Savage Urges UCLA Fans, Alumni to Attend Westwood Super Regional

UCLA Bruins baseball coach John Savage hopes for an incredible atmosphere as they host supers against UTSA.

Jun 24, 2013; Omaha, NE, USA; UCLA Bruins head coach John Savage (22) looks on in the dugout before game 1 of the College World Series finals against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at TD Ameritrade Park. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Thorson-Imagn Images | Bruce Thorson-Imagn Images

The stage is set for the UCLA Bruins' seventh all-time College Baseball Super Regional's appearance against the UTSA Roadrunners this weekend.

Following the Roadrunners' impressive upset over the No. 2 seeded Texas Longhorns, the Bruins will be hosting the supers series for a shot at Omaha.

UCLA coach John Savage spoke to the media Wednesday about what it means to host a postseason super regional and what he expects from the Westwood crowd when the series starts on Saturday.

"Oh, we need atmosphere," Savage said. "You look across the country and that's all you see is atmosphere. There's so many hot spots right now that college baseball is flourishing. It really has taken off in so many ways."

Savage didn't let the fact that the Bruins are hosting an unranked opponent dissuade him from focusing on the game ahead of them, initially. But, he eventually detailed the importance of having fans and alumni come out to support the group.

"I'd just love to see the fans and alumni of UCLA baseball to really come out in numbers this weekend and support this team," Savage said. "I think this team has deserved that sort of support. They've played very consistent throughout the season; we have 45 wins...which is very difficult to do.

"I think, at the same time, we need everybody's help this weekend."

Savaged noted the luxury of being able to have home-field advantage at this stage of the postseason despite top-seeded host schools like Vanderbilt and the Longhorns bowing out without an ounce of fight.

And yet, he still refuses to take the Roadrunners lightly in a best-of-3 series.

"They're a really good baseball team," Savage said of what stood out in scouting UTSA. "They seem to be very physical. They seem to be very mature in some ways. They're very well coached. (They have) a very 'baseball' feel to them. So, just a lot of respect for what they've done. They've been good all year.

"This is not, for me, a surprise team. Just a lot of respect and admiration. We know they're going to be a very, very good team."

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