runs. Cole was invited to be on the USA Baseball National Team last summer, where he led with a 4-0 record, posting a 1.06 ERA with 46 strikeouts in 34 innings. Crazy!

Bauer is another warrior. He is really skinny and looks like a kid, but you can tell he is tough as nails. He started off the season as a reliever but soon won a starting spot on Saturdays. Remember, at this point, he was supposed to have been a senior in high school! He got a lot of press when he threw a complete game one-hitter against Oregon last May. He finished the year with a 9-3 record and 2.99 ERA. For that he was named National Freshman Pitcher of the Year by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper. Bauer was also invited to be on the USA Baseball National Team.

If for no other reason, come see Cole and Bauer (Friday/Saturday). These guys will blow your socks off. And, some day when they're pitching in the Major Leagues you can say, "I knew them when they were in college!"

1. Raise the Program's Profile

As I mentioned, UCLA Baseball doesn't get a lot of fans at the games. Given the history of the program and how exciting this year could be, I think this has got to change. I know baseball will never compete against football or basketball, but college baseball is on the rise in other parts of the country and I heard some schools are even considering it to be a revenue sport. I'm not saying UCLA can ever get there but there's no reason why there should be more Pepperdine fans or Fullerton fans than UCLA fans at the home games.

Unfortunately Jackie Robinson Stadium has seen better days. Although some piecemeal improvements are being made (one major upgrade was the new hitting facility, which was funded completely by one donor who also chose the contractor and got it built without any help from UCLA), for whatever reason, the Athletics Program won't raise the priority of the baseball program's needs. Without significant upgrades to the stadium including more seats, concession stands and bathrooms, and a better clubhouse and other training facilities, UCLA is not going to be able to compete for quality recruits or host Regional Tournaments to gain media exposure.

This is where you can help. Support the UCLA baseball program by coming out to the games. The more people come out to the games, the more the Athletics Department has to take notice of the baseball program, especially if people express their concerns or wishes for a better facility. And I have to believe that seeing more fans will encourage the UCLA athletes, too, and let them know that we appreciate their hard work. So come on out and enjoy the games!

Is West LA too far or too inconvenient to get to, especially on a weeknight? For the first time in recent history, UCLA will face off against USC in the Dodgertown Classic at Dodger Stadium on Sunday, February 28th at 2 pm (Vanderbilt v. Oklahoma State at 10am). Tickets are $10 ($5 advance) and parking will be free! Coach Savage hopes this will be an annual event and even a two-day event, with national media coverage. That will be so awesome.

And of course, if you're a Bruin, you definitely should support your team! Go Bruins!