Baseball: Former Beckman pitcher James Kaprielian rises up for UCLA
<p>He’s 8-2 with an 0.96 ERA</p>
Back in 2012, when James Kaprielian was a senior pitcher at Irvine Beckman, everyone knew what it was potential might be.
“I’ve coached for 17 years and have never coached a pitcher with as good of stuff,” Beckman Coach Kevin Lavalle said.
Kaprielian has become one of the best pitchers in college baseball at UCLA, and on Friday night, he came through with his best performance of his collegiate career, throwing nine no-hit innings and combining with former Bishop Amat standout David Berg on a 10-inning no-hitter in the Bruins’ 1-0 win over Arizona at Jackie Robinson Stadium.
Kaprielian is expected to be a first-round draft pick next month. He’s 9-4 with a 1.94 ERA and the ace of the Bruins’ pitching staff.
The no-hiter is believed to be the first in UCLA history. Kaprielian struck out 11 and walked four. He dominated the Pac-12 top hitting team. He leads the Pac-12 in strikeouts.
“This was an awesome experience to be a part of with my team and coaching staff,” Kaprielian said. “They had my back all night and continuously push me each week to be great.”
Berg (6-1) closed out the game with a perfect 10th and Kevin Kramer had the walk-off sacrifice fly in the bottom of the 10th. UCLA is 38-12 and 19-6 and closing in on the Pac-12 title.
And Kaprielian is showing that all the excitement generated during his high school days indicates his future is bright.
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