No. 1 UCLA Welcomes UC Irvine on Tuesday Night

Tuesday, March 10

Los Angeles, CA

6:00 PM (PT)

UCLA

UC Irvine

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Cal Randall

Photo by: Mac Brown

No. 1 UCLA Welcomes UC Irvine on Tuesday Night

March 09, 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 local rival UC Irvine on Tuesday, March 10 at 6 p.m. PT. 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).

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 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)
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
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 third in the NCAA Division I home run charts with 11 homers on the season
Gasparino's 11 home runs through the first 15 games of the season is a UCLA record in the BBCOR era (2012-present)
Gasparino is second in the country for OPS (1.709), ranks third for slugging percentage (1.151), and fifth for RBIs (30)
Gasparino was named the Most Outstanding Player of the Amegy Bank College Baseball Series
As a team, the Bruins rank eighth in the nation with 31 total home runs
The Bruins rank 15th 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 .434 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
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.

PROJECTED PITCHING MATCHUP
Tuesday, March 10 - 6 p.m. PT
UCLA – Fr. RHP Angel Cervantes (0-0, 7.00 ERA)
UCI – Fr. RHP Cade Castles (0-2, 8.64 ERA)

ABOUT THE ANTEATERS
UC Irvine enters 2026 with one of the most dominant and experienced pitching staffs in the country, returning nearly every key arm from a 43-win season, including ace Ricky Ojeda and weekend starters Trevor Hansen and Ryder Brooks. The bullpen is stacked with veteran right-handers, giving the Anteaters unmatched depth on the mound. The biggest question is whether the offense can replace the significant power production lost from last year's lineup, though returners like James Castagnola, Frankie Carney, and several part-time contributors provide a foundation, and newcomers such as Tommy Farmer and Daniel Polasek offer upside. With elite pitching, improved defense, and an offense that simply needs to hold its own, UC Irvine is positioned once again to contend at the top of the Big West and make another deep postseason push.

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 19 home runs, 48 RBIs, and 106 total bases across UCLA's first 15 games. Cholowsky is slashing .309/.461/.818 with eight homers, 18 RBIs, and 24 runs scored, while Gasparino is slashing an astounding .434/.557/1.151 with 11 homers, 30 RBIs, and 21 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.