It's no secret that pitching is at a premium in Westwood.
But if Friday and Saturday are any indication, UCLA may even boast one of the best staffs in the nation.
The No. 12 Bruins (2-1) received effective pitching from a pair of young hurlers Friday and Saturday. Sophomore left-hander Rob Rasmussen was effective on opening night in just his third collegiate start. The southpaw from Arcadia, Calif. threw five shutout innings, allowing two hits and walking a batter while striking out five.
Not to be outdone, highly touted freshman Gerrit Cole had a memorable collegiate debut. The hard-throwing right-hander gave up just one hit and struck out seven in six innings of work.
The additions of a healthy Rasmussen, who missed much of his freshman campaign after suffering a broken foot, Cole and fellow freshman Trevor Bauer strengthen a staff that lost only Tim Murphy from last season.
"We have as much depth as we've ever had," head coach John Savage said.
Those are rave reviews, seeing as Savage has had the likes of Murphy, David Huff, Tyson Brummett, Hector Ambriz, and Josh Roenicke on past staffs.
"Really, it's a culmination of strong recruiting and development," he said. "Every class we've had, there's two, three, or four legitimate Pac-10 pitchers."
A staff's depth is evident by looking towards the bullpen and noticing pitchers that failed to even make an appearance. Most notably, experienced hurlers Matt Drummond (junior left-hander) and Dan Klein (sophomore right-hander) did not take the mound over the weekend against UC Davis.
"The balance is the best we've had," Savage said referring to the amount of righties and lefties on the staff. "We have 10 right-handers and six left-handers. There's a lot of experience back... And you add the likes of Gerrit Cole and Trevor Bauer, that only adds to it."
Perhaps UCLA's most dynamic tandem, left-hander Gavin Brooks and right-hander Charles Brewer, struggled to find their control Sunday. Brooks relieved Brewer out of the bullpen after Brewer threw 68 pitches in just three frames. Brewer, who led UCLA with nine wins last season, gave up a run on three hits and walked three batters.
Brooks didn't fare any better. The Vista, Calif. native allowed four runs, walking three in just an inning of work.
After Sunday's loss, Savage was optimistic about their abilities to bounce back and fix any mechanical issues.
With the pair at their best, it's tough to pinpoint a team that can match up with UCLA's starters.