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Three UCLA Baseball Stars Crack Top 40 Draft Selections Despite Early Postseason Exit

While the bruins season ended early, three players could be selected within the top 40 of the draft.
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
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

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The College World Series is just about to start this weekend, and the number one-seeded Bruins will be enjoying the tournament not on the field, but on the couch.

UCLA was the most dominant team in the country all season long, entered the year as the number one team, and entered the NCAA tournament as the number one overall seed.

John Savag
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

However, once the postseason rolled around, they would struggle, winning all three games in the Big Ten tournament with a comeback victory. UCLA has been the comeback kids all season long with 30 walk-off wins, but it felt different in the Big Ten tournament.

In the NCAA tournament, the Bruins would struggle to get anything going with the bats as they would lose their first game to St Mary’s 3-2 with just six hits total. Then, after a comeback victory against Virginia Tech to keep their postseason hopes alive, they would fall to St Mary’s once again. In an ironic twist, the Bruins would be on the losing end of a comeback win by the Gaels.

John Savag
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

Now that the Bruins have started their offseason, many players on the roster have big decisions to make about whether to enter the upcoming MLB draft. Recently, Jonathan Mayo of MLB Pipeline released his latest mock draft of the top 40 selections, and three Bruins are listed.

Roch Cholowsky - White Sox

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

Cholowsky has been the number one prospect since the beginning of the year and is still projected to be the number one overall pick by the Chicago White Sox. On the season, he finished the year with a 320 batting average with a team high 21 home runs and 61 RBI’s with a 636 slugging percentage.

Cholowsky has been compared to one of the greatest players in baseball history, Derek Jeter, with his leadership qualities and his defensive instincts.

Logan Reddemann - St Louis Cardinals

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

Reddemann was the Bruins' ace all season long, as in 10 starts, and is projected to be the 32nd pick in the supplemental first round to the St Louis Cardinals. This year, he had an 8-0 record with a 2.87 ERA in 59.2 innings pitched, 84 strikeouts, and just 11 walks and 19 earned runs allowed, 47 hits, and an opponent batting average of .212.

Reddemann was looked at as one of the top pitchers in the upcoming draft, but has seen his stock drop as he missed the last month of the Bruins' season. Reddemann dealt with what manager John Savage described as arm fatigue, which really hurt the Bruins in the postseason.

Will Gasparino - Colorado Rockies

Will Gasparino
Aug 28, 2022; Phoenix, Arizona, US; West outfielder Will Gasparino (23) during the Perfect Game All-American Classic high school baseball game at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

In his first season with the Bruins, Gasparino unlocked his offensive potential, posting a career-high batting average of .314, a slugging percentage of 659, an OBP of 412, 20 home runs, and 61 RBI.

Gasparino has always been a great center fielder, but he just hasn't been able to play the same offensive game in Texas. Now that he has been able to produce at a high level, he has been rising up draft boards and is projected to be the 38th overall pick by the Colorado Rockies.

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Published
Luke Joseph
LUKE JOSEPH

Luke Joseph is the Beat Writer for UCLA On SI and a graduate of Michigan State University with a degree in journalism. Drawing on his extensive knowledge of sports and commitment to storytelling, he brings the latest news with insight and expertise.