How Bruins Pair Garnered Big Ten Baseball Honors

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The college baseball season is off to a tremendous start for the No. 1-ranked UCLA Bruins, who are now 6-1 following a weekend sweep of No. 8 TCU.
Taking down a top-10 opponent three times, one week after losing your first game, is one heck of an answer by the Bruins and can help establish their national standing and seeding down the line. But the most significant immediate rewards for their performance come from the Big Ten Conference itself, honoring two UCLA players with Weekly Awards for the first time in the school's brief tenure as a member of the conference.
SWEEP, SWEEP VICTORY 🧹
— NCAA Baseball (@NCAABaseball) February 23, 2026
No. 1 @UCLABaseball flexes with a series sweep against No. 7 TCU!#NCAABaseball pic.twitter.com/LnWd9h4mVN
Big Ten Player of the Week
Junior outfielder Will Gasparino was named the Big Ten Player of the Week for his performances against Tulane and TCU. The 6-foot-6 transfer from Texas had a phenomenal week, going seven-for-13 at the plate with five home runs, 15 RBIs, and seven runs scored. That included two multi-home run games: Tuesday against Tulane and Sunday against TCU as the Bruins completed the sweep of the Horned Frogs.
The Los Angeles-native was expected to have a great defensive impact on the program as he returned home following an All-SEC Defensive Team season with the Longhorns. Yet, in the early going, his offense has been a huge plus as well. Gasparino currently leads UCLA in slugging percentage and RBIs, is tied with Rpoch Cholowsky for the team lead in home runs, and is among the Bruins' best in OPS, batting average, hits, runs scored, and total bases.
𝐖𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐆𝐚𝐬𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐨 is your @B1Gbaseball Player of the Week after turning in one of the most dominant weeks in college baseball. Five HRs, 13 RBIs, and two multi‑homer games while leading the Bruins to a sweep of No. 7 TCU.
— UCLA Baseball (@UCLABaseball) February 23, 2026
🗞️:https://t.co/ShC3p1jAJq #GoBruins pic.twitter.com/FYZWxaVILi
He has nine hits this season, and eight have been for extra bases.
Big Ten Pitcher of the Week
Sophomore relief pitcher Wylan Moss is the Big Ten's Pitcher of the Week after tossing four scoreless innings against TCU and striking out 10 hitters -- including the last nine he faced. Moss had high expectations placed on him before the season, earning recognition as one of the conference's top bullpen arms after a stellar freshman season. He's on pace to be even better this season, already about a quarter of the way to last season's strikeout total after just two appearances.
𝐖𝐲𝐥𝐚𝐧 𝐌𝐨𝐬𝐬 was electric out of the pen, firing four scoreless with a career‑high 10 Ks, including NINE straight, to slam the door on No. 7 TCU. He's been named the @B1Gbaseball Pitcher of the Week
— UCLA Baseball (@UCLABaseball) February 23, 2026
🗞️: https://t.co/ShC3p1jAJq #GoBruins pic.twitter.com/mq2emnOScN
Both his relief appearances have been Saturday wins for the Bruins. During opening weekend, he fired 2.2 scoreless innings against UC-San Diego, allowing one hit and one walk.
Opponents are hitting just .136 against Moss this season, and he's allowed no runs and only the one walk in 6.2 innings. After hurling 48.1 innings as a freshman, keeping those numbers consistent will only be helpful for UCLA going forward.
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Travis Tyler joined On SI as a writer in January 2026. He has experience contributing to FanSided’s NFL, college football, and college basketball coverage, in addition to freelance work throughout the Dallas–Fort Worth area, including high school, college, and professional sports for the Dallas Express and contributions to the College Football Dawgs, Last Word on Sports/Hockey, and The Dallas Morning News. In addition to his writing, Travis contributes video and podcasting content to Fanatics View and regularly appears as a guest analyst. He is a graduate of Michigan State University and SMU and is an avid Detroit sports fan with a deep knowledge and appreciation of sports history. Follow Travis Tyler on Twitter at @TTyler_Sports.