In 2024, the University of California-Los Angeles Bruins finished the season 19-33 overall and were 9-21 in Pac-12 play.
The winning ways have returned to the blue and gold in Southern California as the Bruins entered their first year in the Big Ten. After a thrilling 9-8 walk-off win against the Loyola Marymount Lions, UCLA is 19-5 overall. D1 Baseball has them ranked as the 24th best team in the country.
They have thrived against Big Ten teams as well. The Bruins have a 7-2 record in conference play and have beaten Maryland, Nebraska, and Indiana in weekend series thus far.
They also took down Michigan State, Michigan, and their arch-rival, USC. Despite those being Big Ten matchups, they did not count towards UCLA’s Big Ten record.
What part of the game has the Bruins playing so well? Their pitching has taken a seat as one of the best staffs in the Big Ten.
Heading into Tuesday night’s game against LMU, they ranked third in the conference in team ERA at 3.97. This puts them behind only Oregon and Iowa.
Michael Barnett is leading the charge for the Bruins in this pitching success. He leads UCLA in ERA at 3.07 in seven appearances. Two of those appearances have been starts. He has a 6-0 record this season.
Up Next – UCLA will travel east for their fourth Big Ten weekend series of the season. They will be in West Lafayette, Ind. playing the Purdue Boilermakers from March 28-30.
The first pitch for the game at Alexander Field on Friday, March 28, will be at 6 p.m. EST.
The Boilermakers are having a great overall season with a 20-4 record.
Photo: UCLA third baseman Roman Martin takes his stance during an NCAA baseball game against BYU on Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Kyusung Gong)
