After racking up a very impressive 28-2 record in the Big Ten Conference this season, the UCLA Bruins will be at home watching two conference rivals in the Super Regionals this weekend, with Oregon and USC both surviving in the NCAA tournament longer than UCLA.
It’s a massive shock within the sport, with the Bruins controlling the No. 1 spot in the Coaches Poll for the entire regular season, yet losing twice to Saint Mary’s at home in the NCAA regionals this past weekend.
Getting bounced in the regionals is a tough pill to swallow for the Bruins regardless of how you look at it, but it gets even worse when you consider that long-time rivals Oregon and USC are still alive, while Roch Cholowsky, Will Gasparino, Roman Martin and the rest of the star-studded UCLA team couldn’t protect their homefield.
Oregon will be on the road in Austin to face the Texas Longhorns while USC will travel across the country to face North Carolina in Chapel Hill. UCLA beat both teams in the Big Ten Conference tournament last month, with the Bruins owning a combined 7-1 record against the two teams this season.
There’s a legitimate gripe that Saint Mary’s was placed as the No. 4 seed in the Los Angeles Regional due to geographical convenience more so than the Gaels being the weakest team in the regionals, but a Bruins team loaded with MLB Draft prospects should have still been able to deal with Saint Mary’s. Instead, the Cal Poly Mustangs will be facing West Virginia this weekend after their surprising regional win.
Even with this year’s disappointing ending, there’s not a ton of moves for UCLA to make. The Bruins could potentially be more aggressive in the transfer portal but a lack of talent wasn’t an issue for this year’s Bruin roster. John Savage has established himself as a premier college coach, and there’s no chance UCLA decides to go in another direction after a 52-win season.
It’s a heart-breaking outcome for the loaded 2026 Bruins squad but UCLA will have to re-load and try again next spring to bring home the program’s first College World Series title since 2013.
This article originally appeared on UCLA Wire: UCLA will watch two Big Ten rivals compete in the Super Regionals
Reporting by Dylan McNeill, UCLA Wire / UCLA Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
