The University of California, Los Angeles announced on Mar. 19 that its top-ranked baseball team will host Maryland for a three-game series at Jackie Robinson Stadium starting Friday, March 20. The games are scheduled for Friday evening, Saturday afternoon, and Sunday afternoon, with broadcasts available on B1G+ and live updates provided through StatBroadcast and X/Twitter.
This matchup is significant as UCLA enters the series as the consensus No. 1 team in the country, holding top rankings from all major outlets. The Bruins have started their season with an 18-2 record, their best since 2010, and remain undefeated in Big Ten play after sweeping both Ohio State and Michigan.
Recent performances have highlighted standout players such as Roch Cholowsky, who was named Big Ten Player of the Week after hitting .615 with two home runs and nine RBIs during a four-game stretch. Will Gasparino has also made headlines by ranking sixth nationally in home runs with 11 this season—a UCLA record in the BBCOR era—and earning Most Outstanding Player honors at the Amegy Bank College Baseball Series. On the mound, Wylan Moss has allowed just one earned run over 18.2 innings while striking out 30 batters against only one walk; he was recently named to the National Pitcher of the Year Watch List.
The projected pitching matchups feature Logan Reddemann (5-0), Michael Barnett (4-0), and Landon Stump (1-0) for UCLA against Maryland’s Lance Williams (1-1), Evan Smith (0-1), and Jake Yeager (0-0). Maryland arrives with a roster bolstered by transfers and freshmen following a challenging previous season marked by pitching struggles.
UCLA’s stability stands out in an era of frequent transfer movement across college baseball programs. The Bruins return 83 percent of their overall production from last year—including most plate appearances and innings pitched—giving them one of the most experienced rosters nationwide. Preseason accolades include Cholowsky being named Baseball America’s Preseason Player of the Year and Levu securing a spot on its Third Team; both were also listed on the Golden Spikes Award Preseason Watch List.
Looking ahead, UCLA aims to continue its strong start to conference play while maintaining its position atop national rankings.
