No. 1 UCLA Set to Welcome No. 7 TCU for Three-Game Set

Friday, February 20

Los Angeles, CA

5:00 PM (PT)

UCLA

TCU

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Logan Reddemann

Photo by: Ross Turteltaub

No. 1 UCLA Set to Welcome No. 7 TCU for Three-Game Set

February 19, 2026 | Baseball

UCLA's Game Notes (PDF)Information Guide Watch (FS1)Watch (B1G+)Media Center

LOS ANGELES - The No.1-ranked UCLA baseball team will prepare for a top-10 matchup when it hosts No. 7 TCU for a three-game home series at Jackie Robinson Stadium beginning on Friday, Feb. 20 at 5 p.m. PT. The game will be nationally broadcast on FS1 with Chris Sylvester and Wes Clements on the call. Saturday's contest is slated for 2 p.m. start, and Sunday's finale is set for a 1 p.m. first pitch. Nick Koop and Sid Iyer will be on the call for B1G+. Fans can also follow along with live stats (StatBroadcast) and X/Twitter updates (@UCLABaseball).

SERIES INFORMATION
Venue: Jackie Robinson Stadium
First Pitch: 5 PM / 2 PM / 1 PM
Television: FS1 (Fri.) B1G+ (Sat. and Sun.)
Talent (Fri.): Chris Sylvester (pxp), Wes Clements (analyst)
Talent (Sat. and Sun.): Nick Koop (pxp), Sid Iyer (analyst)
Live Stats: UCLA.statbroadcast.com

THE RUNDOWN

UCLA enters the season as the preseason No. 1 ranked team (D1Baseball.com)
UCLA made its sixth appearance at the CWS and fourth under Head Coach John Savage in 2025
The Bruins swept through postseason play to advance to the College World Series
UCLA took two of three games from UC San Diego on opening weekend
Mulivai Levu leads the team in hitting, posting a .529 average with one home run and six RBIs
Roch Cholowsky and Will Gasparino have each homered three times through the first four games of the season
The Bruins were selected as the No. 15 national seed and hosted its first NCAA Super Regional since 2019
UCLA earned its seventh super regional berth and sixth under Coach Savage
The Bruins returned to the postseason for the 15th time in the last 21 seasons
UCLA won eight of its 10 conference series to earn a share of the Big Ten Conference regular season title
Roch Cholowsky was named Big Ten Player of the Year, the league's defensive player of the year, and received a First Team nod
UCLA's 48 wins are its most since 2019 and fifth-most in program history
UCLA claimed its first conference title since 2019
HC John Savage secured his fifth conference championship at UCLA
Six different Bruins received All-Conference honors: Cholowsky (1st), Levu, Barnett, Martin, Salgado (2nd), and Moss (FT)
The program has earned 16 winning records in 21 seasons under HC John Savage
UCLA won 13 of its 15 weekend series last season and won every series played at Jackie Robinson Stadium
UCLA went 31-7 at Jackie Robinson Stadium last season
UCLA's team fielding percentage of .982 ranked seventh nationally and first in the Big Ten last season
UCLA collected five weekend sweeps, including four during Big Ten play in 2025
Cholowsky was named Player of the Year and a First Team All-American by four outlets (ABCA/Rawlings, BA, D1B, PG)
Cholowsky also won the Brooks Wallace Award, honoring him as the nation's top shortstop
According to data compiled by 643 charts, Cholowsky led the nation in wins-above-replacement (WAR) at 6.49 in 2025
Cholowsky's 23 home runs was the most by a Bruin since 2000 (Forrest Johnson)
Cholowsky led the team in hitting at .353, with 23 home runs, 74 RBIs, .710 SLG%, and a B1G-best OPS of 1.190
Dean West broke the single-season HBP record with 22 last season
Michael Barnett ranked third in the nation and topped the Big Ten with 12 wins in 2025
Mulivai Levu ranked second in the nation and led the Big Ten with 85 RBIs in his sophomore campaign
Levu and Cholowsky have combined for the most RBIs (159) by a UCLA duo since 1997
In 2023, the Bruins welcomed the top signing class in the country
The Bruins were picked to finish first in the Big Ten Preseason Poll
Transfer pitcher Logan Reddemann (San Diego) and Will Gasparino (Texas) headline the incoming transfer portal class

MIDWEEK RECAP
UCLA powered past Tulane 13-5 behind explosive offense and strong pitching, highlighted by multi-homer performances from Roch Cholowsky and Will Gasparino. After falling behind early, the Bruins quickly responded and piled on runs across multiple innings, with Mulivai Levu delivering a standout 4-for-5, three-RBI day. Cholowsky and Gasparino each drove in three, while freshman Zach Strickland impressed in his collegiate debut with three dominant scoreless innings to earn the win. Tulane briefly kept pace, but UCLA's steady scoring, capped by Gasparino's second towering homer, secured a comfortable victory as the Bruins improved to 3-1 ahead of their upcoming series against No. 7 TCU.

ABOUT THE HORNED FROGS
TCU enters 2026 as a veteran, high-ceiling contender built around a maturing core that surged back to the NCAA Tournament in 2025 after a disappointing near-miss the year before. Returning stars like Sawyer Strosnider, who posted a rare triple-double as a freshman, and ace Tommy LaPour, one of the nation's premier Friday-night arms, headline the TCU squad. The Horned Frogs boast impressive depth on the mound with Mason Brassfield, several high-octane transfers, and emerging young arms, while an athletic outfield trio of Strosnider, Noah Franco, and Chase Brunson anchors a potent lineup that also features standout catcher Nolan Traeger and key additions such as Rob Liddington Jr.

RETURNING PRODUCTION
In an era of college baseball defined by heavy transfer-portal movement, UCLA has taken a different path by retaining its core talent and reaping the rewards. No program in Division I returns more production for 2026, with the Bruins bringing back an impressive 83 percent of their overall output. That includes 85 percent of last season's plate appearances and 78 percent of the innings pitched, giving UCLA one of the most stable and experienced rosters in the country.

BRUINS' PRESEASON BUZZ
UCLA baseball placed two standouts on Baseball America's Preseason All-America teams. Junior shortstop Roch Cholowsky was selected as the outlet's preseason Player of the Year in addition to his First Team nod. Junior first baseman Mulivai Levu secured a spot on the Third Team. Cholowsky enters 2026 as one of the nation's premier players after assembling one of the most accomplished individual seasons in UCLA history. Levu returns as one of the conference's most productive run producers after a breakout 2025 season. Cholowsky and Levu were also named to the Golden Spikes Award Preseason Watch List. UCLA has now seen 19 total players named to the Golden Spikes Award Watch List, with Cody Schrier being the Bruins' last inclusion in 2023. Logan Reddemann was recognized on D1Baseball's Preseason Pitcher of the Year Watch List while newcomers Angel Cervantes and Dominic Cadiz were featured on the outlet's Preseason Freshman of the Year Watch List.