UCLA Baseball: Bruins Make Third College World Series In Their History

Thirteen years is a long time.

And it was evident that the ghost of the late great John Wooden was in their corner this weekend, as UCLA’s baseball team won a spot in the College World Series for the first time since 1997 by beating Cal State Fullerton 8-1 at Jackie Robinson Stadium on Sunday night, in the third game of a best-of-3 NCAA Super Regional.

After the Bruins were one out away from being eliminated before defeating the Titans in 10 innings on Saturday, 11-7, Rob Rassmussen threw his first complete game as a Bruin on Sunday to clinch the team’s ticket to Omaha, as he struck out nine CSUF batters while giving up just two hits in winning his 11th game of the year.

UCLA’s bats came through as well, with the Bruins (48-14) scoring three runs in the third inning to take a lead they will not relinquish, and Beau Amaral getting three RBIs on the night, two of them on a home run in the eighth inning that put the final nail in Cal State Fullerton’s (46-18) coffin. 

The win certainly exorcised some Titan demons, CSUF having beaten UCLA 19 times in their 24 previous meetings since John Savage became the coach in Westwood in 2005. “…we needed to do this as a program”, he said. 

This World Series berth will be only the third one in Bruin history, the first one coming in 1969 with Chris Chambliss, who would go on to stardom with the Reggie Jackson / Billy Martin “Bronx Zoo” New York Yankees of the 1970s, leading UCLA that year.

Though they have never won a game in Omaha, having an all-time record of 0-4 there, the Bruins, who will start the Series with Florida either this Saturday or Sunday, have a chance to make some noise for one important reason: Pitching. 

It has been pitching, particularly the starting staff of Rassmussen, Garrett Claypool, Gerrit Cole and Trevor Bauer that has carried UCLA all season, and since good pitching beats good hitting and is the key to any team, I do not expect the Bruins to go home winless this time around.

It goes without saying that regardless of what happens in Omaha, this has been a dream season in Westwood – the question now is will the Bruins triumph at Rosenblatt Stadium and bring home the school’s 107th national championship (and the baseball program’s first)?

Time will tell, but I think they have a shot.