No. 1 UCLA Hosts San Diego State to Complete Season-Opening Homestand

Tuesday, February 24

Los Angeles, CA

5:00 PM (PT)

UCLA

San Diego State

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Mulivai Levu

Photo by: Mac Brown

No. 1 UCLA Hosts San Diego State to Complete Season-Opening Homestand

February 23, 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 complete its eight-game home stand to open the 2026 season when it welcomes San Diego State to Jackie Robinson Stadium on Tuesday, Feb. 24 at 5 p.m. PT. The contest will be available to watch on B1G+ with Nick Koop and Sid Iyer on the call. Fans can also follow along with live stats (StatBroadcast) and X/Twitter updates (@UCLABaseball).

GAME INFORMATION
Venue: Jackie Robinson Stadium
Stream: B1G+
Talent: Nick Koop (play-by-play), Sid Iyer (analyst)
Live Stats: ucla.statbroadcast.com

THE RUNDOWN

UCLA enters the season as the preseason No. 1 ranked team (D1Baseball.com)
The Bruins are coming off a perfect 4-0 week, defeating Tulane before sweeping No. 7 TCU at home
UCLA out-scored No. 7 TCU 30-8 over the weekend
Roch Cholowsky and Will Gasparino are tied atop the NCAA Division I home run charts with six homers each
As a team, the Bruins ranks fourth in the nation with 17 total home runs
Cholowsky and Gasparino each enjoyed two multi-homer games last week
Wylan Moss dazzeled in his relief appearance on Saturday, striking out 10 batters with nine straight to end the ballgame
Gasparino was named Perfect Game's National College Player of the Week
Gasparino (Player of the Week) an Moss (Pitcher of the Week) each garnered Big Ten weekly honors
UCLA's Big Ten weekly honors were its first since joining the conference
UCLA made its sixth appearance at the CWS and fourth under Head Coach John Savage in 2025
The Bruins swept through postseason play to advance to the College World Series
UCLA took two of three games from UC San Diego on opening weekend
Mulivai Levu leads the team in hitting, posting a .467 average with one home run and 10 RBIs
Ian May has emerged as one of UCLA's top bullpen arms, posting a 2.08 ERA over four appearances with 12 strikeouts
The Bruins were selected as the No. 15 national seed and hosted its first NCAA Super Regional since 2019
UCLA earned its seventh super regional berth and sixth under Coach Savage
The Bruins returned to the postseason for the 15th time in the last 21 seasons
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
UCLA claimed its first conference title since 2019
HC John Savage secured his fifth conference championship at UCLA in 2025
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's team fielding percentage of .982 ranked seventh nationally and first in the Big Ten 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
According to data compiled by 643 charts, Cholowsky led the nation in wins-above-replacement (WAR) at 6.49 in 2025
Cholowsky's 23 home runs was the most by a Bruin since 2000 (Forrest Johnson)
Dean West broke the single-season HBP record with 22 last season
Mulivai Levu ranked second in the nation and led the Big Ten with 85 RBIs in his sophomore campaign
Levu and Cholowsky have combined for the most RBIs (159) by a UCLA duo since 1997
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's top-ranked squad dominated all weekend, sweeping No. 7 TCU behind explosive offense and overpowering pitching. In Friday's opener, Roch Cholowsky's two-homer, five-RBI outburst and Logan Reddemann's 10-strikeout gem fueled a 10-2 rout. The Bruins clinched the series Saturday with a 5-1 win, highlighted by Michael Barnett's steady start and Wylan Moss's electric four-inning save featuring nine straight strikeouts, while Will Gasparino homered and drove in three. UCLA finished the job Sunday with a 15-5 run-rule victory, launching four home runs, including two more from Gasparino and another from Cholowsky, who tied him for the national lead, while freshman Elai Iwanaga impressed in his debut.

PROJECTED PITCHING MATCHUP
Tuesday Feb. 24 - 5 p.m. PT
UCLA – Fr. RHP Angel Cervantes (0-0, 13.50 ERA)
SDSU – RS So. RHP Alec Belardes (0-1, 7.20 ERA)

ABOUT THE AZTECS
San Diego State enters 2026 under new head coach Kevin Vance after a 20-39 season and significant roster turnover, with nearly 70 percent of the team replaced. The Aztecs' biggest strength lies in a revamped pitching staff headlined by transfer starters Rohan Lettow, Drew Talavs, and Alec Belardes, plus Arizona bullpen arms Bryce McKnight and Carson Johnson, while veteran Aidan Russell is expected to anchor the late innings. Despite the uncertainty created by so many newcomers, SDSU gains a major boost from the return of program legend Stephen Strasburg as special assistant, enhancing both player development and program momentum. Only two everyday position players, outfielders Zane Kelly and Jake Jackson, return, but the lineup is bolstered by impact transfers such as dynamic leadoff threat Adam Magpoc and an Oregon State built infield of Dawson Santana, Jabin Trosky, and Tyce Peterson. Though expectations are modest after four straight losing seasons, the influx of talent and renewed energy around the program make SDSU a volatile but intriguing wild card in 2026.

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.

GASPARINO AND MOSS EARN B1G WEEKLY HONORS
Will Gasparino and Wylan Moss swept the Big Ten's weekly awards after powering the No. 1 Bruins to a 4-0 week capped by a sweep of No. 7 TCU, marking the program's first conference honors since joining the league. Gasparino delivered one of the nation's most dominant offensive stretches, going 7-for-13 with five home runs, 13 RBIs, and a staggering 1.769 slugging percentage while playing flawless defense. Moss was equally electric on the mound, striking out 10 over four scoreless innings in Saturday's win, including an incredible streak of nine consecutive punchouts to close the game.

BRUIN BOMBERS
Will Gasparino and Roch Cholowsky have formed one of the most dangerous duos in college baseball to start the season, combining for 12 home runs, 27 RBIs, and 62 total bases across UCLA's first seven games. Cholowsky is slashing .393/.486/1.143 with six homers, 12 RBIs, and 11 runs scored, while Gasparino sits right beside him at .391/.548/1.304 with six homers, 15 RBIs, and 10 runs.

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.