The Bruins were stunned.
No. 3 Michigan had upset them 4-2 in Game 3 of the NCAA Super Regionals in Los Angeles to advance to the College World Series.
UCLA would not make the trip to Omaha for the sixth consecutive year, but the 2019 team left a sizable impact. Its stacked talent had not only led the way to a Pac-12 championship, but a program record for wins and a No. 1 national ranking for 12 weeks in a row.
If there was a year to have gone all the way, it would have been then.
“It was a heartening loss,” UCLA head coach John Savage said. “I know it’s baseball. I’ve been a part of both sides of it, but it was a special team. Anybody that watched us, would say the same thing. It took a while to recover.”
The mixture of disappointment and frustration from the loss has since transformed. Through summer teams and fall ball, it’s become motivation and hunger.
While the 2020 season brings a new players, new matchups and likely its own challenges, the Bruins feel ready to get back to, and possibly finish, where last year’s team left off.
“From top to bottom, we all believe that we’re the contenders that we are every year with the coaches, with the players that we have behind us,” junior center fielder Garrett Mitchell said. “We’re confident that we’re going to fight and try to be there at the end just like we were last year.”
UCLA enters this season ranked No. 10 nationally and is predicted to place second in the Pac-12 under Arizona State. The Bruins lost a program-record 11 players in the 2019 MLB draft in June, including ace and 2019 Pac-12 Pitcher of the Year Ryan Garcia.
In their absence, the team welcomed eight freshmen, a group that includes Darius Perry, the No. 3 nationally ranked catcher, and Michael Curialle, the No. 4-ranked shortstop of out California.
“Every freshman that we have on this team, they all want to do the same thing,” Mitchell said. “There is no lack of fight and wanting to win from top to bottom, which is really good. We talk about how you’re only as strong as your weakest link. Our weakest link is nobody.”
The Bruins know success won’t come immediately. Because the team never lost a regular-season series last year, there will most likely be bumps this year that weren’t experienced last season. The challenge for UCLA will be learning how to move past – and learn from – those moments while attempting to chase the same goals.
“Our first thought is new team, same program,” Savage said. “A lot of new faces, but I think the bar has clearly been set. The expectations have been set. We look at it as really a continuation of our program. It’s not a restart or reboot. It’s really a continuation.”
UCLA opens its season Friday night against UC Riverside as part of a three-game homestand. The Bruins start Pac-12 play on March 13 hosting a three-day, three-game series against Oregon.
No. 10 UCLA
Coach: John Savage, 16th season
Last season: 52-11 overall, 24-5 as Pac-12 champion; lost to Michigan in Game 3 of the NCAA Super Regional
Who’s back: CF Garrett Mitchell (.349, 6 HR), P Holden Powell (4-3, 1.84 ERA), C Noah Cardenas (.375, 3 HR), P Kyle Mora (3-3, 2.09 ERA), IF Matt McLain (.203, 4 HR)
Who’s gone: P Ryan Garcia (10-1, 1,44 ERA), P Jack Ralston (11-1, 2.66 ERA), IF Michael Toglia (.314, 17 HR), OF Jake Pries (.284, 12 HR), P Nathan Hadley (8-1, 2.33 ERA),
Who’s new: INF Michael Curialle (JSerra Catholic High), P Jake Saum (St. Bonaventure High), C Darius Perry (La Mirada High)
Coach’s quote: “[There is] a lot to prove with this new group of players. Last year, we knocked on the door as clearly as much as you can knock. This team could be a little edgy, which is a good thing. We may cut it up a little differently, it may look different, but we know where we want to go.”