The 2026 NCAA Tournament begins on Friday, May 29. Here is World Baseball Network’s preview of the Los Angeles regional.
Los Angeles Regional – Jackie Robinson Stadium
No. 1 – UCLA Bruins (51-6, 28-2 Big Ten) – Number One National Seed
The UCLA Bruins are hosting the Los Angeles regional as the number one overall seed in the 2026 NCAA Tournament. UCLA has stormed through the 2026 college baseball season, losing only six games. The Bruins brought home both the Big Ten regular season title and the conference’s tournament title as well.
Roch Cholowsky and Mulivai Levu headline the Bruins’ deep lineup. Both players are top 100 2026 MLB Draft prospects according to MLB Pipeline.
Levu leads the Bruins in batting average this season at .342. He also has 11 doubles, 17 home runs, and 62 RBIs. Cholowsky, who is trending towards being the number one overall pick in the 2026 MLB Draft, has a .329 batting average this season. He also has 10 doubles, 21 home runs, and 59 RBIs.
Another bat to watch out for in UCLA’s lineup is Roman Martin. He has a very solid batting average of .333 with 17 doubles. Martin leads UCLA in doubles this season.
As the number one national seed, the Bruins are the team to beat in the 2026 NCAA Tournament. They have lost just once in their last seven games heading into the NCAA Tournament. With a 27-5 record at Jackie Robinson Stadium, they will be a tough team to knock out for the other three opponents in Los Angeles.
No. 2 – Virginia Tech Hokies (30-24, 15-15 ACC)
The Virginia Tech Hokies head to Los Angeles as the regional’s two seed. In the ACC Tournament in Charlotte, the Hokies went 1-1. They defeated the Notre Dame Fighting Irish 17-10. However, the North Carolina Tar Heels defeated them in the quarterfinal round 10-4.
One thing to watch with Virginia Tech is how their pitching handles the three opponents in the region from California. The Hokies ranked last in the ACC this season in team ERA (6.95) and benefited a lot from a strong defense that ranked third in the ACC with a fielding percentage of .978.
Freshman Ethan Ball is a player to watch on Virginia Tech. He leads the Hokies in home runs this season with 16 and has a .310 batting average. Ball also has 17 doubles and 51 RBIs as well.
No. 3 – Cal Poly Mustangs (36-22, 22-8 Big West)
The Cal Poly Mustangs won back-to-back Big West tournament titles to make it to the NCAA Tournament for the second-straight season. The Mustangs showed last season that they can compete hard in the NCAA Tournament. They won two games in the 2025 Eugene regional.
Cal Poly is filled with several players who brought home accolades in 2026. Ryan Tayman brought home the Big West Co-Field Player of the Year award, and Casey Murray Jr. won the Big West Defensive Player of the Year award.
No. 4 – Saint Mary’s Gaels (34-25, 15-12 WCC)
The Saint Mary’s Gaels enter the 2026 NCAA Tournament having won the West Coast Conference tournament title. It is the second-straight tournament the Gaels have been in and their third appearance in the NCAA Tournament all-time.
2026 Los Angeles Regional Schedule
Fri. May 29 – Saint Mary’s vs UCLA – 3 p.m. ET – ESPNU
Fri. May 29 – Cal Poly vs Virginia Tech – 8 p.m. ET – ESPN+
WBN NCAA: https://worldbaseball.com/league/ncaa/
PHOTO: UCLA shortstop Phoenix Call (4) throws during an NCAA baseball game against BYU on Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Kyusung Gong)
