No. 1 UCLA Hosts Michigan for Three-Game Set at JRS

Friday, March 13

Los Angeles, CA

6:00 PM (PT)

UCLA

Michigan

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Michael Barnett

Photo by: Ross Turteltaub

No. 1 UCLA Hosts Michigan for Three-Game Set at JRS

March 12, 2026 | Baseball

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

LOS ANGELES - The No.1-ranked UCLA baseball team will host Michigan for its first Big Ten Conference home series beginning on Friday, March 13 at 6 p.m. PT. Saturday's contest will begin at 2 p.m. PT and Sunday's finale is set for a 1 p.m. PT first pitch. The game will be broadcast on B1G+, with Nick Koop and Sid Iyer on the call. Fans can also follow along with live stats (StatBroadcast) and X/Twitter updates (@UCLABaseball).

SERIES INFORMATION
Venue: Jackie Robinson Stadium
First Pitch: 6 PM / 2 PM / 1 PM
Television: B1G+
Talent Nick Koop (pxp), Sid Iyer (analyst)
Live Stats: UCLA.statbroadcast.com

THE RUNDOWN

UCLA entered the season as the preseason No. 1 ranked team (D1Baseball.com and Baseball America)
UCLA is the consensus No. 1 team in the country as it is ranked No. 1 by all prominent outlets (D1B, BA, USAT, PG, NCBWA)
UCLA is off to its best start to a season (14-2) since 2010 when the Bruins opened the year 22-0
The Bruins swept Ohio State in the opening weekend of Big Ten play to cap a perfect 4-0 week
UCLA scored 40 runs in the OSU sweep, its most in any series since 2023 and its most in a conference series since 2022
UCLA run-ruled UC Irvine, 11-1, on Tuesday night for its fourth run-rule victory of the season
The Bruins captured the Amegy Bank College Baseball Series Championship after a perfect 3-0 weekend
UCLA defeated three SEC opponents: No. 20 Tennessee, No. 23 Texas A&M, and No. 4 Mississippi State
The Bruins have six victories over ranked opponents
UCLA handed Texas A&M and Mississippi State their first losses of the season
Will Gasparino is third in the NCAA Division I home run charts with 11 homers on the season
Gasparino's 11 home runs through the first 16 games of the season is a UCLA record in the BBCOR era (2012-present)
Gasparino is fourth in the country for OPS (1.663) and ranks third for slugging percentage (1.109)
Gasparino was named the Most Outstanding Player of the Amegy Bank College Baseball Series
As a team, the Bruins rank ninth in the nation with 33 total home runs
The Bruins rank 11th in the nation with a fielding percentage of .985
UCLA made its sixth appearance at the CWS and fourth under Head Coach John Savage in 2025
Will Gasparino leads the team in hitting, posting a .418 average with 11 home runs and 30 RBIs
Wylan Moss has allowed just one earned run through 15.0 innings, striking out 24 with just one walk
Moss was recently named to the National Pitcher of the Year Watch List by the College Baseball Foundation
Moss has posted a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 24.0 which ranks eighth in the nation
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
HC John Savage secured his fifth conference championship at UCLA in 2025
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)
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

WEEKEND RECAP
No. 1 UCLA dominated its opening Big Ten weekend in Columbus, sweeping Ohio State behind explosive offense and standout pitching. The Bruins opened the series with an 11-1 rout, powered by early home runs from Roch Cholowsky and Will Gasparino and six scoreless, 10-strikeout innings from Logan Reddemann. They followed with a 19-6 outburst on Saturday, as Gasparino, Mulivai Levu, and Dean West combined for 12 RBIs and Wylan Moss delivered five shutout frames in relief. UCLA completed the sweep on Sunday with a resilient 10-7 comeback, erasing a five-run deficit behind West's bases-clearing double, Levu's third homer of the weekend, and 2.1 clutch innings from Easton Hawk. Across the three games, the Bruins' lineup overwhelmed the Buckeyes while the pitching staff repeatedly delivered in big moments to secure a 3-0 start to conference play.

ABOUT THE WOLVERINES
Michigan enters 2026 with real optimism thanks to a deep, experienced pitching staff that returns 64% of its innings from a group that ranked sixth in the Big Ten in ERA last spring. The Wolverines will lean heavily on ace Tate Carey, who went 9-0 as a freshman with a mid-90s fastball and elite changeup metrics, while steady veterans Kurt Barr and David Lally Jr. anchor a reliable rotation core. The biggest question lies on the infield, where four new starters and the late transfer of expected shortstop Tyler Inge introduce uncertainty to a traditionally strong defensive unit. Offensively, breakout center fielder Greg Pace looks poised for a star turn after a torrid finish to 2025, and impact newcomers like Utah State transfer Cade Montgomery and Saint Louis transfer Brenden Stressler should bolster the lineup. Despite losing key pieces from last year, Tracy Smith's club has enough pitching depth and emerging talent to remain firmly in the Big Ten mix.

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.

THE GREAT GASPARINO
Will Gasparino was named the Most Outstanding Player of the Amegy Bank College Baseball Series after a blistering weekend in Arlington, going 5-for-11 with four home runs while leading UCLA to a perfect 3-0 showing against ranked opponents. The Los Angeles native delivered his third multi homer game of the season in a 12-5 win over No. 20 Tennessee, added another blast in the victory over No. 23 Texas A&M, and capped his dominant run with yet another homer in the extra innings thriller against No. 4 Mississippi State. Gasparino is the national leader in home runs with 10 on the season.

BRUIN BOMBERS
Will Gasparino and Roch Cholowsky have formed one of the most dangerous duos in college baseball to start the season, combining for 20 home runs, 52 RBIs, and 110 total bases across UCLA's first 16 games. Cholowsky is slashing .316/.463/.860 with nine homers, 22 RBIs, and 26 runs scored, while Gasparino is slashing an astounding .418/.554/1.109 with 11 homers, 30 RBIs, and 22 runs.

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.