3 Up, 3 Down: UCLA Baseball Keys To Advancing From Region

UCLA baseball had a season to remember.

The Bruins were the number one team in the country entering this college baseball season and finished the year as the number one team.

UCLA would clean up the Big Ten awards as Roch Cholowsky won his second straight Big Ten Player of the Year honor, John Savage won Coach of the Year, and multiple Bruins were selected for the First Team All-Big Ten, including Roch Cholowsky, Will Gasparino, Mulivai Levu, Roman Martin, Logan Reddeman, Wylan Moss, and Easton Hawk.

Now the Bruins head to the College World Series as the number one overall seed and are listed as the current favorite to win the championship.

Now that the Bruins are moving on to the College World Series, let's look at three things that are positive for UCLA and three that the Bruins need to work on.

Positives

Mulivai Levu

While Roch Cholowsky had been the most talked about player throughout the season, Levu really stepped up in a big way. Levu had back-to-back walk-offs for the Bruins. With their game against Purdue, he hit a sac fly to give the Bruins a 4-3 win, and against USC, he hit a three-run home run with two outs in the bottom of the ninth for a 7-5 victory.

Walk Offs

In every single game of the Big Ten Tournament, UCLA won all three games with a walkoff. Game one was a sac-fly, game two was a home run, and game three was a hit by pitch. Even when the game seems out of reach, the Bruins find ways to keep fighting and find ways to win.

Pitching Depth

Jun 14, 2025; Omaha, Neb, USA; UCLA Bruins pitcher Wylan Moss (18) pitches during the fifth inning against the Murray State Racers at Charles Schwab Field. Mandatory Credit: Dylan Widger-Imagn Images | Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

UCLA has had one of the best pitching units in the country all season, and the depth has stepped up in a big way through the Big Ten tournament. The most innings a starting pitcher had pitched in the tournament was five innings, which was in the championship game. From the bullpen, the relief pitchers had 19 strikeouts to seven walks and only seven hits.

Things To Work on

Late offense

The Bruins had won all three games in the Big Ten Tournament, but had one game that was all comebacks. UCLA had struggled early to get on the scoreboard, unable to build any momentum. Heading into the World Series tournament and against a high-powered offense in Saint Mary’s, UCLA can't afford to fall behind early.

Early pitching struggles

Jun 14, 2025; Omaha, Neb, USA; UCLA Bruins pitcher Easton Hawk (27) throws against the Murray State Racers during the ninth inning at Charles Schwab Field. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-Imagn Images | Steven Branscombe-Imagn Images

UCLA has been a strong pitching team all season, with multiple pitchers selected to First Team All-Big Ten. However, Logan Reddemann had not seen any action as he was dealing with arm fatigue, and it hurt the Bruins as they were missing their ace pitcher. The starting pitchers need to step up as the Bruins can't rely on the bullpen for the College World Series.

Roch Cholowsky Struggles

Roch Cholowsky was the best player in the Big Ten this season, as he won the Big Ten Player of the Year award. In the Big Ten tournament, he hasn't been able to replicate that success, going 4-13 at the plate with 0 RBI. If Cholowsky can get back to his regular-season form, he can lead his team and potentially win the College World Series MVP if UCLA wins the championship.

The Bruins look to run the show in their regional to kick off a championship run.

Add us as a preferred source on Google