UCLA Baseball Pitcher Max Rajcic Earns Preseason All-American, Golden Spikes Nods

Rajcic had a 1.65 ERA as the Bruins' full-time closer in 2021, already entering his sophomore year as the most accomplished arm on the roster.

The Bruins’ former closer is racking up preseason accolades before he makes the official switch to the starting rotation in 2022.

With the season set to begin for UCLA baseball on Friday, sophomore right-handed pitcher Max Rajcic earned a spot on the Golden Spikes Preseason Watch List on Tuesday, as well as being named a Third Team Preseason All-American by Baseball America on Jan. 31.

The Golden Spikes Award is the yearly award honoring the top amateur baseball player in the United States. UCLA has only had one winner of the Golden Spikes Award – Trevor Bauer in 2011 – but has also placed at least one player on the watchlist in eight of the last ten seasons.

Six other Pac-12 players were named to the Golden Spikes Award Watch List, and Rajcic was one of two pitchers from the conference with the second being Cal’s Josh White.

Named a Freshman All-American by D1Baseball and Collegiate Baseball in 2021, Rajcic now has a chance to become a straight-up All-American in 2022. Baseball America selected the Fullerton, California, native as a member of the preseason third team. Only one other Pac-12 pitcher was named a preseason All-American – Oregon State’s Cooper Hjerpe.

Rajcic was made the team’s closer during his freshman season at UCLA. The Bruins’ starting rotation was heavy with veterans and Rajcic was used heavily out of the bullpen instead.

The 6-foot hurler had a 2-1 record, seven saves, a team-best 1.65 ERA, 36 strikeouts and eight walks in 32.2 innings for the Bruins. His performance in 2021 was good enough to be named a Pac-12 All-Conference Team member at the end of the campaign.

Heading into 2022, coach John Savage is likely going to use Rajcic as a weekend starting pitcher alongside junior Jared Karros and whoever else slots into the rotation.

Pitching in the Cape Cod League for the Orleans Firebirds during the summer, Rajcic made the unofficial switch to the starting rotation, exclusively starting games and getting somewhat normalized to the collegiate starting environment.

Rajcic’s previous longest outing in a college game would be the 2.1 innings he pitched against UC Santa Barbara on May 15 last season. Launching into 2022 as a starter, Rajcic’s length on the mound will be something to watch as the new season begins.

On May 24, fans will be able to vote on GoldenSpikesAward.com for who they think should become the Golden Spikes Award semifinalists. 

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