There is nowhere to go but down once you reach the top.
The Bruins have maintained their No. 1 preseason ranking for the first two weeks of the 2026 campaign, but the real test comes this weekend.
No. 1 UCLA baseball (6-2) will head to Arlington, Texas, for the Amegy Bank College Baseball Series, where it will face off against three ranked SEC teams in No. 20 Tennessee (6-2), No. 23 Texas A&M (8-0) and No. 4 Mississippi State (9-0) at Globe Life Field.
While UCLA may be the top-ranked team heading into the tournament, it is coming off a midweek loss to mid-major program San Diego State at home.
“Looking back, this program is so strong and so connected that if you can’t handle losing, you shouldn’t be in this level,” said coach John Savage. “The fun thing about, as a coach, is you can respond from something like this.”
This 4-3 upset was the worst offensive game for the Bruins thus far, with key veterans such as junior centerfielder Will Gasparino and junior first baseman Mulivai Levu going hitless. Moreover, only three Bruin batters managed to get a hit, and no player had more than one.
“We weren’t ourselves (during the game against SDSU), we stuck back into … a little bit of a passive role,” said junior right-hander Cal Randall. “We just need to be aggressive and get ahead of things; I think that’s our main focus.”
The team’s opening game of this weekend’s tournament against Tennessee will be UCLA’s first away matchup of the season. During the 2025 season, the Bruins notched an 11-8 away record as well as a 6-3 neutral record, compared to a 31-7 home tally.
While the Bruins and Volunteers are ranked in the top 25, both have also sustained two upset losses this season. Tennessee fell to an unranked Kent State team twice, generating a series loss for the latter. And like UCLA, Tennessee is coming off a successful 2025 season.
The Vols came up short in the super regional round of the NCAA playoffs last season, a year after winning a national title. The Tennessee baseball veterans from the 2024 title run may boast the championship experience to compete with seasoned UCLA players.
The Bruins will then face the Aggies, who are undefeated heading into the weekend.
Texas A&M is a threat on both sides of the diamond, with the offense recording two separate 20-plus-run performances in the 2026 campaign thus far. But the pitching is the Aggies’ biggest strength. The three weekend starters for the Bruins’ adversary all have a sub-3.50 ERA, with right-hander Aiden Sims boasting a 1.38 ERA across 13 innings. This could pose some challenges for UCLA’s high-powered offense.
And UCLA will close out the weekend facing off against the undefeated Mississippi State.
The Bulldogs are the highest ranked team that the Bruins will face during the regular season with current rankings. However, Mississippi State has yet to compete against a major or ranked program. UCLA’s experience facing stiff competition, such as TCU, could give UCLA the advantage over a less seasoned Mississippi State team.
Moreover, there are some player uncertainties for the Bruins.
The team has been playing without usual starting junior second baseman, Phoenix Call; however, that could change. Savage said that Call may be available for the road tournament.
Additionally, there are some questions about the starting pitching rotation, particularly for Sunday.
“I’ll decide on the rotation tomorrow after evaluating,” Savage said.
For the past two weekends, Savage has given the Sunday nod to junior right-hander Landon Stump. Stump was the team’s Sunday starter last season as well, recording a 6-2 record in 2025.
While Stump hasn’t been able to make it past the fourth-inning mark this season, there is still a chance he could take the mound Sunday.
With three ranked teams on the horizon, the Bruins will likely be challenged in Arlington. But the upcoming trial doesn’t appear to intimidate the squad.
“I know there’s going to be a lot of adrenaline,” said junior third baseman Roman Martin. “I don’t think we have too much to worry about that (the preparation for facing ranked opponents), but … just staying ready, respecting our opponent and just playing our brand of baseball.”
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