UCLA Baseball: Multiple Former Bruins Achieve MLB Dreams
Fans over at Westwood have grown quite accustomed to the UCLA men's baseball bringing together some top-tier talent over the years and watching them grow into stars right before their eyes. Baseball at the college level is interesting as majority of guys that were dominant coming out of high school find themselves with a number of skills to tune up right when they get to campus.
However, the end results are spectacular should they put in the necessary work and a number of your Bruins enjoyed the fruits of their labor recently. UCLA's baseball program has always revolved around family and trusting in one another when the big moments in a match come. Their success is undoubtedly reflected by the way these young men continue their lives once they leave the university.
And with three former Bruins being selected in the final day of the MLB Draft, it's safe to say that job is done. The likes of Jake Brooks, Darius Perry and Ethan Flanagan all found themselves hearing their name called and will move on to their respective teams.
Jake Brooks will be headed to Miami and spent three years in Westwood.
"Brooks was a three-year mainstay on the UCLA pitching staff, serving as the Bruins' Friday night starter in both 2022 and 2023. For his career, he went 13-10 with a 4.96 ERA and 152 strikeouts over 158 innings. He was named to the Golden Spikes Award Watch List in 2022 as a sophomore after posting a 2.12 ERA over his first seven starts of that campaign."
(Via UCLA Bruins)
Perry spent four seasons with the Bruins and will now be joining the Rockies.
"Perry was drafted by Colorado for the second time in his career, as the Rockies also picked him in the 39th round out of high school. A four-year letterwinner at UCLA, Perry earned All-Pac-12 honors as the Bruins' starting catcher in both 2022 and 2023. He finished his career with a .278/.385/.361 slash line."
(Via UCLA Bruins)
And finally, Flanagan needed just two years at UCLA for the Chicago Cubs to take a shot on him!
"Flanagan was a two-year standout in a variety of roles for UCLA. The Irvine, Calif. native earned Freshman All-America and All-Pac-12 accolades in 2022 after going 3-0 with a 3.28 ERA and 76 strikeouts over 60 1/3 innings in a swingman role for the Bruins."
(Via UCLA Bruins)
We cannot wait to see how they continue their careers in the MLB!