No. 1 UCLA Heads East for Three-Game Series at Rutgers

Friday, April 10

Piscataway, NJ

3:00 PM (PT)

UCLA

Rutgers

Roch Cholowsky

Photo by: Mac Brown

No. 1 UCLA Heads East for Three-Game Series at Rutgers

April 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 travel to Rutgers for a three-game set beginning on Friday, April 10 at 3 p.m. PT. Saturday's contest will begin at 3 p.m. PT, and Sunday's series finale is set for a 9 a.m. PT first pitch. The games will be available for viewing on B1G+. Fans can also follow along with live stats (StatBroadcast) and X/Twitter updates (@UCLABaseball).

SERIES INFORMATION
Venue: Bainton Field
First Pitch: 3 PM / 12 PM / 9 AM
Television: B1G+
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 (30-2) since 2010 when the Bruins opened the year 22-0
UCLA became the first Division I team to reach 30 wins with its Tuesday night victory at Cal State Fullerton
UCLA's 24-game winning streak is the longest active streak in Division I and the longest in program history
The Bruins' 15-0 start to Big Ten play marks their best league start in program history
UCLA has out-scored its opponents 235-81 during the winning streak
Payton Brennan (Player of the Week) and Zach Strickland (Freshman of the Week) recently received B1G weekly honors
The Bruins went undefeated (18-0) in the month of March
UCLA has earned seven wins via the run-rule this season, including six during the 24-game win streak
UCLA swept Ohio State, Michigan, Maryland, Iowa, and USC for five straight Big Ten sweeps to open conference play
UCLA has the fifth-best ERA (3.29) in the nation
The Bruins are ranked fourth in the nation for hit-by-pitches with 81 on the season
Roch Cholowsky is the Big Ten leader in runs scored with 46 on the year
Cholowsky leads the Big Ten in total bases with 91
Roman Martin leads the Big Ten in walks with 30 this season
UCLA is ranked 11th in the nation for on-base percentage with a mark of .441
Logan Reddemann is one of four pitchers in the country with seven wins this season
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 .373 average with nine home runs and 43 RBIs
Wylan Moss has allowed just three earned runs through 30.1 innings, striking out 36 batters
Moss was recently named to the National Pitcher of the Year Watch List by the College Baseball Foundation
The Bruins have nine 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 swept No. 12 USC behind three straight explosive performances, opening the weekend with a 12-4 win fueled by a seven-run eighth inning and multi-hit nights from five Bruins. The Bruins clinched the series on Saturday with a 9-8 comeback thriller, erasing a 7-4 deficit with a four-run sixth and securing the win on Mulivai Levu's late double and Payton Brennan's game-saving home-run robbery in the ninth. UCLA completed the sweep on Sunday with a 10-4 victory powered by five home runs, including two from Levu, and another three-hit effort from Brennan, while the bullpen dominated the late innings to lock down a program-record 23rd straight win.

PROJECTED PITCHING MATCHUPS
Friday, April 10 - 3 p.m. PT
UCLA – Jr. RHP Logan Reddemann (7-0, 3.15 ERA)
RUTG – RS So. RHP Zack Konstantinovsky (3-3, 5.60 ERA)
Saturday, April 11 - 12 p.m. PT
UCLA – Sr. RHP Michael Barnett (5-0, 3.74 ERA)
RUTG – Sr. RHP Vincent Borghese (1-2, 5.00 ERA)
Sunday, April 12 - 9 a.m. PT
UCLA – Jr. RHP Landon Stump (1-0, 4.33 ERA)
RUTG – TBA

ABOUT THE SCARLET KNIGHTS
Rutgers enters 2026 with one of its most balanced lineups in years, boosted by a wave of impact transfers and the continued rise of five-tool center fielder Peyton Bonds, who headlines an offense expected to carry the load early. Shortstop Yomar Carreras is poised for a breakout, and additions like Trey Wells, Ryan Jaros, Charlie Meglio, and Chase Krewson deepen a group that already showed promise in the fall. The biggest questions sit on the mound, where the Scarlet Knights once again retool after losing key arms and longtime pitching coach Mike McRae, though a healthy Zack Konstantinovsky and several portal additions offer hope. Veterans like Joe Mazza and Matt Chatelle provide stability, while freshmen and lower-division standouts are expected to contribute immediately across the roster. Under Steve Owens, Rutgers has steadily raised its competitive floor through development and smart roster building, and this year's group projects as another gritty, offense-driven team capable of outperforming expectations.

INSIDE THE WINNING STREAK
UCLA is currently riding a 24-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 five Big Ten Conference series. UCLA has outscored its opponents 235-81 during the streak. Mulivai Levu has led the offense with a .368 average including eight home runs and 32 RBIs. Roman Martin has posted a .375 average with four homers, 29 RBIs, and 23 walks. On the mound, Wylan Moss has kept a 1.14 ERA with 24 strikeouts in 23.2 innings of work. The Bruins are averaging 9.8 runs-per-game over the last 24 contests. This marks UCLA's longest winning streak in program history.

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

BRENNAN AND STRICKLAND RECEIVE B1G WEEKLY HONORS
Brennan led No. 1 UCLA to a perfect 4-0 week, slashing .556 (10-for-18) with a home run, seven RBIs, and five runs scored. The junior delivered three consecutive three-hit games in the Bruins' sweep of No. 12 USC and added two highlight-reel defensive plays in right field, a leaping home-run robbery in Saturday's ninth inning and a full-extension diving catch on Sunday, to cap a dominant two-way performance. Strickland was equally impressive out of the bullpen, posting three straight scoreless outings during UCLA's undefeated week. The freshman right-hander worked 5.1 shutout innings, allowing just one hit and striking out seven. He closed the weekend by firing two pivotal scoreless frames in Sunday's finale, securing his first career save to finish off the sweep.

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 three earned runs across 30.1 innings while piling up 36 strikeouts. He owns a 0.89 ERA and is holding opponents to a .181 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.