No. 1 UCLA Faces Pepperdine in Tuesday Tilt at JRS

Tuesday, March 17

Los Angeles, CA

6:00 PM (PT)

UCLA

Pepperdine

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Ian May

Photo by: Ross Turteltaub

No. 1 UCLA Faces Pepperdine in Tuesday Tilt at JRS

March 16, 2026 | Baseball

Game Notes (PDF)Information Guide Media Center Watch (B1G+)Live Stats

LOS ANGELES - The No.1-ranked UCLA baseball team will host Pepperdine for a midweek contest on Tuesday, March 17 at 6 p.m. PT. The game will be broadcast 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 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 (17-2) since 2010 when the Bruins opened the year 22-0
The Bruins' 6-0 start to Big Ten play marks its best league start since 1977 when they competed in the Pac-8
The Bruins swept Ohio State and Michigan for back-to-back Big Ten sweeps to open their conference slate
In the sweep over Michigan, the UCLA pitching staff held its opposition scoreless in 24 of 27 innings
UCLA starting pitchers combined for 16.0 IP, 2 ER, and 19 strikeouts in the weekend sweep over Michigan
Roch Cholowsky was named Big Ten Player of the week after hitting .615 (8-for-13) with two homers and nine RBI
UCLA scored 40 runs in the OSU sweep, its most in any series since 2023 and its most in a conference series since 2022
The Bruins captured the Amegy Bank College Baseball Series Championship after a perfect 3-0 weekend
Will Gasparino is sixth in the NCAA Division I home run charts with 11 homers on the season
Gasparino's 11 home runs through the first 19 games of the season is a UCLA record in the BBCOR era (2012-present)
Gasparino ranks fifth in the nation for slugging percentage (.985)
Gasparino was named the Most Outstanding Player of the Amegy Bank College Baseball Series
Will Gasparino leads the team in hitting, posting a .403 average with 11 home runs and 34 RBIs
Wylan Moss has allowed just one earned run through 18.2 innings, striking out 30 with just one walk
Moss was recently named to the National Pitcher of the Year Watch List by the College Baseball Foundation
Moss has posted a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 30.0 which leads the nation
The Bruins have six victories over ranked opponents
UCLA made its sixth appearance at the CWS and fourth under Head Coach John Savage in 2025
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
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 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)
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
No. 1 UCLA swept Michigan in a dominant three-game weekend, extending its winning streak to 11 and remaining perfect in Big Ten play. The Bruins opened the series with a 10-5 win on Friday, erupting for 10 runs across the first four innings behind three-hit, two-RBI nights from Roch Cholowsky and Will Gasparino and six strong innings from Logan Reddemann. On Saturday, UCLA clinched the series with a 2-0 shutout, as Michael Barnett and Wylan Moss combined for 8.2 scoreless frames and Gasparino delivered a two-run double that accounted for all the scoring. The Bruins completed the sweep on Sunday with a 7-2 victory fueled by Cholowsky's 3-for-4, three-RBI performance, including his 10th homer, and five scoreless innings from Landon Stump. Strong relief work throughout the weekend and timely hitting from Mulivai Levu, Roman Martin, and Dominic Cadiz helped UCLA secure its best conference start since 1977.

PROJECTED PITCHING MATCHUP
Tuesday, March 17 - 6 p.m. PT
UCLA – Fr. RHP Angel Cervantes (1-0, 5.25 ERA)
PEPP – Fr. RHP Arnold Wu (0-0, 10.57 ERA)

ABOUT THE WAVES
Pepperdine enters the season in full rebuild mode under second-year head coach Tyler LaTorre, who overhauled the roster with 21 newcomers in an effort to jump-start what was the nation's lowest-producing offense a year ago. LaTorre tapped into familiar talent, bringing in Westmont College graduates Daniel Patterson and Trey Dunn, both proven power bats, to anchor a lineup that also returns key pieces like Danny Cook, Julian Nunez, and center fielder Joe Cardinale. The Waves added further upside with two-way USC transfer Dylan Osborne, Michigan transfer Johnny Backus, freshman James Dell'Amico, and catcher Aidan Camberg, a bounce-back from UC Santa Barbara expected to make an immediate impact. Pepperdine believes meaningful offensive improvement will unlock the potential of a pitching staff that returns experienced starters Tommy Scavone and Dylan Stewart, as well as closer Lucien Weschsberg, who flashed dominance when healthy. The bullpen is deep with veteran transfers Jake Guardiancic, Gabe Maya, and Ryan Humphreys joining a large group of returning arms who logged more than 100 combined appearances last season.

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 one earned run across 18.2 innings while piling up 30 strikeouts against a single walk. He owns a 0.48 ERA, is holding opponents to a .145 average, and has punched out nearly half the hitters he's faced. His 30.0 strikeout-to-walk ratio leads the country. 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. Gasparino is the national leader in home runs with 10 on the season.

BRUIN BOMBERS
Will Gasparino and Roch Cholowsky have formed one of the most dangerous duos in college baseball to start the season, combining for 21 home runs, 61 RBIs, and 125 total bases across UCLA's first 19 games. Cholowsky is slashing .368/.500/.868 with 10 homers, 27 RBIs, and 29 runs scored, while Gasparino is slashing an astounding .403/.534/.985 with 11 homers, 34 RBIs, and 23 runs.

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.