Latest news with #Cholowsky
USA Today
16-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
UCLA's star-studded sophomore class hopes to buck transfer portal trend at College World Series
UCLA's star-studded sophomore class hopes to buck transfer portal trend at College World Series Show Caption Hide Caption 4 MLB prospects to watch during the 2025 Men's College World Series 4 MLB prospects The Montgomery Advertiser's Adam Cole and The Southwest Times Record's Jackson Fuller are watching during the 2025 Men's College World Series OMAHA, NE ― Don't tell the teams in the 2025 College World Series that paying transfer portal prospects top dollar in NIL money is necessary to be here. Yes, there are a few of those teams in Omaha, most notably Arkansas and LSU. But the other teams — Coastal Carolina, Arizona, Louisville, UCLA, Murray State and Oregon State — weren't exactly writing blank checks. Those teams were built in different ways. Transfers make up the majority of Arkansas' top contributors, but LSU's roster has a combination of top-ranked transfers and former blue-chip high-school recruits. Oregon State, Louisville and Coastal Carolina have focused mostly on identifying and developing players out of high school. Arizona and Murray State excelled at finding players out of the junior college ranks. And then there's UCLA, which will face off against LSU in a winners bracket game on June 16 (7 p.m. ET, ESPN) at Charles Schwab Field for a spot in the semifinals. The 2013 national champions had fallen on hard times. The Bruins hadn't been to Omaha since that national title and failed to qualify for a regional altogether in 2023 and 2024. UCLA had the nation's top-ranked recruiting class in 2023, and those players played a lot as freshmen, but a year ago the strategy didn't seem to be working out. But the Bruins stuck with it. Going into the 2024 season, they took just two transfers — pitchers Ian May from Cal and August Souza from Santa Clara. Only one other player on the roster was a transfer: outfielder AJ Salgado, who transferred from Division II Cal State Los Angeles before the 2023 season and has spent the last three seasons with the Bruins. But in 2025, the blue-chip talent on the roster began to come through. Despite a rough season in 2024, the team's impending move to the Big Ten and the fact that several UCLA players had transferred to the SEC in past seasons, 14 of the 16-member 2023 recruiting class stayed with the Bruins. The two who did not both went to junior colleges. The crown jewel of that class was Roch Cholowsky, who hit .308 with eight home runs as a freshman but exploded for .367 and 23 home runs as a sophomore. Cholowsky was named the Big Ten Player of the Year and a Dick Howser Trophy finalist. Cholowsky isn't the only one. Seven of UCLA's nine starters in its College World Series-opening win over Murray State were part of that sophomore class. Dean West and Phoenix Call each had two hits; Roman Martin had two RBIs. "Really the last couple of years, the last thing you want to be is young in college baseball, college football, college basketball," Bruins coach John Savage said in UCLA's pre-Omaha press conference on June 12. "That model used to work. But that model doesn't work as many freshmen as we had. So, now if they turn into super sophomores, like we have now. Then you wore it last year and now you come back and it's paid off. But some people don't have patience. "But to our credit our kids have stayed together. They believe in one another. They're really good players. And there's a lot of future high prospects on our team other than Roch." MORE: Oregon State, Coastal Carolina baseball led by former players in College World Series 2025 The Tigers, who defeated Arkansas in their opening game, are an example of a perfect transfer portal strategy. They brought in several impact players in the offseason, including pitchers Anthony Eyanson and Zac Cowan, and second baseman Daniel Dickinson. But LSU, too, has plenty of contribution from its own recruits like ace pitcher Kade Anderson, first baseman Jared Jones, outfielder Derek Curiel and reliever Casan Evans. But in an era in which outsiders increasingly see a roster-building strategy like LSU's as a necessity to win championships, teams such as UCLA with throwback strategies are looking to buck that trend. Aria Gerson covers Vanderbilt athletics for The Tennessean. Contact her at agerson@ or on X @aria_gerson.
Los Angeles Times
12-06-2025
- Sport
- Los Angeles Times
Why UCLA might have an edge over everyone else at the Men's College World Series
OMAHA, Neb. — An NCAA communications official apologized to UCLA baseball coach John Savage before he could join two of his players on the stage for Thursday's news conference. They hadn't printed all the nameplates for the coaches yet. The coach then sat next to star shortstop Roch Cholowsky and outfielder Dean West at the microphone, finished typing into his phone and leaned forward for his opening statement. 'Well, I think you can see by nameplate, you can tell that they weren't expecting us,' Savage deadpanned. He admitted he was teasing before acknowledging the Bruins' circumstances heading into their Men's College World Series opener against Murray State on Saturday at 11 a.m. PDT (ESPN). UCLA hasn't been to the College World Series since winning it all in 2013. The Bruins were the No. 1 national seed in 2015 and 2018. Neither team survived the regional and super regional gauntlet to be one of the last eight teams standing. Savage felt good about his team in 2020 before the pandemic shut down the season. He liked their resilience in the following seasons. Then came the Bruins' 19-win campaign last year. It was a humbling experience for their touted sophomore class that's led a drastic turnaround. 'It's really special,' Cholowsky said. 'We've got a special group of guys. We've dealt with a lot of adversity through the year. Just getting back to Omaha, where the Bruins should be, is special to us.' No team in this year's CWS field played in last year's tournament — the first time that's happened since 1957. But the Bruins set themselves apart from the field because they have played at Charles Schwab Field this year. Omaha hosted last month's Big Ten tournament. The Bruins won their first three games in the tournament before falling 5-0 to Nebraska in the conference title game. 'Coach made a good point after the game that we can use this game and that weekend out in Omaha in the Big Ten tournament, and it's only going to be useful if we make it useful,' Cholowsky said. 'So just understanding the park, getting a taste for what Omaha is and just being hungry to get back here was the main thing.' Savage believes that week-long tournament helped the Bruins get a feel for the ballpark. They know the downtown streets, the hotels and the practice schedule. But he doesn't want the team to get too comfortable. He wants them to keep the edge they've developed since being shutout. That loss is the team's only blemish in the last 14 games. The Bruins composed themselves to sweep their regional and super regional to win something that had eluded them for more than a decade. Savage knew months ago that this team could be the one to get back to Omaha. The Bruins were locked out of Jackie Robinson Field on Sept. 26, forcing them to scramble to different high school fields in L.A. traffic. On Thursday, Savage equated it to the Colts leaving Baltimore in Mayflower trucks over 40 years ago. U.S. District Judge David O. Carter has since restored access to the team's access to its home stadium, providing stability they needed during the season. 'It felt, at the end of the fall, I knew we potentially had something special,' Savage said. 'I was just hoping ... that we had enough talent. The makeup was there, the character, the loyalty, the toughness. That's great to have all that, but you've got to have talent at this level.' This talented team will likely play its CWS opener in a hostile environment. Fans at Omaha typically cling to underdog stories and regional fourth seed Murray State certainly fits that bill. Savage assured everyone that he's taking the Racers seriously because of their path. They've won 44 games with regional wins over Ole Miss and Georgia Tech before taking two games off Duke. Helping the Bruins go forward in the tournament is a boost to its pitching staff. Cody Delvecchio is with the team in Omaha and academically eligible to play. Delvecchio has pitched simulated games and live at bats recently, but Savage acknowledged the situation is like calling someone up from triple-A to the MLB playoff roster. The right hander bolsters the Bruins' bullpen going into a two-week stretch every college player dreams about. And something everyone in the program has longed for. 'We want to come back here, put our name back out there on the map and show everyone what West Coast baseball has to offer,' West said.
Los Angeles Times
09-06-2025
- Sport
- Los Angeles Times
The Sports Report: Bill Plaschke shares a personal story
From Bill Plaschke: They pull giant boxing gloves over aging, sometimes shaking hands. They approach a black punching bag on weary, sometimes wobbly feet. Then they wail. They hit the bag with a left-handed jab, a right-handed reverse, a hook, another hook, an uppercut, another jab, bam, bam, bam. They end the flurry with kicks, side kicks, thrust kicks, wild kicks, their legs suddenly strong and purposeful and fueled by a strength that once seemed impossible. Outside of this small gym in a nondescript office park in Monrovia, they are elderly people dealing with the motion-melting nightmare that is Parkinson's disease. But inside the walls of Kaizen Martial Arts & Fitness, in a program known as Kaizen Kinetics, they are heavyweight champs. Ranging in age from 50 to 90, spanning the spectrum of swift strides to wheelchairs, they are the most courageous athletes I've met. I am in awe of them, perhaps because I am one of them. I, too, am living with Parkinson's disease. Continue reading here All Times Pacific NBA FINALS Oklahoma City vs. Indiana Indiana 111, at Oklahoma City 110 (box score, story)at Oklahoma City 123, Indiana 107 (box score, story)Wednesday at Indiana, 5:30 p.m., ABCFriday at Indiana, 5:30 p.m., ABCMonday at Oklahoma City, 5:30 p.m., ABCThursday, June 19 at Indiana, 5:30 p.m., ABC*Sunday, June 22 at Oklahoma City, 5 p.m., ABC* *if necessary From Benjamin Royer: Since coming to Westwood, Roch Cholowsky has had Omaha on his mind. The Big Ten Player of the Year — a projected No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 MLB draft by some analysts — turned Charles Schwab Field in Omaha into a playground during the Big Ten tournament, winning player of the tournament honors despite UCLA not claiming the championship. So far, in the NCAA tournament, Cholowsky had been uncharacteristically quiet for his standards. He still made hard plays look easy as a 'premium shortstop' — as UCLA coach John Savage glowed about his defensive skills — but his bat wasn't making its usual noise. Cholowsky finally had his moment Sunday. Cholowsky's RBI single off that strike in the fifth, a part of his two-for-five day, clinched UCLA's spot in the Men's College World Series with a 7-0 victory over Texas San Antonio. The two-game sweep of the Roadrunners gave the Bruins their sixth berth to Omaha and first since 2013, when they won it all. Continue reading here From Kevin Baxter: The Dodgers have sent Clayton Kershaw to the mound to give a slumping team a lift countless times during his 18-year career. And they've rarely been disappointed. They did it again on a sultry Sunday afternoon in St. Louis and once again Kershaw delivered, earning his first win of the season in a 7-3 victory over the Cardinals that broke a two-game losing streak and ended a slide that had seen the Dodgers lose five of their last seven. 'He's been a stopper for many years. He's been a staff ace for many years. He's going to the Hall of Fame,' Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said before the game. 'So he understands. And he's going to be prepared.' Continue reading here Dodgers box score MLB scores MLB standings George Kirby struck out a career-high 14 during seven innings of two-hit ball, and the Seattle Mariners snapped their five-game losing streak with a 3-2 victory over the Angels on Sunday. Kirby (1-3) issued no walks while retiring both his first 11 and his final 10 batters. His strikeouts were the most by a Mariners pitcher since James Paxton had 16 in May 2018, and he matched Miami's Max Meyer for the most strikeouts in a major league game this season. Taylor Ward hit a two-run homer in the fourth for the Halos, who struck out 18 times overall while losing for only the second time in six games. Continue reading here Angels box score MLB scores MLB standings Denis Bouanga had a goal and two assists, Eddie Segura scored his first goal since 2020 and LAFC extended its MLS unbeaten streak to nine games with a 3-1 win over Sporting Kansas City on Sunday night at BMO Stadium. Bouanga converted from the penalty spot in the 59th to give LAFC (7-4-5), which had 56% possession and outshot Kansas City 21-5, a 2-1 lead. Dejan Joveljic scored a goal for the fourth consecutive game when he ran onto a through ball played ahead by Manu García, and scored from near the penalty spot to make it 1-0 in the 39th minute. Continue reading here LAFC summary MLS standings Coco Gauff won the French Open for the first time by defeating top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka 6-7 (5), 6-2, 6-4 in Saturday's final for her second Grand Slam singles title. The second-ranked Gauff made fewer mistakes in a contest that was full of tension and momentum swings to get the better of Sabalenka for the second time in a Grand Slam final. She also came from a set down to beat the Belarusian in the 2023 U.S. Open final. Gauff raised the winner's trophy aloft, then kissed it several times. She held her hand over her heart when the U.S. national anthem played. She is the first American woman to win at Roland-Garros since Serena Williams in 2015. She then thanked her parents for doing everything 'from washing my clothes to keeping me grounded and giving me the belief that I can do it.' 'You guys probably believe in me more than myself,' Gauff said in her on-court speech. It was the first No. 1 vs. No. 2 final in Paris since 2013, when Williams defeated Maria Sharapova, and just the second in the last 30 years. Continue reading here ———— Carlos Alcaraz rallied from two sets down and saved three match points to beat Jannik Sinner 4-6, 6-7 (4), 6-4, 7-6 (3), 7-6 (10-2) on Sunday and win the French Open title for a second straight year. Alcaraz, who won his fifth Grand Slam tournament in as many finals, produced one of the greatest comebacks in the history of the clay-court tournament. It was even better than his performance here last year, when he came back from 2-1 down in sets in the final against Alexander Zverev. But this time Alcaraz emulated Novak Djokovic's feat from the 2021 final at Roland-Garros, where he fought back from two sets down to beat Stefanos Tsitsipas. Continue reading here Tennis great Stan Smith on life lessons, Arthur Ashe's legacy and his namesake shoes All times Pacific STANLEY CUP FINAL Edmonton vs. Floridaat Edmonton 4, Florida 3 (OT) (summary, story)Florida 5, at Edmonton 4 (2 OT) (summary, story)Monday at Florida, 5 p.m., TNTThursday at Florida, 5 p.m., TNTSaturday at Edmonton, 5 p.m., TNTTuesday, June 17 at Florida, 5 p.m., TNT*Friday, June 20 at Edmonton, 5 p.m., TNT* * If necessary 1888 — James McLaughlin sets the record for wins by a jockey in the Belmont Stakes, six, when he rides Sir Dixon to a 12-length victory. McLaughlin's record is matched by Eddie Arcaro in 1955. 1899 — Jim Jeffries knocks out Bob Fitzsimmons in the 11th round in New York to win the world heavyweight title. 1930 — Paavo Nurmi runs world record 6 mile (29:36.4). 1934 — Olin Dutra edges Gene Sarazen by one stroke to win the U.S. Open. 1940 — Lawson Little beats Gene Sarazen by three strokes in a playoff to win the U.S. Open golf title. 1945 — Hoop Jr. wins the Kentucky Derby, which is run one month after a national wartime government ban on racing is lifted. 1946 — Joe Louis KOs Billy Conn in 8 for heavyweight boxing title. 1973 — Secretariat, ridden by Ron Turcotte, wins the Belmont Stakes in record time to capture the Triple Crown. Secretariat sets a world record on the 1½-mile course with 2:24, and a record for largest margin of victory in the Belmont, 31 lengths. 1978 — Larry Holmes scores a 15-round split decision over Ken Norton for the WBC heavyweight title in New York. 1979 — Coastal, ridden by Ruben Hernandez, spoils Spectacular Bid's attempt at the Triple Crown with a 3¼-length victory over Golden Act. Spectacular Bid finishes third. 1984 — Swale, ridden by Laffit Pincay, wins the Belmont Stakes by four lengths over Pine Circle. Swale dies eight days later. 1984 — French Open Women's Tennis: Martina Navratilova beats Chris Evert 6-3, 6-1; 2nd women in Open Era to hold all 4 Grand Slam titles at once. 1985 — Kareem Abdul-Jabbar scores 29 points to lead the Lakers to a 111-100 victory over the Boston Celtics and the NBA title in six games. 1990 — Monica Seles holds off four set points in the first set tiebreaker and goes on to become the youngest winner of the French Open, beating two-time champion Steffi Graf 7-6 (8-6), 6-4. Seles is 16 years, six months. 1991 — In the first all-American men's final at the French Open since 1954, Jim Courier rallies to beat Andre Agassi 3-6, 6-4, 2-6, 6-1, 6-4 for his first Grand Slam title. 1993 — Patrick Roy makes 18 saves and the Montreal Canadiens capture their 24th Stanley Cup, beating the Kings 4-1 in Game 5. 2001 — Stanley Cup Final, Pepsi Center, Denver, CO: Colorado Avalanche beat defending champion New Jersey Devils, 3-1 for 4-3 series win; Avalanche 2nd title. 2001 — Jennifer Capriati beats Kim Clijsters 1-6, 6-4, 12-10 to win the French Open, her second consecutive Grand Slam title. 2003 — The New Jersey Devils end the Mighty Ducks' surreal season, winning the Stanley Cup with a 3-0 victory. Mike Rupp, who had never appeared in a playoff until Game 4, scores the first goal and sets up Jeff Friesen for the other two. 2007 — Rags to Riches, a filly ridden by John Velazquez, outduels Curlin in a breathtaking stretch run and won the Belmont Stakes, becoming the first of her sex to take the final leg of the Triple Crown in more than a century. 2010 — Chicago's Patrick Kane sneaks the puck past Michael Leighton 4:10 into overtime, stunning Philadelphia and lifting the Blackhawks to a 4-3 overtime win in Game 6 for their first Stanley Cup championship since 1961. 2013 — Rafael Nadal becomes the first man to win eight titles at the same Grand Slam tournament after beating fellow Spaniard David Ferrer in the French Open final, 6-3, 6-2, 6-3. 2018 — Justify becomes the 13th Triple Crown winner by winning the Belmont Stakes with Mike Smith aboard. 2019 — French Open Men's Tennis: Rafael Nadal beats Austrian Dominic Thiem 6-3, 5-7, 6-1, 6-1; 3rd straight French singles title; 12th overall; first to win 12 singles titles at same Grand Slam; 18th major. 2022 — The controversial Saudi-backed LIV Golf Invitational Series gets underway at the Centurion Club, Hertfordshire; PGA suspends 17 participating players. 2024 — French Open Men's Tennis: Carlos Alcaraz becomes the youngest man to win grand slams on all three surfaces, coming back to beat Alexander Zverev 6-3, 2-6, 5-7, 6-1, 6-2 in a final lasting 4 hours 15 minutes 1901 — The New York Giants set a major league record with 31 hits in beating Cincinnati 25-13. Al Selbach of the Giants went 6-for-7 with two doubles and four singles and scored four runs. 1906 — Boston snapped a 19-game losing streak by beating the St. Louis Cardinals 6-3. 1914 — Honus Wagner of the Pittsburgh Pirates got the 3,000th hit of his career off Philadelphia's Erskine Mayer in a 3-1 loss to the Phillies at the Baker Bowl. Wagner's hit, a double, came in the ninth. Wagner joined Cap Anson as the only members of the 3,000-hit club. 1935 — The St. Louis Cardinals became the 10th team in major league history to score a run in every inning in a 13-2 win over the Chicago Cubs. 1946 — Commissioner Happy Chandler imposed five-year suspensions on players who jumped to the Mexican League and three-year suspensions for those who broke the reserve clause. 1946 — The New York Giants' Mel Ott became the first manager to be ejected in both ends of a doubleheader. The Pittsburgh Pirates won both games, 2-1 and 5-1. 1963 — Playing the first Sunday night game in major league history because of excessive heat during the day, the Houston Colt .45s handed the San Francisco Giants their seventh straight loss in Houston, 3-0. Turk Farrell and Skinny Brown pitched the shutout. 1966 — Rich Rollins, Zoilo Versalles, Tony Oliva, Don Mincher and Harmon Killebrew homered in the seventh inning for the Minnesota Twins in a 9-4 victory over the Kansas City Athletics. 1979 — Nolan Ryan struck out 16 batters as the Angels beat the Detroit Tigers 9-1. It was the 21st time in his career he struck out 15 or more batters in one game. 1986 — White Sox pitcher Tom Seaver (306) and Angels hurler Don Sutton (298) had the highest composite win total (604) for opposing pitchers since 1926, when Walter Johnson (406) faced Red Faber (197). Sutton pitched a two-hit shutout to beat the White Sox 3-0. 1990 — Eddie Murray of the Dodgers tied Mickey Mantle's record by homering from each side of the plate in the same game for the 10th time in his career. The Dodgers beat the Padres 5-4 in 11 innings. 1998 — Cecil Fielder of the Angels and Yamil Benitez of the Diamondbacks each hit grand slams in the same inning in Anaheim's 10-8 win over Arizona. It was the first time both teams hit grand slams in the same inning since 1992. 2008 — Ken Griffey Jr. became the sixth player in baseball history to reach 600 homers with a drive off Mark Hendrickson in the first inning of the Cincinnati Reds' 9-4 victory over the Florida Marlins. 2014 — Lonnie Chisenhall had nine RBIs and three home runs in a five-hit game, Michael Brantley scored five times and the Cleveland Indians beat the Texas Rangers 17-7. 2015 — Chris Heston pitched the first no-hitter in his 13th career start, leading the San Francisco Giants over the New York Mets 5-0. The rookie allowed three baserunners — all on hit batters. He also had a two-run single for his first big league RBIs and finished with two more hits than the Mets. 2019 — The Nationals accomplish a very rare feat as four consecutive batters hit solo homers in the 8th inning in Petco Park in San Diego to break a 1-1 tie. Pinch-hitter Howie Kendrick starts things off against Craig Stammen, and is followed by Trea Turner, Adam Eaton and Anthony Rendon, who all go yard. This is only the ninth time in major league history this has happened, and the Nats were the last to do so, on July 27, 2017. 2019 — Former Boston Red Sox star David Ortiz shot in the back while visiting in his native Dominican Republic. 2022 — The Twins open the bottom of the 1st against the Yankees with three consecutive homers off Gerrit Cole at Target Field, by Luis Arraez, Byron Buxton and Carlos Correa. This is the first time in franchise history this has happened. Compiled by the Associated Press That concludes today's newsletter. If you have any feedback, ideas for improvement or things you'd like to see, email me at To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.
Yahoo
08-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
After a 12-year wait, UCLA is back in the Men's College World Series
Since coming to Westwood, Roch Cholowsky has had Omaha on his mind. The Big Ten Player of the Year — a projected No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 MLB draft by some analysts — turned Charles Schwab Field in Omaha into a playground during the Big Ten tournament, winning player of the tournament despite UCLA not claiming the championship. Advertisement So far, in the NCAA tournament, Cholowsky had been uncharacteristically quiet for his standards. He still made hard plays look easy as a 'premium shortstop' — as UCLA coach John Savage glowed about his defensive skills — but his bat wasn't making its usual noise. Lagging behind for Cholowsky isn't the same for the rest of Division I baseball. The Arizona-raised team captain was still hitting .333 through the regionals and super regionals entering Sunday. A big swing, however, had yet to come — Cholowsky flying out to the deep outfield on numerous occasions across the last two weeks. 'He's just trying to do too much, probably,' Savage reasoned after Game 1 of the Los Angeles Super Regional on Saturday. 'All he cares about is winning. That's all what these guys all care about. We like an average Roch. Average Roch is pretty good.' Cholowsky finally had his moment Sunday. He did a little too much, as Savage said, trying to catch Texas San Antonio's defense sleeping and got picked off at third base in the fifth. But his big swing finally arrived — a swing that helped deliver the Bruins to Omaha. Advertisement Cholowsky's RBI single in the fifth, a part of his 2-for-5 day, clinched UCLA's spot in the Men's College World Series with a 7-0 victory over UTSA. The two-game Los Angeles Super Regional sweep of the Roadrunners makes for the Bruins' sixth berth to Omaha and first since 2013, when they won it all. Cholowsky, whose trip to Omaha as a high-school senior convinced him of going to UCLA rather than becoming a likely first-round MLB draft selection, will now get his wish. The shortstop fell to the ground as Phoenix Call caught the final out in shallow right field, holding his head to the dirt. Cholowsky leapt up from the ground, his teammates already celebrating at the center of the diamond. He joined them, jumping in glee. His dreams, realized. Whereas Cholowsky may be one of the most well-known Bruins baseball players in recent memory, it was a little-playing junior who broke a scoreless game. Outfielder Toussaint Bythewood, a Harvard-Westlake alumnus, dunk a soft line drive into right field for a two-out RBI single against UTSA starting pitcher Conor Myles. Bythewood, who had started twice all season and taken just 12 at bats entering the game, provided the Bruins with their winning swing. UCLA added two insurance runs in the eighth and three in the ninth to build enough distance for its arms to pitch a little more comfortably as the Roadrunners ran out of outs. Advertisement A UTSA offense that was dominant in an Austin Regional sweep a week ago, exited with a whimper, rallying just four hits against UCLA's pitching staff. Starting pitcher Landon Stump couldn't get through the fifth, but the Bruins' relief pitchers carried the brunt of the battle to shut out the Roadrunners. Left-hander Chris Grothues tied a career high with 2 ⅔ scoreless innings, striking out two and making a nifty play to catch a popped-up bunt to end the sixth. Righties Cal Randall and August Souza bridged the gap to the ninth, where freshman closer Easton Hawk shut the door. Savage, who is in the 12th and final year of the contract extension UCLA rewarded him with after winning the 2013 national championship, will get his long-awaited chance to revisit old memories and create new ones as the Bruins attempt to win their second national championship beginning later this week in Omaha. Advertisement Get the best, most interesting and strangest stories of the day from the L.A. sports scene and beyond from our newsletter The Sports Report. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Times
08-06-2025
- Sport
- Los Angeles Times
After a 12-year wait, UCLA is back in the Men's College World Series
Since coming to Westwood, Roch Cholowsky has had Omaha on his mind. The Big Ten Player of the Year — a projected No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 MLB draft by some analysts — turned Charles Schwab Field in Omaha into a playground during the Big Ten tournament, winning player of the tournament despite UCLA not claiming the championship. So far, in the NCAA tournament, Cholowsky had been uncharacteristically quiet for his standards. He still made hard plays look easy as a 'premium shortstop' — as UCLA coach John Savage glowed about his defensive skills — but his bat wasn't making its usual noise. Lagging behind for Cholowsky isn't the same for the rest of Division I baseball. The Arizona-raised team captain was still hitting .333 through the regionals and super regionals entering Sunday. A big swing, however, had yet to come — Cholowsky flying out to the deep outfield on numerous occasions across the last two weeks. 'He's just trying to do too much, probably,' Savage reasoned after Game 1 of the Los Angeles Super Regional on Saturday. 'All he cares about is winning. That's all what these guys all care about. We like an average Roch. Average Roch is pretty good.' Cholowsky finally had his moment Sunday. He did a little too much, as Savage said, trying to catch Texas San Antonio's defense sleeping and got picked off at third base in the fifth. But his big swing finally arrived — a swing that helped deliver the Bruins to Omaha. Cholowsky's RBI single in the fifth, a part of his 2 for 5 day, clinched UCLA's spot in the Men's College World Series with a 7-0 victory over UTSA. The two-game Los Angeles Super Regional sweep of the Roadrunners makes for the Bruins' sixth berth to Omaha and first since 2013, when they won it all. Cholowsky, whose trip to Omaha as a high-school senior convinced him of going to UCLA rather than becoming a likely first-round MLB draft selection, will now get his wish. The shortstop fell to the ground as Phoenix Call caught the final out in shallow right field, holding his head to the dirt. Cholowsky leapt up from the ground, his teammates already celebrating at the center of the diamond. He joined them, jumping in glee. His dreams, realized. Whereas Cholowsky may be one of the most well-known Bruins baseball players in recent memory, it was a little-playing junior who broke a scoreless game. Outfielder Toussaint Bythewood, a Harvard-Westlake alumnus, dunk a soft line drive into right field for a two-out RBI single against UTSA starting pitcher Conor Myles. Bythewood, who had started twice all season and taken just 12 at bats entering the game, provided the Bruins with their winning swing. UCLA added two insurance runs in the eighth and three in the ninth to build enough distance for its arms to pitch a little more comfortably as the Roadrunners ran out of outs. A UTSA offense that was dominant in an Austin Regional sweep a week ago, exited with a whimper, rallying just four hits against UCLA's pitching staff. Starting pitcher Landon Stump couldn't get through the fifth, but the Bruins' relief pitchers carried the brunt of the battle to shut out the Roadrunners. Left-hander Chris Grothues tied a career high with 2 ⅔ scoreless innings, striking out two and making a nifty play to catch a popped-up bunt to end the sixth. Righties Cal Randall and August Souza bridged the gap to the ninth, where freshman closer Easton Hawk shut the door. Savage, who is in the 12th and final year of the contract extension UCLA rewarded him with after winning the 2013 national championship, will get his long-awaited chance to revisit old memories and create new ones as the Bruins attempt to win their second national championship beginning later this week in Omaha.
