UCLA Sports – Daily News

No. 1 UCLA baseball saves season with 3-run rally in the 9th

Josh Gross — Sun, 31 May 2026 00:07:24 +0000

Phoenix Call #4 of the UCLA Bruins reacts after hitting the game winning single as teammate Will Gasparino #9 of the UCLA Bruins scores the winning run against the Virginia Tech Hokies in the ninth inning to win 6-5 during a NCAA Los Angeles Regional baseball game at Jackie Robinson Stadium in Los Angeles on Saturday, May 30, 2026. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)

1 of 56

Expand

LOS ANGELES — UCLA Bruins baseball has not lost consecutive games in 2026.

The No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA baseball tournament kept that trend and their season alive on Saturday — along with any hope of reaching Omaha — with a ninth-inning rally that eliminated Virginia Tech, 6-5.

It was win or go home for both teams following losses in their respective Los Angeles regional openers.

Down by two heading to their last chance against the Hokies, the Bruins (53-7) bashed back-to-back home runs to tie it before second baseman Phoenix Call’s game-winning single brought in Will Gasparino.

Chasing Hokies reliever Madden Clement with no outs in the 9th, Mulivai Levu began the three-run rally at Jackie Robinson Stadium by crushing his 18th homer to right. Roman Martin then did the same over the left field wall for his 9th.

Gasparino kept up the pressure, beating out an infield single to shortstop against pitcher Ethan Grimm. A hit-and-run single by Dominic Cadiz sent Gasparino to third. The lanky Bruins center fielder, who was suspended for Friday’s game, came home when Call — a platoon second baseman to begin the year who started in center field on Friday — lined his second hit of the game to left.

On the heels of becoming the first top seed to lose an opening match against a four-seed, UCLA leaned into its late-game heroics to avoid ignominious history.

“I think the past few years we kind of developed an identity,” Call said. “We call it the ‘7, 8, 9.’ And so when the seventh inning comes around we kind of treat it as a new game. Whether you’ve had a good day or bad day, it’s a brand new opportunity and I think that’s why we’re so resilient with our comeback wins.”

UCLA entered the NCAA tournament after rallying for three straight wins to capture the Big 10 tournament. Because of their defeat on Friday, UCLA must win four straight anyway they can get them to advance to the NCAA Super Regional.

They meet the winner between Cal Poly San Luis Obispo or Saint Mary’s College, which beat UCLA 3-2 in the opening game, on Sunday.

Attempting to jump ahead instead of playing another nailbiter, the Bruins loaded the bases with one out in the first inning, but Hokies starter Brett Renfrow pitched out of the jam.

The Hokies broke through in the third inning when Sam Grube’s line drive cleared leaping shortstop Roch Cholowsky to bring in Owen Petrich.

After striking out with the bases loaded in the first, Gasparino then popped out to strand a pair of runners in the third.

UCLA eventually flexed its muscles to snatch a short-lived lead in the bottom of the 4th.

Catcher Cashel Dugger hammered the first pitch he saw over the 370 sign in right field to make it 1-1. One out after Dugger’s fifth home run of the year, Call connected on a ground-rule double on his 2-for-4 afternoon. Right fielder Jarrod Hocking followed up with a two-bagger off the top of the wall in left for a one-run lead.

Cholowsky flew out to the warning track in center and Levu lined out to second to end the threat. After going 0-8 in a 3-2 loss to Saint Mary’s on Friday, Cholowsky and Levu went 2-7 against the Hokies with three walks.

Renfrow, who gave up two earned runs and five hits, was pulled after the 4th.

The bottom portion of the UCLA lineup picked up the slack, slugging two homers among the six hits and four RBIs from the 6-9 spots.

“We’ve had a long lineup throughout this season,” Bruins manager John Savage said. “When we were playing really, really well it felt like we had nine tough outs. Today it felt like that again.”

Losing 6-2 to Cal Poly in a lackluster effort on Friday, a spirited Virginia Tech tied it 2-2 with two outs in the top of the 5th when Petrich, the No. 9 hitter, smoked a ball over the wall in left center.

In the bottom half of the inning, Gasparino stepped up to the plate, with the bases empty this time, and drilled an opposite-field home run to take a 3-2 lead.

Another solo blast tied it at three apiece in the 7th when Hokies infielder Ethan Gibson covered the deepest part of the park and chased Bruins’ starter Michael Barnett after 6+ innings.

Barnett allowed three earned runs on three hits after 86 pitches, striking out five.

“Barnett was excellent,” Savage said. “I thought it was the best game he pitched all season. He pitched with his fastball.

“I wanted to get through the seventh with him.

“I thought Mike earned it. He’s a captain. He’s a senior. He told me he wanted that inning. I believe in my players and I listen to my players.”

After a scoreless inning of relief from Cal Randall, Virginia Tech snatched the lead again in the 8th when second baseman Ethan Ball slammed the first pitch he saw from reliever Zach Strickland over the wall in right. It was Ball’s team-leading 17th home run of the year.

At the top of the 9th, the Hokies (30-27) extended the lead to 5-3 when a single off the end of the bat by Hudson Lutterman scored Ethan Gibson, who doubled off reliever Easton Hawk.

However, against these Bruins, who have learned to savor late-game opportunities, a two-run deficit wasn’t enough to end their sensational season.

“This is a credit to our guys for staying resilient and standing with one another,” Savage said. “We’ve had several games like that. We really don’t want to play games like that at this time of the year. You’re flirting with fire and you’re walking a tightrope a lot of times. But it is playoff baseball so we are used to that.”

WCWS: Megan Grant breaks UCLA’s career home run record in rout of Arkansas

Staff and news service reports — Sat, 30 May 2026 04:18:06 +0000

OKLAHOMA CITY — Facing elimination, Megan Grant padded her record-setting home run total during a nine-run second inning and UCLA routed Arkansas, 11-0, in five innings on Friday night at the Women’s College World Series.

Grant’s three-run homer was her 42nd of the season, extending her NCAA record, and the 91st of her career, giving her sole possession of the UCLA career record. Aleena Garcia hit the first pitch of the second inning for a home run and Soo-Jin Berry also went deep with a three-run blast during the early outburst. Kaniya Bragg drove in two runs with a double and every batter in UCLA’s lineup scored a run in the inning.

Jolyna Lamar hit a leadoff home run in the fifth inning.

“Thank God it’s double elimination,” UCLA coach Kelly Inouye-Perez said. “We got an opportunity to get another chance to get out here and play our game. That’s all we talked about. We’re a contagious hitting team. When they’re loose and have discipline at the plate, great things can happen. I’m very proud that UCLA softball showed up tonight.”

“Everybody got sped up a little bit yesterday. We made a commitment to be able to come in and slow the game down, stick to our training of having discipline at the plate so you can get a good cut on a pitch.”

Grant’s homer broke the 24-year-old program record set by Stacey Nuveman (1998-2002). Grant’s 68 home runs over the past two seasons ties the all-time Division I record.

“I’m just incredibly honored,” Grant said. “Stacey Nuveman was a powerhouse when she played. To be able to say my name is next to hers, I’m truly grateful for it.”

The Bruins extended their Division I single-season records for runs, home runs, RBIs, total bases and extra-base hits.

Eighth-seeded UCLA (53-9) advances to another elimination game Sunday at 4 p.m. PT against either No. 11 seed Texas Tech (58-7), the 2025 national runner-up, or seventh-seeded Tennessee (48-10). Those teams square off Saturday in a winner’s bracket game.

Fifth-seeded Arkansas (47-13), playing in the WCWS for the first time, was eliminated after losing back-to-back games for the first time this season.

UCLA’s Taylor Tinsley (33-7) allowed three hits (all singles), struck out two and walked two in the five-inning win.

“For Taylor to be able to come in and pound the strike zone, limit her pitch count, all of it was talked about on how we are going to be able to be our best,” Inouye-Perez said. “Great to have an off day tomorrow, but it was huge for them to be able to shorten that game today.”

Arkansas starter Payton Burnham (14-4) allowed four runs in 1⅓ innings.

After Garcia’s leadoff homer in the second, Burnham hit Bragg with a pitch, Alexis Ramirez singled, and Berry ripped a homer to left field for a 4-0 lead.

Saylor Timmerman replaced Burnham and walked Jolyna Lamar and Rylee Slimp before Grant blasted a 260-foot homer that hit a metal fence beyond the wall in left-center field.

“When Megan hits home runs, I back up,” Garcia said. “Megan is different. I mean, when she hits home runs, oh my gosh, her energy.

“She’s a big energy starter for us. Megan has the biggest energy. She’s the biggest killer up to bat. She just starts a lot of things for us. Really proud of her every time I see her step on home plate.”

It was the Bruins’ 63rd WCWS shutout, and it was their largest margin of victory in a shutout at the event (150 games).

“It’s tough getting out here in front of a big crowd, being on a big stage,” Inouye-Perez said. “You’ve been waiting for it your whole life. I have a lot of young Bruins that are experiencing it for the first time. It’s a big strength of our program that freshmen come in and play.”

No. 1 UCLA baseball stunned by Saint Mary’s to open NCAA Los Angeles Regional

Aaron Heisen — Fri, 29 May 2026 23:05:43 +0000

UCLA head coach John Savage, center, looks on during the eighth inning of their NCAA regional opener against Saint Mary’s on Friday, May 29, 2026, at Jackie Robinson Stadium. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/SCNG)

Saint Mary’s (CA) Gaels bench reacts as teammate Tanner Griffith (not pictured) of the Saint Mary’s (CA) Gaels scores on a double by teammate Makoa Sniffen (not pictured) of the Saint Mary’s (CA) Gaels against the UCLA Bruins in the sixth inning of game one of a NCAA Los Angeles Regional baseball game at Jackie Robinson Stadium in Los Angeles on Friday, May 29, 2026. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)

1 of 45

Expand

LOS ANGELES — Payton Brennan predicted this challenge. The senior outfielder theorized that the UCLA baseball team might struggle as it entered the NCAA Los Angeles Regional with a contrasting status to last season.

As the hunted, not the hunter.

“It’s a different spot,” Brennan said at Thursday’s press conference. “Based on how we’re looked at, [the regional] could be harder this year.”

Rather than sneaking up on opponents, UCLA, as the wire-to-wire top-ranked team and No. 1 overall seed team in the NCAA Tournament, carries a target on its back. The Bruins have faced foes’ best efforts all season.

That was no different Friday afternoon at Jackie Robinson Stadium, as Saint Mary’s took it to UCLA, handing the Bruins a 3-2 defeat for their first loss since April 14.

While catcher Cashel Dugger, speaking after Friday’s game, said that the Bruins didn’t approach the proverbial target on their back, “any different than we did all season,” they fell flat. UCLA became the first No. 1 overall seed to lose its first game in the NCAA Tournament.

The result means UCLA (51-7), which produced three walk-off wins in three games to win last week’s Big Ten Tournament, will play an elimination game against Virginia Tech on Saturday at 1 p.m. The Bruins now need to win four games over the next three days to win the regional and advance to a best-of-three super regional series.

Saint Mary’s designated hitter Jacob Johnson sealed that fate for UCLA. He hit two opposite-field solo home runs. The second put the Gaels (35-25) ahead for good in the top of the ninth inning.

UCLA closer Easton Hawk earned the loss after conceding Johnson’s second home run. Gaels relief pitcher Cam Staton earned the win after two scoreless innings, but starter John Damozonio put them in position to earn the victory.

“I thought he did a good job,” UCLA head coach John Savage said of Damozonio, who struck out six batters and allowed two earned runs over seven innings. “We just didn’t do enough offensively to put ourselves in position to create runs.”

Staton and Damozonio each forced UCLA star shortstop Roch Cholowsky into inning-ending flyouts when he represented the go-ahead run at the plate.

Damozonio kept UCLA scoreless for three innings, as did UCLA starter Wylan Moss with the Gaels. But in the fourth inning, Saint Mary’s and UCLA traded solo home runs to start the scoring. Roman Martin answered Johnson with a deep shot to straightaway center field, tying the score at 1-1.

The Bruins took their first lead in the bottom of the fifth inning when Cholowsky’s sacrifice fly scored Trey Gudoy.

Moss pitched five strong innings, allowing three hits and two earned runs, but the final batter he faced came around to score and tie the game at two.

In the top of the sixth inning, Moss issued a walk to leadoff hitter Tanner Griffith. Savage turned to Landon Stump out of the bullpen, who conceded an RBI double to Makoa Sniffen.

After allowing a run in the fourth and fifth innings, Damozonio closed his outing on a strong note. He swiftly worked through the bottom of the Bruins’ order in the sixth inning, and Gaels head coach Eric Valenzuela kept him in the game.

Damozonio hit Gudoy to start the seventh, but as his pitch count exceeded 100, he remained composed. Dean West replaced Gudoy on second after a fielder’s choice, leading to a showdown between Damozonio and Cholowsky.

After a long at-bat, Cholowsky weakly popped out to first base.

“I actually felt better in the last couple innings than I did in the middle innings,” Damonzonio said, explaining that a mid-outing snack increased his energy after forgetting to eat lunch before the game. “I had a lot of things working today.”

UCLA’s bullpen pitched cleanly across the middle innings. Stump, Cal Randall and Zach Strickland combined to toss three scoreless frames. Hawk took the ninth with the score tied. Johnson, the second batter of the frame, hit a long fly ball to right field that kept carrying and scratched the wall as Jarrod Hocking attempted to rob it.

“It was a routine fly ball,” Savage said. “It was a late May, Jackie fly ball that leaves the ballpark.”

Staton relieved Damozonio in the bottom of the eighth inning, finding himself in a similar situation in both frames he tossed: two outs and the go-ahead run on base.

In the eighth, Hocking struck out on a pitch below the belt to end the inning. In the ninth inning, Cholowsky stared down Staton in a moment worth the price of admission. He got hold of one, but flied out to center field, concluding an 0-for-4 afternoon and ending the game.

With the game on the line, and Cholowsky at the plate, there was reason to believe the Bruins would earn their fourth straight walk-off win. But with starter Logan Reddeman still out, outfielder Will Gasparino suspended, infielder Aiden Aguayo rolling his ankle during pregame warmups and Brennan injuring his oblique in the fourth inning, it was one obstacle too many for UCLA to overcome Friday.

“We have kind of been playing on a little bit of a tightrope,” Savage said. “The same thing that makes you laugh, makes you cry. … Right now we’re a little uncomfortable, and that’s OK. You know, that’s a good test for our guys.”

Women’s College World Series: UCLA softball falls to Alabama in opener

Staff and news service reports — Fri, 29 May 2026 01:54:34 +0000

OKLAHOMA CITY — The UCLA softball team flexed its prodigious power again, but Alabama used some long balls of its own to top the Bruins in a Women’s College World Series opener on Thursday.

Brooke Wells hit a go-ahead three-run homer in the sixth inning and top-seeded Alabama rallied to beat eighth-seeded UCLA, 6-3, on Thursday night, putting the Bruins’ record-setting season in peril.

UCLA (52-9) will face fifth-seeded Arkansas (47-12) in an elimination game on Friday at 6:30 p.m. PT. Alabama (55-7) next faces No. 4 seed Nebraska (52-6) on Saturday.

Kristen White and Jena Young had one-out singles off UCLA starter Taylor Tinsley before Wells homered for the 24th time to break a 3-3 tie.

“That was a tough game. They’re a tough opponent,” UCLA coach Kelly Inouye-Perez said. “You could see they hit two home runs, we hit two home runs, but the ability to come up with those timely hits with runners on obviously makes a difference.”

Young and Wells, who broke out of a 3-for-18 postseason slump, had singles leading off the first and Marlie Giles’ two-out base hit gave Alabama a 1-0 lead.

Megan Grant clubbed her NCAA-record 41st home run this season following a two-run shot by Rylee Slimp off Jocelyn Briski and UCLA grabbed a 3-1 lead in the third.

Grant tied Stacey Nuveman’s program record with the 90th homer of her career. She extended UCLA’s NCAA record to 202 homers this season. It was the Bruins’ 47th multi-homer inning.

“Amazing, right? Everyone expects it from her when you’re watching her play,” Inouye-Perez said of Grant. “There’s a lot of pressure on those athletes because people expect for them to do it all the time. For Megan to get another home run here at the World Series and do what she does, she’s in Disneyland when it comes to the memories of what she’s done here on this big stage.”

Young, who went 3 for 3, also drew a leadoff walk in the fourth and scored on Alexis Pupillo’s 20th homer to tie it at 3-3. Pupillo and Wells gave the Crimson Tide two 20-plus home run hitters for the first time in school history.

Briski (24-3) entered with a 17-inning scoreless run in the postseason. She retired the first seven UCLA hitters, which hadn’t happened in any game this season. Briski allowed three runs on six hits with nine strikeouts.

“Yeah, we all knew coming in [Briski] was a competitor,” Grant said. “Just the scouting plan, she throws everything, she’s very versatile. She just had really good stuff today. We tried to compete as much as we could against her.”

Tinsley (32-7) surrendered six runs on 10 hits and became the first Bruin to make 16 straight starts on the mound since Rachel Garcia in 2018.

“I like the way we competed. I could have called a better game for Taylor,” Inouye-Perez said. “She competed. She gave everything she had. But at the end of the day, they outscored us. With that being said, the good news is that they’re pitching to Megan Grant. That’s exciting. I look forward to getting to the next game.”

UCLA lost for first time in 42 games this season when leading after four innings. The Bruins averaged 10.9 runs per game, nearly 1½ more than any of the other seven remaining teams.

“I mean, literally two pitches,” Inouye-Perez said. “That’s why I say we knew Taylor has been at her strength to be able to have both sides. We know she’s an up-ball pitcher. The last time we played them, they clearly had a plan of attack.”

“The energy was there. The attention to detail was there. We just weren’t able to execute on some of those pitches we were looking for.”

Now, it’s a quick turnaround before a must-win game.

“Anytime you get another opportunity to play another game, it’s a great day. If anything, it gives us an opportunity to settle in,” Inouye-Perez said. “We’re gaining experience as we go with some of these younger Bruins. Again, they want to play together as long as they can. We’ll reset, recover, and get back out there and compete, do what we love to do.”

UCLA is making its record 34th appearance in the WCWS, having won a record 12 national championships.

Top-ranked UCLA baseball team ready to ride together

Aaron Heisen — Thu, 28 May 2026 22:44:31 +0000

LOS ANGELES — The UCLA baseball team maintained the No. 1 ranking in the nation for the entire 2026 regular season. The Bruins set a program record with 48 regular-season wins. They swept through the Big Ten Tournament in Omaha, winning each of their three games in walk-off fashion to claim the conference title.

But the journey hasn’t come without its obstacles, each of which UCLA has overcome because of its authentic, tight-knit approach.

“We don’t have a magic carpet ride to Omaha,” head coach John Savage said during Thursday’s press conference. “We have to earn it.”

Now, as UCLA enters the Los Angeles Regional as the No. 1 overall seed, where it hosts Saint Mary’s on Friday at noon at Jackie Robinson Stadium, the Bruins must continue to patch problems on the fly. UCLA’s normal Friday starting pitcher Logan Reddeman remains “unavailable,” Savage said, center fielder Will Gasparino was suspended for one game, and the Bruins are facing a pressure that simply didn’t exist when they hosted a regional in 2025.

To advance to a best-of-three super regional, UCLA (51-6) has to survive a four-team, double-elimination style tournament, which includes Virginia Tech (30-24) and Cal Poly (36-22) on top of the Gaels (34-25). That could mean playing as many as five games in four days. Then the eight teams that survive the super regionals will advance to the College World Series in Omaha, Neb.

“We have a ton of respect for our opponents. That’s never wavered,” Savage said. “It’s more about us and how we go about our business.”

With Reddeman, who hasn’t pitched since April 17 because of arm fatigue, still “a week away,” according to Savage, Wylan Moss will remain in the Friday spot. He owns a 5-1 record and a 2.40 ERA.

“He’s done a good job,” Savage said of the sophomore right-hander.

Before Reddeman sustained the injury, Moss was mainly in a bulk relief role behind Saturday starter Michael Barnett. Savage felt Moss was always a “legitimate starter” but he didn’t want to “rock the boat.” Forced to make a change, Moss has stepped up.

The same can be said for freshman right-hander Angel Cervantes, who gradually developed from UCLA’s Tuesday pitcher, with a pitch limit of “around 40 to 50,” to the trusted Sunday starter.

“Angel needed all those Tuesday, two-inning stints to really get to where he is today,” Savage said. “He was not ready three, four months ago to be a weekend starter … It’s really, I think, the epitome of development.”

Savage explained that Cervantes “wasn’t ready for the fight” with his fastball, his breaking ball or his changeup when he came to UCLA after the Pittsburgh Pirates drafted him 50th overall in the 2025 MLB draft. He had to learn to manage games and pitch out of problems.

For Cervantes, he said that came after Reddeman got hurt and the rotation shifted.

“That’s when that switch turned on, obviously trying to do more for the team,” Cervantes said Thursday. “It was too late to have small mistakes at this point in the season. So, I would say he’s helped me get to this point of where I am right now.”

Cervantes got the call Sunday against Oregon (40-16) with the Big Ten title on the line, and delivered five scoreless innings, striking out five batters with three walks and four hits.

Away from the mound, UCLA expects Phoenix Call to play center field in place of Gasparino on Friday, Savage said. Call, the Bruins’ primary second baseman, started two games in center field as a freshman and spent time there while at Calabasas High.

“He’s an elite center fielder,” Savage said.

Call’s defense keeps him on the field, despite a .198 batting average this season. It put him in position to take a game-winning hit by pitch in Sunday’s Big Ten Tournament final.

Decisions like that come from knowing a team, which is simple for Savage as this Bruins roster has stuck together over the past three seasons.

Right fielder Payton Brennan said winning the regional “could be harder” this year compared to last because of the target on UCLA’s back. But the Bruins will take their mindset of togetherness, apply it to the obstacles this weekend, and approach these games as they have the entire season.

“You have to play free, you have to play with confidence, you have to believe in yourself,” Savage said. “We’ve been in this boat before, and it’s a trust, it’s a … loyalty factor. We’re a together group.”

NCAA LOS ANGELES REGIONAL

Who: UCLA (51-6) vs. Saint Mary’s (34-25)

When: Friday, noon

Where: Jackie Robinson Stadium, Los Angeles

How to watch: ESPN2

UCLA earns No. 1 seed for NCAA baseball tournament

Associated Press — Mon, 25 May 2026 20:15:52 +0000

By ERIC OLSON, The Associated Press

OMAHA, Neb. — UCLA was rewarded on Monday for its dominant wire-to-wire run through the regular season with the No. 1 seed for the NCAA Tournament.

The 64-team tournament opens Friday with 16 double-elimination regionals. Winners advance to eight best-of-three super regionals. Those winners move on to the College World Series in Omaha beginning June 12.

“The committee believed this year’s championship field was deep and very balanced from top to bottom,” said NCAA selection committee chairman Michael Alford, the athletic director at Florida State. “Throughout the process, we remained focused on applying the selection principles pretty consistently across all conferences and regions and I hope that is noticed. Every decision was based on a full body of work, not just single metrics.”

UCLA (51-6), which swept the Big Ten Conference regular-season and tournament titles, was No. 1 by Baseball America in each of its weekly rankings since the preseason and has the most wins entering regionals since Tennessee came in with 53 in 2022.

The Bruins’ ace, Logan Reddeman, and closer, Ethan Hawk, are among the best in the nation and lead a staff that has a 3.31 ERA. Shortstop Roch Cholowsky is widely projected to be the No. 1 pick in the Major League Baseball amateur draft and he, Will Gasparino and Big Ten Tournament MVP Mulivai Levu have combined for 57 homers.

Georgia Tech (48-9), which swept the Atlantic Coast Conference championships, features the nation’s most prodigious offense. The Yellow Jackets lead Division I in scoring (10.8 runs per game), batting average (.358) and slugging (.636). Jarren Advincula is batting .431 to rank second nationally and Vahn Lackey is sixth at .410.

The national seeds following UCLA and Georgia Tech are Georgia (46-12), Auburn (38-19), North Carolina (45-11-1), Texas (40-13), Alabama (37-19) and Florida (39-19). Top-eight national seeds, if they win their regional, are assured of hosting a super regional.

Seeds Nos. 9 through 16: Southern Mississippi (44-15), Florida State (38-17), Oregon (40-16), Texas A&M (39-14), Nebraska (42-15), Mississippi State (40-17), Kansas (42-16) and West Virginia (39-14).

UCLA will host St. Mary’s, Cal Poly (SLO) and Virginia Tech in its regional. The Bruins face St. Mary’s (34-25) in the regional opener on Friday at noon (ESPNU). Cal Poly (36-22) and Virginia Tech (30-24) will square off at 5 p.m. in the other first-round game at Jackie Robinson Stadium.

USC, which lost to UCLA in a Big Ten Tournament semifinal on Saturday, is headed to the Texas A&M regional, which also includes Texas State and Lamar University. USC (43-15) faces Texas State (36-24) on Friday at 6 p.m. PT. Texas A&M and Lamar (34-25) play the regional opener at 1 p.m. PT.

The SEC had the most teams selected, with 12. The ACC has nine teams in the field, followed by the Big 12 with six, Sun Belt with five and Big Ten with four.

The last four teams to get at-large bids, in alphabetical order, were Liberty (41-19), Kentucky (31-21), Texas State and Troy (32-29).

The first four teams left out were Mercer (44-15), Michigan (34-24), Pittsburgh (33-24) and TCU (33-21).

LSU (30-28), the 2025 national champion, became the seventh program to win the title and not make a regional the following year since the tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1999.

Been there, done that

Texas is in the tournament for a record 65th time and Miami for a 51st. Florida State is a regional host for a record 38th time.

Florida has the longest active streak with 18 straight appearances. Other notable consecutive streaks include Oklahoma State (13), Southern Mississippi (10), Arkansas (9) and East Carolina, North Carolina and Oregon State (8).

Vanderbilt (33-25) is missing regionals after making 19 straight appearances.

First timer

WAC champion Tarleton State is the only first-time participant. The Texans began their transition to Division I in 2021 and weren’t eligible for the tournament when they won the WAC in 2024. Their most recent postseason appearance was in the 2018 Division II tournament.

Losing, but winning

South Dakota State takes a 24-31 record into its second regional, and first since 2013, after winning the four-team Summit League Tournament as the No. 4 seed.

Holy Cross is 25-28 after winning the Patriot League Tournament and has its first back-to-back regional appearances since 1962-63.

Horizon League champion Milwaukee is 25-31 entering its first regional in 16 years.

UCLA baseball walks off Oregon to win Big Ten tournament title

Jack Vita — Mon, 25 May 2026 01:18:04 +0000

UCLA baseball players pose for a team photo after defeating Oregon 3-2 in 11 innings to win the Big Ten tournament championship Sunday at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha, Neb. (UCLA Athletics)

OMAHA, Neb. — With a flair for the dramatic and its back against the wall, UCLA baseball outdid itself Sunday in Omaha, walking off the Oregon Ducks in the 11th inning for a 3-2 victory that clinched the Bruins’ first Big Ten tournament championship.

With two outs and the bases loaded, Bruins second baseman Phoenix Call was nicked on the shoulder by an inside fastball from Ducks reliever Devin Bell. With nowhere to put Call, the hit batsman brought home the game-winning run as UCLA picked up its third walk-off win in as many days. A lengthy replay review delayed the Bruins’ postgame celebration, but did not produce conclusive evidence to overturn the call on the field.

Two innings earlier, UCLA was down to its final out.

After completing a pair of improbable late-inning comebacks Friday and Saturday, surely the Bruins would run out of magic at some point. Then designated hitter Aidan Espinoza stepped into the batter’s box with his team trailing 2-1. With a runner on second base and two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning, the redshirt sophomore punched a single through the right side of the infield to score the tying run.

UCLA’s 51st win of the season was also its 10th come-from-behind victory when trailing after the sixth inning.

“We’ve been doing it all year, but to do it in this environment, I think it’s really big,” Bruins outfielder Payton Brennan said. “And against a really good team in Oregon, that’s huge for us moving forward. We’ve done it before, so we always know we can do it again. It’s not just one person, it’s a team game. We get one guy on, and someone’s going to do a job, and you just trust the other guy to keep doing the job.”

The thrilling victory came over the team that two weeks earlier had handed UCLA its first of only two Big Ten losses this season. However, the win came at a price for the Bruins.

Moments after he ripped an RBI triple to left field to give the Bruins a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the fourth inning, Will Gasparino was ejected after a collision with Ducks third baseman Drew Smith.

Running on contact, Gasparino was caught in a rundown after Bruins teammate Cashel Dugger hit a ground ball to third base. The rundown allowed Dugger to advance to second base, but as Gasparino dashed back to third base, he barreled into Smith and his elbow caught Smith’s face.

After replay review, the umpiring crew ruled the play malicious contact. Per NCAA rules, Gasparino will be suspended for UCLA’s next game, the Bruins’ first NCAA regional contest.

“It was an unfortunate play in the heat of the moment,” UCLA manager John Savage said. “He did his job, he stayed in a rundown and got Dugger to second base, but the end of the play was unfortunate.”

Oregon manager Mark Wasikowski wasn’t pleased with the ruling, either.

“I really hope that the NCAA takes a really hard look at some of these things that they’re putting umpires in a really bad spot with trying to police the game of baseball,” Wasikowski said. “I think the Gasparino kid is a really good, hard player. I haven’t watched the tape on the whole thing, but I don’t want to see anybody suspended for postseason play, and I’d be extremely disappointed if he was suspended for postseason play by just coming out and playing a game really hard.”

The loss of Gasparino will sting. The 6-foot-6 junior has started 56 games for the Bruins this season, batting .316 with 19 home runs and 62 RBIs. The Harvard-Westlake product is expected by many to have his name called on the first day of July’s MLB Draft.

The Ducks erased a 1-0 deficit in the sixth inning, when catcher Burke-Lee Mabeus and designated hitter Naulivou Lauaki Jr. launched back-to-back home runs to give Oregon a 2-1 lead. The two solo homers accounted for the Ducks’ only runs.

Bruins starting pitcher Angel Cervantes tossed five scoreless innings, allowing four hits and three walks while striking out three. The 18-year-old was selected out of Warren High in the second round of last year’s MLB Draft, but opted to attend UCLA instead of signing with the Pittsburgh Pirates.

“As a kid, I’ve always seen colleges play here (in Omaha),” Cervantes said. “This was a dream to play here. To be able to pitch here and start a game here, you can’t really ask for anything else.”

Aleena Garcia powers UCLA softball back to Women’s College World Series

Gabriel Duarte — Sun, 24 May 2026 05:50:10 +0000

Aleena Garcia #21 of the UCLA Bruins reacts after hitting a three run home run against the UCF Knights in the seventh inning of Game 2 of an NCAA Super Regional Softball Game at Easton Stadium on the campus of UCLA in Westwood on Saturday, May 23, 2026. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)

1 of 44

Expand

LOS ANGELES — The UCLA softball team is making its return to the Women’s College World Series to hunt for the program’s 14th national championship after sweeping its way through the regional and super regional rounds.

The Bruins clinched their spot in Oklahoma City after completing a series sweep over UCF in the Los Angeles super regional.

An early first-inning deficit did not deter the Bruins in the 14-4 Game 2 win Saturday night at Easton Stadium.

The Bruins join Nebraska, Arkansas, Tennessee and Alabama as the first group of teams to clinch a spot in the Women’s College World Series. UCLA will make its 34th appearance in the WCWS, the most in NCAA history.

After going hitless in Game 1, redshirt freshman Aleena Garcia left her mark by going 3 for 4 with two home runs. She set a UCLA postseason record with seven RBIs.

“Having my team around me helps a lot,” Garcia said. “(UCLA coach Kelly Inouye-Perez) said that the game doesn’t know how old you are and I have a lot of experience in the game…I’m surrounded by so much love, the best teammates and the best friends.”

Coming into Saturday’s game, the Bruins’ seniors knew this could be the last time they played at Easton Stadium with a trip to the WCWS and Oklahoma City on the line. That gave them an extra incentive to leave it all on the diamond.

However, the Knights quickly stole the momentum in the first inning.

After the Bruins were sat down to begin the top half of the frame, senior Aubrey Evans cranked the third pitch of her at-bat over the center field wall to give the Knights a 1-0 lead.

In the circle, senior Taylor Tinsley wasn’t fazed at all after giving up the opening score, bouncing off the diamond with excitement after ending the half inning with a strikeout.

“Getting to work with Taylor and be a part of her world is really special,” redshirt junior catcher Alexis Ramirez said. “Her mentality when she’s out there, we say that it’s nine on one and she truly believes that.”

UCLA’s offense struggled to back up its ace pitcher in the early innings. The Bruins were held hitless through the first two innings as freshman Tori Payne worked efficiently in the circle for UCF.

The Bruins didn’t get their first hit until junior Soo-Jin Berry led off the third inning with a single.

A bases-loaded opportunity with no outs was presented to senior Megan Grant, who brought home the game-tying run on a sacrifice fly.

The third-inning rally continued for UCLA when Garcia hit an RBI single to give the Bruins a 2-1 lead.

Suddenly, the Bruins were bursting with momentum.

In the fourth inning, Ramirez left the yard to give the Bruins a three-run advantage.

UCLA loaded up the bases again in the fifth inning. Freshman Bri Alejandre brought home a run after getting hit by a pitch. Two batters later, Ramirez knocked in a pair of runs on an RBI double to give UCLA a 6-1 lead.

Ramirez ended her night 4 for 5 with three RBIs.

Despite trailing by five runs, the Knights continued to fight and scrap against Tinsley. They manufactured three runs in the fifth, cutting the deficit to two runs.

Garcia hit her 20th home run of the season in the sixth inning, tacking on three more runs for the Bruins to make it 9-4.

Things began unfolding for UCF in the seventh inning when UCLA accumulated five runs to expand its lead to double digits, ultimately sealing the win for the Bruins.

“I appreciate it big time,” UCLA coach Kelly Inouye-Perez said about the Bruins’ record-breaking offense. “This team plays as a unit. It starts from the top from the coaches down to the players, they buy into the team.”

The Bruins’ Women’s College World Series campaign kicks off on May 28.

Big Ten Tournament: Mulivai Levu plays hero again as UCLA baseball stuns USC

Jack Vita — Sat, 23 May 2026 23:49:53 +0000

OMAHA, Neb. — A slow start put UCLA behind the eight ball for the second consecutive day, but the cardiac kids from Westwood mounted yet another dramatic comeback Saturday afternoon in Omaha, shocking USC 7-5 in the Big Ten Tournament semifinal.

Mulivai Levu followed up his late-night heroics Friday with a two-out, walk-off, three-run homer in the bottom of the ninth inning Saturday. One night earlier, the junior from Ocean View High in Huntington Beach delivered a walk-off sacrifice fly to propel the Bruins past Purdue.

“I was trying to hunt a fastball over the plate, and it ended up being middle-in,” Levu said. “I kind of got a little jammed on it, but found the barrel at the same time. I was just hunting the fastball the whole at-bat.”

Time and again, UCLA manager John Savage has been impressed by his first baseman in high-leverage moments.

“A lot of times, it feels like he’s almost swinging a paddle,” Savage said. “Like, it’s a flat paddle. He’s so flat, he’s in the zone a long time, that’s what I mean by that. It’s a flat swing. It’s almost like the bat’s flat, but it’s not, obviously. It’s just a real special swing, he has special hand-eye coordination, and he’s got power from foul pole to foul pole.”

Top-seeded UCLA (50-6) will play in the Big Ten championship game at noon PT Sunday in Omaha, against second-seeded Nebraska or third-seeded Oregon, which are playing their semifinal game Saturday night. To no one’s surprise, Nebraska fans have packed Charles Schwab Field, as their Cornhuskers attempt to win their third consecutive Big Ten Tournament.

Saturday’s victory marked UCLA’s ninth come-from-behind victory of the season when trailing after six innings. The club took a 4-3 lead in the bottom of the seventh inning when leadoff batter Dean West blasted a two-run homer, his sixth long ball of the season.

Down to its final three outs and trailing 4-3, fourth-seeded USC (43-15) mounted a comeback of its own in the top of the ninth inning, loading the bases with nobody out. Isaac Cadena hit a sharp ground ball to first, which Levu fielded and threw to second base. UCLA was able to get only one out on the fielder’s choice, as Adrian Lopez came around to score and tie the game at 4.

The next hitter, Jack Basseer, delivered a clutch sacrifice fly to center field, scoring the game’s go-ahead run.

The crosstown rivals played just one regular-season series, with UCLA outscoring USC 31-16 in a three-game sweep in early April at Jackie Robinson Stadium.

USC starting pitcher Grant Govel held UCLA’s potent offense to just two runs over 4⅔ innings, allowing six hits and no walks and striking out one.

Govel even gritted through a nasty stinger on a comebacker in the bottom of the fourth inning. UCLA’s Will Gasparino drilled a screaming line drive – with an exit velocity of 112 mph – into Govel’s back. The battle-tested sophomore was unfazed, keeping UCLA’s top-ranked offense in check.

Behind Govel, USC led for the majority of the game. An RBI single from designated hitter Augie Lopez put USC up 1-0 in the top of the first inning. Lopez tacked on another run for the Trojans in the top of third with another RBI single, then came around to score on a sacrifice fly from Cadena for a 3-0 lead.

USC chased UCLA starter Michael Barnett in the fifth inning, its three runs coming off eight hits and one walk.

As it has been known to do, UCLA chipped away at the lead. Levu remained hot, banging home an RBI single in the bottom of the third, cutting the deficit by a run. The Bruins got another run back in the bottom of the fourth, thanks to a hit from designated hitter Dominic Cadiz.

Projected No. 1 overall MLB draft pick Roch Cholowsky had a quiet day, going 0 for 5. The Bruins shortstop is just 1 for 9 through two Big Ten Tournament games. He’ll hope to leave his mark on the Big Ten title game Sunday.

“You’ve got to move in and out on Cholowsky,” USC manager Andy Stankiewicz said. “We’ve competed against him for a number of years now. So, you can’t get caught in the same rhythm with him, the same pitching plan. You’ve just got to move it around. I think our pitchers did a decent job today of coming in and going back away, and that’s how you’ve got to face him. He’s awfully good.”

UCLA baseball rallies past Purdue to reach Big Ten Tournament semifinals

Jack Vita — Sat, 23 May 2026 05:05:14 +0000

OMAHA, Neb. — College baseball’s top-ranked team added another chapter to its magical season on Friday night, as UCLA walked off Purdue, 4-3, in a Big Ten Tournament quarterfinal.

With the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth inning, first baseman Mulivai Levu delivered a clutch, game-winning sacrifice fly to give the top-seeded Bruins their first victory in postseason play, securing a spot in a semifinal against fourth-seeded rival USC on Saturday.

“[I was] just trying to keep it simple, ya know?” Levu said. “The atmosphere was pretty sick, but I was just trying to slow my heart rate down and do a job. I wasn’t trying to do too much, just try to put it in play for the man on third to score, and that’s about it.”

Levu’s heroics concluded a long day for the Bruins (49-6). Friday’s game was originally slated for a 1 p.m. local start time, but the threat of rainstorms pushed first pitch back to 7 p.m.

“I’m not going to lie, it was pissing me off the whole day,” Levu said. “I really wanted to play. I wanted to get out there. It’s great to be back here at Charles Schwab in Omaha. I just wanted to play, but it was a little annoying at some points.”

Coming out of a 6-hour weather delay and UCLA’s longest break of the season – the team hadn’t played since its regular-season finale last Saturday – it took nearly eight innings for UCLA’s offense to wake from its slumber. The Bruins had just two hits through the game’s first seven innings, five of which were tossed by relief pitcher Thomas Howard, making his first start of the season. Howard allowed just one run off two hits and one walk, striking out four Bruins, and throwing 83 pitches.

Trailing 3-1 in the bottom of the eighth with two outs, a base hit to right field from Levu sparked a late rally. The next batter, Roman Martin, rocketed a ball that appeared to clear the left-center field wall. Initially ruled a home run, the play was reviewed and ruled a triple, scoring Levu. Payton Brennan followed Martin’s three-bagger with a game-tying single.

The Bruins showed signs of rust in the game’s early innings, committing two errors, walking four batters and hitting one batsman before surging past the fifth-seeded Boilermakers (37-20).

“It was kind of a rollercoaster,” UCLA manager John Savage said. “I didn’t think we came out with that sort of intensity that we needed to and Purdue did. I thought Coach [Greg] Goff did a good job of getting his team ready. They are a good team, I think they are a regional[-worthy] team, I truly believe that. I hope the committee looks at that and looks at how they played us, looks at how they almost won 40 games, so credit to them for playing very well.

“They really had the game where they wanted [it]. Roman came up with the big triple, we thought it was a home run, and Brennan with the big base hit, but I’ve seen that all year. We’ve done that a few times. It’s not really how you draw it up. It was a good win, but at the end of the day, for us to go where we want to go, we have to play much, much better.”

The win encapsulated the season for the Bruins, who have a knack for dramatic wins.

“I mean, we’re all well-connected,” Levu said. “We know seven, eight and nine are our innings and that we just need to chip away and get one run an inning, just win each inning. It’s a part of our offense and goals.”

UCLA and USC (43-14) are scheduled to square off at noon PT on Saturday. The winner advances to Sunday’s Big Ten championship game.

UCLA ace and projected first-round draft pick Logan Reddemann, who hasn’t pitched since April 17 because of arm fatigue, will not pitch this weekend, Savage told reporters Friday night.

“We will not see Logan in the next two days,” Savage said. “We were hoping we would see him, but we certainly hope that he’s ready to go next week.”

"We just don't give up, that's about it."

Mulivai Levu on No. 1 @UCLABaseball's latest comeback win pic.twitter.com/foulORtqW4

— Big Ten Baseball (@B1Gbaseball) May 23, 2026