12th-Ranked UCLA to Host Notre Dame, Oklahoma, USC 
Bruins to play Fighting Irish on Friday night, Sooners on Saturday and Trojans on Sunday.

Los Angeles, Calif. - The 12th-ranked UCLA Baseball team will host three opponents in non-conference games this weekend, taking on No. 22 Notre Dame on Friday at 6 p.m. before facing No. 17 Oklahoma on Saturday at 2 p.m. On Sunday, Notre Dame and Oklahoma will play each other at 10 a.m. at Jackie Robinson Stadium before the Bruins square off against rivals USC at 3 p.m.

PROBABLE STARTING PITCHERS
Friday, March 8 - 6 p.m.
ND - Sean Fitzgerald, RHP, Jr. (1-0, 3.26)
UCLA - Adam Plutko, RHP, Jr. (2-0, 2.89)

Saturday, March 9 - 2 p.m.
OU - Jonathan Gray, RHP, Jr. (2-1, 2.75)
UCLA - Nick Vander Tuig, RHP, Jr. (2-1, 1.86)

Sunday, March 10 - 3 p.m.
USC - Kyle Twomey, LHP, Fr. (1-1, 5.29)
UCLA - Grant Watson, LHP, So. (2-0, 1.37)

IMPORTANT TRAFFIC INFO FOR THIS WEEKEND'S GAMES
The southbound I-405 off-ramp to westbound Wilshire Blvd. will be closed beginning Friday, March 8, 2013 at 8 p.m. until 6 a.m. on Friday, March 22, 2013. Due to the off-ramp closure, fans looking to come out to Jackie Robinson Stadium in the next two weekends should note that the only available entrance to the ballpark is now on Constitution Ave. off Sepulveda Blvd. Fans traveling on the I-405 should use either the Sunset or Santa Monica off-ramps to make their way to Sepulveda Blvd.

LISTEN LIVE
All three of UCLA's home games this weekend will feature a live audio broadcast online, free of charge, at uclabruins.com. John Ramey and Tim Wilhelm will have the call live from Jackie Robinson Stadium this weekend. Fans can also follow every UCLA home game online through GameTracker, which provides pitch-by-pitch updates on uclabruins.com. Links can be found on the front page ofuclabruins.com on the events calendar or on the 2013 UCLA Baseball schedule page.

CROSSTOWN RIVALRY
Despite the Trojans holding a 253-126 advantage in the all-time series against UCLA, the Bruins have had remarkable success against their crosstown rivals in recent years. Since John Savage became head coach of the Bruins in the summer of 2004, the Bruins have gone 19-9 against USC and have not lost a season series to the Trojans since 2005. UCLA has also won 19 of its last 24 games against the Trojans, including the last four meetings.

FRIDAY STARTER
Junior-right hander Adam Plutko will once again start for the Bruins on Friday night. Plutko owns a record of 2-0 with a 2.89 ERA in three starts this season. He has also struck out 13 batters in 18.2 innings pitched, allowing just four walks. A preseason All-American in 2013, Plutko is 9-0 with a 1.43 ERA and 50 strikeouts in his last 10 starts. Twice he has been named to the All-Pac-12 team and in 2012, captured third-team All-America honors from Baseball America.

ROUNDING OUT THE ROTATION
Junior-right hander Nick Vander Tuig and sophomore left-hander Grant Watson will round out UCLA's rotation this weekend, starting on Saturday and Sunday respectively. Both pitchers are off to a great start in 2013, combining to post a 1.62 ERA in their six starts. Vander Tuig has a record of 2-1 entering this weekend's games, throwing 19.1 innings with a 1.86 ERA and just two walks. Watson has been even better, striking out 14 batters in 19.2 innings and posting a 1.37 ERA. Watson is 2-0 on the young season and UCLA has won all three games that he has started.

BRUINS DEFEAT LONG BEACH STATE, 3-2
UCLA won its 13th consecutive midweek game on Tuesday, edging the Long Beach State Dirtbags, 3-2, at Blair Field. Junior Brenton Allen drew a pinch-hit bases-loaded walk in the top of the ninth inning to bring in the winning run. On the mound, freshman Cody Poteet went 5.1 innings in his second collegiate start, giving up four hits and one earned run in a no-decision. Junior Ryan Deeter picked up his first win of the season for the Bruins after pitching a perfect eighth inning out of the bullpen. Sophomore David Berg came on in the bottom of the ninth and secured his third save in as many opportunities, sealing the 3-2 victory. Finally, sophomore Kevin Kramer led the Bruins at the plate, going 2-4 with a run and a RBI.  

The Bruins have appeared to turn the corner in regards to recruiting the quarterback position. For the first time in years, redshirt frosh quarterback, Brett Hundley started every game behind center. When was the last time that happened? 

In case you have forgotten, the

UCLA true freshman guard/forward, Kyle Anderson is coming off an outstanding week of basketball that saw him earn the Pac 12 Player of the Week award for his play against Arizona and Arizona State.

No. 12 UCLA Baseball Earns 3-2 Victory at Long Beach State
Deeter earns first win of the season while Berg picks up third save of the year.

The No. 12 UCLA Baseball team won their sixth game in a row on Tuesday night, earning a hard-fought 3-2 victory over Long Beach State at Blair Field. Junior Brenton Allen drew a bases-loaded walk in the top of the ninth inning to score the winning run.

Junior Ryan Deeter earned the win for UCLA after throwing a perfect eighth inning for the Bruins. Josh Frye took the loss for the Dirtbags, giving up one earned run in 0.2 innings. David Berg picked up his third save of the year as well.

UCLA took the early lead in the top of the first, starting with a one-out single by Brian Carroll. After Carroll stole second, Kevin Kramer knocked him in with a single to left-center to give the Bruins a 1-0 lead. UCLA struck again in the top of the third, when freshman Ty Moore drew a bases-loaded walk off Long Beach starter Ryan Millison, scoring Kramer and bringing the lead to 2-0. Millison was pulled after that, lasting just 2.2 innings. 

Poteet got into some trouble in the bottom half of the third, loading the bases with nobody out to bring up Long Beach State second baseman Jeff McNeil. Poteet got McNeil to ground into a 6-4-3 double play though and struck out Juan Avila on the next at-bat to escape the inning with only one run allowed.

The game slowed down a bit after that with neither side being able to muster anything offensively until the bottom of the seventh, when the Dirtbags tied the game up with a Richard Prigatano solo homer off of Zack Weiss to even the game up at 2-2. Eventually Long Beach State put runners on first and third with two outs in the inning, but Weiss got McNeil to fly out to center to keep the game tied at 2-2.

UCLA threatened in the top of the eighth, starting when Pat Gallagher walked to lead off the inning. Freshman Brett Urabe ran for Gallagher, and after a Ty Moore groundout advanced him to second, a wild pitch moved Urabe to third with one out. But after pinch hitter Chris Keck walked in the next at-bat, Urabe was thrown out at home after the Bruins attempted a double steal. Christoph Bono grounded out in the next at-bat to end the inning.

After Deeter set down the Dirtbags in order in the bottom of the eighth, UCLA threatened again in the ninth, starting the inning with back-to-back walks by Eric Filia and Carroll. Kramer singled to shortstop on the next play, loading the bases with nobody out. Pat Valaika was unable to advance the runners as he flied out to shallow right in the next at-bat, but Allen drew a walk to break the tie and give UCLA the 3-2 lead.

Berg came on in the bottom of the ninth, but got into a jam by putting two runners on with one out. However, Berg struck out Zack Belanger and got Colby Brenner to line out to right to end the game and give the Bruins the 3-2 victory.

Poteet went a total of 5.1 innings, giving up four hits, one earned run, three walks and striking out four in a no-decision. Kramer led the Bruins at the plate, going 2-4 with a RBI and a runj. Sophomore catcher Shane Zeile had a terrific night behind the plate, throwing out two of Long Beach State’s attempted base stealers to end threats in the first and fifth innings. UCLA’s defense was solid all night, turning two double plays and continually making great plays to keep the Dirtbags off the basepaths.

UCLA (9-2) will return home this weekend to take on No. 22 Notre Dame (8-2) on Friday at 6 p.m., No. 17 Oklahoma (11-2) on Saturday at 2 p.m., and rivals USC (6-5) on Sunday at 1 p.m. All games will take place at Jackie Robinson Stadium.

Game Notes: The Bruins won their 13th consecutive midweek game dating back to last season...UCLA had a runner reach base in eight out of the nine innings today…Brian Carroll has now stolen at least one base in three of the last four games and is 10-11 in stolen base attempts on the year…for the fifth time in 11 games, the Bruins scored at least one run in the first inning…UCLA also improved to 8-1 when they score first…with four UCLA batters getting hit by a pitch, the Bruins now have a total of 32 hit batters on the season…UCLA also has had a batter get hit by a pitch in all 11 of its games and has had at least two batters get by a pitch in 10 of its 11 games.

UCLA BASKETBALL SET TO PLAY AT WASHINGTON STATE ON WEDNESDAY

Bruins (22-7, 12-4) enter final week of regular season tied for first place in Pac-12

LOS ANGELES – UCLA closes its regular season with two Pac-12 road games this week, currently tied for first place in the Pac-12 Conference standings with Oregon. The Bruins (22-27, 12-4) will play at Washington State (11-18, 2-14) on Wednesday evening at 6:30 p.m. The Bruins close their regular season on Saturday, March 9, at Washington (11 a.m.).

GAME INFORMATION

Venue: Beasley Coliseum (11,671)

Tip-Off Time: 6:35 p.m. PT

Television: Pac-12 Networks

TV Talent: Ted Robinson (play-by-play), Ernie Kent (analyst)

Radio (UCLA Sports Network from IMG College): AM 570 (KLAC)

Radio Talent: Chris Roberts (play-by-play), Don MacLean (analyst)

ON THE ROAD

UCLA has won its last 19 games at Washington State, a streak that began during the 1993-94 season. The Bruins have recorded an 18-2 record in 10 seasons against Washington State under head coach Ben Howland. UCLA has not won at Washington since Jan. 10, 2004, during Coach Howland’s first season as the Bruins’ head coach.

THE LAST TIME

The Bruins opened a 39-24 cushion before securing a 76-62 win over Washington State in Pauley Pavilion when the schools last faced each other on Feb. 9, 2013.  Shabazz Muhammad scored 17 points on 7-of-14 shooting, and Jordan Adams finished with 14 points for UCLA.

GAINING ACCOLADES

Shabazz Muhammad has been named one of eight finalists for the Integris Walter Tisdale Freshman of the Year Award, as announced by the U.S. Basketball Writers’ Association on Monday. In addition, Kyle Anderson secured Pac-12 Player of the Week honors Monday after averaging 19.0 ppg and 11.0 rpg in two home victories last week. Anderson and Muhammad are UCLA’s only players to have earned Pac-12 Player of the Week honors this season.

UCLA’S RECENT RUN

The Bruins have won six of their last seven games after having dropped back-to-back games to Arizona State (Jan. 26) and USC (Jan. 30). UCLA has won its last four games, outscoring the opposition by an average of 8.5 ppg. Through the Bruins’ last seven games, Larry Drew II has made 12 of 19 three-point shots (.632) while averaging 10.6 ppg and 7.4 apg. During UCLA’s four-game win streak, Kyle Anderson has averaged 16.8 ppg and 11.0 rpg.

HELPING A BROTHER OUT

David Wear has averaged 9.9 ppg and 9.0 rpg in UCLA’s last three games, stepping up for twin brother Travis Wear (right foot sprain). David averaged 35.5 minutes last week against USC and Arizona State when Travis could not play. Travis played 17 minutes in UCLA’s win over Arizona (March 2), his first game back from the injury. David totaled 15 points and eight rebounds in UCLA’s 83-74 win at Arizona (Jan. 24) when Travis missed the second half (concussion).

CONFERENCE CHASE

UCLA guaranteed itself a first-round bye in the Pac-12 Tournament with a 74-69 win over Arizona last Saturday night (top four teams in Pac-12 standings advance to quarterfinals). UCLA and Oregon are currently tied for first place in the Pac-12 standings, at 12-4, with two games remaining on their schedules. The Bruins can assure themselves of at least a tie for the conference’s regular-season crown by winning at Washington State and at Washington this week.

KEY SCORER

Freshman Shabazz Muhammad leads UCLA with 18.3 ppg, the second-highest scoring average among Pac-12 players (behind California’s Allen Crabbe, 18.4 ppg). Muhammad ranks No. 36, nationally, in points per game, but first among all freshmen in the country. He is second in the Pac-12 in three-point field goal percentage (.446). The 6-foot-6 forward was named as one of 30 candidates to the Naismith College Player of the Year Award watch list last week.

OFFENSE INTENDED

UCLA leads the Pac-12 in scoring average, having registered 76.0 points per game (No. 23, nationally). The Bruins lead all Pac-12 teams in conference action with 72.0 points per game. UCLA has compiled the third-best scoring margin in the Pac-12 (all games), outscoring the opposition by 7.0 points per game. The Bruins are first in the Pac-12 in field goal percentage (46.3 pct, No. 46 in nation) and are first in assists per game (17.2 apg, No. 5 in nation).

VERSATILE FRESHMAN

Freshman Kyle Anderson has logged eight of UCLA’s 13 double-doubles. The 6-foot-9 product of Fairview, N.J., is the Pac-12’s only player to rank in the top 10 in rebounding (6th, 9.0 rpg) and assists (6th, 3.7). Anderson has averaged 10.3 points per game and has compiled a 1.8 assist turnover ratio, the third-best mark among Pac-12 players. Anderson enters the week ranking fifth in the conference in steals per game (1.7 spg).

CRASHING THE BOARDS

Kyle Anderson enters Wednesday night’s game having logged a team-leading 261 rebounds in 29 games. His rebound total is the fifth-highest single-season total at UCLA in 10 seasons under head coach Ben Howland. Anderson’s 9.0 rpg average is the third-highest mark in the Howland Era.

20-POINT TANDEMS

Shabazz Muhammad (27 pts), Jordan Adams (25 pts) and Kyle Anderson (20 pts) became UCLA’s first-ever freshman trio to log at least 20 points each in the same game on Dec. 22, 2012 (vs. Fresno State). That trio also accomplished the feat in a 79-74 overtime win versus Arizona State (Feb. 27), with Adams scoring 22, and Muhammad and Anderson 21 each. Muhammad has twice scored 27 points, and Adams logged 26 against UC Irvine (Nov. 13).

CONFERENCE MATH

UCLA has won three conference regular-season crowns under head coach Ben Howland (2006, 2007, 2008) and has won the Pac-12 Tournament twice (2006, 2008) during the Howland Era. UCLA can clinch a share of the Pac-12’s regular-season crown with Oregon by winning both games this week. The Bruins can secure the regular-season title in outright fashion with two wins and one loss by Oregon (at Utah, at Colorado this week).

YOUNG SUCCESS

UCLA’s trio of freshman starters – Jordan Adams, Kyle Anderson and Shabazz Muhammad – have accounted for 54.9 percent of the Bruins’ total points (1210 of 2204) and for 47.0 percent of the team’s total rebounds (507 of 1078). These freshmen account for three of UCLA’s top four scorers. Kyle Anderson’s team-leading 261 rebounds are the most by any UCLA freshman since Kevin Love finished with 415 boards in 2007-08.

BUZZER BEATER

Larry Drew II made a game-winning jump shot at the buzzer against Washington on Feb 7, lifting the Bruins to a 59-57 win over Washington. Drew II’s winning shot marked UCLA’s first “buzzer beater” since Jan. 20, 2011, when Reeves Nelson scored on a tip-in at the buzzer in Pauley Pavilion to help UCLA beat California, 86-84. Earlier this season, Drew II made a driving layup at Utah (Jan. 10) in the final 10 seconds to help UCLA preserve a 57-54 win. He also made a game-winning layup with 17 seconds left in overtime to give UCLA an 80-79 win over UC Irvine (Nov. 13).

UNCHARTED TERRITORY

Freshman Kyle Anderson finished three assists shy of a triple-double against Fresno State (Dec. 22), posting season-highs of 20 points and 17 rebounds that night. UCLA’s only previous triple-doubles took place in Dec. 1995. Toby Bailey finished with 23 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists against Stephen F. Austin on Dec. 18, 1995. Jelani McCoy tallied 15 points, 11 blocks and 10 rebounds against Maryland on Dec. 9, 1995.

ADAMS’ ACCOLADES

Freshman Jordan Adams ranks second on the team with 15.0 ppg, the 10th-highest scoring average in the Pac-12 (third-best mark among Pac-12 freshmen). The native of Atlanta has scored in double figures in 21 games and has recorded at least 20 points in 10 contests. Adams became the first freshman at UCLA to have scored 20+ points in each of his first four games (freshmen could not play varsity until 1972-73). He became UCLA’s first player in any class to have opened a season with four straight games of 20+ points since 1990-91 (Don MacLean, six straight).

CLOSE CALLS

The Bruins have gone 9-2 in games decided by five points or fewer this season. In 10 seasons under head coach Ben Howland, UCLA has logged a 57-33 record in games decided by five points or fewer. UCLA’s two greatest comeback wins this season took place against Texas (Dec. 8) and Missouri (Dec. 28). The Bruins trailed Texas (in Houston) by eight points (59-51) with 3:43 to play in regulation and took a 62-61 lead with 47 seconds left. UCLA was losing to Missouri by nine points (86-77) with 5:34 remaining in the second half before winning the game in overtime.

AGAINST RANKED TEAMS

UCLA has gone 3-2 against teams ranked in the top-25 this season (team must be ranked during week of game) and has posted a 2-0 mark against top-10 ranked opponents. This marks the fourth season in Ben Howland’s 10-year tenure as UCLA’s head coach that the Bruins have earned two wins against top-10 teams – UCLA downed No. 7 Missouri (97-94, overtime) on Dec. 28 and knocked off No. 6 Arizona (84-73) on Jan. 24.

OPENED IN DOUBLE-DIGITS

Freshman Shabazz Muhammad scored in double digits in each of his first 12 games at UCLA, becoming the first player to accomplish that feat since Kevin Love (2007-08) scored in double figures in all 38 games played as a freshman (missed the 13th game of the season). Muhammad and Love are the only players in head coach Ben Howland’s 10-year tenure to have opened their UCLA career with at least seven consecutive double-digit efforts.

INJURY REPORT

Junior forward Travis Wear sustained a sprained right foot on Feb. 23, missed UCLA’s game against USC (Feb. 24) and Arizona State (Feb. 27) before returning to action against Arizona (March 2). Sophomore guard Nick Kazemi remains sidelined with a sprained left MCL (sustained the injury on Oct. 26, 2012).