UCLA Baseball Set to Face USC for First Time as Big Ten Foes

UCLA Baseball will host USC for the first time in the Big Ten in the Southern California College Baseball Classic.

UCLA Bruins team huddles during a break in the action as Auburn Tigers take on UCLA Bruins during the NCAA regional baseball tournament at Plainsman Park in Auburn, Ala., on Sunday, June 5, 2022. | Jake Crandall / USA TODAY NETWORK

UCLA baseball (7-3) is getting a taste of its crosstown rivals before its Big Ten series in May, hosting USC in the College Baseball Classic on Sunday, the first time the schools will face off as members of the Big Ten.

The Bruins started the season on a high note, winning five of their first six games but have since slowed down as they dropped their last two games. The club is fresh off losses to Arizona State and No. 14 Vanderbilt, the team's first match against a ranked opponent this season. The Bruins will have the opportunity to regroup ahead of USC when they take on 1-6 UConn on Saturday. 

The Trojans (8-1) also had a stellar start, winning their first six games, and have currently yet to lose a match on their home field. The squad will also get a crack at Vanderbilt on Saturday before they face UCLA as a part of the weekend invitational. 

Despite USC holding a better record than UCLA at this point of the season, the Big Ten preseason polls projected the Bruins would finish on top of the Trojans, with UCLA projected No. 4 and USC No. 6.

UCLA looks to win its third straight meeting against its bitter rival, building off its 6-3 victory on March 24, 2024. The Bruins lead the school series 56-45, dating back to the Mach. 5, 1999 contest against the Trojans. As for USC, it looks to make a dent in the gap and inch closer to evening up the school series. 

UCLA is in the middle of an eight game stretch in 10 days.

“Vanderbilt’s a high-profile national program … so is Connecticut, and USC is playing very well. We knew this was going to be a very challenging week,” said Bruins head coach John Savage, per the Daily Bruin.

The Bruins look to secure bounce-back wins in the two remaining games in the College Baseball Classic against the Huskies and Trojans. 

“It’s good for us to compete against other good schools … It gives us a chance to get better,” said sophomore first baseman Mulivai Levu, per the aforementioned article.

The match against the Trojans will be played Sunday at Jackie Robinson Stadium and broadcast on the B1G+ Network. The first pitch is set for 11:15 a.m. ET, 2:15 p.m. PT.

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