Cats return to Pac-10 action tonight vs. UCLA
After playing a pro team in a pro ballpark Tuesday during an exhibition game against the Tucson Sidewinders, the Arizona baseball team will now get to experience another aspect of pro ball - playing every day.
The Wildcats (15-12-1, 4-2) return to Pacific 10 Conference play against UCLA (16-13, 1-2) tonight at 7 at Sancet Stadium. The game will be the first in a streak of nine games in 11 days for Arizona.
Junior Koley Kolberg will get the start for the Wildcats against the Bruins' Bryan Beck in the crucial opening game of the series.
Head coach Andy Lopez said it is always important to win the first game of a three-game set.
"It makes it easier to try and win the series," he said. "You hope that every weekend you can win at least two out of three, and getting that first win gives you two chances to get that second one."
Through nine starts, Kolberg has amassed a (4-2) record and earned a 3.29 ERA while striking out a team-high 55 batters.
"Koley sets the tone for how we are going to play," said freshman designated hitter Bill Rhinehart.
Kolberg has not lost a contest since the team traveled to Long Beach State last month. He pitched a complete game March 18, giving up only four runs but still earning the loss because the Wildcats were shut out.
In fact, Kolberg's only two losses of the year have been contests in which he has thrown a complete game.
Arizona struggled a bit offensively early in the year. However, Lopez said he hopes the team's recent performance is a sign of things to come.
"I'm getting optimistic about it," Lopez said. "It hasn't happened as consistently as we would have liked it, but I would say in the last few weeks there have been moments when I say, 'Here it comes.'"
Arizona scored five runs on 11 hits against the Triple-A Sidewinders Tuesday night and put up 23 runs against Oregon State last weekend in Corvallis, Ore.
Junior catcher Richard Mercado leads the Wildcats and the Pac-10 in hitting with a .419 average. The next closest is Rhinehart with a .347 average.
The weekend series will be a reunion for Lopez. He was the starting shortstop and team captain on the 1975 Bruin team and was inducted into UCLA's Baseball Hall of Fame in 1994.
Lopez played under current UCLA coach Gary Adams. He said the two still remain friends and talk as often as possible.
"He's one of the dear friends in my life and I'm excited about seeing him," Lopez said. "I sure hope they don't play well this weekend."
UCLA comes into this series fresh off a 3-2 win Tuesday night over Pepperdine. The Bruins took one of three games against top-ranked Stanford last weekend.
Tonight's contest between the two schools will be the first of six games they will play in the 2004 season. The Wildcats will hook up again in early May for a three-game non conference series in Los Angeles.
UCLA and Arizona will play again tomorrow at 7 p.m. at Sancet Stadium, with sophomore Kevin Guyette taking the hill for the Wildcats and Casey Janssen throwing for the Bruins.
"As long we keep playing well (in conference), we should do pretty good," Rhinehart said.