No. 1 UCLA Takes on Purdue in B1G Tournament Quarterfinal

Friday, May 22

Omaha, Neb.

11:00 AM (PT)

UCLA

Purdue

Cashel Dugger

Photo by: Ross Turteltaub

No. 1 UCLA Takes on Purdue in B1G Tournament Quarterfinal

May 21, 2026 | Baseball

UCLA's Game Notes (PDF)Information Guide Media Center Watch (BTN)Live Stats

LOS ANGELES - The No.1-ranked UCLA baseball team has earned the top seed in the Big Ten Baseball Tournament presented by IFS.ai and will meet Purdue in the quarterfinal round on Friday, May 22 at 11 a.m. PT. inside Charles Schwab Field Omaha. The contest will be nationally broadcast on Big Ten Network, with Jack Kizer and Danan Hughes on the call. Fans can also follow along with live stats (StatBroadcast) and X/Twitter updates (@UCLABaseball).

GAME INFORMATION
Venue: Charles Schwab Field Omaha
Stream: Big Ten Network
Talent: Jack Kizer (play-by-play), Danan Hughes (analyst)
Live Stats: ucla.statbroadcast.com

THE RUNDOWN

UCLA is the first team in college baseball history to go wire-to-wire as the No. 1 team in the country for the entire regular season
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)
In its first two years in the Big Ten, UCLA is 48-12, winning 18 of 20 conference series, including 12 sweeps
UCLA became the first Division I team to reach 40 wins in its Tuesday night victory at UC Santa Barbara
HC John Savage has produced eight 40-win seasons during his tenure at UCLA (2010, '12, '13, '15, '19, '22, '25, '26)
The Bruins clinched the outright regular season Big Ten Conference title after sweeping Michigan State on May 3
UCLA has now won the regular season Big Ten Regular Season Championship in back-to-back seasons
UCLA is the only program in Division I baseball to win at least two out of three games in every weekend this season
UCLA and Oregon State are the only programs to win every traditional three-game series this season
The Bruins set a program record for the most regular season wins with 48
HC John Savage was named Big Ten Coach of the Year, marking his third Conference COTY honor (2015 and 2019)
Roch Cholowsky was named Big Ten Player of the Year for the second straight season
Cholowsky is the third player in Big Ten history to win back-to-back conference Player of the Year awards
UCLA won all of its regular season series
UCLA led all Big Ten teams with nine All-Conference honorees (7 First Team, 1 Second Team, 1 Third Team)
The Bruins are 11-1 against ranked opponents this season
Cholowsky is the Big Ten leader in home runs (21) and runs scored (70)
The Bruins' 28 conference wins marks the most league victories in UCLA program history
Easton Hawk is tied for the most saves in the nation with 14
Hawk closed out 11 of UCLA's last 18 conference victories
UCLA owns the nation's second-best team ERA (3.34) and ranks second nationally in WHIP (1.18)
UCLA's 27-game winning streak from Feb. 27 to Apr. 12 was the longest in program history
UCLA out-scored its opponents 255-85 during the 27-game winning streak
Roch Cholowsky was named a Brooks Wallace Award Semifinalist
Roman Martin leads the Bruins with 23 multi-hit games each this season
Easton Hawk has not allowed an earned run over his last 22 appearances, allowing just five hits over that span
UCLA has earned nine wins via the run-rule this season, including six during the 27-game win streak
UCLA swept Ohio St., Michigan, Maryland, Iowa, USC, Rutgers, Minnesota, and Michigan St. for eight straight B1G sweeps
The Bruins are ranked 11th in the nation for hit-by-pitches with 140 on the season
Cholowsky set the program for the most hit-by-pitches in a single-season with 23
Martin leads the team in hitting, posting a .340 average with seven home runs and 49 RBIs
UCLA made its sixth appearance at the CWS and fourth under Head Coach John Savage in 2025
The program has earned 17 winning records in 22 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
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
Cholowsky's 23 home runs was the most by a Bruin since 2000 (Forrest Johnson)
In 2023, the Bruins welcomed the top signing class in the country

WEEKEND RECAP
The No. 1-ranked Bruins dropped the opener 8-0 after being held to three hits, but UCLA responded with a dramatic 6-5 comeback in game two, scoring four runs over the final two innings, capped by Cashel Dugger's two-strike, go-ahead double, before cruising to a 6-1 win in Saturday's finale behind Roman Martin's four-hit, three-RBI performance and a dominant pitching effort that allowed just two hits. The series victory in Seattle, UCLA's first since 2014, pushed the Bruins to 48-6, secured the No. 1 seed for the Big Ten Tournament, and capped a record-setting regular season in which they won every weekend series.

PROJECTED PITCHING MATCHUP
Friday, May 22 - 11 a.m. PT
UCLA – So. RHP Wylan Moss (5-1, 2.38 ERA)
PUR – RS So. RHP Thomas Howard (6-0, 4.13 ERA)

HC JOHN SAVAGE NAMED BIG TEN COACH OF THE YEAR
Head Coach John Savage was unanimously selected Big Ten Coach of the Year, the third conference coach-of-the-year award of his career (also 2013 & 2019 Pac-12). Savage guided UCLA to one of the most dominant regular seasons in modern college baseball history, including the first wire-to-wire No. 1 ranking ever recorded for a full regular season, a program-record 48 regular season wins, the longest conference winning streak in Big Ten history, and the distinction of being the only team since 2017 Oregon State to win every regular-season weekend. He claimed his sixth conference title in 2026 and is set to make his 15th postseason appearance in 22 seasons at UCLA.

UNPRECEDENTED TEAM STRENGTH
The 2026 UCLA Bruins delivered the greatest regular season in program history, shattering records on their way to a 48-6 overall mark and a Big Ten-record 28 conference wins. UCLA became the first team in college baseball history to finish a full regular season wire-to-wire at No. 1 in the national rankings across both D1Baseball and Baseball America. The Bruins also established a school-record 27-game winning streak, matched the all-time Big Ten record with 27 consecutive league victories, and swept 12 conference series on the year. Across their first two seasons in the Big Ten, UCLA has gone 48-12 in conference play, winning 18 of 20 league series and cementing themselves as one of the most dominant programs of the modern era.

THAT'S A KILLSHOT!
Killshot Ratio is derived from Pearatings' killshot metric. A killshot occurs when a team scores 2+ runs in an inning while holding its opponent scoreless. Killshot Ratio measures how often a team delivers a killshot compared to how often it concedes one. Essentially, it measures how well a team creates and prevents crooked innings. UCLA leads the nation with a Killshot Ratio of 3.19. The Bruins average 1.54 killshots per game, the fourth-best mark nationally, while allowing just 0.48 killshots per game, the second-best rate in the country.

B1G TIME DOMINANCE
UCLA clinched the outright regular season championship with two weekends still left to play after sweeping its first eight series, rattling off 24 consecutive wins. The Bruins lost just one game of the road while winning all nine of its games in the eastern time zone (Ohio State, Rutgers, Michigan State) and adding a dominant series sweep in the central time zone at Iowa. UCLA has taken care of business at home, sweeping fifth-place Michigan, No. 18 USC, Maryland, and Minnesota, before earning a series victory over No. 13 Oregon. Mulivai Levu led the Bruins in hitting during league play, posting a .339 average with 11 home runs and 33 RBIs. The pitching staff has shined as well, keeping a league-best 3.21 team ERA during the title-winning run.

ROCH'IN AND ROLLIN'
Junior shortstop Roch Cholowsky was named Big Ten Player of the Year, becoming the third player in Big Ten history to earn the player of the year award in consecutive seasons, joining Minnesota's Luke Appert (2002-03) and Michigan's Barry Larkin (1984-85). He also becomes the first UCLA player to win multiple Player of the Year awards in his collegiate career. Cholowsky led the conference with 21 home runs, anchored UCLA's infield defense, and powered one of the nation's most complete lineups. The junior also earned All-Big Ten First Team honors at shortstop. Cholowsky delivered one of the most dominant two-way seasons in the country, hitting .330 with 21 home runs, 59 RBI, and a conference-high 70 runs scored while starting all 54 games at shortstop. He finished sixth in the conference for slugging (.684), fifth in OPS (1.149), and led the league in hit-by-pitches (23), powering a .465 on-base percentage.

BRUINS CLEAN UP B1G BASEBALL ALL-CONFERENCE AWARDS
No. 1-ranked UCLA highlighted its historic regular season 2026 campaign on Tuesday by earning a conference-best collection of nine Big Ten All-Conference honorees. The Bruins claimed Player of the Year, Coach of the Year, and placed student-athletes on every all-conference team, including a league-high nine total selections across the First, Second, and Third Teams.

UCLA ALL-CONFERENCE RECIPIENTS
First Team: Roch Cholowsky, Will Gasparino, Easton Hawk, Mulivai Levu, Roman Martin, Wylan Moss, Logan Reddemann
Second Team: Cashel Dugger
Third Team: Cal Randall
All-Defensive Team: Cashel Dugger, Will Gasparino, Mulivai Levu, Dean West
Sportsmanship Award: Cashel Dugger

HAWK'S FLYING HIGH
Sophomore right-hander Easton Hawk has been one of UCLA's most reliable and dominant bullpen arms, piecing together an elite season built on consistency, swing-and-miss stuff, and a remarkable run of scoreless outings. Hawk has settled into lockdown form, allowing just six earned runs across 32.1 innings with 38 strikeouts, only 21 hits, and a sparkling 1.67 ERA. His last 21 appearances have been especially impressive: Hawk has thrown 21.2 innings without allowing a single earned run, giving up just five hits in that entire stretch while striking out 27 and converting 11 saves. He's repeatedly delivered in high-leverage moments, stranding runners, closing out tight games, and overpowering hitters with clean, efficient innings. With a season line of 3-2, 14 saves, and a microscopic ERA, Hawk has emerged as one of the most dominant late-inning weapons in Division I baseball and a cornerstone of UCLA's nation-leading record.