The UCLA lineup isn’t incredibly selective by nature at the plate (ranking 76th nationally in walks), but the Bruins can’t win with the same over-aggressive and impatient approach they had Sunday night.
Arizona’s Konner Wade, who threw a complete game shutout, was in a groove on the mound, yes — but UCLA was often undisciplined against the right-handed starter in a 4-0 loss. And that can’t happen in Tuesday’s elimination game with Florida State.
“We were antsy, impatient, totally the opposite of what we were talking about, really,” coach John Savage said.
The Bruins failed to draw a walk against Wade, just the fifth time all year that they’ve not earned a free pass. They walked nine times in a 9-1 win over Stony Brook Friday.
Certainly, it’s not just about the walks — but properly identifying pitches and working their way into hitter’s counts will be key for UCLA Tuesday. The Bruins don’t hit many home runs (just 23 this year), regularly relying on the line drives and gappers that are often byproducts of solid and smart at-bats.
We’ll see how it plays out. Should be an entertaining match-up between the Bruins and Seminoles.




