Once again we will start our roundup with Bruin baseball. As mentioned yesterday Bruins are gearing up for their last home series against the defending national champions. Yesterday we shared an official preview from the Beavers pov. Today let’s go with the preview from UCLA’s official site:
PROBABLE STARTING PITCHERS
Friday (6 p.m.), UCLA - Tyson Brummett (RHP) vs. OSU – TBA
Saturday (2 p.m.), UCLA - Tim Murphy (LHP) vs. OSU - TBA
Sunday (12 p.m.), UCLA - Gavin Brooks (LHP) vs. OSU - TBA
LAST TIME OUT
Last season, UCLA and Oregon State split two games in Corvallis, Ore., as the Saturday contest was rained out. Ryan Babineau led the Bruins' offense at Oregon State a year ago, hitting .400 (2-for-5) with a .571 on-base percentage.
HOME SWEET HOME
UCLA looks to win its fourth and final home Pac-10 series this season, which would mark the first time that the Bruins have won each three-game Pac-10 series at Jackie Robinson Stadium in back-to-back years. In addition to five Pac-10 series wins, UCLA has won four non-conference series. The Bruins have posted an 18-9 home record this season and finished 19-12 at Jackie Robinson Stadium in 2006. UCLA has won eight of its last 10 home games, and will play its first home game since May 6.
It will be interesting to see whether Brummett and Murphy can rebound during this home stand. Both of them have had tough outings in their most recent appearances (on the road) against ASU and WSU. If they can get back to form this weekend, it will be a hell of boost for the Bruins before they gear up for the tournament. Speaking of the tournament, the LAT has capsules on the local teams and their outlook for making the postseason. Going back to the Beavers though, make sure to check out our SBN colleague Jake’s posts over at Building The Dam in next few days. Jake is one of the few bloggers out there who is passionate about his college baseball. So I am sure we will be hearing from him on this weekend’s series as well as our own ryebreadaz who will hopefully keep us updated from the BN pov.Friday (6 p.m.), UCLA - Tyson Brummett (RHP) vs. OSU – TBA
Saturday (2 p.m.), UCLA - Tim Murphy (LHP) vs. OSU - TBA
Sunday (12 p.m.), UCLA - Gavin Brooks (LHP) vs. OSU - TBA
LAST TIME OUT
Last season, UCLA and Oregon State split two games in Corvallis, Ore., as the Saturday contest was rained out. Ryan Babineau led the Bruins' offense at Oregon State a year ago, hitting .400 (2-for-5) with a .571 on-base percentage.
HOME SWEET HOME
UCLA looks to win its fourth and final home Pac-10 series this season, which would mark the first time that the Bruins have won each three-game Pac-10 series at Jackie Robinson Stadium in back-to-back years. In addition to five Pac-10 series wins, UCLA has won four non-conference series. The Bruins have posted an 18-9 home record this season and finished 19-12 at Jackie Robinson Stadium in 2006. UCLA has won eight of its last 10 home games, and will play its first home game since May 6.
Moving on to football I got couple of notes to share. Over at Bruin Roar CalPolyBruinFan has a post on pre-pre-season rankings of UCLA. It’s a good read. Although honestly I am not all that concerned about rankings. I think if Dorrell takes care of business, which is winning the Pac-10 and beating Southern Cal, then the ranking issues will take care of themselves.
Also on football AP has a story on Drew Olson, who is currently playing in Amsterdam (not a bad deal huh?) working on his game in NFL Europa. Olson is working to improve his game so that he can ensure a spot in the Baltimore Ravens who already have Steve McNair and Kyle Boller, and just drafted Troy Smith in the recent NFL draft. Drew is taking the challenge in stride and his coaches (including a familiar name) are noticing his work:
If Olson can replicate his numbers with the Admirals, then he should be wearing a Ravens jersey this fall. Coming off a win over Hamburg in which he threw for 293 yards and three touchdowns, Olson has completed 59 percent of his passes for 1,114 yards and nine TDs (against seven interceptions) in six games.
"I've been watching what Drew's been doing in Amsterdam," Ravens coach Brian Billick said. "We think the time in Europe is going to serve him very well, and hopefully when he comes back we'll have a chance to see how it translates into what we're doing here."
The first thing the coaches will study is the flight of the ball out of Olson's hand. When last the Ravens saw him throw a pass, the phrase "wounded duck" probably came to mind.
"It's not all pretty with Drew. He's kind of a throwback to Billy Kilmer," said Rick Neuheisel, Baltimore's offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. "His ball doesn't always spiral and it isn't always going to be gorgeous. But he's a winner, which is why we encouraged him to go to Europe - to prove once again that's what he is."
Olson is a great kid and good Bruin. I was always impressed with him when he hung in there during the tough days when KD was busy mismanaging the situation involving him and Matt Moore. He persevered and made the best out of a bad situation. Let’s hope it all works out for him."I've been watching what Drew's been doing in Amsterdam," Ravens coach Brian Billick said. "We think the time in Europe is going to serve him very well, and hopefully when he comes back we'll have a chance to see how it translates into what we're doing here."
The first thing the coaches will study is the flight of the ball out of Olson's hand. When last the Ravens saw him throw a pass, the phrase "wounded duck" probably came to mind.
"It's not all pretty with Drew. He's kind of a throwback to Billy Kilmer," said Rick Neuheisel, Baltimore's offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. "His ball doesn't always spiral and it isn't always going to be gorgeous. But he's a winner, which is why we encouraged him to go to Europe - to prove once again that's what he is."
GO BRUINS.