University of California, Los Angeles, Athletics
Photo by: Ross Turteltaub
UCLA Picked First in B1G Preseason Poll
February 10, 2026 | Baseball
LOS ANGELES - The No. 1-ranked UCLA baseball team has been unanimously selected to repeat as champions in the Big Ten Conference. Additionally, three Bruins have been highlighted as Big Ten Players to Watch, as announced by league officials on Tuesday afternoon.
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Coming off a 2025 regular season that ended in a shared conference title with Oregon, UCLA has been unanimously selected by the league's head coaches as the top team in the Big Ten preseason poll. Oregon was picked to finish second and USC earned the third spot in the poll.
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Big Ten Preseason Poll
1. UCLA
2. Oregon
3. USC
4. Nebraska
5. Indiana
6. Iowa
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UCLA's Big Ten Players to Watch included junior shortstop Roch Cholowsky, junior first baseman Mulivai Levu, and junior right-handed pitcher Logan Reddemann. Cholowsky receives the preseason honor for the second straight season, while Levu and Reddemann earn the recognition for the first time in their respective careers.
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Cholowsky enters 2026 as one of the premier talents in college baseball after delivering one of the most decorated seasons in UCLA history. The reigning Big Ten Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year became the first Bruin to sweep both honors in the same season and the first UCLA player since 1998 to earn conference player of the year recognition. Nationally, he became the first Bruin to win the Brooks Wallace Award as the country's top shortstop, added an ABCA/Rawlings Gold Glove, and was selected as Perfect Game's National Player of the Year.
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Levu emerged as one of the conference's most productive run producers in 2025. The junior first baseman earned Second Team All-Big Ten honors and finished second nationally with 85 RBIs while hitting .320 with 12 home runs. He was one of only two Bruins to start every game and anchored the infield defensively, committing just one error in 569 chances on his way to an ABCA/Rawlings Gold Glove.
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Reddemann appeared in 26 games over two seasons at San Diego, compiling a 10-5 record with a 3.20 ERA and 119 strikeouts in 131.1 innings pitched. He was named to the NCBWA Freshman All-American Second Team in 2024 and earned WCC Pitcher of the Week honors three times. In 2025, he posted a 2.29 ERA across 11 appearances, including standout performances against Oregon State (Mar. 8) and Saint Mary's (Apr. 11), where he allowed just one run over seven innings. Reddemann started for the Toreros in both the WCC Tournament Championship and the NCAA Santa Barbara Regional.
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The regular season begins with a three-game home series against UC San Diego from Feb. 13-15, followed by a midweek matchup with Tulane on Feb. 17. The opening homestand continues with a high-profile weekend series against TCU from Feb. 20-22.
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Fans can view the Bruins' 2026 baseball scheduleย here, and the link to purchase UCLA's single-game tickets isย here.
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Coming off a 2025 regular season that ended in a shared conference title with Oregon, UCLA has been unanimously selected by the league's head coaches as the top team in the Big Ten preseason poll. Oregon was picked to finish second and USC earned the third spot in the poll.
ย
Big Ten Preseason Poll
1. UCLA
2. Oregon
3. USC
4. Nebraska
5. Indiana
6. Iowa
ย
UCLA's Big Ten Players to Watch included junior shortstop Roch Cholowsky, junior first baseman Mulivai Levu, and junior right-handed pitcher Logan Reddemann. Cholowsky receives the preseason honor for the second straight season, while Levu and Reddemann earn the recognition for the first time in their respective careers.
ย
Cholowsky enters 2026 as one of the premier talents in college baseball after delivering one of the most decorated seasons in UCLA history. The reigning Big Ten Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year became the first Bruin to sweep both honors in the same season and the first UCLA player since 1998 to earn conference player of the year recognition. Nationally, he became the first Bruin to win the Brooks Wallace Award as the country's top shortstop, added an ABCA/Rawlings Gold Glove, and was selected as Perfect Game's National Player of the Year.
ย
Levu emerged as one of the conference's most productive run producers in 2025. The junior first baseman earned Second Team All-Big Ten honors and finished second nationally with 85 RBIs while hitting .320 with 12 home runs. He was one of only two Bruins to start every game and anchored the infield defensively, committing just one error in 569 chances on his way to an ABCA/Rawlings Gold Glove.
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Reddemann appeared in 26 games over two seasons at San Diego, compiling a 10-5 record with a 3.20 ERA and 119 strikeouts in 131.1 innings pitched. He was named to the NCBWA Freshman All-American Second Team in 2024 and earned WCC Pitcher of the Week honors three times. In 2025, he posted a 2.29 ERA across 11 appearances, including standout performances against Oregon State (Mar. 8) and Saint Mary's (Apr. 11), where he allowed just one run over seven innings. Reddemann started for the Toreros in both the WCC Tournament Championship and the NCAA Santa Barbara Regional.
ย
The regular season begins with a three-game home series against UC San Diego from Feb. 13-15, followed by a midweek matchup with Tulane on Feb. 17. The opening homestand continues with a high-profile weekend series against TCU from Feb. 20-22.
ย
Fans can view the Bruins' 2026 baseball scheduleย here, and the link to purchase UCLA's single-game tickets isย here.
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