University of California, Los Angeles, Athletics
Roch Cholowsky and Mulivai Levu
Cholowsky, Levu Earn Spots on Golden Spikes Award Preseason Watch List
February 06, 2026 | Baseball
CARY, N.C. โย UCLA baseball standouts Roch Cholowsky and Mulivai Levu have been named to the Golden Spikes Award Preseason Watch List by USA Baseball, recognizing the nation's top amateur baseball players.
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With Cholowsky and Levu earning spots on this year's list, UCLA now counts 19 all-time selections to the Golden Spikes Award Preseason Watch List, most recently highlighted by Cody Schrier in 2023.
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UCLA is one of 13 institutions to have multiple players named to the preseason watch list.
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The list features seven players who were named Golden Spikes Award semifinalists in 2025: Drew Burress (Georgia Tech), Roch Cholowsky (UCLA), Daniel Cuvet (Miami), Justin Lebron (Alabama), Kade Lewis (Wake Forest), Jack Ohman (Yale), and Dylan Volantis (Texas).
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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 joins Cholowsky on the watch list after emerging 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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Key dates for the 2026 Golden Spikes Award include:
โข Midseason Watch List - April 2
โข Semifinalists - May 14
โข Finalists - June 10
โข Winner - June 29
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Fan voting will again play a part in the Golden Spikes Award in 2026. Following the semifinalist announcement, baseball fans can vote for their favorite players on GoldenSpikesAward.com to help determine the finalists and winner. The 2026 Golden Spikes Award winner will be announced during a presentation on MLB Network.
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To stay up to date on the 2026 Golden Spikes Award, visit GoldenSpikesAward.com and follow @USAGoldenSpikes on Instagram and Twitter/X.
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With Cholowsky and Levu earning spots on this year's list, UCLA now counts 19 all-time selections to the Golden Spikes Award Preseason Watch List, most recently highlighted by Cody Schrier in 2023.
ย
UCLA is one of 13 institutions to have multiple players named to the preseason watch list.
ย
The list features seven players who were named Golden Spikes Award semifinalists in 2025: Drew Burress (Georgia Tech), Roch Cholowsky (UCLA), Daniel Cuvet (Miami), Justin Lebron (Alabama), Kade Lewis (Wake Forest), Jack Ohman (Yale), and Dylan Volantis (Texas).
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 joins Cholowsky on the watch list after emerging 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.
ย
Key dates for the 2026 Golden Spikes Award include:
โข Midseason Watch List - April 2
โข Semifinalists - May 14
โข Finalists - June 10
โข Winner - June 29
ย
Fan voting will again play a part in the Golden Spikes Award in 2026. Following the semifinalist announcement, baseball fans can vote for their favorite players on GoldenSpikesAward.com to help determine the finalists and winner. The 2026 Golden Spikes Award winner will be announced during a presentation on MLB Network.
ย
To stay up to date on the 2026 Golden Spikes Award, visit GoldenSpikesAward.com and follow @USAGoldenSpikes on Instagram and Twitter/X.
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Players Mentioned
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