Coach John Savage – in just his fifth year with the program – ended the Bruins’ 13-year Men’s College World Series drought in 2010 when he led the team to Omaha, Nebraska.
And the Bruins made themselves known.
With a team that included Gerrit Cole, Rob Rasmussen, Cody Decker and Trevor Bauer, UCLA finished as the runner-up to South Carolina for national glory.
And three years later – in 2013 – a team without any of those four players finished the job, defeating Mississippi State for the program’s first MCWS title.
But the Bruins hadn’t made it back to college baseball’s biggest stage for 12 years.
Not until Saturday.
No. 15 seed UCLA baseball (47-16, 22-8 Big Ten) returns to Charles Schwab Field to face Murray State (44-15, 17-8 Missouri Valley). And while Saturday may be the Bruins’ first Men’s College World Series game since hoisting the 2013 NCAA title, the current squad is returning to familiar territory, having played in Omaha less than a month ago.
“This team doesn’t feel like this is the end of the journey,” Savage said. “It wasn’t our goal to just get to Omaha. We’ve talked a lot about going and playing well, taking our game to whoever we play.”
The Bruins – the only Big Ten team to even make the NCAA super regionals – played in the conference’s tournament at Charles Schwab Field. UCLA went 3-0 in Omaha before losing to Nebraska in the tournament championship, one of just two losses the team has endured since May 9.
Roch Cholowsky – who was named Perfect Game’s College Player of the Year on Tuesday – has hit .348 across UCLA’s five NCAA tournament games. The problem, though, is that the sophomore shortstop hasn’t drawn a walk or delivered an extra-base hit throughout that stretch.
“He’s just missing some pitches, probably trying to do too much,” Savage said. “We’re not worried about it at all. It doesn’t carry over to the defensive side of the ball, and he’s a premium shortstop. … All he cares about is winning.”
And getting back in the Charles Schwab Field right-handed batter’s box may just be what Cholowsky needs to get back in a groove.
The sophomore hit three home runs in the Bruins’ first three games in Omaha – part of a larger stretch where he left the park seven times in eight games.
“This is surreal to me,” Cholowsky said. “It’s something that I’ve dreamed of for as long as I can remember. … We’re not done yet.”
Plus, a 0-for-5 performance in the conference tournament title game probably left the shortstop yearning for more.
“We’re the last team in the Big Ten standing, so we’re the only team that has gotten to play there,” Cholowsky said. “We’ve played there in front of a big crowd too, which is useful. Using that next week is going to help us; same ballpark, same everything. We just have to get back out there and do what we’ve been doing already.”
Cinderella magic
On paper, the Bruins seem to have drawn the easiest pick of the litter.
But championships aren’t won on paper.
While the Racers own the worst RPI of the eight MCWS teams, they are not here by accident.
Murray State won the Missouri Valley conference tournament for an automatic bid to its first NCAA tournament since 2003.
It defeated No. 10 seed Ole Miss twice in Mississippi to advance out of the Oxford regional and took two of three from Duke on the road to make it to Omaha – with both its appearances in the super regional and MCWS as firsts for its program.
Led by Missouri Valley Coach of the Year Dan Skirka, the Racers are spearheaded on the field by outfielder Jonathan Hogart and third baseman Carson Garner, who boast a 1.162 and 1.027 OPS, respectively.
And in right-handers Nic Schutte and Isaac Silva, Murray State boasts two of the conference’s three first-team starting pitchers, though neither boasts an ERA below 4.50.
Under the bright lights
Roman Martin has gone back and forth between wearing glasses at the plate seemingly all season.
For instance, he wore them May 31 against Arizona State but not Sunday against UTSA.
“It’s just an eye thing,” the sophomore third baseman said Saturday. “I can see the ball a lot better in the morning or when it’s sunny out. But at night, especially with these lights (at Jackie Robinson Stadium) – they’re not the best.”
But Martin’s coach was quick to cut him off.
“Roman, Roman, Roman,” Savage said. “Lights are fine, don’t blame the lights.”
The coach’s comments elicited a laugh from the third baseman.
Coincidentally, the Bruins upgraded Jackie Robinson Stadium’s lighting in 2008 to be eligible to host an NCAA super regional, like they did this past weekend, according to UCLA Athletics.
And Martin hasn’t had any trouble playing under the bright lights – at home or in Omaha.
The third baseman has slashed .395/.455/.684 across 44 plate appearances in nine games this postseason.
And after a slow start to the season where Martin was hitting below the Mendoza line as late as March 4, he’s slashing .320/.451/.509 on the season.
Old conferences die hard
Coincidentally, just a year after the “Conference of Champions” fell apart, three teams of the old Pac-12 find themselves in Omaha – UCLA, Arizona and Oregon State.
In 2024, there were none – the field was composed of four SEC and four ACC teams.
“Particularly in the West, they make it very difficult,” Savage said. “There are so many great coaches and players in the West, and we beat each other up. This is for the West. … Everybody has played well, and that’s a credit to the West.”
Additionally, none of the eight teams that qualified for last year’s MCWS made it back this year.
In 2025, only two teams – No. 3 seed Arkansas and No. 6 seed LSU – qualified for the tournament from the SEC. Louisville is the sole representative from the ACC, and Coastal Carolina hails from the Sun Belt Conference.
The rest of the bracket is filled with the Bruins’ former conference foes, with the Wildcats belonging to the Big 12 and the Beavers having played this season as an independent.
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