No. 1 UCLA Hosts Rivalry Series Against No. 12 USC

Friday, April 3

Los Angeles, CA

6:00 PM (PT)

UCLA

No. 12 USC

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Roch Cholowsky

Photo by: Mac Brown

No. 1 UCLA Hosts Rivalry Series Against No. 12 USC

April 02, 2026 | Baseball

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

LOS ANGELES - The No.1-ranked UCLA baseball team will welcome crosstown rivals No. 12 USC in a highly-anticipated three-game series beginning on Friday, April 3 at 6 p.m. PT. Saturday's contest will start at 2 p.m. PT, and Sunday's series finale is set for a 3 p.m. PT first pitch. The first two games of the series will be available for viewing on B1G+ and Sunday's contest will be broadcast on Big Ten Network. 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 / 4 PM
Television: B1G+ (Fri. and Sat.) / Big Ten Network (Sun.)
Talent (Fri. and Sat.) Nick Koop (pxp), Sid Iyer (analyst)
Talent (Sun.) Chris Sylvester (pxp), Wes Clements (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 (26-2) since 2010 when the Bruins opened the year 22-0
UCLA's 20-game winning streak is the longest active streak in Division I and the second-longest in program history
The Bruins' 12-0 start to Big Ten play marks their best league start in program history
UCLA has out-scored its opponents 197-62 during the winning streak
The Bruins went undefeated (18-0) in the month of March
This weekend's series between UCLA and USC is believed to be the highest-ranked matchup in Big Ten baseball history
UCLA has earned seven wins via the run-rule this season, including six during the 20-game win streak
The Bruins swept Ohio State, Michigan, Maryland, and Iowa for three straight Big Ten sweeps to open conference play
The Bruins are ranked second in the nation for hit-by-pitches with 78 on the season
UCLA is ranked 12th in the nation for on-base percentage with a mark of .443
Logan Reddemann leads the country with seven wins this season
In the sweep over Michigan, the UCLA pitching staff held its opposition scoreless in 24 of 27 innings
UCLA starting pitchers combined for 16.0 IP, 2 ER, and 19 strikeouts in the weekend sweep over Michigan
UCLA scored 40 runs in the OSU sweep, its most in any series since 2023 and its most in a conference series since 2022
Will Gasparino was named the Most Outstanding Player of the Amegy Bank College Baseball Series
Mulivai Levu leads the team in hitting, posting a .374 average with seven home runs and 37 RBIs
Wylan Moss has allowed just one earned run through 26.0 innings, striking out 35 batters
Moss was recently named to the National Pitcher of the Year Watch List by the College Baseball Foundation
The Bruins have six victories over ranked opponents
UCLA made its sixth appearance at the CWS and fourth under Head Coach John Savage in 2025
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
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 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
Cholowsky's 23 home runs was the most by a Bruin since 2000 (Forrest Johnson)
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
UCLA dominated its weekend in Iowa, sweeping the Hawkeyes behind explosive offense and steady pitching to extend its winning streak to 19 games and remain perfect in Big Ten play. The Bruins opened with a 5-2 win on Friday, powered by early home runs from Mulivai Levu and Payton Brennan and a strong 6.1-inning outing from Logan Reddemann before Easton Hawk closed it out. Saturday turned into a rout, as UCLA erupted for a 12-run fourth inning and rolled to a 19-0 run-rule victory behind standout performances from Cashel Dugger, Phoenix Call, and Dominic Cadiz, plus 5.1 scoreless frames from Michael Barnett. The sweep was sealed Sunday with a 14-6 win highlighted by Roman Martin's two-homer, six-RBI breakout, a six-run fourth and four-run sixth from the offense, and 3.2 scoreless relief innings from Wylan Moss. UCLA's bats, depth, and bullpen composure carried the weekend as the Bruins pushed their record to 25-2 and 12-0 in conference play.

PROJECTED PITCHING MATCHUPS
Friday, April 3 - 6 p.m. PT
UCLA – Jr. RHP Logan Reddemann (7-0, 2.72 ERA)
USC – Jr. LHP Mason Edwards (5-0, 0.67 ERA)

Saturday, April 4 - 2 p.m. PT
UCLA – Sr. RHP Michael Barnett (5-0, 2.87 ERA)
USC – So. RHP Grant Govel (6-0, 1.20 ERA)

Sunday, April 5 - 4 p.m. PT
UCLA – Jr. RHP Landon Stump (1-0, 4.30 ERA)
USC – So. RHP Andrew Johnson (2-0, 1.86 ERA)

ABOUT THE TROJANS
USC's weekend rotation has emerged as one of the nation's most dominant units, led by Mason Edwards and Grant Govel, roommates who combined to allow just one earned run and six hits while striking out 58 in 37 innings across their first six starts. Govel's breakout followed a difficult freshman year, a Tommy John recovery gap year, and a transformative summer in which he rebuilt his body and arsenal, culminating in six hitless innings as part of a combined no-hitter. Edwards, already a top draft prospect, posted 54 straight outs after the season opener, thanks to a reworked spike-curve that now generates elite whiff rates. Along with Sunday starter Andrew Johnson, the trio powered USC to nation-leading pitching metrics.

INSIDE THE WINNING STREAK
UCLA is currently riding a 20-game winning streak that started on Feb. 27 with a win over No. 20 Tennessee. This currently stands as the longest active winning streak in Division I baseball. The Bruins went on to defeat two more SEC opponents (No. 23 Texas A&M and No. 4 Mississippi State) at the Amegy Bank College Baseball Series, before sweeping through their first four Big Ten Conference series. UCLA has outscored its opponents 197-62 during the streak. Mulivai Levu has led the offense with a .368 average including six home runs and 27 RBIs. On the mound, Wylan Moss has kept a 0.47 ERA with 18 strikeouts in 19.1 innings of work. The Bruins are averaging 9.9 runs-per-game over the last 20 contests. This marks UCLA's second-longest winning streak in program history. In 2010, the Bruins opened the season 22-0.

MIDSEASON AWARDS

Golden Spikes Award Watch List: Roch Cholowsky, Will Gasparino, Mulivai Levu, Logan Reddemann
Big Ten Midseason Player of the Year: Roch Cholowsky
Perfect Game All-Americans: Roch Cholowsky, Will Gasparino, Wylan Moss (1st Team), Mulivai Levu (3rd Team)
Baseball America Player of the Year Watch List: Roch Cholowsky and Will Gasparino
Baseball America Pitcher of the Year Watch List: Logan Reddemann
Buster Posey Award National Catcher of the Year Watch List: Cashel Dugger

MAGNIFICENT MOSS
Sophomore right-hander Wylan Moss was named to the National Pitcher of the Year Award Watch List by the College Baseball Foundation. Moss has been nothing short of dominant to open the 2026 campaign, allowing just one earned run across 26.0 innings while piling up 35 strikeouts against six walks. He owns a 0.35 ERA and is holding opponents to a .180 average. His signature outing came in UCLA's win over No. 7 TCU, where he delivered four scoreless innings to earn the save and recorded a career-high 10 strikeouts, including an astonishing nine straight to end the game, with eight swinging.

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.

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.