Friday, May 30
1:00 PM (PT)
UCLA
vs
Fresno State
Dean West
Photo by: Ross Turteltaub
No. 13 UCLA Set to Host Los Angeles Regional
May 29, 2025 | Baseball
LOS ANGELES - The No. 13-ranked UCLA baseball team will welcome UC Irvine, Arizona State, and Fresno State to Jackie Robinson Stadium to host its first regional since 2019. The Bruins will open the weekend with a 1 p.m. PT contest against four-seed Fresno State on Friday, May 30. The games will be broadcast on the ESPN Family of Networks, with Dani Wexelman and Xavier Scruggs on the call. Fans can also follow along with live stats (StatBroadcast) and X/Twitter updates (@UCLABaseball).
ย
REGIONAL INFORMATION
Venue:ย Jackie Robinson Stadium
Stream:ย ESPN Family of Networks
Talent:ย Dani Wexelman (play-by-play), Xavier Scruggs (analyst)
Radio:ย UCLA Bruins Audio Network
Talent:ย Nick Koop (play-by-play), Sid Iyer (analyst)
Live Stats:ย ucla.statbroadcast.com
ย
THE RUNDOWNย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย
UCLA battled through two tightly contested matchups to remain undefeated in pool play at the Big Ten Baseball Tournament, first outlasting Illinois 8-6 before staging a late comeback to topple Michigan 7-5. The Bruins hit the 40-win milestone for the first time since 2022, powered by standout performances from Payton Brennan and Phoenix Call, who both delivered clutch hits. Roch Cholowsky continued his dominance, blasting home runs in both games, including his 22nd of the seasonโmarking the most by a UCLA player since 2000. Despite using a patchwork pitching approach, the Bruins found ways to secure wins, with Easton Hawk and August Souza shutting the door in the final frames. With two wins secured, UCLA advanced to the knockout stage, setting up a semifinal showdown against third-seeded Iowa. Cholowsky homered yet again and Michael Barnett tossed five strong innings to power the Bruins to the championship game, where they would meet eight-seed Nebraska. UCLA couldn't muster any offensive momentum, falling to the Cornhuskers 5-0 in just its second defeat via the shutout this season.
ย
ABOUT THE ANTEATERSย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย
UCLA and UC Irvine split the home-and-home series in 2025. The Bruins won in dominant fashion in Westwood, downing the Anteaters 11-4 in the midweek contest. On April 22, UC Irvine held off a late UCLA comeback to come away with the 5-3 win. The Anteaters won the regular season Big West Championship, but fell to Cal Poly in the conference's inaugural postseason tournament.
ย
ABOUT THE SUN DEVILSย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย
Former Pac-12 foes, the Bruins and Sun Devils will square off in the regional round for the first time since 1987. The two teams split their midweek series back in February, with UCLA winning the opener 8-4 behind a grand slam from Roch Cholowsky. In the Wednesday contest, the Bruins' bat went silent in one of its two shutouts this season. In their Big XII debut, the Sun Devils finished with a 35-22 record, tying for fourth place in the standings. ASU snuck into the field of 64 as one of the last four teams in.
ย
ABOUT THE BULLDOGSย
UCLA and Fresno State matchup for the first time since 2011 when the teams met in the Los Angeles Regional. The Bruins lead the all-time series 27-22. The Bulldogs secured back-to-back NCAA Regional appearances by winning the Mountain West Tournament, marking their 37th in program history. Head Coach Ryan Overland, a former Bulldog catcher and College World Series champion, has led the team to regionals in both seasons since taking over full-time. Fresno State enters the postseason with an overall record of 31-27, narrowly missing a regular-season title. Offensively, they boast a team batting average north of the .300 mark, scoring 7.1 runs per game, with Murf Gray (.330, 73 RBI), Justin Stransky (.319, 43 RBI), and Bobby Blandford (.313, 52 RBI) leading the charge.
CHOLOWSKY NAMED GOLDEN SPIKES SEMIFINALISTย ย ย ย ย
UCLA sophomore shortstop Roch Cholowsky has been named one of 25 semifinalists for the Golden Spikes Award, USA Baseball announced Sunday. The Golden Spikes Award is given annually to the nation's top amateur baseball player. Cholowsky is UCLA's first Golden Spikes Semifinalist since Ryan Garcia in 2019 and the program's first position player to earn the honor since Jeff Gelalich in 2012. Cholowsky, a sophomore from Chandler, Ariz., has been outstanding for UCLA,ย hitting a team-best .369 with 23 home runs and 69 RBIs during his excellent campaign. Cholowsky's 23 home runs is the most by a Bruin since the 2000 season (Forrest Johnson). Cholowsky has posted a Big Ten-best 1.290 OPS and led the league in on-base percentage at .513. During conference play, he ranked first in slugging (.839), total bases (99), and runs scored (41).
CARDIAC BRUINSย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย
UCLA has scored first just 23 times in its 58 games this season, racking up a total of 20 come-from-behind victories. Remarkably, the Bruins have pulled off three comebacks after trailing by five or more runs. UCLA is 22-1 when scoring first in 2025.
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 6.36, over a full game more than the next closest player. UCLA's shortstop has particularly stood out defensively with a defensive-runs-saved (DRS) mark of 17.80 and defensive WAR of 1.33. At the plate, Cholowsky has been equally impressive, leading the country in offensive WAR at 5.03 and offensive runs-above-replacement (ORAR) of 67.20.
ย
DAZZLING DOUBLE PLAYSย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย
The UCLA defense has turned 58 double plays this season which is the top mark in the country. The Bruins also lead the country in double plays-per-game, averaging exactly one per contest. It is worth noting that nearly all the double play turns have taken place in the infield as first baseman Mulivai Levu has been involved in 57 of the 58 twin killings. The Bruins have been excellent defensively in 2025, posting a fielding percentage of .981 which ranks 10th nationally. Levu has been fantastic playing his position at first base, making just one error in 488 total chances (.998 fielding percentage).
ย
IN ELITE COMPANYย ย ย ย ย ย ย
Head Coach John Savage recently reached a significant milestone, eclipsing the 800-win mark for his career with a Saturday night win at Illinois. With 718 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 806, which ranks 23rd among active Division I coaches and first among active Big Ten coaches. His winning percentage of .600 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
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
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
REGIONAL INFORMATION
Venue:ย Jackie Robinson Stadium
Stream:ย ESPN Family of Networks
Talent:ย Dani Wexelman (play-by-play), Xavier Scruggs (analyst)
Radio:ย UCLA Bruins Audio Network
Talent:ย Nick Koop (play-by-play), Sid Iyer (analyst)
Live Stats:ย ucla.statbroadcast.com
ย
THE RUNDOWNย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย
- UCLA was selected as the No. 15 national seed and will host its first NCAA Regional since 2019
- UCLA enters the week ranked No. 13 in the D1Baseball national poll
- UCLA earned its 26th NCAA Tournament berth and 14th under Head Coach John Savage
- The Bruins return to the postseason for the 15th time in the last 21 seasons
- Coach Savage holds UCLA's best postseason record, going 46-27 across 13 appearances
- 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 claimed its first conference title since 2019
- HC John Savage secured his fifth conference championship at UCLA
- Six different Bruins received All-Conference honors: Cholowsky (1st), Levu, Barnett, Martin, Salgado (2nd), and Moss (FT)
- The program has clinched another winning record, making it 16 winning records in 21 seasons under HC John Savage
- With UCLA victory on May 10, Coach Savage earned his 800th career win
- UCLA's defense leads the country in double plays (58) and double plays-per-game (1.00)
- UCLA has won 13 of its 15 weekend series this season
- UCLA are currently 15th in the RPI rankings
- UCLA is 26-7 at Jackie Robinson Stadium this season
- UCLA's team fielding percentage of .981 ranks 10th nationally and first in the Big Ten
- UCLA collected five weekend sweeps, including four during Big Ten play
- Roch Cholowsky was recently named a Golden Spikes Award Semifinalist
- According to data compiled by 643 charts, Cholowsky leads the nation in wins-above-replacement (WAR) at 6.36
- Cholowsky's 23 home runs is the most by a Bruin since 2000 (Forrest Johnson)
- Cholowsky leads the team in hitting at .369, mashing 23 home runs, collecting 69 RBIs, and slugging .783
- Cholowsky boasts an OPS of 1.290 which leads the Big Ten
- Cholowsky broke UCLA's single-season hit-by-pitch record when he was plunked for the 20th time last week
- Michael Barnett ranks third in the nation and tops the Big Ten with 11 wins on the season
- AJ Salgado is the first UCLA player to record double-digit home runs (12) and stolen bases (11) in a season since 2012
- Mulivai Levu ranks 15th in the nation and second in the Big Ten with 74 RBIs
- At 23-5, UCLA achieved its best 28-game start to a season since 2010
- 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
UCLA battled through two tightly contested matchups to remain undefeated in pool play at the Big Ten Baseball Tournament, first outlasting Illinois 8-6 before staging a late comeback to topple Michigan 7-5. The Bruins hit the 40-win milestone for the first time since 2022, powered by standout performances from Payton Brennan and Phoenix Call, who both delivered clutch hits. Roch Cholowsky continued his dominance, blasting home runs in both games, including his 22nd of the seasonโmarking the most by a UCLA player since 2000. Despite using a patchwork pitching approach, the Bruins found ways to secure wins, with Easton Hawk and August Souza shutting the door in the final frames. With two wins secured, UCLA advanced to the knockout stage, setting up a semifinal showdown against third-seeded Iowa. Cholowsky homered yet again and Michael Barnett tossed five strong innings to power the Bruins to the championship game, where they would meet eight-seed Nebraska. UCLA couldn't muster any offensive momentum, falling to the Cornhuskers 5-0 in just its second defeat via the shutout this season.
ย
ABOUT THE ANTEATERSย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย
UCLA and UC Irvine split the home-and-home series in 2025. The Bruins won in dominant fashion in Westwood, downing the Anteaters 11-4 in the midweek contest. On April 22, UC Irvine held off a late UCLA comeback to come away with the 5-3 win. The Anteaters won the regular season Big West Championship, but fell to Cal Poly in the conference's inaugural postseason tournament.
ย
ABOUT THE SUN DEVILSย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย
Former Pac-12 foes, the Bruins and Sun Devils will square off in the regional round for the first time since 1987. The two teams split their midweek series back in February, with UCLA winning the opener 8-4 behind a grand slam from Roch Cholowsky. In the Wednesday contest, the Bruins' bat went silent in one of its two shutouts this season. In their Big XII debut, the Sun Devils finished with a 35-22 record, tying for fourth place in the standings. ASU snuck into the field of 64 as one of the last four teams in.
ย
ABOUT THE BULLDOGSย
UCLA and Fresno State matchup for the first time since 2011 when the teams met in the Los Angeles Regional. The Bruins lead the all-time series 27-22. The Bulldogs secured back-to-back NCAA Regional appearances by winning the Mountain West Tournament, marking their 37th in program history. Head Coach Ryan Overland, a former Bulldog catcher and College World Series champion, has led the team to regionals in both seasons since taking over full-time. Fresno State enters the postseason with an overall record of 31-27, narrowly missing a regular-season title. Offensively, they boast a team batting average north of the .300 mark, scoring 7.1 runs per game, with Murf Gray (.330, 73 RBI), Justin Stransky (.319, 43 RBI), and Bobby Blandford (.313, 52 RBI) leading the charge.
CHOLOWSKY NAMED GOLDEN SPIKES SEMIFINALISTย ย ย ย ย
UCLA sophomore shortstop Roch Cholowsky has been named one of 25 semifinalists for the Golden Spikes Award, USA Baseball announced Sunday. The Golden Spikes Award is given annually to the nation's top amateur baseball player. Cholowsky is UCLA's first Golden Spikes Semifinalist since Ryan Garcia in 2019 and the program's first position player to earn the honor since Jeff Gelalich in 2012. Cholowsky, a sophomore from Chandler, Ariz., has been outstanding for UCLA,ย hitting a team-best .369 with 23 home runs and 69 RBIs during his excellent campaign. Cholowsky's 23 home runs is the most by a Bruin since the 2000 season (Forrest Johnson). Cholowsky has posted a Big Ten-best 1.290 OPS and led the league in on-base percentage at .513. During conference play, he ranked first in slugging (.839), total bases (99), and runs scored (41).
CARDIAC BRUINSย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย
UCLA has scored first just 23 times in its 58 games this season, racking up a total of 20 come-from-behind victories. Remarkably, the Bruins have pulled off three comebacks after trailing by five or more runs. UCLA is 22-1 when scoring first in 2025.
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 6.36, over a full game more than the next closest player. UCLA's shortstop has particularly stood out defensively with a defensive-runs-saved (DRS) mark of 17.80 and defensive WAR of 1.33. At the plate, Cholowsky has been equally impressive, leading the country in offensive WAR at 5.03 and offensive runs-above-replacement (ORAR) of 67.20.
ย
DAZZLING DOUBLE PLAYSย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย
The UCLA defense has turned 58 double plays this season which is the top mark in the country. The Bruins also lead the country in double plays-per-game, averaging exactly one per contest. It is worth noting that nearly all the double play turns have taken place in the infield as first baseman Mulivai Levu has been involved in 57 of the 58 twin killings. The Bruins have been excellent defensively in 2025, posting a fielding percentage of .981 which ranks 10th nationally. Levu has been fantastic playing his position at first base, making just one error in 488 total chances (.998 fielding percentage).
ย
IN ELITE COMPANYย ย ย ย ย ย ย
Head Coach John Savage recently reached a significant milestone, eclipsing the 800-win mark for his career with a Saturday night win at Illinois. With 718 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 806, which ranks 23rd among active Division I coaches and first among active Big Ten coaches. His winning percentage of .600 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
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
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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