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No. 1 UCLA’s quest for the second baseall national title in school history starts Friday.
The Bruins (51-6, 28-2 Big Ten) enter the NCAA tournament as the top overall seed and host against Saint Mary’s (34-25, 15-12 West Coast) to begin the Los Angeles Regional at Jackie Robinson Stadium.
After winning its first Big Ten tournament championship in program history on Sunday, UCLA is focused on continuing its dominance and embracing the target on its back as a College World Series favorite.
“We’ll see what happens, but I think just staying with us and not trying to do too much and just stay present,” UCLA junior outfielder Payton Brennan said. “That’s the main thing — and staying with each other.”
Their record and conference dominance aside, the Bruins sit atop several statistical categories and are intimidating across the diamond.
But UCLA coach John Savage said UCLA isn’t looking past its regional foes — Saint Mary’s, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and Virginia Tech.
“We don’t have the magic carpet ride to Omaha,” Savage said, referring to the site of the College World Series. “We have to earn it. And you got to earn every pitch now. Saint Mary’s is a very good team, Cal Poly’s a very good team, Virginia Tech. I mean, we have a ton of respect for our opponents. That’s never wavered. It’s more about us and how we go about our business.”
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Reddemann’s not ready
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Bruins’ right-handed ace Logan Reddemann will be unavailable for the Los Angeles Regional with the same throwing-arm soreness that has kept him off the mound since improving his record to 8-0 in a win over Minnesota on April 17.
“Logan looks like he’s still a week away,” Savage said. “Looks like he’s got one more bullpen [session] and [one] more live session if we can get there, to the super regional. But he will not be available this weekend. … I think he’s missed six or seven starts now. We’ve held up the fort since he’s left. Our guys have done a really, really good job.”
Reddemann posted a 2.87 ERA with 89 strikeouts in the 59 2/3 innings he pitched in 2026.
Savage praised right-handed starters Wylan Moss, who will start Friday, and Angel Cervantes for stepping in for Reddemann throughout the year.
Moss, a sophomore, has a 5-1 record and the Bruins have won all but one of his six starts since Reddemann went down. Cervantes, meanwhile, has heated up as he grows comfortable as a freshman, making waves for his start against Oregon in UCLA’s Big Ten championship win on Sunday.
“Wylan’s kind of taking the ball on Fridays,” Savage said. “Clearly, he’s had some really good outings. … And then Angel, you know, clearly filled in for [right-handed pitcher Landon Stump]. Moved Landon to the bullpen, I think that was a really good move. Stump [has] done really, really good out of the bullpen, and Angel looks like a future star as a starter.”
A Cervantes video has gone viral for bringing a mini dinosaur named Jerry with him to the mound every time he pitches. He said glancing at the the dinosaur next to him in the dirt helps keep him calm and focused.
UCLA also will be relying on other arms, such as right-handed starter Michael Barnett, to stay afloat in Reddemann’s absence.
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High expectations
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The Bruins were good in 2025, finishing with a 48-18 record after earning a trip to the College World Series as a No. 15 seed. But UCLA has been great in 2026.
Savage discussed how his Bruins are managing higher expectations this season.
“We are looked at quite a bit different than we were at this stage last season,” Savage said. “I don’t think people knew exactly what we were until we got through the playoff, got through the regionals and the super regions … and then won a game in Omaha. The expectations were so high this season.”
Savage was proud to note how UCLA remains the top-ranked team after earning the designation in the preseason.
The Bruins are the first team in college baseball history to remain No. 1 from start to finish of a single season.
“I’ve never been a part of something like this,” Savage said. “I think it is really a special credit to our players.”
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