The excitement surrounding UCLA Bruins baseball continues to swell with the season officially underway.
As the #24 Bruins prepare for their first series against Gonzaga this upcoming weekend, a Bruins player earned some special recognition.
Rashad Ruff, a graduate transfer from the HBCU Coppin State, was named to the National College Baseball Writers Association’s watch list. A high honor for the newly minted Bruin back in his home state, Ruff posted impressive numbers while playing for the Coppin State over the last four seasons.
Coppin State’s primary closer last season, Ruff offers a lot to like for a Bruins bullpen that could use some added juice.
๐ก๐๐๐ช๐ ๐ฆ๐๐ผ๐ฝ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฌ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ ๐ช๐ฎ๐๐ฐ๐ต ๐๐ถ๐๐ ๐
UCLA grad transfer Rashad Ruff has been selected to the preseason watch list for college baseball's top honor for relievers!
Rashad had a 3.82 ERA and 11.2 K/9 ratio last year at Coppin State.#GoBruins pic.twitter.com/RAPskIDgsC
— UCLA Baseball (@UCLABaseball) February 14, 2024
Posting an impressive 11.2/K9 last season, Ruff has fanned 118 batters in his time at Coppin State, where he also won a game in the Mid-Eastern Atheltic Conference championship in 2022 for the Bald Eagles.
With talent and experience on his side, Ruff offers stability and ability to the Bruins bullpen and could potentially show out enough to serve as the closer in Westwood.