Notebook: Bruins have attitude

UCLA is proof that situations can change in an instant.

The Bruins appeared to be in some trouble after the first week and a half of the season. They dropped a tough home series to Maryland on opening weekend, striking out a ridiculous 29 times against the Terrapins pitching staff.

Then, after a midweek win over Cal State Northridge, the Bruins were beaten badly at home by Baylor in a series opener. It was then that UCLA appeared to be in some serious trouble, and on the verge of losing two-straight series to begin the season, a tough hole to possibly climb into for a Pac-12 team.

Instead of taking another step back, the Bruins turned things around with a different approach. They beat the Bears 9-3 in Game 2 before finishing off a series win with an 8-6 triumph in the series finale.

The Bruins haven't resorted back to the way they were opening weekend. They've only gotten better and better, as evidenced by their impressive 11-game winning streak against solid competition.

"We went through the first weekend and honestly looked a little bit like last year's team from an offensive standpoint," UCLA coach John Savage said. "We just gave them a few things to think about after that start. It was the first time we saw our team against someone else, and we needed to make some changes."

The Bruins didn't make any wholesale lineup changes or anything of that nature, but changed their offensive approach. The UCLA coaching staff began to emphasize being more aggressive with two strikes, while also urging their hitters to utilize the middle of the field more often.

UCLA has increased its production a great deal over the past few weeks. The Bruins struck out 40 times their first six games of the season, but have only struck out 60 times in their last 10 games. That still isn't a great figure, but certainly a significant improvement.

"The offensive lineup has made the necessary adjustments and really is doing a good job," Savage said. "I give the offense a lot of credit. They've really become very productive."

The Bruins have several contributors that have stepped up at the plate, but in particular, outfielders Jeff Gelalich and Cody Keefer have stepped up in the last week. The same also goes for catcher Trevor Brown and designated hitter Tyler Heineman.

Gelalich is hitting a team-high .483 with five doubles, three homers and 12 RBIs, while Keefer is hitting .371 with 11 RBIs. Meanwhile, Brown has been a huge surprise with a .370 average and 15 RBIs, while Heineman is hitting .333 with a home run and nine RBIs.

UCLA also has high hopes for outfielder Beau Amaral (.250/0/6), who's off to a slow start this spring.

"Amaral is a very good player and is certainly capable of putting together very good numbers," he said. "You look at the lineup we have and the situations they've been through in the past, and it's an experienced group. You're talking about a bunch of guys used to winning."

While the offense has garnered more headlines recently because of their somewhat unexpected surge, the Bruins pitching staff continues to do an admirable job.

The Bruins had the nation's best one-two punch last season with first-rounders Gerrit Cole and Trevor Bauer leading the way. But the Bruins continue to have a great deal of success without those two. They're getting the job done with high pitchability guys, not so much with extreme power arms such as Cole and Bauer.

"I think building the starting rotation has been fun," Savage said. "I've worked with all kinds of different pitchers in my career, and it's fun to develop guys and help them get better. There are always going to bumps along the way, but our rotation is getting much better."

The Bruins have a talented trio of sophomore hurlers in Adam Plutko (2.13/ 33 SO/ 9 BB), Nick Vander Tuig (4.01/15 SO/ 8 BB) and Zack Weiss (3.60/10 SO/13 BB).

Plutko had a sensational freshman campaign and continues to make strides. He has been sitting 88-91 with his fastball and is showing a lot of pitchability. Meanwhile, Vander Tuig served as a key reliever last season, but has made a smooth transition to the starting rotation. He, as with Plutko, has primarily been 88-91 with good stuff.

"I knew we lacked experience on the mound, but I give our guys a lot of credit. They're doing a good job and putting our team in position to win some games," he said. "I do believe our rotation could be a little better. For instance, we need to throw more strikes. I still think we're walking too many guys."

"We always talk about commanding the changeup and breaking pitches," he said. "We've predominantly been a fastball first type of program, but in the college game, you also have to develop pitchability. We're still in the early stages of that with these guys. Though we're walking a lot of guys, we're not really giving up a ton of hits. That's a good thing."

Should the starting rotation not get the job done this weekend against the Sun Devils, and perhaps even beyond, it's good the Bruins have a stout bullpen to utilize.

Ryan Deeter has appeared in 13 games and has a 0.84 ERA in 10 2/3 innings. Meanwhile, Chase Brewer and David Berg each have logged important innings, while freshman Grant Watson is a contributor as both a reliever on the weekend and as a midweek starter.

Junior right-hander Scott Griggs is the bullpen headliner. Griggs has appeared in 11 games, recorded four saves and has a 2.38 ERA in 11 1/3 innings. But most impressive is his pure stuff, sitting at 92-95 with his fastball, while also utilizing a good curveball.

"We really like our bullpen right now. They've been pretty good on the weekends," Savage said. "We're in the process of develop each one of them into front-line guys."

As it now stands, the Bruins have a 13-3 overall record and an excellent RPI entering Pac-12 play, which opens this weekend with a huge home series against Arizona State.

UCLA's 2012 campaign certainly started on a negative note. But with some adjustments, a surprisingly productive offense and a talented pitching staff, things surely are coming together for Coach Savage's club.

And we're only 16 games into the season.

"I don't think we're even close to where I think we can go before the season is done," he said. "This ... is still a work in progress type of situation."


WAKE FOREST'S BIG AWAKENING

It's a fun time to be part of the Wake Forest baseball program.

The Demon Deacons' home ballpark underwent massive renovations during the offseason to make things feel more like a college atmosphere. But the ballpark isn't the only thing that has undergone a complete overhaul. The team has, too.

Perhaps it shouldn't come as a surprise coach Tommy Walter has his Demon Deacons headed the right direction. We're still a little surprised, though.

Walter is best known for guiding the University of New Orleans to back-to-back NCAA postseason appearances in 2007 and 2008, before moving on to Wake Forest after the 2009 season.

Though it has taken a couple of seasons to accomplish, the Walter magic once again appears to be in the works. The Demon Deacons finished Tommy's first year with a 18-37 mark and an 8-22 ACC record. But the program began an upward swing last season, compiling a 25-31 overall record and finishing .500 in the ACC, tied with N.C. State in the ACC Atlantic Division.

Now, sitting at 15-4 in 2012, 3-0 in the ACC and riding a 14-game winning streak, which is tied with Florida for second-longest active winning streak, the Demon Deacons couldn't be feeling better about their situation with an upcoming series at N.C. State.

"I've really liked this club so far this season. No matter what, this team just always finds ways to win," Walter said. "Each night, it seems like someone else is getting the job done. This is a team that certainly has a lot of confidence."

While the Demon Deacons are doing extremely well right now, that wasn't the case the first week of the season. They dropped a series at New Mexico State before losing a midweek bout to High Point. But they've been a different team in every facet since the HPU loss.

It's important to note the drastic differences between last year's club and this year's team. Last year's club finished the campaign with a .225 batting average, 4.70 earned-run average, and had 50 homers. So far this season, the Demon Deacons are hitting .298 as a team, have a 3.91 ERA and have hit 16 homers.

Outfielder Mac Williamson, who was a huge returning starter for the Demon Deacons, leads the team with a .375 average, four homers and 17 RBIs, while first baseman Carlos Lopez, who has a bad knee right now, is hitting .373 with five homers and 27 RBIs.

The Demon Deacons also are very pleased with Conor Keniry, who's hitting .359 with 10 RBIs, while shortstop Pat Blair is a pleasant surprise this season. Blair is hitting .333 with a home run, 13 RBIs, and has a fantastic .449 on-base percentage.

"Blair really has been an absolute rock in our lineup this season," Walter said. "He has been very consistent and is just one of those guys who just finds a way to get on base. He and Conor Keniry are very much alike in that regard."

The Demon Deacons are in solid shape when it comes to the weekend rotation moving forward. Though Walter would like to see right-handed pitcher Justin Van Grouw (5.09, 23 IP) establish more consistency, he couldn't be more pleased with left-handers Tim Cooney and Brian Holmes.

Cooney is one of the ACC's premier arms, and has a 2.81 ERA in 25 2/3 innings. He has struck out 34 and walked 11, while teams are hitting him at a .207 clip. There's also fellow lefty Brian Holmes, who made headlines a few weeks ago by tossing a no-hitter in a win over George Washington. He has a 0.68 ERA in 26 1/3 innings and teams are hitting him at just a .151 clip.

Cooney has displayed good stuff this spring. He has a good four-pitch mix with a fastball sitting 90-92 mph. He also has a very good cutter and changeup, and a good curveball. Meanwhile, Holmes has been in the upper 80s, displaying a good, sinking fastball on a consistent basis.

"We need to have a very solid three-man rotation if we're going to legitimately compete in the ACC," he said. "Holmes has been very consistent and Cooney is a guy I'd really put up against anyone so far this season."

Outside of the weekend rotation, right-handed closer Michael Dimock is the X-factor for this team as they look ahead to upcoming ACC series against N.C. State, Florida State and North Carolina.

Dimock might only have a 4.72 ERA in 13 1/3 innings, but he has recorded six saves and is an arm Walter believes he can rely on each time out.

"Dimock has really been the type of guy that if we have a late lead, he's rock solid," he said. "Having a guy like Dimock is a real luxury, and honestly, it's something that creates confidence in our starting pitchers. It tells them they don't have to carry things into the ninth inning or what not."

Things get a little tougher this weekend for the Demon Deacons, as they hit the road to face sizzling N.C. State. But no matter what happens against the Wolfpack, there's no doubt the Demon Deacons are headed no place but up.

It's the Tom Walter plan in full effect.


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