Three Players for UCLA To Watch Against Saint Mary's

UCLA plays its first game of the College World Series against Saint Mary's and will need to shut down three players to come away with the win.

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

UCLA heads into the College World Series as the number one team overall, as they were the number one team in the country all season.

Roch Cholowsky was able to win his second straight Big Ten Player of the Year award, John Savage was able to win Manager of the Year, and seven Bruins were selected for the All-Big Ten First Team.

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

While the Bruins were the best team in the Big Ten during the regular season, they have definitely struggled in the Big Ten tournament, winning it on walk-offs.

Recently, I talked about the three players for UCLA who need to step up in their first-round match against Saint Mary's. Now, let's look at the three players for the Gaels whom the Bruins need to neutralize if they want to avoid the upset.

Diego Castellanos

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

Castellanos has been one of the best contact hitters all season, not only in the WCC but in all of college baseball. He currently leads the WCC in batting average with .388, second in hits with 93, and third in OBP with .462. With how well he has played this season, he earned his way onto First Team All-WCC.

Castellanos is a pure contact hitter for the Gaels, as he is always reliable to get on base and get runs on the board. The Bruins need to find a way to prevent him from making contact with the ball, as it will most likely be in play.

Ian Armstrong

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

If Castellanos is the pure contact hitter for Saint Mary’s, then Ian Armstrong is the pure power hitter. Armstrong led the team, as well as the WCC, in home runs with 16 on the season, as well as slugging percentage with .679.

Along with Castellanos, Armstrong was also selected for the first-team All-WCC, and his season was well deserved. Armstrong hits cleanup in the batting order and has made teams pay when leaving a runner on base when up to bat. UCLA cannot allow him to have a runner on base, as his power makes him a threat to bring in runs for Saint Mary’s.

John Damozonio

While the Gaels haven't had a dominant pitching rotation compared to their batting lineup this year, Damozonio has clearly been the Gaels' best starting pitcher and the ace of the rotation. He finished the season with a 7-2 record and a 2.71 ERA in 76.1 innings pitched this season.

Damozonio will most likely take the mound for the Gaels in the upcoming matchup against the Bruins. With the speed and velocity of his throws, it's going to be tough for the Bruins to get hits off him, and they will need to be extra disciplined at the plate.