UCLA Baseball Opens Big Ten Tournament Against the Boilermakers

The Bruins won every award worth winning. Now the postseason begins against a team they should beat.

Jun 14, 2025; Omaha, Neb, USA; UCLA Bruins head coach John Savage on the field before the game against the Murray State Races at Charles Schwab Field. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-Imagn Images | Steven Branscombe-Imagn Images

UCLA had a historic college baseball season, finishing 48-6 with just two conference losses, winning the Big Ten regular season title, and becoming the first program in the country to hold the number one national ranking for an entire season.

With a historic season, the awards followed. Shortstop Roch Cholowsky, outfielder Will Gasparino, first baseman Mulivai Levu, third baseman Roman Martin, and pitchers Logan Reddemann, Wylan Moss, and Easton Hawk were all named to the Big Ten First Team. Cholowsky claimed his second consecutive Big Ten Player of the Year award, and head coach John Savage took home Big Ten Coach of the Year honors.

Jun 17, 2025; Omaha, Neb, USA; UCLA Bruins head coach John Savage (22) walks to the dugout before the restart of the game against the LSU Tigers at Charles Schwab Field. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-Imagn Images | Steven Branscombe-Imagn Images

Now the postseason begins. UCLA opens Big Ten Tournament play against the fifth-seeded Purdue Boilermakers, who advanced by defeating Iowa 8-1 in the previous round and will look to carry that momentum into a matchup against the nation's top team.

Scouting Purdue

Jun 16, 2025; Omaha, Neb, USA; UCLA Bruins head coach John Savage walks off the field before the game against the LSU Tigers at Charles Schwab Field. Mandatory Credit: Dylan Widger-Imagn Images | Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

Purdue had a solid season, finishing 36-19 and tying Ohio State for fifth place in the Big Ten standings. The Boilermakers claimed the fifth seed over the Buckeyes on the strength of their tiebreaker advantage.

Offensively, Purdue has been one of the better teams in the conference. The Boilermakers ranked third in the Big Ten in team batting average at .303, trailing only Iowa and Nebraska, who both hit .314 as a team. Purdue also ranked sixth in slugging percentage at .491, fourth in OPS at .896, and fifth in on-base percentage at .404, numbers that reflect a lineup capable of doing damage at any point in the order.

Jun 14, 2025; Omaha, Neb, USA; Murray State Racers head coach Dan Skirka and UCLA Bruins head coach John Savage meet with umpires before the game at Charles Schwab Field. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-Imagn Images | Steven Branscombe-Imagn Images

The Boilermakers have also been reliable in the field, posting a fielding percentage of 97 percent with 58 errors on the season, compared to 69 errors committed by opponents when facing Purdue.

The offensive leader for Purdue has been outfielder Sam Flores, who played all 55 games this season and hit .323 with a team-high 70 hits in 217 at-bats and a team-high 11 home runs. That production earned him a second-team All-Big Ten selection and established him as the player UCLA's pitching staff will need to contain.

Purdue's Biggest Flaw

Jun 14, 2025; Omaha, Neb, USA; UCLA Bruins shortstop Roch Cholowsky (1) fields a ground ball against the Murray State Racers during the ninth inning at Charles Schwab Field. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-Imagn Images | Steven Branscombe-Imagn Images

For all of Purdue's offensive production, the pitching staff has been a significant liability throughout the season, and that is where UCLA has a clear and decisive advantage. The Boilermakers posted a team ERA of 5.41 while allowing a conference-high 561 hits on the season.

Opposing hitters batted .289 against Purdue pitching, and the staff surrendered 61 home runs while ranking second-to-last in the Big Ten in strikeouts per nine innings at seven. Those are troubling numbers against any lineup, and they become even more concerning when the opponent is the best offense in the conference.