UCLA Baseball Opens Season as Preseason No. 1

LOS ANGELES, Calif. -- UCLA baseball enters the upcoming season carrying both momentum and expectation. After reaching the College World Series for the first time since its 2013 national championship, the Bruins have been tabbed as the No. 1 team in the preseason Top 25, a reflection of both last year’s success and the rare continuity they bring into the new year.

The 2025 season marked a turning point for the program. UCLA finished 48–18 overall and 22–8 in Big Ten play, capturing the conference’s regular-season title and proving it could thrive on college baseball’s biggest stage. The trip to Omaha was the culmination of a long-term vision under head coach John Savage, who is entering his 22nd season in Westwood with more than 700 wins at the helm.

Rather than chasing quick fixes through the transfer portal, UCLA leaned into a recruiting philosophy built heavily around high school talent. That approach required patience during short-term growing pains in 2023 and 2024, but it paid dividends when a sophomore-heavy roster matured together and handled the pressure of a deep postseason run.

Shortstop Roch Cholowsky emerged as a centerpiece of that group, providing production, leadership, and defensive stability up the middle. Still, UCLA’s rise was far from a one-man story. The Bruins showcased balance across the lineup, dependable pitching depth, and a level of composure that often only comes with shared experience.

That experience is now the foundation of the Bruins’ preseason No. 1 ranking. UCLA returns nearly all of its core contributors, a rarity in an era defined by annual roster turnover. While many contenders across the country are piecing together new lineups and rotations, the Bruins begin the season with a roster that already understands how to win together.

Continuity gives UCLA a significant advantage. The team knows what it takes to navigate a demanding conference schedule, respond to adversity, and perform under the bright lights of postseason play. Those lessons, learned firsthand in Omaha, now shape a group with unfinished business.

With expectations soaring and a target firmly on its back, UCLA will be challenged nightly. But the Bruins are built to handle that pressure. Armed with experience, depth, and a roster that has grown together, UCLA enters the season not just as a preseason favorite but as a legitimate national title contender determined to finish what it started a year ago.