This post was updated May 12 at 11:07 p.m.
UCLA had not faced a ranked opponent since April 5, when the Bruins concluded their crosstown series against the Trojans.
And the next ranked matchup was a battle.
UCLA took two of three games against a powerful Oregon lineup, relying on strong starting pitching to win Friday and a shutdown bullpen Sunday. The Bruins are top-10 nationally in ERA, hits allowed per nine innings and walks allowed per nine innings.
With the team’s ace – junior right-hander Logan Reddemann – out managing arm fatigue, Wylan Moss has transitioned from a Saturday piggybacking role to the Friday night starter. In his third start of the year, the sophomore right-hander silenced the Ducks, striking out nine across seven innings of one run ball and achieving a complete game given the run-rule win. Moss rode his stellar changeup to success, throwing 22-of-27 for strikes with four swing-and-misses.
“The (velocity) differential of (the changeup), the arm speed looks like a fastball. He can move it to both sides of the plate,” said coach John Savage. “He has elite extension on both his fastball and his changeup. When he moves his fastball, along with that 86 to 88 mph slider, you just can’t sit on that changeup. There are too many weapons to sit on that change.”
The projected 2027 MLB Draft first-round pick ranks fourth among Power Four pitchers with a 1.89 ERA. Moss has struck out 31% of his opponents, walking just 9% of the time with a meager .184 batting average against him. Savage said the right-hander will not be returning to a relief role “anytime soon.”
Reddemann began ramping up his throwing Monday with the hope of pitching in the Big Ten tournament, Savage said. Through his first 10 starts, the University of San Diego transfer boasts a 2.87 ERA with 36% strikeout rate and 5% walk rate, skyrocketing himself into first-round consideration for this summer’s 2026 MLB Draft.
“It looks favorable,” Savage said. “He looks healthy. We’ve been very conservative on that, going on three weeks now. You won’t see Reddemann in Washington, but you should see Reddemann in Omaha for the Big Ten tournament.”
Beyond the two, UCLA’s starting pitching has been more inconsistent.
Senior right-hander Michael Barnett has a 3.81 ERA, but he allowed four runs Saturday and has walked at least two hitters in each of his last five starts.
Junior right-hander Landon Stump allowed one run Sunday, lasting just 2.2 innings on 56 pitches. He holds a 4.82 ERA and has completed four innings in only five of 13 starts this season.
“Our starting pitching wasn’t great on Saturday and Sunday, so we still have to look at that,” Savage said after Sunday’s victory. “There could be a change there. Moss took off on Friday, which was huge. We really need to get Reddemann back.
Savage could turn to freshman right-hander Zach Strickland, who has been stellar out of the bullpen with a 30% strikeout-minus-walk rate – 10th among Power Four pitchers. Strickland owns a 3.09 ERA across 32 innings, while surrendering just 31 baserunners. It took Strickland just nine pitches to work a shutout eighth inning in Sunday’s victory.
Redshirt senior Ian May has plenty of experience in a college rotation, making 20 starts over three years at California before transferring to UCLA. The southpaw started 12 games for the Bruins last year, now serving as a valuable swingman in 2026. In 32.2 innings, May holds a 2.48 ERA with 39 strikeouts to only seven walks given up.
Freshman right-hander Angel Cervantes has served as Savage’s midweek starter, but he may see more extended opportunities come postseason. Savage deployed Cervantes out of the pen in each of the previous two weekends, firing two scoreless innings against Oregon, while topping out at 95 miles per hour.
This trio will likely combine with Barnett and Stump to cover the bulk of the innings Saturday and Sunday against Washington in the final weekend of the regular season, although it’s unclear how the order will present itself.
Behind them is a wealth of high-leverage relievers who have been effective all year long.
Sophomore Easton Hawk broke a 21-inning scoreless streak with three unearned runs in the Saturday loss, but returned dominantly in the series finale to close out the weekend victory. He topped out at 98 miles per hour while mixing in his slider and changeup, both featuring elite depth at 85-plus miles per hour. The closer ranks second in the nation with 13 saves.
Cal Randall has made headlines in draft circles with an elite fastball, which has reached 100 miles per hour from a low arm slot with strong vertical carry. The junior has struck out 44 hitters in 24.1 innings, good for a 42% strikeout rate that ranks fourth among Power Four pitchers.
Other relievers, including junior right-handers Justin Lee and Jake Swenson, senior right-hander Jack O’Connor and freshman right-hander Elai Iwanaga, have all been effective in one-inning spurts.
UCLA has the necessary depth to win the Big Ten tournament and make a deep run to Omaha, but the starting pitching beyond Reddemann and Moss must step up to the challenge.
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