No. 1 UCLA Capitalizes on Ranked Matchups

If there was any doubt that UCLA was the No. 1 team in college baseball after a midweek loss to San Diego State, the Bruins put it to rest with their weekend performances in the College Baseball Series in Arlington, TX.

The event featured six of the more competitive teams in college baseball, including four of the Top 25. UCLA faced all three ranked teams and bested each one. The Bruins now have six ranked wins this season.

UCLA in the College Baseball Series

The weekend started with two offensive eruptions against No. 20 Tennessee on Friday night and No. 23 Texas A&M on Saturday. The Bruins score 23 runs combined, powering their way to a 2-0 start in the tournament.

UCLA launched five home runs against Tennessee, led by Texas transfer Will Gasparino, who continues to shine. The outfielder had his third multi-home run game of the season as the Bruins exploded for six runs in the top of the seventh inning to break a 4-4 tie. Roman Martin, Mulivai Levu, and Payton Brennan also homered, giving UCLA a total of five in a 12-5 win.

Will's 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐫𝐝 𝐦𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐢-𝐡𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐫 𝐠𝐚𝐦𝐞 of the year 🤯pic.twitter.com/DrugMYCv5h
— UCLA Baseball (@UCLABaseball) February 28, 2026

The next night was even more impressive. The offense slugged its way to an 11-1 win, ending by run-rule after 6.5 innings. All nine UCLA batters recorded hits, six different Bruins collected RBIs, and Gasparino kept his home run streak alive.

Senior pitcher Michael Barrett also impressed, allowing just one hit and one run in five innings. Barrett is 3-0 this season and has yet to allow more than one run and more than three hits in an appearance.

The weekend's biggest test came in the tournament finale on Sunday against No. 4 Mississippi State. The top-five matchup was billed as the weekend's most significant game, and it lived up to the hype.

What a performance from the senior 👏 pic.twitter.com/9tvdHIklll
— UCLA Baseball (@UCLABaseball) March 1, 2026

UCLA Comeback Effort Leads To Win

Mississippi State worked its way to a 5-3 lead entering the eighth inning after falling behind 3-0 in the early innings. The Bulldogs had the Bruins down to their final out, but Dean West's hit-by-pitch set up superstar shortstop Roch Cholowsky for the game-tying home run, sending the game to extra innings.

It only took one extra frame to determine the winner, but it was an eventful one. UCLA took advantage of a bases-loaded situation to score three runs in the top, and after Mississippi State scored two runs before an out was recorded, Wylan Moss retired the next three hitters to help the Bruins escape with an 8-7 victory, handing Mississippi State its first loss.

It's that 𝐁𝐫𝐮𝐢𝐧 𝐌𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐜 🪄#GoBruins pic.twitter.com/hInUz3vp7K
— UCLA Baseball (@UCLABaseball) March 2, 2026

UCLA was named the tournament champion with three wins and remained the No. 1 team when the updated rankings were revealed on Monday. Gasparino was the tournament MVP after going 5-for-11 with four home runs and seven RBIs.

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