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Per D1Baseball.com, the UCLA Bruins and Oregon State Beavers are #2 and #3 in the nation this week. The 13-1-1 Beavs head south for three games against the 12-3 Bruins in historic Jackie Robinson Stadium.
The biggest issue on the table for the Beavers is the health of usual Friday starter Kevin Abel, who will apparently miss this series with an undisclosed back injury. Grant Gambrell will get the Friday start for the Beavs and Bryce Fehmel will start on Saturday. Sunday’s starter is TBD.
INJURY UPDATE: @BeaverBaseball RHP Kevin Abel continues to progress, but #Beavs don't feel overly comfortable with his status just yet. Will likely miss the #UCLA series with that tweaked back. Nothing serious, though. #Pac12
— Kendall Rogers (@KendallRogers) March 14, 2019
With 105 runs under their collective belt, the Beavers are third in the league. They are seventh in team batting average, however. Their offense will face a significant test against a group of UCLA pitchers that have tallied a league-leading 165 strikeouts. Names to be wary of on that front are Saturday starter Jack Ralston, reliever Kyle Mora, and closer Holden Powell. Powell leads the league in saves with five. Friday starter Zach Pettway also leads the league in strikeouts with 31.
Offensively, junior Ryan Kreidler is arguably their most effective hitter with a batting average of of .393 and 10 RBIs. He’s also had a hit in each of UCLA’s last 15 games. The kid has a lot going for him, is what I’m saying. Expect his name to be brought up once or twice come draft time.
Ryan Kreidler, Inf, UCLA. Long, lean and high waisted, Kreidler has gotten off to a very hot start for the Bruins hitting around 400. Very good defensive instincts, Kreidler reads the ball well and has the... https://t.co/TCwcrSWs0L
— Prospect Pipeline (@TheProsPipeline) March 14, 2019
Conclusion
This is definitely the toughest opponent that Oregon State have faced yet. As evenly matched as these two teams are, OSU has to improve offensively. Their team batting average of .269 is middle of the road, even for the Pac-12. That hurt them against West Virginia and it will hurt them again this weekend, if they let it, against a really good UCLA pitching staff.
Schedule
- Game 1: Friday, March 15 - 6:00 PM PT
- Game 2: Saturday, March 16 - 6:00 PM PT
- Game 3: Sunday, March 17 - 12 PM PT
How to Watch
Game 1 will have no video. Game 2 will be broadcast on Pac-12 Oregon and Pac-12 Los Angeles. Game 3 will be broadcast on Pac-12 Oregon and Pac-12 Los Angeles in addition to the main Pac-12 Network.
How to Listen
For a full list of radio stations across the state that will carry the games, check the game notes provided by OSU athletics. OSUBeavers.com will also have the audio all weekend on TuneIn.
Stats
Click the link here to follow live stats of the series.