No. 1 UCLA Welcomes Cal State Fullerton for Midweek Affair

Tuesday, March 3

Los Angeles, CA

5:00 PM (PT)

UCLA

Cal State Fullerton

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Will Gasparino

Photo by: Ross Turteltaub

No. 1 UCLA Welcomes Cal State Fullerton for Midweek Affair

March 02, 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 Cal State Fullerton for a nonconference game on Tuesday, March 3 at 5 p.m. PT at Jackie Robinson Stadium. 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).

GAME INFORMATION
Venue: Jackie Robinson Stadium
Stream: B1G+
Talent: Nick Koop (play-by-play), Sid Iyer (analyst)
Live Stats: ucla.statbroadcast.com

THE RUNDOWN

UCLA entered the season as the preseason No. 1 ranked team (D1Baseball.com)
UCLA is now the consensus No. 1 team in the country as it is ranked No. 1 by all prominent outlets
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, including a pair of run-rule wins
UCLA handed Texas A&M and Mississippi State their first losses of the season
Will Gasparino is atop the NCAA Division I home run charts with 10 homers on the season
Gasparino was named the Most Outstanding Player of the Amegy Bank College Baseball Series
As a team, the Bruins ranks fifth in the nation with 25 total home runs
The Bruins rank third in the nation with a fielding percentage of .992, committing just three errors through 11 games
UCLA out-scored No. 7 TCU 30-8 in the weekend series
Gasparino and Moss each garnered Big Ten weekly honors following the sweep of No. 7 TCU
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 .391 average with two home runs and 14 RBIs
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 swept the Amegy Bank College Baseball Series with three statement wins to claim the tournament championship. The Bruins opened by blasting five home runs in a 12-5 win over No. 20 Tennessee, highlighted by Will Gasparino's third multi-homer game of the season and a six-run seventh that broke the game open. The Bruins followed with an 11-1 run-rule rout of No. 23 Texas A&M, piling up 14 hits while Michael Barnett and Wylan Moss combined to hold the Aggies to two. UCLA capped the weekend with an 8-7 extra-inning thriller over No. 4 Mississippi State, fueled by Roch Cholowsky's two-out, game-tying homer in the ninth and Aidan Espinoza's decisive two-run triple in the 10th. Gasparino earned Most Outstanding Player honors after going 5-for-11 with four home runs as UCLA finished a perfect 3-0 against ranked opponents.

PROJECTED PITCHING MATCHUPS
Tuesday, March 3 - 5 p.m. PT
UCLA – Fr. RHP Angel Cervantes (0-0, 8.53 ERA)
CSF – Jr. RHP Jason Krakoski (0-0, 54.00 ERA)

ABOUT THE TITANS
Cal State Fullerton enters 2026 looking like a veteran group poised to take a real step forward. Nearly the entire core returns, including five everyday starters and 334 of 495 innings on the mound, giving the Titans one of the most experienced rosters in the Big West. Their ceiling is tied to tightening up run prevention after an inconsistent 2025 in which they surrendered nine or more runs 15 times, but the pieces are in place for improvement. The lineup is anchored by star first baseman Andrew Kirchner and gritty second baseman Eli Lopez, while the pitching staff features elite closer Andrew Wright and breakout left-hander Jayden Harper, who surged late last season and could take over Friday nights. High-impact newcomers including UCLA transfer Cameron Kim, as well as Armando Briseno strengthen the left side of the infield and add real offensive upside. With returning contributors like Max Ortega, Cam Burdick, and Paul Contreras, plus experienced arms Mikiah Negrete and Jason Krakoski rounding out the rotation, Fullerton has the depth, maturity, and frontline talent to push back toward the top of the conference and potentially reclaim 30-plus wins for the first time since 2018.

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 17 home runs, 37 RBIs, and 87 total bases across UCLA's first eight games. Cholowsky is slashing .366/.472/.976 with seven homers, 15 RBIs, and 17 runs scored, while Gasparino is slashing an astounding .378/.521/1.270 with 10 homers, 22 RBIs, and 16 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.