Saturday, May 3
Irvine, CA
2:00 PM (PT)
UCLA
at
USC
Dean West
Photo by: Ross Turteltaub
No. 14 UCLA Takes On USC in First Big Ten Crosstown Series
May 01, 2025 | Baseball
LOS ANGELES - The No. 14-ranked UCLA baseball team will take on USC in the first Big Ten edition of the crosstown series which begins on Friday, May 2 at 6:30 p.m., continues on Saturday, May 3 at 2 p.m. PT, and concludes on Sunday, May 4 at 1 p.m. All three contests will take place at Great Park in Irvine, Calif. The games will be available for viewing on B1G+. Fans can also follow along with live stats (StatBroadcast) and X/Twitter updates (@UCLABaseball).
ย
SERIES INFORMATION
Venue:ย Great Park (Irvine, Calif.)
Stream:ย B1G+
Live Stats:ย ucla.statbroadcast.com
ย
THE RUNDOWNย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย
MIDWEEK RECAPย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย
UCLA's pitching staff delivered an outstanding performance, leading the No. 14 Bruins to a 7-2 victory over LMU. The Bruins took a no-hitter into the seventh inning, with seven pitchers combining to allow just two hits and tally 14 strikeouts. CJ Bott shone in his first collegiate start, while AJ Salgado powered the offense with his 10th home run of the season. Roman Martin drove in a pair of runs and Cashel Dugger also contributed significantly reaching base three times on the evening.
ย
PROJECTED PITCHING MATCHUPS
Friday, May 2 - 6:30 p.m. PTย
UCLA โ RS Jr. LHP Ian May (6-2, 3.97 ERA)
USC โ Jr. LHP Caden Hunter (6-2, 4.50 ERA)
ย
Saturday, May 3 - 2 p.m. PTย
UCLA โ Jr. RHPย Michael Barnettย (8-0, 4.01 ERA)
USC โ Sr. RHP Caden Aoki (4-2, 4.71 ERA)
ย
Sunday, May 4 - 1 p.m. PTย
UCLA โ TBA
USC โ TBA
ABOUT THE TROJANSย ย ย
USC enters the rivalry weekend on a hot streak, having won seven consecutive games. The Trojans secured a home series victory against Gonzaga and swept Minnesota in conference play. Additionally, they triumphed in two local midweek matchups, defeating Long Beach State and CSUN in back-to-back Tuesday games. Currently tied for third with Oregon in the Big Ten standings at 14-7, USC has not lost a weekend series since it was swept by the Ducks from March 7-9.
ย
CHOLOWSKY NAMED TO GOLDEN SPIKES AWARD MIDSEASON WATCH LISTย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย
Sophomore Roch Cholowsky was named to the USA Baseball Midseason Golden Spikes Watch List. Cholowsky, a sophomore from Chandler, Ariz., has been outstanding for UCLA as it reaches the halfway point in the season. The shortstop is hitting a team-best .372 with 16 home runs and 52 RBIs during his excellent campaign. Cholowsky boasts team-bests in on-base percentage (.516) and slugging (.768) to post an OPS of 1.284. The 2024 Freshman All-American has produced in the crucial moments for the Bruins with five go-ahead home runs on the season. He launched a grand slam to complete UCLA's comeback against Michigan State on Feb. 23 in what was just the beginning of his heroics at the plate in 2025.
In what was arguably UCLA's most exhilarating win of the season, Cholowsky hit a three-run home run in the top of the ninth inning, giving the Bruins the lead when they were down to their final out against Maryland on March 7. This dramatic moment helped secured UCLA's first-ever victory in the Big Ten Conference.
ย
CARDIAC BRUINSย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย
UCLA has scored first just 16 times in its 44 games this season, racking up a total of 17 come-from-behind victories. Remarkably, the Bruins have pulled off three comebacks after trailing by five or more runs. Notably, UCLA is undefeated when scoring first, posting a perfect 16-0 record.
ย
ROCH AND THE ADVANCED STATISTICS
Roch Cholowsky has undoubtedly been one of the nation's most valuable players, and the advanced statistics prove it. According to data compiled by 643 charts, Cholowsky leads the nation in wins-above-replacement (WAR) with a mark of 4.93. UCLA's shortstop has particularly stood out defensively with a defensive-runs-saved mark of 14.08 and defensive WAR of 1.05. Cholowsky ranks second in the nation for both metrics.
ย
DAZZLING DOUBLE PLAYSย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย
The UCLA defense has turned 48 double plays this season which is the top mark in the country. The Bruins also lead the country in double plays-per-game, averaging 1.09 per contest. Roch Cholowsky and Phoenix Call have combined to turn 30 of the 46 twin killings. It is worth noting that all 48 double play turns have taken place in the infield as first baseman Mulivai Levu has been involved in all of them. The Bruins have been excellent defensively in 2025, posting a fielding percentage of .979 which ranks 21st nationally.
ย
CLOSING IN ON HISTORYย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย
Head Coach John Savage recently reached a significant milestone, eclipsing the 700-win mark at UCLA with a Friday night win over San Diego. With 709 wins at UCLA, he ranks second all-time, trailing only Gary Adams (1975-2004) who finished his career with 984 wins. Savage began his head coaching career at UC Irvine, where he notched 88 wins in his first three seasons, bringing his career total to 797, which ranks 23rd among active Division I coaches. His winning percentage of .599 with the Bruins is the highest among UCLA coaches with over 100 games coached.
ย
QUITE THE INTRODUCTIONย ย ย ย ย ย ย
Sophomore Grant Gray received his first career start in UCLA's midweek matchup with LMU on Tuesday night, and he made the most of it, launching a two-run home run in what was his first career hit. Gray is a two-way athlete, as he also competes as a wide out for the UCLA football team.
ย
BRUINS PICKED TO FINISH FOURTH IN BIG TEN PRESEASON POLLย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย
Big Ten Preseason Poll
1. Oregon
2. Nebraska
3. Indiana
4. UCLA
5. Michigan
6. USC
ย
FRIENDLY CONFINESย ย ย ย ย
UCLA clinched its 10th consecutive season with a winning record at Jackie Robinson Stadium. The Bruins have had a losing record at home just twice over the last 21 seasons, last occurring in 2014 (11-20).
ย
MIDWEEK NOTESย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย
NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCKย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย
UCLA added 11 newcomers ahead of the 2025 season, including eight freshmen and three transfers. Coach Savage has bolstered his pitching staff with three pitchers joining via the transfer portal. Left-hander Ian May (California) will look to occupy a spot in the starting rotation after logging 20 starts and 90.0 total innings for the Golden Bears. Fellow southpaw Ryan Rissas (UC San Diego) helped lead the Tritons to their first-ever Big West title in 2023. August Souza (Santa Clara) brings 43 appearances worth of experience after spending a total of five seasons (including 2020 Covid-shortened season) at Santa Clara.
ย
ย
SERIES INFORMATION
Venue:ย Great Park (Irvine, Calif.)
Stream:ย B1G+
Live Stats:ย ucla.statbroadcast.com
ย
THE RUNDOWNย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย
- UCLA moved up one spot in the most recent D1Baseball poll, landing at No. 14
- The Bruins are also ranked in the Baseball America poll at No. 20
- UCLA has won six of its seven conference series and currently sits in second place in the Big Ten standings
- The program has clinched another winning record, making it 16 winning records in 21 seasons under HC John Savage
- UCLA has won 10 of its 11 weekend series
- UCLA currently sits at 16 in the RPI rankings
- UCLA is 24-6 at Jackie Robinson Stadium this season
- UCLA's defense leads the country in double plays (48) and double plays-per-game (1.09)
- Roch Cholowsky was recently named to the Golden Spikes Award Midseason Watch List
- Cholowsky powered UCLA to a weekend sweep over Penn State, hitting a home run in each of the three games
- According to data compiled by 643 charts, Cholowsky leads the nation in wins-above-replacement (WAR) at 4.93
- Cholowsky leads the team in hitting at .372, mashing 16 home runs, collecting 52 RBIs, and slugging .768
- Cholowsky boasts an OPS of 1.285 which ranks second in the Big Ten
- Cholowsky has hit 10 home runs in April, slashing .403/.518/.881
- Dean West is hitting a team-best .439 with 22 runs scored, 13 walks, and four HBPs (.554 OBP) in the month of April
- Mulivai Levu ranks 38th in the nation and fourth in the Big Ten with 55 RBIs
- August Souza has allowed just two earned runs over his last 13 relief appearances
- At 23-5, UCLA achieved its best 28-game start to a season since 2010
- UCLA earned its first series win over Washington since 2019
- UCLA scored 37 runs in the sweep over Purdue, matching its tally from the three-game set against Cal Poly (Feb. 14-16)
- UCLA secured its first-ever sweep in the Big Ten era by winning three straight games over Nebraska
- Cholowsky was hit by a pitch three times on Tuesday, a first for UCLA in over a decade
- Against Michigan, UCLA scored 20 or more runs in a game for the first time since its 23-0 win over Omaha (2/18/23)
- UCLA enters its inaugural season in the Big Ten in 2025
- In 2023, the Bruins welcomed the top signing class in the country
- Roch Cholowsky returns for his sophomore season after receiving Freshman All-American acclaim (Perfect Game)
- Duce Gourson, Cody Schrier, and Luke Jewett were selected in the 2024 MLB Draft
- The Bruins were picked to finish fourth in the Big Ten Preseason Poll
- Roch Cholowsky, Cody Delvecchio, and Dean West were named Big Ten Players to Watch
- UCLA is coming off a 19-33 campaign, snapping a streak of seven consecutive winning seasons
- Three transfer pitchers (Ian May - Cal, Ryan Rissas - UCSD, August Souza - Santa Clara) bolster UCLA's pitching staff
MIDWEEK RECAPย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย
UCLA's pitching staff delivered an outstanding performance, leading the No. 14 Bruins to a 7-2 victory over LMU. The Bruins took a no-hitter into the seventh inning, with seven pitchers combining to allow just two hits and tally 14 strikeouts. CJ Bott shone in his first collegiate start, while AJ Salgado powered the offense with his 10th home run of the season. Roman Martin drove in a pair of runs and Cashel Dugger also contributed significantly reaching base three times on the evening.
ย
PROJECTED PITCHING MATCHUPS
Friday, May 2 - 6:30 p.m. PTย
UCLA โ RS Jr. LHP Ian May (6-2, 3.97 ERA)
USC โ Jr. LHP Caden Hunter (6-2, 4.50 ERA)
ย
Saturday, May 3 - 2 p.m. PTย
UCLA โ Jr. RHPย Michael Barnettย (8-0, 4.01 ERA)
USC โ Sr. RHP Caden Aoki (4-2, 4.71 ERA)
ย
Sunday, May 4 - 1 p.m. PTย
UCLA โ TBA
USC โ TBA
ABOUT THE TROJANSย ย ย
USC enters the rivalry weekend on a hot streak, having won seven consecutive games. The Trojans secured a home series victory against Gonzaga and swept Minnesota in conference play. Additionally, they triumphed in two local midweek matchups, defeating Long Beach State and CSUN in back-to-back Tuesday games. Currently tied for third with Oregon in the Big Ten standings at 14-7, USC has not lost a weekend series since it was swept by the Ducks from March 7-9.
ย
CHOLOWSKY NAMED TO GOLDEN SPIKES AWARD MIDSEASON WATCH LISTย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย
Sophomore Roch Cholowsky was named to the USA Baseball Midseason Golden Spikes Watch List. Cholowsky, a sophomore from Chandler, Ariz., has been outstanding for UCLA as it reaches the halfway point in the season. The shortstop is hitting a team-best .372 with 16 home runs and 52 RBIs during his excellent campaign. Cholowsky boasts team-bests in on-base percentage (.516) and slugging (.768) to post an OPS of 1.284. The 2024 Freshman All-American has produced in the crucial moments for the Bruins with five go-ahead home runs on the season. He launched a grand slam to complete UCLA's comeback against Michigan State on Feb. 23 in what was just the beginning of his heroics at the plate in 2025.
In what was arguably UCLA's most exhilarating win of the season, Cholowsky hit a three-run home run in the top of the ninth inning, giving the Bruins the lead when they were down to their final out against Maryland on March 7. This dramatic moment helped secured UCLA's first-ever victory in the Big Ten Conference.
ย
CARDIAC BRUINSย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย
UCLA has scored first just 16 times in its 44 games this season, racking up a total of 17 come-from-behind victories. Remarkably, the Bruins have pulled off three comebacks after trailing by five or more runs. Notably, UCLA is undefeated when scoring first, posting a perfect 16-0 record.
ย
ROCH AND THE ADVANCED STATISTICS
Roch Cholowsky has undoubtedly been one of the nation's most valuable players, and the advanced statistics prove it. According to data compiled by 643 charts, Cholowsky leads the nation in wins-above-replacement (WAR) with a mark of 4.93. UCLA's shortstop has particularly stood out defensively with a defensive-runs-saved mark of 14.08 and defensive WAR of 1.05. Cholowsky ranks second in the nation for both metrics.
ย
DAZZLING DOUBLE PLAYSย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย
The UCLA defense has turned 48 double plays this season which is the top mark in the country. The Bruins also lead the country in double plays-per-game, averaging 1.09 per contest. Roch Cholowsky and Phoenix Call have combined to turn 30 of the 46 twin killings. It is worth noting that all 48 double play turns have taken place in the infield as first baseman Mulivai Levu has been involved in all of them. The Bruins have been excellent defensively in 2025, posting a fielding percentage of .979 which ranks 21st nationally.
ย
CLOSING IN ON HISTORYย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย
Head Coach John Savage recently reached a significant milestone, eclipsing the 700-win mark at UCLA with a Friday night win over San Diego. With 709 wins at UCLA, he ranks second all-time, trailing only Gary Adams (1975-2004) who finished his career with 984 wins. Savage began his head coaching career at UC Irvine, where he notched 88 wins in his first three seasons, bringing his career total to 797, which ranks 23rd among active Division I coaches. His winning percentage of .599 with the Bruins is the highest among UCLA coaches with over 100 games coached.
ย
QUITE THE INTRODUCTIONย ย ย ย ย ย ย
Sophomore Grant Gray received his first career start in UCLA's midweek matchup with LMU on Tuesday night, and he made the most of it, launching a two-run home run in what was his first career hit. Gray is a two-way athlete, as he also competes as a wide out for the UCLA football team.
ย
BRUINS PICKED TO FINISH FOURTH IN BIG TEN PRESEASON POLLย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย
Big Ten Preseason Poll
1. Oregon
2. Nebraska
3. Indiana
4. UCLA
5. Michigan
6. USC
ย
FRIENDLY CONFINESย ย ย ย ย
UCLA clinched its 10th consecutive season with a winning record at Jackie Robinson Stadium. The Bruins have had a losing record at home just twice over the last 21 seasons, last occurring in 2014 (11-20).
ย
MIDWEEK NOTESย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย
- UCLA is 46-20 in midweek contests since the start of 2019
- The Bruins are 8-3 in midweek games this season
- Payton Brennan is slashing .409/.480/.591 with a home run during midweek competition
- Mulivai Levu has 14 RBIs in the 11 midweek games, slashing .302/.360/.488 with a pair of home runs
- UCLA has out-scored its opponents 101-50 during midweek games in 2025
- The Bruins went undefeated in midweeks in 2019 (11-0) and 2021 (8-0)
- UCLA won seven straight midweeks from Mar. 1 to Apr. 19, 2022
NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCKย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย
UCLA added 11 newcomers ahead of the 2025 season, including eight freshmen and three transfers. Coach Savage has bolstered his pitching staff with three pitchers joining via the transfer portal. Left-hander Ian May (California) will look to occupy a spot in the starting rotation after logging 20 starts and 90.0 total innings for the Golden Bears. Fellow southpaw Ryan Rissas (UC San Diego) helped lead the Tritons to their first-ever Big West title in 2023. August Souza (Santa Clara) brings 43 appearances worth of experience after spending a total of five seasons (including 2020 Covid-shortened season) at Santa Clara.
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Players Mentioned
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