College Baseball Preview: UCLA at Michigan State

EAST LANSING, Mich. (Interstat) — The UCLA Bruins look to extend their dominance Saturday when they face the Michigan State Spartans in a Big Ten matchup at McLane Stadium.

First pitch is set for the afternoon. The Bruins (41-4) are overwhelming favorites, carrying a 78.5 percent probability of victory per the Interstat ELO system, which projects an 8-5 final.

UCLA enters after a 4-1 victory over Michigan State in Friday’s series opener. Left-hander Angel Cervantes, the Bruins’ projected starter, has been sharp. On April 28 against UC Santa Barbara, he tossed 5.0 shutout innings with three strikeouts. In four April outings, Cervantes posted a 2.77 ERA over 13.0 innings with 10 strikeouts.

Michigan State (16-26) counters with an offense led by Ryan McKay, who is 7-for-31 in his last 10 games. McKay produced his best performance April 26, going 2-for-3 with a home run and five RBIs in a 13-1 win over Maryland. He has driven in seven runs over that span.

The Spartans’ lineup has been inconsistent all season, averaging 4.6 runs per game against a UCLA staff that holds opponents to 2.8 runs per contest.

Saturday’s game is the second of a three-game series, with the finale scheduled Sunday. UCLA continues its road swing Tuesday at Loyola Marymount before returning home for a three-game set with Oregon on May 8. Michigan State hosts Bowling Green on Tuesday, then travels to Ohio State for a weekend series beginning May 8.